NAME: Newton 10K for Newton Firefighters Association
DATE: June 8, 2008
LOCATION: Horace Mann School, 368 Watertown St., Newton, MA
CONDITIONS: Hot, humid, sunny
RACE:
Course Difficulty: This was a pretty tough course. It was fairly hilly and it featured a portion of the Boston Marathon course, which we all know is tough.
Course Appearance: Nice, but nothing special. It ran through some of the back roads, and it also ran along I-90, which of course isn’t the nicest thing in the world.
Race Organization: Very good organization, with three water/Gatorade stops, I believe two splits, six mile markers, and plenty of directional signs.
Course Safety: Cops were present at most every intersection, but there were a couple times that the runners had to cross the street and there wasn’t any kind of presence by the cops.
Support: The volunteers and the already finished racers were good, but other than that, support from bystanders was sparse.
Recommend: Yes, hopefully, it will be cooler next year, but this was pretty good, especially considering that this was the first time that this event has been held.
RESULT: 34/216 – Third in age group (Official Results from Cool Running)
BACKGROUND: This was the first annual Newton 10K. The cost was $35 when you show up there, and most of the proceeds from the race go directly to the Newton Firefighters Association. Since this is the first annual event, there really isn’t a whole lot to put in this section.
MY EXPERIENCE: I overslept big time today, so I literally got there as they were closing down the registration table, and I believe that I was the last one to register for the race. Basically, my warm up was the jog from the car to the registration table, because as soon as I had my number clipped on, I had to go to the starting line and get ready to race.
Since I was basically the last one to arrive, I politely made my way to the back of the pack. When I pulled into the parking lot, the temperature monitor in my truck read at about 85 degrees, and it felt much worse due to the humidity. The heat would get to me and would only get worse as the race went on. My truck’s thermometer read at 93 degrees when I hopped in after the race.
The race started on time (I think – I was so rushed I couldn’t even tell), but I unfortunately forgot my Nike+ SportBand so I couldn’t check to see whether or not it was calibrated correctly. Oh well, not the end of the world.
This was my first 10K, and my longest race to date, so I needed to be sure that I paced myself, especially since the conditions were so hot. I have never trained in this kind of heat, let alone raced in it. My first mile was about 6:45 – usually I come out at about a 6:15 pace, so I was definitely going slower. I have developed the trend of coming out of the gate hard, and then, after the first mile, setting into a much steadier pace that reflects my overall pace.
Through the first two miles, I was fine. Between miles two and three, I started to slow down, and then, after about mile 3.5, the heat really started to get to me. That combined with the several difficult hills spread throughout the middle of the course wore me down, and I have to imagine that my pace skyrocketed. My calves were sore and cramping, and I was dog tired. Again, I really believe that the intense heat was what really got me. There were several times where I really wanted to stop and walk, but I told myself that I couldn’t – it took all of my mental strength at that point (we’re talking mile 4.5 or so) but I was able to keep myself from walking.
An unfortunate little thing that I have is that negative voice in the back of my head that always tries to rationalize walking, dropping out, not going for a training run, etc. It is very difficult to ignore, and it was at its strongest today. It seems like every time I run, it’s always there for something, and, every time, I have to convince myself to ignore it. I am happy to say that I have been pretty successful so far, but it is just so annoying.
For the most part, the course was pretty good. However, there were several locations that were very difficult not only for me, but I would imagine for all runners. Not every road along the course was closed. So, in order to keep traffic flowing, the police wanted all the runners to remain to the right. This worked pretty well for the most part, however, there were several locations without police presence that the runners that would have to cut across the road to make a left turn. Runners would have to stop traffic themselves and make sure that there was no one else coming before they crossed the street. That would be the one complaint that I have that is of real concern for the race committee to straighten out for next years’ race.
While the heat did get to me as the race progressed, I was able to increase my pace slightly on the final half mile or so towards the finish line. This final push helped me net a 48:09 time, which is a 7:45 pace. While I was hoping for something a little better, I do realize that the combination of this being my longest race and it being about 20 degrees hotter out than my previous temperature high wore me down. On the whole, I have to say that I am pretty happy with the race.
Following the race, there were plenty of refreshments, and sprinkler like thing for runners to cool off, and tents for both City Sports (they were giving away free stuff – that’s where I got the running vest in the picture above) and Marathon Sports Therapy. Like the Baldi River Run, prizes were again very useful, as I got a pint glass as the ‘trophy.’ In addition, runners who placed had a choice between a pizzeria gift certificate, special New Balance socks, and a couple other things. I personally chose the socks since I don’t have a pair of pure running socks yet.
At the end of the day, this was a pretty good race for a first time. The cost of $35 was a little high, and it was in no doubt padded because of the extra prizes available. Personally, I would prefer a lower price and fewer perks (the extra prizes, for example). However, on the whole, this was a pretty good race. For a first time out, I was pleased with the quality of this event. Hopefully, next year, it will be a little cooler.
Recent Comments