2009 healthy kidney 10k: race report

what a strange race the 2009 healthy kidney 10k was for me! i was in no mood to run a race that hot, sticky morning. i would have been more than happy to run a bunch of 7 minute miles and bring it in under 45 minutes. since it was a team race, i wore my taconic singlet. while i had no expectations going into the race, i was actually disappointed at my finish time because of the relative fast first half.

in what proved to be a ridiculously dumb move, i left my cap in my bag. it was strange because i normally wear my cap during races. if it gets too hot, i just tuck it in the waistband of my shorts. it never occurred to me that would rain - or that rain would be a factor! i lined up with emmy and eric in the second corral.

within minutes of the start, the rain began! few minutes later, my eyeglasses became useless when i couldn't get the water off them fast enough. i was not a happy camper - and i did not want to be running under those circumstances - argh. my first half was spent in a constant struggle to maintain my vision! i ran a 6:38 first mile. mile 2 was another 6:38, for a two mile split of 13:16.

i was totally drenched by the start of mile 3, which took in the harlem hills. the hills slowed me down to 6:46 for mile 3. my 5k split was 20:51 (just as the rain let up). i was on pace for a sub-42 minute finish - but it way too fast for my less than happy mental state. even the humidity dropped noticeably now that the rain had stopped. under different conditions, i would've pushed to maintain that pace.

instead, i slowed down noticeable for the second half. my split for 4 miles was 27:10. i reached 5 miles in a sliver under 34 minutes, 33:59. finally, mile 6 was a desultory 6:54 (and gave away any chance to run a sub-42). the final 2/10 was 1:24 - and i finished in a disappointing 42:17 (the official time was even 3 seconds slower; 42:20).

it's strange how the mind works. normally i'd have been very pleased with a 42:20! instead, a wet and uncomfortable first half slog seriously dampened my mood (perhaps, my performance). the disappointment didn't last long. there are plenty more races to run...

plus, there was a sliver lining - i did score for taconic masters team :D


not quite visible in this shot, but my legs were muddy enough to have run a trail race!

here are my race photos.