It was racing weekend  for me. First up: the Baltimore 10-Miler.

Some of my friends have run this race before, but it was the first time for me. It has become known for it’s excellent finisher premiums, and they didn’t disappoint!

See a close-up of the logo here.

Well, back to the race. I met my friends bright and early to carpool to Baltimore. Fortunately one of them works at the Maryland Zoo (where the race began) and knew how to get there through side streets. We were able to avoid a lot of traffic, but still got caught up for a few blocks. We didn’t have that much time to spare!

We scoped out the shortest port-o-pot lines, and started watching our watches. I was two people back when they sang the national anthem. It was a chip race so I wasn’t really concerned, but I would much rather start on time!

Finally I was next in line, and I got in and out as quickly as I could. The race was about to begin! I said goodbye to my friends — we aren’t the same pace — and found myself a place between the 9- and 10-minute pace signs. With my existing 10-mile PR at a 9:30 pace and a recent 9:23/average half marathon, that seemed about right.

And we were off!  This was a hilly race, though not as bad as the Maryland Half.  But the sun was shining and it was kind of warm out. Hmm … should I really try to PR this race?

Well it certainly seems like I was going to try …

1. 9:10
2. 8:55
3. 9:21
4.9:06

Yup, I started out kind of fast. That 8:55 mile was a bit quick for a 10-miler, but I think it was downhill at that point. We weaved through the park and wound up on city streets. Sometimes we got a little shade, but we were mostly in the sun.

I noticed there weren’t a lot of spectators throughout most of the course. At one point, there was a couple with a huge banner waiting for a friend to come by. Come on, guys — cheer for everyone! That area was an out-and-back, and I saw them both times. I wonder what that banner said … they weren’t even holding it up!

We hit the half-way point while running around Lake Montebello. This would have been lovely … if there was some shade! Yes, it was definitely hot out there!

5. 9:13
6. 9:24
7. 9:44

Throughout the race I’d been taking advantage of the water stops — drinking Gatorade and dumping water on my neck and wrists (it helps!) —  but I tried not to slow down too much for the first half of the race. But eventually I needed to refill.  A water-stop volunteer had a gallon jug and I paused to have him top off my 20-ounce Amphipod during that seventh mile. I needed it!

8. 9:24
9. 9:27

Almost done. Ugh. It’s hot and uphill. Keep moving …

10: 9:18

I was able to pick pace back up (once we stopped climbing!), but there wasn’t much left to push once I saw the finish line. I knew I had  a PR, though!

Previous best: 1:35:02

Garmin: 1:33:45 — 10.09 miles — 9:17 average
Chip : 1:33:42 — 10 miles — 9:23 average
52/246 age group — 406 / 1795  female — 1080/3197  overall

Woo-hoo! This was a pretty big race. I’m really happy with my results!