Reflections From a 10K Race That Went Sour
On the windy road from making the self one’s best critic to one’s best cheerleader
Yesterday I ran the 35th rendition of my local 10K road race. It was a cold, windy Sunday morning, but that didn’t stop nearly nine thousand participants from toeing the line. These numbers reflected that of pre-covid times, which was a huge win in and of itself! Boy, it is great to live in a world where we can freely race once again.
I wanted to take a few minutes today and reflect on what yesterday meant to me. It was a day full of ups and downs, but it has allowed me to grow into a more mature, educated runner.
A good ol’ character builder, if you will.
I’ve spent the last ten weeks doing 10K-specific training to clock a 33:59 result by the time April 28th came around. While this felt ambitious, I had a solid foundation of half-marathon work under my belt and the confidence of a fresh new PR in the distance. Furthermore, my training went 100% to plan as I managed to avoid the regular injuries and roadblocks that usually surface in the last few weeks of a block. Safe to say, I was mentally and physically ready to go under that sub-34-minute mark.
But nothing is guaranteed in this sport.
