run for the mountain 10k

The Summer Run Series just seemed to show up out of nowhere - I had a 10k yesterday and let's just say it was humbling..

Hopes were up in the work-land that I would run this 10k like it was a piece of cake. However, variables haven't been on my side in the past few weeks..but I'm not going to list out excuses.

The work-land represented yesterday.

This is a trail run like most of the runs in the series. Rocks, branches, hills, uneven trail, etc. I ran the 5k version of this race two years ago in 31:35/10:11 pace, and then last year I ran the 10k in the snow (yes, in May), in 1:02:46/10:07 pace.

I spy a crazy foot.

This year...I didn't have a set goal and honestly this hasn't been on my mind lately due to other stuff going on, so the mental preparation was not there like it usually was.  Arbitrarily, I knew I should be finishing under 55:00 if I had a good 9 minute pace + the difficulty of the trail.

I could not muster up the energy to pass this guy. We high-fived at the end cause we're buddies like that.

I ended up with a personal 10k PR (all of my 10k races have been on trails though..) at 56:38, and obviously a PR with this race.  I walked a few times which wasn't my proudest moments. Usually when I run hard at altitude, I cough quite a bit afterwards for a few hours, and that didn't happen this time.  Which tells me I didn't push it.

Fortunately- this now motivates me to raise the standards for my 10k PR considering the paces I have run 5ks, half-marathons, and my marathon. I am going to do a quick 4-week training build-up to a 10k on June 14th (yes, going to get those weekly training posts back up and going - hello, accountability!).

Which leads me to say, that race will be in Illinois, since I will be moving to St. Louis in a few weeks for work! I plan to hit up 3 more National Parks so expect some epic posts from those adventures later this month, and early next month!