Monster Dash 10 Mile - October 26th, 2013

The Monster Dash 10 Mile run in St. Paul is my last big race of the year. Last year I ran the Monster Dash Half Marathon. I haven't run a 10 mile race in two years, but coming off a full marathon just three weeks ago, this should be a good test for me right now. Both the 10 mile and half marathon races start together, utilizing the same course, but the half marathon finishes on the edge of downtown St. Paul, where the 10 mile concludes three miles further west. Like all the Ortho races, this one also attracts thousands of runners. Almost 10,000 runners total between the two races, with two-thirds of them run the half marathon.

Late October is a great time of year to run a solid performance. My endurance levels remain high after my recent marathon. The weather is usually nice and cool this time of year and this particular course is geared for a fast time. The elevation drop from start to finish is 225 feet. A few hills mixed in, but nothing major. Mostly some nice long, gradual downhill sections where you don't even realize you are running downhill. Nice and easy on the quads.

The race starts at the Cathedral in St. Paul. A location very near and dear to my heart as it at sits less than a half mile from the finish of the Twin Cities Marathon. It's here where you experience a sense of euphoria as the marathon finish line comes into view for the first time as you pass by. But in this race, the 10 mile course heads West on Summit Ave from the Cathedral toward the Mississippi River about 4 miles away. From there, it follows Mississippi River Blvd south another 4 miles before connecting with Sheppard Road where it heads northeast toward downtown St. Paul for the final 2 miles.

The weather was good. Partly cloudy with an air temperature of 40 degrees and a brisk 15mph wind from the northwest which was the only downside. Minutes before the start of the race, they announced there would be a 10 minute delay due to heavy traffic jams in the downtown area, as so many runners were still arriving for the race. This was an irritation for me as I don't understand why they penalize runners who already warmed up and were ready to go. An additional 10 minute wait in windy, 40 degree weather isn't much fun because the warm clothing has already been peeled off and your left standing in only a shirt, shorts and shoes. I understand the desire to allow time for most of the runners to get the starting line before the horn sounds, but it is a chip timed event, so their race time won't begin until they cross the starting line anyway. Oh well, enough on that.

I came into this race with one goal in mind. That being to beat my fastest 10 mile time of 1:07:07, set in May of 2011. I knew this was going to be the race to beat it and everything (other than the delayed start to the race) was lined up for me to do so. My goal was to run a 6:45 first mile and then push the pace in the second mile to 6:40 and hold it there the rest of the way. The first 4 miles were primarily into the wind until the course turns south when we reach the river. I hit the 1 mile mark in good shape at 6:45, but then slowed in my second mile to 6:50.  The first two miles were relatively flat for the most part, but miles 3 and 4 were downhill miles. With panic setting in after my second mile split, I push the pace and ran mile 3 in 6:40 and mile 4 in 6:33. I was now running faster than planned but feeling good. My mile 5 split was 6:35 and suddenly the race was half over.

I felt great at this point and felt my confidence grow as I pressed on. I ran the next 3 miles in 6:33, 6:35 and 6:33. I was now turning onto Sheppard Road with the last two miles ahead of me.  I knew I was going to break my fastest 10 mile race at this point, it was only a question, by how much. For the first time I could feel my body on the edge of exhaustion and the race seemed to slow down. I was running just as hard if not harder, but the miles were no longer flying by as they were to this point.  I finally reached the 9 mile point running a 6:23 split - my fastest mile yet. Only 1 mile to go, but like mile 9, the final mile never seemed to end. Finally, with about 400 yards to go the 10 mile race peeled off from the half marathon course to the finish. Runner traffic had really thinned out and I was all alone at this point, pushing as hard as I could. I ran the final mile in 6:21 which was my fastest mile of the race. I finished with a time of 1:05:48 beating my prior best by 1 minute, 19 seconds.

I finished 12th overall among 2,954 finishers and 1st out of 94 men in my 50-59 age group. This was also the first time I've finished with a national class time for my age. I've come very close many times but always land at the upper edge of the regional class times. So that was very exciting. I have one more race this year on Thanksgiving Day morning which is a small 5k race in White Bear Lake, which I ran last year. It was a satisfying race season this year and I was very happy I was able to stay healthy this year.

Race Results: http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=296&race=1938