Last Saturday I ran my first 10k. Well, not my first, but my first competitive one. The morning started well I arrived to Camp Pendleton early to make sure to find the start and get good parking. Classic, I forget my wallet. The gate Marine is very nice and says I can enter; but I am not sure if I need my id to get my bib so I drive home. I run into the house, grab my wallet, and head out. I get to base on time and register; again, they cannot find my bib so I have to wait for one to be written out. I wait, get my t-shirt and bib. I take the t-shirt to the car (some distance away) and the national anthem plays when I am halfway back to the starting line. Yeah, so I am not going to disrespect the national anthem by moving, much less on a marine base, clearly a bad idea. I wait in the middle of the road, half way back to the start…once over I sprint to the start with a solid 30 seconds to catch my breath and begin running again. Below check out the full run.
The first hill was brutal. The elevation change was huge and it did not help getting caught in the back. You would set a rhythm and someone ahead of you would stop or change pace. So you would be stopping and starting up continuously. That part was probably harder. We got over the first hill and were greeted my paramedics standing on the ready at the top. My buddy Max helped me up all the hills. He is a much stronger runner than I am. He let me draft off him and was patient for me to catch up to him, it was a huge help. I did see a Marine smoking a cigarette during the run. He would sprint, take a puff, walk, and then sprint again. It was odd, and the smell of a Marlboro at 8 am, in the midst of a few hundred running sweaty people is not appealing. I really hope it was symbolic because it was certainly not smart.
Conditions were good, aside from the midst and the constant threat of rain. I expected a muddy sloppy trail run. The trail was a lot more packed down than I expected so the brooks Cascadia 5’s that I took handled everything well, no slips.
Lessons Learned
Be near the front off to one of the sides, steadier pace and not as much body heat
Carry a water bottle, I could not sip Gatorade or water at the stations because I felt I had to drink a ton before the next station, I am usually a sip a little water type runner, so for next time that’s the play
Consider carrying an iPod, not because I need motivation, but hearing all the other peoples foot landing rhythms and breathing threw me off my game plan.
Going out slow was a good thing. I am training for a longer race, no use trying to be a speed demon the first time out, running is about the long haul.
Finishing Info
Time: 1:06:11
Age Group: 14th
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