Amy and I are training for the Rehoboth Marathon in December. As part of the lead-up to the race, we have a few “checkpoint” races on the schedule, and the Ithaca 5&10 10K was one of them. Starting at Ithaca High School, the race is a flat two-loop course with few turns. The last time I ran it in 2023 was a success, winning the Veteran’s category as a newly-minted 50 year old. How would I fare this year?
The day before, my coach texted me to ask about my goals. I shifted quickly into smart-ass mode, replying that I was hoping to stick with 10k pace. To be honest, I really didn’t have a goal in mind, other than to test my training and see what I could do.
One thing I love about Alex’s coaching is that she always has something helpful to offer in terms of a plan. Here’s what she offered:
I like to break 10ks into 2mi easing in (think HM effort but not stressing about pace), 2mi @10k, 1 mi @5k, last mile empty the tank
The idea of some structure to the race, especially one that looped twice, was really appealing to me. We arrived with enough time to warm up. I ran a partial first loop and finished up with four strides on the track before heading to the start line.
The first few hundred yards of the race was a mad dash to get around the bulk of the 5K runners, who had lined up as a pack in front of the 10K. I settled into my first segment pace and tried to keep it nice and steady for most of the first loop. At the 2 mile mark, I added a little more juice and focused on the next goal of actual 10K pace, which for this race should have been 6:20. I passed the start line in the middle of this segment, wishing dearly that I could peel off and join the exhuberant finishers. Alas, I had one more lap to go. The crowd really thinned out here, and I was soon at the 5K pace goal. I didn’t feel like I had much for to give, but this mile clicked away quickly, and then I was in the last mile. Empty the tank? It felt pretty darn empty! Perception has a funny way of messing with you, though, so when I looked at my splits for the race segments, I was really pleased with the progression, negative splitting every segment.
In the end, I had an average pace of 6:20, which was my 10K goal pace to begin with. Averages being what they are, it was very satisfying to start slower and finish strong. I ended up with the age group win, too, good enough for a gift card to Ithaca Bakery.
10 km in 39:22 // 20 of 173 overall, 1 of 12 age group, 6:20 pace // strava