Race Report- Cow Harbor 10K, Saturday, Sept 17
This is a hometown race for me, so I was very excited to run. Even though I only live about 10 minutes from the start, the parking logistics and the fact that the race starts and ends in completely different places, I still had to get up pretty early. I was parked and on the bus to the start about 1.5 hours before start time. Weather was lovely. Cloudy, 64, 66% humidity.
I tried to relax and sit a bit for the long wait. I was feeling a bit lonely as there were a lot of run clubs and families about. Not many solo runners from what I could tell.
There were definitely not enough port-o-potties and I was still in line when the race started. Luckily I was in wave 13, so I didn't miss my start. They send the waves off every minute.
I find the first 2 miles of this race the most difficult because it starts with a bit of an uphill, then a BIG downhill and then an enormous soul crushing uphill. I lost a lost of time on that big uphill in mile 2. After that, things went pretty well. There was nice crowd support, the views are always pretty and I was in a groove. There was one last uphill right after mile 5, which isn't that huge, but felt like an absolute mountain to me. Once you crest that it's literally all downhill to the finish. I threw my intervals out the window and just tried to cruise down the hill. (My quads are not thanking me today for that!)
This was a good race for me and I'm pleased with my result, but it stings a little to see my places. It's a very competitive race (and was also the USATF 10K Road Nationals this year) so I know it shouldn't really matter, but it's something I struggle with.
Next up- Marathon Weekend!