I ran the Polar Dash 10k two years ago in 5 degree weather,
but it was a sunny day with calm winds which made things tolerable. With our
unusually mild winter I was hoping for a dry track and moderate temps this
year. But New Year's Eve dumped a quick two inches of snow on us which made the
track wet and slushy in some sections. It also brought colder temps (25
degrees), but still relatively mild for this time of year. However the main
story today was the wind. 30mph sustained winds from the WNW with gusts up to
50mph. I guess it wouldn't be a winter race in Minnesota without some aspect of
the weather making its presence known.
The 10k course runs southeast along the Mississippi River on
E River Parkway to the 3.1 mile turn-around point. Then it retraces it's steps
back to the start/finish line. There are some moderate hill climbs in the first
half of the race which become downhill stretches on the return trip to the
start/finish line. The strong winds provided a bit of a push to the turn-around
point, but became a stiff obstacle on the return trip. I had hoped to run a sub
40 minute 10k under good conditions, but with a slushy track and strong winds I
gave up on that goal before the race began. Events like this one sponsored by
Team Ortho always attract a large number of participants (over 800 ran the
10k). Plus, they also sponsor 5k and half marathon races which all take place
at the same time, utilizing the same course for the most part.
With possible footing issues, I decided to wear my marathon
shoes for better traction, but they are a bit heavier (7 ounces) than my normal
10k racing shoes (4 ounces). I felt good going into this race with two months
of speed and tempo training under my belt. Knowing I had to battle headwinds
over the final 3 miles I didn't want to go out too hard only to crash and burn
while trying to fight the wind on the return side. However, I felt a little
"dead-legged" in the first half of the race for some reason. I ran the first
mile in 6:38, mile 2 in 6:39 and mile 3 in 6:37. The course wasn't too bad with
regard to the slush, as tire lanes were down to the blacktop. But whenever I
had to run outside of the tire lanes, slush stuck to the bottom of my shoes
creating added weight for a stride or two until it fell off. It's surprising
how a little extra weight on the bottom of a shoe can throw off your natural
stride just enough to mess your rhythm when fatigued.
As I reached the turn-around and headed for home I felt the
immediate impact of the wind which was uneven with strong gusts. I tried to
block out the wind and look forward to several downhill sections on my way to
the finish. Another element in this race that also caused me problems two years
ago was coming up. With 1.5 miles to go, the 5k race merges into my race
utilizing the same finish. As I came to this point in the race I could see the
problem was going to be the same as two years ago. Hundreds of slower 5k
runners had already made their way onto the parkway ahead of me. The issue
could be solved in the future by delaying the start of the 5k an additional 10
minutes - 25 minutes after the start of the 10k rather than the 15 minute delay
they used today. This would help match 10k and 5k runners up who are running
roughly the same pace and eliminate congestion issues and possible injury as
runners try to pass. Weaving back and forth through slower 5k traffic was like
trying to solve a puzzle, all the while trying to avoid contact with other
runners. This continued on to the finish line.
I finished with a time of 41:11 (6:38/mile pace), good for
9th place overall among 815 runners and 1st among 27 in my age group. I was
happy with how I placed despite the fact I ran slower than I wanted to. But I
did maintain a steady pace throughout the race. This was my 8th fasted 10k race
to date - about 2 minutes off my personal best. My next race isn't until mid
March, almost two and a half months out. Winter racing can be so unpredictable
and frustrating for me at times. It just isn't my thing, but I do it anyway to
break the monotony of training 6 months straight without some type of goal or
reward to focus on. Maybe, just maybe I'll sneak in a 5k race before then if
good weather happens to fall on a race weekend in February. Time will tell.
Race Results:
http://mtecresults.com/race/show/597
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