44:48

I did it.
I set my goal of a sub 45:00 10k AND I DID IT!!!

The alarm went off with my carefully chosen wake up tune (Flower Parts - Bob Schneider) and I was rested and ready. For this being a 10k race, it sure felt a lot like the usual big race morning. I am sure it comes from me building up this race with a pretty big goal and setting my season up to start with this race. Hell of a way to start it off...

Went for a walk listening to my usual pre-race pump up tunes (a few samples 1-2-3-4) , and got to the race with plenty of time to warm up. The day was gorgeous. Blue skies. Cool but not cold. Pefect. My stomach was doing circles and I was laughing at myself because this felt like the build up to a half iron. I lined up near the front with the "fast" runners hoping that the quick folks at the start would get me off to a good pace and also clear the road a bit so it wasn't "full contact running". It gets pretty ugly with 13,000 people lined up.

I started fast and finished the first kilometre in about 4:40. Slower than I would need to run, but a good warm up. 2nd K was in about 4:20. 3rd was even faster. By the halfway point I was rocking and my watch said I was at 18:30! That was 3 minutes faster than my goal time!!! I figured at this pace I could cruise to the finish and beat my goal. This was amazing!

I have a friend who runs the 10k every year and I am in awe of him. My joke is that he could show up hung-over, possibly still drunk, maybe high, having not slept for two days or even trained for the race since the previous year and he could still run a 42:00 10k. He just makes it happen year after year. He chalks it up to being active for most of his life and having a solid base. I give him that but I think he has a truckload of mental strength in there too. Truly impressive. As I ran today, I secretly kept an eye out for him. If there is any year I could beat him, this is the one. Sure enough at about 6.5k here he comes! We run a bit together then, a moment later one of my grade seven alto sax players suddenly appears next to me. So now I have a team to run with. I go from one to the other, riding their shoulders and picking up the pace to match theirs. Still, at this pace, I am going to be flying!

With about 2k to go, I look at my watch and see 32:05. SERIOUSLY! I could break 40 minutes!!!!! I start to slow up a bit, knowing my goal of 45 minutes is well in hand. I run a bit taller, prouder. Just as I "down shift", here comes my awe inspiring friend burning past me and my student cruising close behind. Well that's just not going to happen, not today at least! I pick it up and jump back on their sides and we are running three abreast (probably the most random running trio out there!). With 300 metres to go and the finish line in sight, I drop the hammer. Long strides, fast feet, suck it up, go go go! I stretch it out and push across the finish line at... 45:06! What!? Wait a minute, 45:08? What happened to 39:57? What happened here?

Sure enough at about the 4k mark I bumped my stopwatch to a different setting that was FIVE minutes off my race time! AHHHHHH! Here I am cruising along all impressed with myself and I had foolishly bumped my watch to the wrong time! Thankfully my two running "partners" unknowingly pushed me to up my pace fast enough to still reach my goal and get a time of 44:48! The race clock at the finish was about 20 seconds off my official time and so I still pulled of my goal! Not the way I planned on it but the end result still starts my season off right!

10k 44:48 4:29/k 7:13/mile

Ironman Goal #1... Accomplished
Bring on the Oliver Half Ironman!