Race Report: UBC Fall Classic 10K

I hate discussing the weather. As the old saying goes, "everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it". Knowing I couldn't do anything about it, I watched it when I woke, fretted a bit over it, and now will write about it..... The race today was held in less than ideal conditions, the rain was coming down hard before the race, the streets were soaked, and the wind wasn't just blowing, it was gusting. Having mentioned all these weather related hardships, there was a bright spot, just before the start the rain let up and it was actually quite warm.

I had my Scottish steroids (oatmeal, please don't contact IAAF) for breakfast. This was the first step in my morning preparation, an overall prep. that I felt went quite well.

I completed my warmup, drills and striders just before the start and positioned myself amid the second row of athletes. When the gun went off, so did I. At the first K marker, the plan was to check my watch and not look at it again. It read 3:40 which was a bit fast, considering the start was slightly uphill and we were running into a serious head wind. I kept my word and did not look at my watch again, though I was sorely tempted at the 5K point. I was determined to have no mental distractions with time and the asssociated pace calculations, so I quelled the urge.

The portion of the run on 16th ave. went well and when we turned on Meadowbrook Rd. to the slightly downhill area, gusts of wind made the benefits of the decline almost null and void. Southwest Marine drive heading towards the finish was probably the best portion of the run as far as the wind was concerned, as it didn't seem like a factor here, so I'm assuming it was at my back. The last K was the most difficult, and this is besides the fact that it's the last K. We turned uphill and were confronted by gusts of wind that felt like it was making you stand still. I did all I could to press here but the wind was taking everything from my momentum.

The suggestions for the race by my coach were in my mind while racing, and I when I hit the downhill portion, Lisa's lessons were being repeated in my mushy brain like a mantra. I'll discuss with Coach when I get back to town on some of the other details.

I finished with a clock time of 38:2(something). When I saw the clock initially, and thinking of the time I had placed in my mind, I felt a tinge of disappointment. This feeling only lasted two seconds. Considering the conditions, I'm quite satisfied with the result on this day. The faster times will come with more racing.

I notice on the timing website they have me with a finish time of 37:48, which is wrong. I've emailed the timing service to see what's up. I'll have to wait to see what the official time is, though I crossed in 38:2x according to the clock. I came 16th overall and 2nd in my age category, which came as a surprise to me. This top 20 finish is a bit misleading as many participants, I think, avoided the bad weather.

Congratulations to all the local runners who travelled down and ran. My pal Patrick struck me as being a bit disappointed with his time, but he came in a solid 5th overall. The weather was not conducive to great times; and Mother Nature, almost in mock, has turned the afternoon into a sunny, mild afternoon.