Apple Blossom 10K Race Report

Well this weekend was a valuable lesson learned, that being that running just twice a week for two week sin a row and not getting a solid long run in during that time does not make for a very successful 10K attempt. I finished in 1:01:00, which is much slower than I was hoping. However, while I certainly wasn't prepared for the weather (mid 60's and humid) and course conditions (rolling hills throughout with few straightaways), the majority of the blame is mine.

For some stupid reason, my preparation for this race was sorely lacking. Maybe it was the busy month of April or my own laziness (probably a combination of the two). Nonetheless, I was woefully undertrained for this race and it showed. Not only that, but in the day leading up to the race I failed to prepare properly. For example, I had heavy greasy Chinese food the night before for dinner and didn't get to sleep until too late. The morning of the race, I failed to eat anything beforehand for fuel, much less the Clif Bar I usually eat. I was too focused on the race itself and not on properly preparing for it, I guess.

At any rate, it was a struggle from the about mile 2, which didn't bode well for the remaining 4.2 miles. The race course was challenging, as I said, and had I been trained, I think it would have been a great course to run. Even struggling, I had a good time and enjoyed getting the Spring racing season off to a start in the mountains of Virginia. The Apple Blossom Festival is a huge deal for Winchester, VA, where the race was held, and the entire town stops to celebrate it during the weekend.

However, the main thing I'll take away from this race is to be be better prepared and to not overestimate my athletic ability again, even on a 10K. I have the Delaware Marathon 10-Miler coming up in two weeks and I think I'll be ready for it, as my fitness is not gone, just misplaced. With this kick in the pants, I think I'll be able to get two solid weeks of training in and get my endurance back up to par. Proper pre-race preparation will also help immensely, I think.

The rest of the weekend was relaxing and the weather was nice and Spring-like, so we had a nice time visiting my parents and getting away from Baltimore for a day. Tomorrow it's back to the grind again and back to the gym for some biking and swimming. Here's my plan for the week and I plan on sticking to it and not wussing out!

Monday: Cross Train (bike and swim)
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 5 mile tempo
Thursday: Intervals
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: Cross Train (spinning or swimming)
Sunday: 9-10 mile long run

It's ambitious, but I need to kick-start my body again from its slumber. I'm going to keep the paces down so as not to risk injury and will implement plenty of stretching to help on that front as well. I don't want to huff and puff across the finish line again on the 18th!