Peter Noyes Turkey Trot 10K report
This was a 'C' 10K race for me and it occurred about a month after my Half Ironman in Austin. I had significantly backed off of training over the past month due to nagging patellofemoral pain in my left knee. I actually didn't think I was going to be able to race and I made the final decision to go ahead about a week ago. I was able to get a couple of good workouts in the the week before the race, an interval session, a long run, as well as some time on the bike.
My last known vdot from before Austin was 51, and I was hoping to not have lost too much of that. I secretly wished that there was an outside chance that I could break 40 minutes. Officially I finished in 40:49, but my garmin registered 6.34 miles at a 6:26 pace. I had the right pace to crack 40, I guess I just didn't take the corners well enough, or perhaps the course is just a bit long.
The 10k is a double loop that starts with a significant downhill section and ends with a brutal (ish) climb. The 5k and the 10k started together and I lined up at the front. I made the mistake of starting off way too fast, about a quarter mile in I looked at my watch and I was doing a 5:30 pace, doh! I backed off a bit and I ended up averaging a 6:20 pace for the first loop, and on the second loop I just tried to hold on and not slow down past 6:26. My friend Sebastian also did this race. On the first loop I had him in my sights and tried my best to close the gap. On the start of the second lap he stopped to tie his shoes and I passed him. He caught up with me and we ran close for a while until I surged ahead about 2/3 of the way through the second lap. At this point I was really suffering and was just trying to hang on until the finish. Sebastian saw me on the last straightaway and was able to sprint to catch me right at the end, he ended up beating me by less than a second. He must have left a little more in the tank than I did because there was no way I could sprint in my condition, also he would have beat me by significantly more if he didn't have that shoe malfunction. He finished 4th in our age group and I finished 5th.
I am happy with my results, I think I did great considering the loss of training, and I am glad my knee allowed me to race. It was a huge sufferfest, my heart rate averaged 179 and peaked at 189 (Max 196). I think my vdot is still around 51 which I am happy about.
This was also the first race for my wife, she did the 5K and beat her goal time! Also, my 2 year old son did the kid's run and actually did run for a good amount of it. I didn't have to carry him at all. They built a balloon arch near the finish and that was his biggest obstacle to finishing, he loves balloons.