You'd think I would have run enough 10-kilometer running races to have better figured out the pacing. But last weekend I blow up again during a 9k race – in a pattern nearly identical to my cross country race meltdown of 3 weeks ago (below).
In the Picnic 9k, I tried to keep up with the two other guys and avoid running alone. I did not experience the oxygen-deprived traumatic pain of the cross country race – finding myself in last place after a frenzied sprint across slick and windy hills – but I was quite shattered after only about 3k as you can see in this picture (only one-third of the way through the run – hey, I am supposed to smile at this point)
So again - like in the cross country race - I managed to right the ship.. in the case of the picnic 9k I am blown along by a wonderful tailwind and I am figuring I clocked a roughly 36:45 wind-aided 10k time. Not great, but not terrible.
