Pursuit

So this morning was the Capital Pursuit 10 miler, the first race of that distance I've run in probably 15 years. The race wasn't chip timed, and my watch clocked my time at 1:39:40 - a 9:53/mile pace. I put this squarely in the "I'll take it" category.

What I learned from today's race.... I was in pretty decent shape, but I wasn't in running shape. My compressed training schedule following triathlon season left me able to cover the distance, but didn't leave me enough base miles to cover it with relative ease. (Is running 10 miles ever easy?) My pace was very consistent through the race, but the last two miles or so were a struggle.

Even though I finished this 10 miler on a gorgeous Fall day, I felt stronger, better, when I finished Dam to Dam (longer race, inclement weather). I attribute that to the importance of logging the miles, building up mileage slowly. Especially for this 'pushing 40 mom.'

Still, I'm glad I did it - this morning's run certainly made the 20 minute doze on the couch with the Vikings game in the background sheer bliss.