Finally a Sub1 10km Run

I was never a strong runner, more of "decent" on my best day. Even during my HS varsity basketball days, I'd always be at the back of the pack during road work. I never had the speed nor lungs to hang with my faster teammates. Thus the love for running never really developed so as the pursuit to improve and get faster.

Since joining organized runs several years ago there are several goals that I think are standard amongst runners and some are ones that are from my own list. There's the goal to run a 10k with an average pace of 5:30 (5:40 will also do). A sub-25 5km run. Finish a Half Marathon and eventually do a Sub-2 21k. Of course there is that goal of finishing your first Full Marthon (but I dream of doing it in another city/country...Chicago, Tokyo, London or Berlin perhaps 😄). The other goal that I've tried getting but failed doing is a Sub-1 10km run. My best 10k finish is 1 hour and 3 mins during the Pinoy Fitness Sub1 10k Challenge 2018. That effort involved a very fast start, struggling to maintain a fast pace, a lot of power walking and stops at every hydration station. The game plan almost worked but still was not the best to meet the goal.


My wife and signed up for the 2018 Yakult 10-miler Run and chose the 10km distance. This was more of a "part of the training run" as we prepare for our Olympic Distance Triathlon in November. But my primary goal on race day was to try and finish the race under an hour. Part of my triathlon training was a once-a-week long run which lasted for an hour. Every time I'd go after that 10km mileage, thinking if I can do it in training I should be able to do it during a race. And every week that I tried I'd also fail each and every time. The farthest I'd gone during those Sunday runs was 8.9kms. It was close but also not close enough. If I completed the 10 kilometers I would have finished around 1 hour and 7 minutes. Far from my goal and much longer than my 1:03 personal best. The frustration was slowly building up as the Sub-1 goal feels more daunting every week that I don't make it.

Yesterday's 10km race felt different from those training runs to say the least. First, I got to the race venue earlier than usual. I was able to do a light warm up run from the parking to the start line and completed my whole routine of stretching. By the time the host started counting down there were beads of sweat on my forehead and my body was warmed up and ready. 3...2...1..."Bang!" 💥 and off we go. My second attempt for a Sub-1 race is on! This time I was more conscious of my pace rather than people overtaking me. I wasn't swayed by the hoard of people sprinting at the start only to see them walk before the 1 kilometer mark. My pace and rhythm this time around was perfect (for me). My legs felt light, my breathing was almost natural and there was no pain or discomfort in any part of my body to start the race. After the 2.5km turn was the first Hydration Station, I thought of getting a cup of water but I still felt strong and decided to skip the queue. I kept the comfortable feel pace and decided not to look (or even peek) at my watch to see my actual pace. All I now is that my watch wasn't chirping! It means I am within the range of my training pace. Just before the half way mark U-turn is another Hydration Station, by this time I knew I had to hydrate and take some of my energy gels if I want to sustain this pace. I ripped open and finished a pack and picked up two cups. One to wash down the gel and the other poured over my head to keep my body temp down.


Throughout the first 5 kilometers I was running side by side with a member of the Fort Striders Running Club. I was trying to match his every step, his every turn and kept every racing line to stay on the same pace. At the start of our second and final loop I asked him if we are on track to hit a Sub-1 race. He quipped that we completed the 5k in a little-over 30 minutes. I knew I had to do negative splits over the next 4+ kilometers to get to my goal. There were two main challenges left and both involved going up a slight elevation. The first uphill one was much easier to overcome as I was coming from the last hydration station where I just got a drink (this is the same one after the 2,5km U-turn and my last planned drink). The second one was the more challenging one as it is a slightly longer climb and there were more people walking at this point. Between keeping a good cadence going up and trying to zigzag through other runners, I was a little bit gassed by the time I got to the final right hand turn heading to the finish line. 1.5 kilometers and just 7 minutes 'til the top of the hour, I was almost ready to give up thinking I'd still beat my personal best when I cross that finish line. Also by this time, the Good Samaritan from Fort Striders was ahead by 10 meters and still keeping a very good pace. I had no plans of trying to catch him because that might just be the one that breaks me.


With less than a kilometer away the half-way hydration station was again there waiting for me to stop and replenish. This time around I'm skipping the water break (surprisingly the Good Samaritan banked towards the water station and took a quick sip so I caught up to him). Back to my race, I knew I had to trust my training and all those long Sunday runs and just grind it out. "Focus on breathing. Maintain a good cadence and make sure that you keep your form!" were the things I was telling my self while trying to get more out of my 2nd wind (or maybe that's my 3rd wind...who knows!). I was huffing and puffing as I made that final U-turn. With a little over 200 meters to go and less than a minute to cross the finish I knew I had to push harder. One more deep breath, one loud exhale and sprint! "Don't trip, don't throw up! Don't trip, don't throw up! Don't trip, don't throw up!" -- that's the other statement floating in my head as I ran past other runners nonchalantly making their way to the finish line.


I was nowhere near the Top 3 or even Top 20 of that race but I was shouting like I just won the gold when I crossed the finish line. Finally!!! I have a 10k race that I finished under an hour (59 minutes 25 seconds to be precise). And the crazy thing now is I am expecting myself to finish every 10k run under an hour and beat my personal best.


PS
The mind can really do wonders when used and conditioned correctly. In that last kilometer when I started focusing more on my breathing, cadence and form, I was pacing at an amazing (by my standards) 5:40 which was faster than any pace from kilometers 1 through 9.

PS 2
Learning how to get cups of water in the hydration stations without stopping a skill that one needs to learn and practice. It is a time saver as it keeps your running momentum going and avoid the painful process of stop-drink-go and try to get back your pace.


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