Race Report: St. Pete Run Fest 10k
This is a very very late race report but I went through a period of a funk where I didn't do anything so I'm just getting back the energy to write these again. I have about twenty posts just sitting in various stages of progress. Oh well, here's the report.
I hadn't been feeling well for a few months in general. Even now almost a year after this race, I still am not quite sure what is off but I'm doing much better. There were very few expectations in the race just to see what I could do. It was a 10k that I should be able to pull off even not training specifically for it.
The race is a nice course starting in downtown St. Pete near the Mahaffey Theatre and Dali Museum. It runs basically out toward Tropicana Field and then back. While there is a little rise of a few feet outward, the course is flat. There is also a lap inside Tropicana Field on the warning track of the baseball field, so that is an added bonus.
I went out at my pace and kept to myself. I would evaluate the heat and how I felt later. I felt surprisingly ok-ish for the whole way out. My foot was not bothering me as much and I didn't feel like I wanted to die, so that's a win. About halfway through, I latched on to a few people who were running a similar speed. We "drafted" and just ran as a group for a while. When we merged with the half marathon a little later, I lost track of where I was in position. I just went back to running my race. I felt like this could be a new 10k personal best (not a high bar from previous events, I will say) but I wasn't sure. I kept going hoping that it would just fall into place.
As I turned the final corner, I heard the announcer talking about the top ten. I thought there is no way I'm that high up but when I crossed the finish line, they said "and another top ten finisher". Holy crap WTF. After looking over results, I was within two minutes of the overall podium. This was a personal best for me but also to be that high in the standings was not what I expected from the day. Maybe on a better day or training I could have challenged for a podium (or a win?) but for today I'll take it. This is the closest to the podium I've ever been and on a field of over 1000 runners. Take the wins where you can get them.
I hadn't been feeling well for a few months in general. Even now almost a year after this race, I still am not quite sure what is off but I'm doing much better. There were very few expectations in the race just to see what I could do. It was a 10k that I should be able to pull off even not training specifically for it.
The race is a nice course starting in downtown St. Pete near the Mahaffey Theatre and Dali Museum. It runs basically out toward Tropicana Field and then back. While there is a little rise of a few feet outward, the course is flat. There is also a lap inside Tropicana Field on the warning track of the baseball field, so that is an added bonus.
I went out at my pace and kept to myself. I would evaluate the heat and how I felt later. I felt surprisingly ok-ish for the whole way out. My foot was not bothering me as much and I didn't feel like I wanted to die, so that's a win. About halfway through, I latched on to a few people who were running a similar speed. We "drafted" and just ran as a group for a while. When we merged with the half marathon a little later, I lost track of where I was in position. I just went back to running my race. I felt like this could be a new 10k personal best (not a high bar from previous events, I will say) but I wasn't sure. I kept going hoping that it would just fall into place.
As I turned the final corner, I heard the announcer talking about the top ten. I thought there is no way I'm that high up but when I crossed the finish line, they said "and another top ten finisher". Holy crap WTF. After looking over results, I was within two minutes of the overall podium. This was a personal best for me but also to be that high in the standings was not what I expected from the day. Maybe on a better day or training I could have challenged for a podium (or a win?) but for today I'll take it. This is the closest to the podium I've ever been and on a field of over 1000 runners. Take the wins where you can get them.
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