Rewind Race Recap - 2013 Fall Fest 10K

When I don't have anything else, I'm going to blog about an old race (until I run out or my memory fails me). We'll start with the most recent and work back. Today's RRR is the 2013 Fall Fest 10K, ran on 10/12/13 in Richland, WA.

Cameron had a cross-country meet in Richland and we planned on making it a family outing. I was fortunate enough to find a 10K going on the same day, that only required a slight tweak in our plans (and a lot of convincing the wife) so that I could run it. We dropped Cameron off at the school at 6:45 to ride the bus to Richland and we set off to make the 2+ hour drive to make the 9 AM start.

We made it 15 minutes prior to race start and my wife pinned my number on my singlet while I headed off to do a short pre-race ritual (bathroom, warmup, stretch). I got to the start line, figured out who would probably be the fastest runners, and took off at the gun. I didn't have a goal pace and opted instead to try to win the race.The Fall Fest 10K starts in Howard Amon Park and is an out and back course, heading north for 5K before turning around. It's mostly a flat and fast course.

I ran with the two front runners, a teenager and a tall 53-year old gentleman.  We ran 6:10s for the first two miles, taking turns leading, before slowing down at running 6:25s for the next two. After that, I slowed down and the two front runners pulled away.  I ran my next mile at 6:40 and was passed by another runner (recent Ironman finisher Eric Fahsl), who ended up sprinting at the finish for second. That motivated me to speed up for another 6:25 mile and a faster quarter-mile to the finish, for 4th overall and 1st in my age group with a 39:20.

20/20 HINDSIGHT: Come out too strong and pay the price later (the story of my life!). It wasn't a big deal this race as I wasn't trying to accomplish anything, aside from winning. I did best my previous PR by 38 seconds. It was a little disappointing because I felt fine after finishing; I could have pushed harder during the run. But that's the beauty of hindsight, isn't it!

HIGHLIGHTS/FUNNY NOTES:

• The day I ran my best 10K, Cameron ran her best XC race!
• Bailey got her exercise in the bounce house and the one mile walk to Cameron's meet
• Five Guys was an excellent lunch choice!   

10K REVIEW: 4 stars out of 5.
Would I run it again? Yes.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes

Good

• Fast course
• Plenty of aid stations
• Great volunteers
• Low cost
• Fun Fall Fest activities
• Post race snacks

Bad

• Disorganized start

FINAL THOUGHTS: Once again, I can't be too disappointed, given the new PR. I probably could have done better with proper pacing.

I love me some 10K!

Left: 10K Finish
Center: Bailey bounce house fun
Right: Cameron XC