Most investors know that the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) requires every public company to disclose information about its performance on an annual basis. Known as the 10-K, this form permits shareholders to learn more than they might from a glossy annual report.
My last post suggested the results from my recent roadrace would be shared with the blessed readers of this blog. So, in a sense, this is my full disclosure statement about my performance in 10k roadraces over the last year.
Until I ran in the Hanover Turkey Trot 10k last November, it had been years (maybe 20?), since I had run this distance in a roadrace. I vaguely remember running a 10K race in Washington, DC near RFK Stadium and the Capitol, and finishing some 45-48 minutes later and considerably out of breath. Fast forward to the present: while the years have passed, I've admittedly gotten a bit stronger and surer of foot. I do sprint triathlons without any trouble and am probably in the best shape of my life.
So, it was no surprise that last November 2007 saw me post what a remarkable time in my first 10k race at the Hanover 10K Turkey Trot. I ran the race in just over 40 minutes at a pace of 6 minutes, 32 seconds per mile. These were times I never ever saw before. I was completely finished after the race, during the race itself, it felt as if I was floating. Looking back, the result is one I wonder if it will ever be repeated by this old body.
Fast forward to my next 10K, this time the Tuck School "Run for the Kids" in May this year. I was training for triathlons, had not given the race much thought, showed up, and ran...kinda disappointing. I finished in 44 minutes, one second -- a race pace of 7 minutes, 5 seconds per mile. This was way, way behind my time just eight months earlier. Was I washed-up already?
So, here comes last weekend, and my final race of the season. Three sprint triathlons, one off-road triathlon, and two 10k races kept me busy from May to November 2008, and it was time (frankly) to ease back on the training and into the joys of holiday food (pumpkin pie, good wine, and more pumpkin pie). The only problem lay in my training this Fall.
Between the 2008 Election, work, family obligations, and a small bout of the flu, I was not able to train for this final race as I did last year. In fact, just a few days before the race, I felt very uneasy about my prospects. I felt weak and as I looked ahead to the weather forecast for the race, felt even weaker. Unlike last year, which I recall being in the high 40s or low 50s in sunny skies, this year's race promised to be held in conditions resembling late January in northern New Hampshire: temperatures between 20-25 F, with a strong brisk wind in various conditions.
Yikes.
Come last weekend, and there I was on the starting line bedecked in full winter running gear. "Bang," went the gun and away we went. Last May, on what would eventually be seen as a slow run, I knew in the first five minutes that I would be slow. The energy just wasn't there. But this time, I felt different. Sure it was cold. Really cold. Sure, I was wearing more clothes than usual for a race. But my lungs were warm, I felt plenty of energy inside of me, and a quiet calm -- the latter being perhaps the condition for racing.
Bottom line: I finished the race in 43 minutes, 21 seconds, or 6:59 per mile. Given my overall physicall state, and the weather, I was totally thrilled with the result. No one in their right mind would ever consider encouraging me to be anything other than an enthusiastic amateur competitor, but on days like last Sunday, when the wind is howling and it's not clear if you got the stuff, it's incredibly reassuring to run hard and succeed over a 10k course.
The interesting thing about all three races? Regardless of the specifics, I finished basically in the top third of my age group in these races. That's both good and bad news. Good, because I can beat 2/3 of my colleagues. Bad, because somehow, another 1/3 of my colleagues is beating me pretty handily.
What should I do?
Get another helping of pumpkin pie,and then get back to training.
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