I love when a local running community has a “must-do” race of the year. The Annapolis 10-miler was my must do for a long time. I only ran Peachtree once, but I imagine if I’d gotten closer connected in ATL it would’ve been a repeat. PDR in Philly is always a fave, especially now that it’s back to being PDR. And then the hidden gems like Pike’s Peek, Riley’s Rumble, AFC in San Diego, or the Austin 8k.
Last year, I’d lived in Charlotte for 7 weeks when I did Around the Crown 10k. I had nary run a single step since the Baltimore Ten Miler that previous June, but it seemed like “the race people did”, so off I went, and I got my butt kicked. I had no idea what to expect, and that Queen’s Climb was a deeply humbling experience. It was the start of what I thought might be the end of running. (See previous post!)
This year, I loosely trained, focusing on just getting going, having a regular running practice. My longest run was 5.23 miles and my highest mileage week was 12. Memories of 40-50 mile training weeks sit dormant. I made it through the summer uninjured, and had a strong 5k the weekend prior so I made a game time decision. Rather than maintaining 3:15/:45 walk intervals, I would run as much as I could knowing full well I would walk at least a portion of the deceptive Queen of 277.
I positioned myself between the 70 and 75 minute pacers. My mental math and, perhaps, my ability to be a game-day player had me thinking I could beat my 2023 time of 1:15. (Small aside: in the past I would have been embarrassed to put that sort of time for a 10k…my long ago PR is 42ish…but I honor now that this is where I am and that’s ok.)
The first mile was good, the density of the pack meant I had to stay the course geometry while getting passed by the excited, ambitious, and tardy to the start line, but that was fine. Entering the highway, it was delightful to see the hoard of runners storming forth. I did not witness the wild car accident on the other side of the highway but prayed for those involved passing the aftermath while heading out on tricky part of the course. I say tricky because it’s hard to make a plan and stick with it as the road surface shifts from concrete to asphalt, and often has hip imbalancing pitches that make it tough to find a sweet spot. I tried to stay steady until the climb began as the humidity and full sun started to create just an amazing shower of liquid awesome off my arms and head.
The climb came-I kept good form, and finally succumbed to the rise in the pavement with a walk break. Those who’ve run with me on intervals know I don’t lollygag when walking-no prancercise here-we are full on trucking as we give the impact a break. Once I reached the top, it was time to get back to a steady pace, and coming off the loop was a gift. Back to the Uptown streets.
By mile five, I was feeling pretty good, less the screaming back that is normal since the GBHI.* Coming around Fourth Ward, we had a small climb that I decided to give myself :45 to relieve the impact and bring down the HR. Once I did, I was able to create a steadiness. By about 5.75, I was ready to mentally count laps on the track and uptick a bit. I don’t love the rise by BoA Stadium, because that last left turn had me pumped to finish. A proper leg turnover in the last 100 was nice.
I ended up taking almost 8 minutes off from the previous summer and was about a min/mile faster. My splits were a hot mess, and it will take some time to get back to my old nickname of metronome, but overall I was thrilled. It was a GIFT to see friends at the finish to celebrate with and share fellowship. All in all, it was a perfect kickoff for what I hope is a nice autumn of one foot after another. Onward.
*Great Bounce House Incident of 2022.
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