It’s no secret that the 10k is my least favorite race distance. It’s just a sufferfest. The distance is too long to be short and too short to be long. It is not my sweet spot. I’d much rather run a 4-miler (popular in NYC due to the layout of Central Park) or a half marathon.
Here are a few reasons why I had a bad race day at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10k
- I psyched myself out about it from the beginning because I know just how hard 10k races are for me.
- I haven’t ran any hard miles since the Brooklyn Half.
- I worked out several days in a row last week and my body was ready for a rest day.
- This is lame and I know it, but it was humid!
- I need to run more hills.
Pre-race:
While I had a rough plan for how I’d run the race, I was still undecided and nervous. So naturally, I tweeted out my concerns. I got this response from Mary Wittenberg which made me feel a bit calmer since it confirmed my strategy (yes, even coaches doubt themselves!)
I woke up at 6:30 and had 8 ounces of water, one cup of coffee and a cinnamon raisin picky bar. We jogged 2.25 miles to the start line corrals. I got to my corral super early and I stood there dripping with sweat. That’s when I realized how hot it was.
The Race:
After the gun went off, the race was even more crowded than usual. I smiled to myself as nearly everyone was passing me during the first two miles. I thought, “I’ll catch them on the back half of the race.” I tuned into my breathing and kept my pace conservative and around an effort level 6 (on a scale from 1-10). I felt confident that I’d be able to pick up the pace when I hit the 5k mark.
WRONG!
From 5k on it was stop and go. I would speed up to what felt like a good manageable tempo effort only to be told “no” by my body. At times I wanted to give up and just jog, but I’m trying something new this year. Unless I’m feeling sick or injured, when I feel terrible I’m going to slow down and recover a bit then try again. Why give up? Or why not at least give it my best effort so I can get in a good workout and therefore hopefully elevate my fitness level?
That’s what I kept doing this until I crossed the finish line. I thought I’d surely be able to punch into gear when I hit the final 800 meters, but once again I was wrong. I had to slow down again until I hit the last 400 meters where I forced myself to sprint to the finish.
My final sprint to the finish line was significantly slower than it was at the Brooklyn Half Marathon (read my recap here). And I ran the last mile before the final sprint at almost the exact same pace, but it felt so much harder! I actually felt a bit nauseous.
My (all over the place) garmin splits:
Official race time: 50:09 (8:05 pace; nearly three minutes slower than my 10k PR)
I’m mostly focused on improving my overall fitness right now, so I’m not concerned with how things went. I just hope that in a few months from now my fitness will be much better.
Next up on my schedule is the NYRR Retro 4-miler on Saturday.
That sounds really rough. But it is good to hear that I am not the only one who cannot struggles with 10K! I can run a 1:43:00ish half marathon and completely loose it in the 10K. Stomach cramps, mental breakdown, stop to walk, etc. I seriously may never run another one… I know this is a bad attitude, but that race distance is killer.
The UAE Healthy Kidney 10K is a running event that aims to promote and raise awareness of kidney disease. It is a 10-kilometer race that will be held on September 15, 2018 at the Dubai Parks and Resorts.
This event was organized to raise awareness of kidney disease and promote healthy living. This year’s event will be the 8th edition of the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, which is part of a series of events held annually in different countries around the world.
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