Sunday, April 18, 2010

Bridge to Brews 10k Race Report

This was the second time I've run the Bridge to Brews 10k- in fact it is the only race I've repeated since moving to Portland. Last year I ran all the spring races here since I wasn't training for a marathon. I set my 10k PR here last year with a time of 47:04. I've only run a couple other 10ks before and they were in that same general time range.

It was a great day for running today- started off foggy and cool but the sun came out by the time the race started. I was on my own for the race today because Zach had a 20 mile training run to do. He got up really early and was gone before I even rolled out of bed, which worked out well because he was done in time to see me finish the race! I got up and got ready and ran to the start from my house. I used the porto potty a couple of times- there were NO lines either time. Crazy! We watched the kid's half mile race and then they finally got us going about 15 minutes late.

My goal was to PR which would running a pace faster than 7:34. I know the course has a couple of big hills but figured it would even out with the downhills. One of my main goals was to really PUSH myself from the beginning- I have finished my last couple of races with a little bit of energy left over and I thought I maybe could have tried harder. This time I really wanted to leave it all out there.

The good news is, I nailed that goal! The bad news is I didn't PR. I finished in 47:34 which is exactly 30 seconds off that time. I did finish 8 seconds faster than my last 10k though, which is good. A small improvement, but on a much harder course.

My splits are wacky because the mile markers were mostly wrong. The first mile was about .1 long which was a tough way to start the race. That mile climbs almost the whole mile, so I knew it would be slow... but 8:46? The rest of the miles were all over the place- some short, some long, a couple were actually right on. I tried to just use my actual Garmin pace which while not official was telling me I was around 7:25 pace. It definitely felt like 7:25 pace, I was dying! There was definitely no doubt about how hard I pushed myself. I'm happy with that. I do wish I had run a faster time, but whatever! I am not going to let it affect my confidence about the marathon one bit. It was a great effort and I'm proud of it!

Here is the breakdown:

Mile 1 8:46 (uphill to Fremont Bridge, and long)
Mile 2 7:29
Mile 3 6:46 (downhill, and short)
Mile 4 7:58
Mile 5 7:24
Mile 6 7:45 (another climb up and over Broadway Bridge)
Last 0.2 1:22 (6:37 pace- another small hill here, gave it all I had)

Official Time: 47:34 (7:39 average pace)

8/250 Age Group
26/1,052 Females
157/1,791 Overall

I saw Zach on the home stretch and that is always a boost. I pushed it hard to the finish line. I crossed knowing that I really did my best and couldn't have run any harder! I found Zach and we grabbed some water and then watched for Amy to come through a couple minutes later. We all made our way over to the beer line and got our free beverages (good beer too- Widmer Drifter). It was sunny and there was live music and just a great Portland moment. Zach wandered off to check the results and was spotted by Marya and her husband James- which was impressive because we've never actually met in person yet! I was bummed to have missed them but we happened to see them right as we were leaving. They had just finished their first 10k and did GREAT. Nice to meet you guys!

So another race in the books and we turn the page. Next up, Eugene Marathon in 2 weeks!

GOOD LUCK to all the runners in Boston tomorrow, we'll be cheering you on from home!!

Thanks for reading. :)

19 comments:

SavvyFitChica said...

Nice job on a SOLID finish! Way to beat your last race time. I'm sorry you didn't hit a PR but it sounds like a tough course.

Marya said...

Great job on your race today. Glad to hear some of the mile markers were off (something didn't seem right as we were plodding along).

You're looking strong going into your marathon. I'm sure you'll do great!

It was great to meet you today, hope to see you again soon! :)

Sean in NY said...

I think you should be proud as hell that you were able to come THAT close to your 10k PR while being this deep into marathon training. Imagine how much you would have shattered the PR had you been training exclusively for this distance!! There will be a time for that in the future. Stay focused and goodluck with these last couple of weeks of training!

Jo Lynn said...

Wow, what a great time Jen! No need or reason to be disappointed. I know, I can say that but you have your own feelings. In my opinion though, you smoked it! ;)

Petraruns said...

Feeling you've got ALL the juice out is amazing - well done! That IS success, times are just relative and subject to courses / weather all that jazz. Well done Jen - this should give you great confidence for Eugene.

Sounds like a solid weekend all round for you guys - well done.

Kelly said...

Wow that is an amazing 10K time. With hills! Marathon taper time. :D I've never been through it but it sounds like fun!

Lisa Eirene said...

That's fantastic! Great time. I've heard that Bridge to Brews is a great race. Next year I will do it!

teacherwoman said...

Nice job on the 10K! You are a speed demon! :)

Marathon Maritza said...

I know it wasn't a PR but HOLY TOLEDO! That was wicked fast and you know you pushed hard...mission accomplished. You are awesome and I'm so proud of you!

Yay for Eugene...kick it's butt, will ya?

Aron said...

GREAT job out there girl, the effort and knowing you ran hard from the get go are definitely what you need to focus on... if it was actually a 10k you know you would have smoked that PR ;) now rest up those leggies!

Anonymous said...

Despite not reaching your goal to PR you kicked major a$$ out there! 10K's are tough and to leave all you had out there is a great accomplishment, especially on a tough course! Hope the rest of taper treats you well :)

Alisa said...

Yay! Way to finish strong. Having wacky mile markers would have annoyed the crap out of me.

kristen said...

I love your attitude! Super solid run and you finished strong. Your so ready for Eugene! Way to go girl.

Amy said...

Awesome race and race report. Stupid 30 seconds. It's a PR to me. And good beer to boot? Fantastic!

Ewen said...

Glad you nailed the goal of getting out fast and not leaving anything out on the course. Well done! That time's got to be worth a good minute quicker on a flat course. Excellent tune-up race for Eugene.

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

GOOD work!!! That is WEIRD about the mile markers.. You know I never look at the mile markers I use my Garmin....hmm maybe I should change that..

Can't wait to see you in 12 days!!.. We need to swap phone numbers so we can find eachother race morning. Lord knows I will be wanting some company..

Billy said...

Yikes, those are some crazy ass splits! I bet on a flatter course, you could've been more even with your effort and PR'd for sure. Still, that's a great time Jen. Way to kick some butt out there...now do the same in Eugene!

KK said...

Bridge to BREWS? Sign me up!

I applaud your mental fortitude to stick to your goal on a challenging course. It's easy to slow down, esp on hills, but you didn't. And it takes a smart, mature athlete to realize that not getting a PR doesn't mean you are off track on your long term goal (marathon).

Congrats on a successful race. Good luck in the next two weeks!

ShirleyPerly said...

NICE JOB!!!

Sounds like a tough course with all those hills but you were strong on all the ups and downs. That should add confidence to your marathon if you should see any hills there too. Good luck!!!!