Superbowl 10k Race Report

Usually I develop 3 goals for races: a "pie-n-the-sky" goal, an intermediate goal, and a fail-safe (hopefully) goal. The good news is that I hit one of these goals. The bad news was that it was the fail-safe goal of breaking 38 minutes. The course was changed last minute and I believe made times a bit slower. However, last time I ran this race (2007) I had a 10k personal best of 36:28. I had dreams of breaking 36 minutes. I ran a 37:37. I had a great day with 3 other friends who joined me for the event and we had a break in the weather with the temperature at race time in the high 30's. I monitored my HR during the race and every time I looked down I was a bit over 170 bpm. This is 3-4 beats higher that I have gotten to any hard workout since I started monitoring HR. I think I ran a smart race - my mile splits were fairly consistent. All-n-all it was a decent start for the 2009 season. This was my first race after really destroying myself during October's 100 miler. Things I have learned and will build off of for this race: 1. Body weight - I am about 5-10 lbs heavier than when I ran this race in 2007. I think if I can drop my weight down and lower my body fat % I will get faster. There exists scientific literature that suggests excess body weight slows you down - makes sense to me. 2. I will continue with my modified training plan, which includes more strength and cross training, as well as, more stretching. I think this will keep me healthier and less likely to become injured. Now it's time for serious FOCUS - Massanutten 100...