The Hot Dash 10 Mile race not only represented my first race of 2017, but also my first race as a 60 year old. The past few years I've begun my season with shorter/faster races. This year I began with an intermediate 10 mile race to hopefully avoid the calf cramping problems I experienced at the start of last season during uptempo shorter distance races. I'm typically not in tip top shape yet in March, as most of my winter training is indoor treadmill focused and I think that may have lead to early season cramping issues last year, when attempting to run uptempo races right out of the gate. Having said that, I'm also not in top shape to run 6:45 mile splits over a 10 mile distance either. But I'd rather have a slower race time and stay injury free, than begin my season like last year.
It was a cool and windy morning for today's race (34, cloudy, with a 12mph NW wind). The course followed the hilly terrain of the Mississippi River's West side, making it a very challenging course. The final 5 miles were directly into the wind, making the course even more challenging. I figured my goals would be very modest today. Get my first race at the age of 60 under my belt, run injury free and don't expect to set any PR's today.
I ran an okay first 5 miles around a 7 minute/mile pace, but the hill in mile 5 took a lot out of me. Then the hills and headwind over the last 5 miles really slowed me down (7:25/mile pace). Just not in good enough shape yet to maintain pace for this distance in today's conditions and on this tough course. I finished with a time of 1:12:08 (7:13/mile). Almost 4 minutes slower than most of my 10 mile races. But everyone seemed to struggle today, as my placement looks great if I ignore my time. I finished 138th overall among 2,010 finishers and 1st among 21 finishers in my age group.
The Hot Dash 10 Mile was also the Road Runners Club of America 10 Mile State Championship with "Open" division and "Masters" (over 40) division champions for men and women. What I didn't realize however, is they also have a Grand Master division for runners 60 years and older. So believe it or not, I am now the Minnesota State 10 Mile Grand Master champion for 2017. Had someone told me after giving up on the sport of running post high school that I would win a state running championship 42 years later, I would have thought they were crazy.
Hoping the Minnesota spring weather cooperates where I can ditch the treadmill and run all my workouts outdoors again. My next race is a half marathon in St Cloud on April 22. Hoping to improve my conditioning by then and run a more respectable time next month.
Results and Finish Video:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4936&rid=1408
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