2019 GIVE N' GOBBLE 10K RACE RECAP

The start of the 5k/10k run (Looked through the 100+ photos and could not find one of me).

The wake up call for the Give N' Gobble wasn't too painful as the race started at 9:00am. Hooray for reasonable start times! I left my house about 8 and was there with plenty of time to spare. As usual, I parked and the nearby church and trekked into Sherwood High School, probably a 10 minute walk. It was surprisingly cold, just about freezing. After grabbing my bib, I walked back to the car and hung out until 8:45 or so.

On the way to the start line I did a few periods of sprinting and jogging to warm up. The older I get the more important these warm ups are for these shorter distances. The 5k walkers actually went out first at 9 and had a different course than the 5k/10k runners. I found a patch of sun and stood there trying to stay warm while they lined up and left, then joined the chute near the front once it was the runners' turn. Our race got off on time at 9:05.

MILE ONE (7:31)

Okay, this might have been a little fast, especially given that, while rolling, this mile trended upward 50 feet. It felt like the correct pace though, so I wasn't too concerned. Probably a little race day adrenaline that quickly faded. As mentioned in the preview, this course doesn't have very many flat spots, and this mile is no different. However, there are no hateful hills on this stretch and it is all manageable, especially when you are fresh.

MILE TWO (7:44)

My pace settled into something more realistic. Again, rolling hills, although this mile is more downhill than most, giving back the exact 50 feet you climbed in the first mile. My beanie was removed and placed in my pocket early on during this stretch... despite the cold you warm up pretty quick when you are doing a 10k effort! Still felt relatively good here, legs were responding nicely and if anything at this point my cardio was holding me back. Just kept trying to clock good times until the dreaded uphill of mile five.

MILE THREE (7:56)

This mile is essentially a net zero in the elevation department, however, there are a couple of nasty steep uphills. I think that was more responsible for my mile time then actually getting tired or whatever. This is also a straight shot on a country road, having left the suburbs toward the end of the last mile. I was just settled in my rhythm and trying to hit that. I left my watch on the main stats screen, so I had no feedback on current pace or current mile pace. Just running by feel at this point and still feeling good.

MILE FOUR (7:49)

Last chance to make hay before hitting the uphills of Sunset Boulevard. Still in my rhythm. It was a hard effort, definitely a full out 10k race pace. In this mile I could feel my limiting factor switch from cardio to legs though. Not so springy and fresh anymore! I was able to keep pace but was a little concerned on how they would react to the hill based on my hard effort to this point. A couple of turns in this mile as we exited the farmland and went back into suburbia.

MILE FIVE (8:14)

This was the real test! Honestly, it wasn't quite as bad as I remembered. All told, there is about 100 feet of elevation gain in this mile and for the most part it is pretty gradual. So while my pace did slow down, it wasn't significantly slower like you see in the Shamrock Run or another race with a real bear of a hill. When my watch beeped with the mile time I was quite pleased as I knew I had built up more than enough of a cushion to finish under 8:00/mile barring a complete disaster the last mile. The hill definitely tired me out a bit, both legs and lungs screaming at this point, but I could do another mile no problem.

MILE SIX (8:01)

Afterward with traditional outfit and photo!

I was hoping to go under 8:00/mi on this final rolling downhill mile, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. As usual I just concentrated on my effort and ignored the watch. This part of the race is tricky because there is a lot of weaving around walkers and slower 5k runners and the paths definitely are not flat. With the finish line in sight though, it was easy to stay motivated and keep pushing knowing relief was within sight.

FINISH LINE

Before I knew it I could hear the finish line and the high school was in sight. My pace this final chunk of the race was 7:25, so I still had a little left in the tank. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch... 48:10. Nice! 7:46/mi average, about twenty seconds faster than I was expecting.

After regaining my senses I wandered over to the snack table and get some water and a donut hole. After that, it was back home into a hot bath. Definitely earned my Thanksgiving dinner later that day!

Official Results: 48:10, 7:46/mi. 46/285 overall, 30/125 male, 3/11 M30-34.

Technically a podium finish (my first as a 30+ year old? Maybe) but they don't do age group awards.