My first race since the New York Marathon! I like traditions, because they force me to do things I wouldn't otherwise do. If I didn't have a streak of Shamrock Runs going back to 2012, I definitely would not have been doing a race. I had to keep my streak alive though, so even though I was having a rough winter and was in really horrible shape, I signed up for the 8k. My recent runs had been as much as 4.4 miles at Sunstone, so what was another half mile at that point?
Mercifully, the 8k is the last race to go off (other than the family walk), so I didn't have to get downtown until 9:45am or so. The race kicks off at 10:10am, so I planned to be strolling up to the starting line minutes before. The weather this year wasn't great, it was kind of spritzing rain. Nothing too horrible though, I think the weather during 2016 takes the cake. Since the 5k goes off at 8am, just about everybody from that race was already cleared out before I even got there. This includes the close by parking spaces in the parking garage. So I was able to stick my car in a SmartPark a few blocks from the start no problem. Couldn't ask for a much better start time and parking situation for a major race downtown.
THE RACE
While I was able to find my way into the corral, it wasn't signed very well. A bunch of us 8kers could clearly see the corral with people lining up, but we had no idea how to actually get into it. Eventually someone found a gap in the fencing so we were able to slip in that way. I lined up a bit behind the 10:00/mile sign. I didn't know how fast I was going to go, but I figured that would be about right. It wasn't long before they sang the anthem and then started the race. They did "waves" of people to help crowding and I wasn't released until the third wave, so it did take a while before I was finally running. Luckily I dressed warm enough to stand around and never really got cold even with the the light rain shower.
In regards to speed, I had been doing all my runs at a 10:30ish pace. That was basically my speed all last summer training for the marathon as well. So my expectations for this race were not high, I was planning to run just under 10/mile and finish at like 9:55 or something. If I had a goal, it was to be in a "single digit" pace. So that's what I went out there trying to do. I wasn't hawking my watch though, I just kind of settled into a "moderately aggressive" pace for my physical ability and would live with whatever time it was.
Turns out my mile times were 9:24, 8:54, 8:58, and 9:12. Tired a bit at the end. And if I completed a 5th mile (an 8k is over right before #5), it would have been 8:59. So overall just a touch over 9:00/mile, but TWO miles under 9, which was a total surprise. I didn't except to be quite that "fast" for lack of a better word. Honestly, it wasn't too much of a struggle either, I probably could have gone a bit faster if I wanted my best possible time, but I was worried about finishing the distance without completely crapping out. I was definitely ready to be done by the time it was over. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
THE AFTERMATH
While I definitely knew some people who would be at the race, unless you are actually attending with them they are nearly impossible to find. Nobody I knew was doing the 8k either. Anyways, I kept my eye out for them but didn't see anyone. So I just meandered through the finish corral, grabbed some food, then went to the beer tent for my beer. The band playing was pretty good, I wish the weather was better so I could have stood around longer, but by this time I was wet and the 40-something degrees was starting to creep in. So I hoofed it back to the warmth of my car.
Another Shamrock in the books! I really would like to get back to the 15k next year, so hopefully my body can hold up better this winter than it has for the last few.
Official Results: 45:10, 9:05/mile. 486/2289 overall, 295/921 male, 41/123 M35-39.