BOF 10K Classic - Sat. Aug 12

So we made it to the Bridge of Flowers run: Ivan, Mark and me, all awake and more or less ready for the 9 a.m. start. Shelburne Falls was nicely turned out for the occasion, and the weather was perfect: dry, sunny, cool turning to very nice (about 70 F at race end). The hill was every bit as steep as threatened, but after that the course was pretty standard. Decent turnout (550 or so) and very nice service all the way round, from closed road to time callouts at every mile, friendly water stops and even calling out finisher's names as they crossed the line. Here's how it looked:

Time: 43:14
Speed: 6:58 mins/mile (8.68 mph)
Distance: 6.22 miles

Comment: overall my big impression is that I was (a) underprepared, in terms of overall strength, and (b) that I was even so too cautious. I could have done the whole thing a good bit harder, and at the end (after maybe 20 seconds - literally before I even got out of the chute) I was feeling good to go and run another 5-10K. So, like Ivan I was a bit psyched out by the hill; also I was evidently underprepared in that I haven't got enough miles on my weekly clock, haven't had for a few months now. Should aim to fix that so I'm feeling a bit more ready for the Monson run. Caution is a bit harder to explain . . . I did feel like retching in the last mile, just as I felt enough confidence to pick up the pace -- probably should have had that pre-race banana, it would have staved off hunger pangs just a little. In the end I only kicked in the last 200 yards, having lost maybe 4-5 places and a good 15-20 seconds through not going for it when I wanted to. but my caution, lack of confidence in even finishing the run, was surely misplaced overall. I could have just tried harder, it wouldn't have killed me (or made me stumble/fall, which was somehow my chief fear). Live and learn. The fast-ish start, especially the first mile when I was following Ivan at a distance, made me think I'd burned up reserves, too, probably.

Enfin, I need to work on flat speed (so I'm comfortable with running 10 mph), hill skills (more of Holland Glen, etc.!) and distance again (so I'm back to ease with 10-12 milers). A tall order, but this is the season to try. It's perfect running weather, and will be so for a few months now. I'm back onto evening running, I think (couldn''t fool the body with Jetlag for ever) and I'll start with a target of 28-32 miles per week (10k, 10k, 10k, 10-14 miles). Do it!