A Viking, running: Rodes City Run 10K

ORN: Officially, I ran the 10K [6.2 miles] in 1:03:15, which ain't bad for me. Nike+ says something else but whatever.

Pre-race:
On Friday, I walked the mile or more in the rain to Slugger Field to pick up my race packet. My bib number had an attachment that said "Redeem for drink" on it, which gave me hope that there would be a bar of some kind waiting for me at the end of the race. Talk about an incentive to finish.

Going into the race, my plan was to warm up with a easy mile before hand. Then, I would run a 20 minute run/1 minute walk, pattern throughout the race. Finally, I would warm down with another easy mile to make it a nice, even 20 mile week.

The day started out cloudy and cold, mid-30s, and there were forecasts of rain. I parked at work and ran to the start, getting my mile warm up out of the way easily. I should have peed, but the lines for the portable toilets were longer than I would have liked. This was a mistake, because with 5 minutes to go before the starting gun, I suddenly had to pee like crazy. It would be an uncomfortable race.

Race:
The going was flat throughout most of it. There were some gentle, long hills, but they weren't bad. The course took us away from downtown on Broadway, around Cave Hill Cemetery, to Lexington, and then back toward downtown by way of various twists and turns. I was able to run fairly fast but not overly so. I ran to the plan and walked around the two and four mile markers. After the walk breaks, I realized how tired I was getting and found renewed strength for the next stretch.

I don't have much to say about the race itself. It flew by. I tried to stay behind people with inspiring messages on the back of their shirts. That was useful. One in particular that spoke to me was "Just Keep Running."

Post-race:
Not much to say here, because once I finished and turned in my chip, I was ready to go. I knew I had to run back to my car, so I wasn't eager to let my legs cool off too much. I grabbed some bagels, drank a sports drink, and left. I trotted a mile back to the car and went home.

On the whole it was a good race. I was pleased but not amazed at my performance. Everything was exceptionally well organized. If the weather would have been nicer, I think this would have been a fabulous experience.