As I said in my DC Running Examiner race review, the George Washington Parkway Classic Ten Miler wasn’t the all-downhill joyride I was hoping for.
It’s a point-to-point course along the Potomac River that includes lots of gentle, rolling hills. While it included more downhills than uphills, it didn’t strike me as a particularly fast course — though maybe that’s just me …
After running roughly 8:20-minute miles at the National Half Marathon in March, I set out today to run tough but(I thought) do-able 8-minute miles on the 10-mile course. Instead, I ran 1:26:10 –8:37-minute miles. My 5-mile split was 42:18, and my 7-mile split (strange place for the race to take a split time, but whatever) was 59:02.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad disappointed. But it’s certainly not a disastrous performance for me, especially considering what a wimp my body is about running in the heat. It was pretty toasty this morning, with highs expected to climb up to 90 degrees by the afternoon, and I get annoyingly light-headed and slow at the slightest rise in temperature. And some running days are just better than other, you know?
One small word of advice based on today: You know how you’ve read that it’s a bad idea to mix up even the smallest parts of your routine on race day? You should take heed. I was so excited about the scallions I bought at the Silver Spring Farmers Market yesterday, I put a ton on my pasta before realizing they really upset my stomach. Also, I tried the super-cute Feetures! socks I got at the Silver Spring Earth Day 5K, which are really comfy for short runs, but are apparently blister-inducing for longer ones.
I still really enjoyed the overall race experience, though I’m not sure I loved it enough to run the race again. I did get a sweet technical T-shirt (it doesn’t take much to make me happy). Plus, my IT band and ankle got some post-race attention from Dr. Paul Glodzik of the Maryland Sports Injury Center, a chiropractor who specializes in sports injuries.
Amy Reinink 
Hi Amy, I just found your training blog. Fun to follow someone local. I ran the GW 10 miler too, but from farther back in the pack. I’m 57, but I just started running last year in conjunction with losing weight. I was hoping to finish between 1:50 and 2:00, but the heat got to me and I came in just over 2:06. I’ll try to pick my next 10 miler in a cool weather time and hope the 2:06 is easy pickings! The route was beautiful and it was very well run, except for when we back-of-the-pack runners had to deal with 2-3 minute waits at the 5 mile water stop due to low water pressure. My husband, who runs much faster than I do, says there was no problem when he ran through.
Keep on writing!
Good to know I wasn’t the only one zapped by the heat, although I’m sorry to hear your race goals suffered as well. Thanks for the empathy, and congrats on your finish!
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