Race report: My first 10k

Now that my nordic season is over, I've been allocating 100% of my training to become the best runner I can be for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon in April this year. Along the way, I decided it would be best for me to dabble in one or two shorter races in preparation for the half, and the Leprachaun Lope 10k seemed to fit my training schedule perfectly. The course description is as brutal as it sounds. The course is a simple out and back, with over 500ft elevation gain over the first 5k, then over 600 ft elevation loss over the last 5. Of course, all of this is occurring at our mile-high altitude, which does nothing to help make the race easier.

The course: a simple out and back...straight up the mountain

Although this was my first 10k (as a race), my training and knowledge of what my body is capable of let me establish a pretty simple plan; run just above threshold on the way up (HR ~195), don't worry about pace per mile, then full on bomb on the way down and try to maintain form and HR in the low 190s.

After pretending to know what I was doing for my warm up (this was my 2nd running race after all), the gun shot and I was off. There were ~400 people doing the 10k, but the real race was up front. I immediately found a rhythm and settled in at 6:45 over the first (and only) flat part of the course. A 6-foot, ridiculously lean 50-year-old guy settled right in front of me, and set the pace at EXACTLY where I wanted. We were initially in ~10th/11th place, but by mile 1 and the start of the climb, we were in 4th and 5th. We stood absolutely no shot at catching the top 2 guys, but 3rd was only about 20 meters ahead of us, and we were cruising. My heart rate was right where I wanted it (193-196 on the way up) and I felt great. We reached the top together with another guy about 5 meters behind us, and the time to fly down the hill was about to start.  However, this 50 year old guy knew exactly what he was doing, and as soon as we hit the turnaround he glanced back at me and dropped the pace down to a 5:20 per mile. Fuuuuuuuuck. I went with him initially for about 500 meters, looked at my HR and saw a 198, and realized there was no way I could keep that up. I had to let him go. The last 4.5k went by in a blur. I kept my heart rate in the low 190s just as planned, the pace in the upper 5min/mile, and my legs felt like they couldn't go any faster while also feeling in control. The one guy 5-meters behind me ended up passing me with about 2 miles to go, but there was nothing I could have done.

With about 1k to go, the 10k course intertwined with the 5k, and I was thrown in to this swarm of people running 8-9 minute pace where I was pushing 5:50s. It was a bit hectic, and with 200 meters left a guy actually started to sprint while showing incredible form to get past me by a meter. It was at that time I realized he was also doing the 10k, and he and I full on kicked for the last 150. I pulled away in the last 50 to settle for 6th overall, and (I think) win my age group*. I finished in 40:12 to set a personal 10k PR on a ridiculously hard course at altitude, and I really couldn't be happier about how good my legs are feeling right now.

Overall, this was a great experience, and one of the best results (percentage of participants wise) I've ever had.  Just 4 more weeks of training until the half.

Pacing was never based speed, but the splits are fun to look at

*I'm not sure where I actually finished in my age group. They screwed up the results at the table because a couple of shmucksies who registered for the 10k actually did the 5. I didn't stick around for the results to be cleared out since there were no prizes except top 3 overall finishers (Old guy I went up with wound up in 3rd place, in case you were wondering).