Dam Run 10k
One of the bigger 10k’s in the Columbia area today and my first 6.2 miler. The race started at 7:30 am and temp was 65 degrees, so pretty nice for this time of year in SC. I decided I would shoot for about 7:30 pace and go from there. This was by far the longest distance that I’ve raced – I did a 15k earlier this month but ran it super easy. The course was very PR friendly – billed as being flat to downhill most of the way.
I got a little caught up with the surge at the beginning and found myself at about 7:18 in the first mile, but the weather and the completely flat terrain (crossing over the top of a dam bordering a lake) made it seem easier. I decided at that point to try to hold that pace instead. The course ran through a neighborhood after crossing the dam, and there were a few inclines, but nothing too bad. I hit the next three miles in almost identical splits, about 7:15 or so. With 2.2 miles left I felt pretty strong, so I focused on a couple of runners that I knew ahead of me and picked up the pace. Passed a bunch of people on the fifth mile, and the increased pace seemed to actually feel better on my legs. Reached the 5th mile marker at a 6:58 split. The last 1.2 was through a park, all flat. I finally caught up with a guy that I had been trying to reach the whole race – he’s in his late 40’s but usually runs about 30 sec to a minute behind me in 5ks. Unfortunately there was not a 6th mile marker. I was wearing my garmin but all the weaving I had done in the beginning had made the distance off. There was a sudden turn and the finish was just about 50 meters ahead. If I had known it was that close I could have kicked in the full sprint earlier. I flew past one of my age groupers in the last 20 meters and hit the tape at 45:05. I was kicking myself afterward for not being aware of where the finish was, as I could have broken 45 minutes easy. Either way, I was very happy with the time, as I was shooting for 46-47 minutes. Finished 48th, 4th in age group.
Overall, I like the distance and I’m looking forward to a couple more 10ks in the next few months, as well as a 12k and a half.
Tour de Blue Shoes 