rr: norwalk mother's day 10k

don, keeping score!

i had a hard time dragging myself out of bed this morning, but it was worth it to make the trip to norwalk for the mother's day 10k. i would have gone out for a recovery run anyway, so i had no trouble with the plan to run the race and support my good friend don's event. plus, it was a great day to be outside and friends there to socialize with before, during and after the race. the only surprise was in the car - discovering the tank was practically empty! so i had to detour over to the gas station before driving to the race.

even with the stop for gas, i got there early because there was little traffic on highway. i said hi to don as he dealt with some last minute race logistics. then picked up my race packet. not only was my friend monica handling race day registration, but dawn was also lending a hand with the race registration - and would run the race as well. i looked around for my friends kate and myriam, but surprised when i couldn't find them! then i dropped off my stuff at the car and lined up for the race.

at the start i saw my friend anton, who i had last seen at the sybil 50k when he crewed for our friend joe handleman. the week after sybil, anton ran the leathermen's loop 10k. today both he and joe were running the 10k. a minute later, myriam said hello. she had driven down to the race with her husband and another sullivan strider. then the race started! given my tired legs, i doubted that i'd be able to keep pace with any of my friends today.

last year, in similar circumstances, i ran this course in 45 minutes. today i just wanted to finish in 50 minutes. just into the first mile, kate caught up to me and said hello! we ran together and chit-chatted for a while, then said we'd see each other at the finish. i missed the first mile marker (just under 9 minutes, i'd guess), and really didn't pay to much attention to my splits after that. normally, even for a recovery run, i'd focus on mile markers and split times. today i just focused on keeping my legs moving forward!

with one minor walk break up the hill in mile 4, i still managed a strong last couple of miles and finished in 50:22, an 8:06 pace. at the finish, the food of choice was watermelon - my all time favorite post-race food! i took some pictures - including a great one of joe handleman finishing the race, socialized a bit then headed home.

check out myriam's race report (with photos)!