Saturday, July 8, 2017

Tri-Span 10k

Brutal. One word is all that is needed to describe the weather conditions for the race this year. Even at 7am-gun time-the temperature was 80 degrees in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. But coupled with humidity rates well into the 90s, the heat index was 90 degrees. Almost impossible to run hard for any amount of time or distance, let alone race ten kilometers.

But we did. Like we do every year. As a friend from my local running club aptly stated-its the race we all love to hate. Short rolling hills, and three elevated bridge crossings just add to the sadistic challenge of the annual event.

I clocked a time of 41:05, my slowest there in three years. Though good enough to win top master's for the third straight year, and a top ten overall finish of 8th place out of 300+ intrepid racers. Much props to us all for getting it done.

And I wanted to bag it about half way in. Plan was to try and break 40 minutes here, which I have only done once several years ago, when miraculously the weather was tolerable. If memory serves cloudy and about 70.

Not this year. The humidity just lays like a wet sponge along the Cape Fear River, which the course crosses over twice, and pretty much parallels the entire six plus miles.

Started out ok- mid six minute miles the first two, then coming off the first bridge and downhill I tried to lay down the hammer. Third mile of 6:08 though kind of did me in-for when I got into the "killing fields", and exposed area in the blazing sun, near the Battleship Memorial, I felt like I had already just about emptied the tank. Not a good feeling with two to three miles, and two more uphill bridges to climb to go.

But I battled the voices that told me to bag it, quit, etc.-though it wasn't too pretty as I ran hi six minute miles into the finish. Held my place though, and upon sober reflection, I did pretty much about all I could do. It was also my third summer race in seven days, on top of multi-state travel-could tell early on my legs didn't have too much pop, and that I am due for a break.

It's also nice to get humbled yet again by the sport I so dearly love.