Harborfest 10k Race
Sunday, June 22, 2008
2008 Harborfest 10k results
My legs were still feeling very tired and sluggish, so I didn't have high hopes going into this one, especially in light of my disappointing last few races. My prediction was that it would take me at least 66 minutes to run this (compared to a phenomenal 62 minutes last year) and that it might be even longer. But in light of that prediction, I decided to run light and left the camera behind (I planned to ride the course afterwards and take some pictures) and carried a handheld water bottle with a Nuun electrolyte solution, since I expected to be doing some sweating.
On the plus side, the weather was grogeous - bright and sunny. And the earlier start meant that temperatures would be a little cooler than last year.
Got to the Ontario Beach Park, found a place to park the car that I was confident I'd find again, and went to check in. It was pleasantly reassuring the have the race timed by Yellowjacket Racing this year - I've worn their timing chips in so many races by now that it just adds an extra level of comfort. Then I wandered a bit to take some pictures and loosen my legs up a little, made a last rest stop, and went back to the car to do a final gear check before hanging out at the start for 10 minutes waiting for things to begin. Which, after a few words from the official race starter, they did - and off we went.
I was definitely further back in the pack this year... in part due to my being a bit slower, and possibly due to there being fewer slow runners than last year. Settled into a comfortable pace and wondered if my legs would ever loosen up... I've done very little running on pavement this year, which doesn't help. The first mile isn't terribly scenic, other than the run past the Genesee-Charlotte lighthouse, and I hit the first mile marker at 10:30... 15 seconds slower than last year and faster than I expected.
The next mile featured a gradual climb uphill, through wooded surroundings and then, best of all, the descent down onto the boardwalk across Turning Point Basin. I love running down the hill around the curve and seeing the view open up before me, with the river, marshes, cliffs, and boardwalk stretching off into the distance. Hit mile #2 at 21:30... slowed a bit, unfortunately, and with a steep hill coming up I knew I'd probably slow even more in the next mile. The path along the top of the bluff is nice and level, and shaded to boot... it was also nice to see one of the volunteers from numerous spring and fall duathlons cheering runners on at the Turning Point Park parking area - he recognized me and gave me the same boost he always gives me at the du's. Finally reached the turnaround and headed downhill... didn't make great time, but I was able to pick up the pace a bit and started passing a few stragglers. The mile #3 marker was about halfway down the hill , but I can't remember my time - what I do remember is the run was starting to get tough.
The trek back across the boardwalk was tougher still, with the sun blazing down and that hill to climb at the end... I walked up the hill, but then picked up my pace a bit and passed the folks who'd gone by me while I was walking. Came out of the woods not sure how long I'd be able to maintain the pace I was at, especially in direct sun, and passed the last water stop where they told us we had about a mile to go (actually it was more like 1 1/2 miles!) Finally reached mile 5 at just under 54 minutes, and knew I had only 1.2 miles to go... and that they were going to be tough.
But I pushed through to the end, through the parking lots and around the edge of the park, then onto the boardwalk along the beach... thankfully no one got in my way, because my only thought was to keep moving forward. The sight of the finish line didn't trick me this year - I knew I had to make a last loop around the building - and hit the sand running. That final stretch across the beach throws a lot of people (from the grumbling I've heard) but that's a spot where my trail running pays off - I maintained a strong pace and finished at exactly 65 minutes, earning a congratulations from the finish line volunteers for a good finish and a good run on the sand.
Then I staggered over to the post-race food to snag a bagel and an orange slice, and staggered back to the car to change into dry clothes and drink some Accelerade. As I was walking back to the car I watched more runners coming in, including several I'd passed.
Overall, I'm fairly pleased with how this one went... I actually beat my predicted time and ended up with a decent average pace (for me.) I'm very pleased with the 1.2 miles, which I ran in 11 minutes - that translates into a sub-10 minute mile and my best pace for the entire race. So not as fast as if I'd trained as much as I should have this spring, but all in all a good run with some good folks in a gorgeous spot on a beautiful day. Can't ask for much more than that!
Next up: the 25k loop of the Finger Lakes Fifties 25k/50k/50mi trail races. And maybe a few extra miles beyond that for one of my final long runs before Grand Island...
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 71.1 mi / 15 hr 29 min
Bike 20 mi / 1 hr 32 min
Snowshoe 45.7 mi / 13 hr 19 min
states visited: MA, NH, NY, VT
