Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K (44:02)

I used to be not likely excited to run the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K. I’m normally excited to race, however the few days earlier than, I didn’t really feel nice. I really puzzled if I used to be getting sick, though I did check damaging twice for COVID. Since I had a nonrefundable resort, I made the drive all the way down to Redondo Seaside. Even nearly every week later, I’m not absolutely feeling like myself.

Earlier than the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K:

I deliberate to go away house at 10:30. That turned out to be leaving at 1:45 pm. I largely slept and did actually nothing. I used to be drained, my physique didn’t really feel nice, and I puzzled how I used to be going to even run a 10K. I ought to have puzzled how I used to be going to make the 2-hour trek to Redondo Seaside. After lastly motivating myself, I made the journey down. There wasn’t an excessive amount of site visitors, and I finished for dinner. I arrived at my resort round 5:30 after which realized I had missed packet pickup till 4. Not an enormous deal. I fell asleep round 7 pm and slept till 5. It wasn’t essentially the most high quality sleep I’ve had, however it was ok.

I awakened with some abdomen cramps (once more, why is that this a race theme recently?). That was my largest concern the previous few days, regardless of my legs not feeling nice. However I warmed up about 2 miles and didn’t really feel horrible, so I hoped that will be the case. I warmed up for 20 minutes, and by the point I knew it, it was time to race.

Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K:

I wasn’t certain the place to seed myself on the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K beginning line, and I figured there can be lots of people taking it out too quick. It was partially true, however I in all probability was in about the suitable spot. I appeared down at my watch throughout the first mile, and it stated 6:30. I believed, no, that may be a recipe for catastrophe, and dialed it again to round a 7-minute tempo. I didn’t have a purpose for the race, though below 7:15 can be good. Though, I additionally didn’t understand how hilly the race course was.

I hit the primary mile in 6:54. It felt laborious, however not horrible. The subsequent mile of Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K had some hills, and I informed myself simply make it to the midway. There was a boys’ highschool cross nation crew taking on half the highway, so it was laborious to move them. And we almost collided when getting water, however I simply centered on making it one mile at a time. I hit the second mile of the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K in 7:02.

The third mile really went downhill a bit earlier than going uphill. I will need to have tuned the downhill half out as a result of I believed we’d solely return downhill getting again. I ran a 7:01 third mile. We rounded an uphill flip after which started heading in direction of the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K end. I saved considering, hopefully, I don’t fade now as a result of that will be tough.

I didn’t understand how a lot uphill we had going again, and the subsequent mile was the toughest total. I ran a 7:08 and saved questioning if I’d even have the ability to end. It simply felt prefer it was endless.

We began going downhill at mile 5, and I acquired excited. A downhill end? Sure, please. Sadly, round 5.5, we went straight uphill, and that uphill almost broke me. It felt like I used to be strolling uphill as a result of it was so steep. After that, I simply hoped the remainder was downhill. As soon as I caught my breath, I simply ran as laborious as I might. I knew I hadn’t run the tangents nicely and guessed I’d be .2 longer, so I mentally ready myself for that.

I completed the final bit at a 6:27 tempo and was pleasantly shocked by my kick. I crossed the Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K end in 44:02, my quickest 10k in a few years.

Redondo Seaside Tremendous Bowl Sunday 10K Ideas:

I can’t actually complain since I didn’t really feel nice, and I ran my quickest 10K in a few years. Final fall, earlier than my hip harm, I knew I used to be in sub-7-minute 10K form. That by no means occurred (actually not even shut), so it was good to be proper there surprisingly. I’m wanting ahead to five extra weeks of marathon coaching (actually 3 weeks and a taper) earlier than the race.