2012 Capital 10K race report

This was my 3rd time to run Austin's most famous race...and I have to say I enjoyed it the most! In 2007 I was WAY too focused on time to really enjoy the race, and although I ran a 51:49 (8:20 min/mile pace), I can't tell you anything remarkable about that race. Not a single memory. Must have had a good run, but who knows what was going on? The next year I ran it was the following year, in 2008 and my time dropped to 57:03 (Still a 9:10 pace!) and I DO remember why - I had to make an unscheduled pit stop at a Porta-Jane. Nothing will make you regret running in the "timed" category more than having to stop! I right then and there started taking my pre-race routine much more seriously! Hasn't happened to me since, knock on wood!

Fast forward to 2012 and I ran a 1:02:13 for a 10:01 pace. I woke op early on race day and I knew I was going to have a good run! The legs felt fresh - another way of saying I did NOT run enough the week prior to Sunday! I listened to some music, figured out how to connect my iPhone to my Kia Sorrento's stereo so I can control my tunes like an iPod connected and through the steering wheel controls. Sweet! I did the morning visit to the Porta-Janes, which I must say were the cleanest ones I have ever used. Something to be said for arriving early! I walked around a bit to loosen up and to take in the pre race atmosphere. It was warm, about 65 deg at the start I'd guess, and really humid. That had a lot of runners nervous, and the more I listened to everyone the more worried I got too! I looked around for some friends I thought were running and did not see them, so I headed to the "C" Corral, which I think was for 10:00 to 10:30 pace runners. After some local girl's duo murdered the National Anthem (It's "perilous fight" not "perilous flight" people!) we were off, and.....walking! With over 23,000 runners total, it can take a while. But we were actually running 5 ft before the start line, and I crossed it about 2:21 after the gun went off. Not bad! The first mile was a very easy steady climb up Congress Avenue, which is a cool way to get the legs warm before the first hill, a sharp climb after a right on 11th st. I knew what was coming, so I was trying to take things easy. I still was right at a 10 minute first mile. That was when I realized I had a shot at running under 10 min pace. Mile 2 took us over a couple rollers and down the monster that was the toughest climb in the Livestrong Half Marathon, when we were coming the opposite direction! Much easier going down, although I did see a few people with quads that appeared to be in trouble. By now I was sweating like the proverbial pig (I always do!) and I knew the one hill I dreaded was here...the longest hill and the toughest on the course. It was not as hard as it was when I ran the Turkey Trot (See The Calf history in earlier posts if you are truly bored!), and I think it was on the perfect spot on the course. After getting over it and then headed down the long downhill to Mopac, I knew I was doing well. At 3 miles I was right on 10 minute pace still. By mile 4 I was just girl watching, which I do without leering...much. Damn, runners have fine legs! The heat was starting to bother me at mile 5 and I faded just a little going up some small rollers on Cesar Chavez....but I was still doing well all things considered. I had only been bumped a couple hundred times by newbies that apparently had no idea that running a straight line is just being courteous, and I was not thirsty at all. Half of the two cups of water I grabbed on the course were just to pour down my back and on my head to cool off. My calf did not give me even a twinge, and I was really glad for that!

I really did not have much of a sprint at the end, which was cool since we were packed in the finishing chute like sardines. Sweaty, smelly sardines! They would do well to widen that a little. I might have made up that maddening 1 second that my final pace was (10:01!) But I was happy! All in all, it was a very fun race and I'll be back next year to do it again!

My final "grades":

246th of 429 in my Age Group (50-59 Male)

4,604th overall (of 9,929 timed runners - 23,000+ overall runners/walkers)

3,097th male (of  5,158 males)

7 miles....times two!

It was the tale of two runs:

Yesterday - met my running group at Town Lake and we initially thought we were running 5 miles. That turned out to be 6.6! But hey I felt great, the girls (and Mark!) are always fun to run with and I felt nice and rested after Wednesday's 7 mile loop. We ran the Scenic loop, and man those hills!!! That might have been the first thing that foreshadowed what today might be like....I was really sore after Megs and I shopped all day!! But I did get some couch time last night, watching my beloved Dukies and then the Longhorns each get hammered. Blech.

I'm always happy when I'm shopping with the Fashionista....

Today - I woke up out of sorts, and did my 3rd trip to the "library" in 8 hours. That was a omen I won't ignore again. Got to Town Lake and was stalling, it was cold, I was tired and I was irritable. Only another runner will understand me when I say I NEEDED to run. I did not WANT to run! It was a good thing I stalled, as nature called with a vengeance and I got a good sprint to the men's room in. TMI, I know! I felt OK afterwards, and I knew I was well hydrated. The fact I had to stop at 3 Porta Janes in 7 miles confirmed that!

This was one of the toughest, most mentally grueling runs I've done this year. It was no fun at all, but some runs are like that. I liken it to the last 10K of a Marathon - I am grumpy, I hate running and I want to quit. But I can't, and so I didn't. I was tired, yes. My legs were sore as hell, yes. But I was not in pain, and I knew I needed the mental toughness test to see if I could finish. In about 7 weeks I will find out if I am running New York this year, in November. If I am, I see a LOT of runs like this in my future. It takes what it takes.

I look exactly like I felt. Like Shit.

Was it worth it? Yes. Do I feel the endorphins and the thrill of another run completed? Fuck no.

a 10 K should be easy, uh, right?

So I dove in and registered for the Cap 10K today - I have some friends here at work that are running it too and I love hills!  I was reading my results from previous races on this cool site:

http://athlinks.com/racer/106648682

Click on "See all 37 races" and you can see what I once was able to run - it blows my mind that I always thought I was slow!! Running a 10K in 48:10 on a hilly course is NOT slow! Flat out impossible at this point, but I really am cool with that. I distinctly remember the Cap 10K I ran the same year - I was still under an hour despite having to veer off course and using a porta potty!!!

My running these days is much, much more fun and although I am getting faster through sheer repetition, I don't really have any time goals in mind. I'd really like to come in under an hour but with the huge hill on this course I really don't see it happening! So my #1 goal is to have fun and encourage the guys I am running with. We should have good weather, this race will be huge with the crowds! It's an annual Springtime rite of passage in Austin!

My Yelp review for the Austin Half Marathon!

Really proud of refrigerator magnets? You bet!

My review is for the 2012 Austin Half Marathon, which I absolutely loved! This was the final race (of 5, a 10K; 10 miler, and 3 half marathons - Decker, 3M and Austin) of the Austin Fit Magazine Distance Challenge. 
I'm so grateful that I trained with Austin Fit this year - the runs really prepared me for the hills on this course, which are going to approach legendary status in a few more years. I swear that mile 12 mother fucker gets steeper every time I tell the story! 
The organization that Livestrong has added as the new corporate sponsor for years to come cannot be underestimated. Sure, with 18,000 runners you're bound to have some issues that are almost inevitable, like port-o-janes with long lines, finish chute delays while dumb asses stop and gawk, etc. Read about the 2012 Vegas Rock and Roll marathon if you think we have issues. 
I can't say enough how much I loved the course - it was SO smart to move the start to the north side of the Capital and give us a much needed warm up before the trek up South Congress. The rolling hill that is South Congress gives several nice flats to catch your breath, and then comes that wonderful rolling drop down South First. I was blown away by the Livestrong Mile along Cesar Chavez, which was covered in yellow chalk messages on the road, and lined with the loudest, most wonderfully supportive volunteers anywhere on the course. They just rejuvenated me so much, and I high fived as many as I could! 
When we reached the Mopac crossover, man that seemed to suck the strength right out of me, but I knew the real killer lay ahead. I had purposely NOT driven that course so I would not know what it really looked like. There are a few hills before mile 12 that get your attention, but that bad boy really did impress. I vowed to run the entire hill, and I did. It was amazing how slow I was moving when I got to the top!! But I owned that bitch! For all the fear and complaining I heard about this hill, think about it folks. Would the course be BETTER without it? Hell NO! Easier, sure. But better? NOT! It gives you an unbelievable pride that you conquered it. Whether you run, walk or crawled it, when you got to the top and saw the angels - God love em! - you had to smile! Great crowd support here too!
I also loved that last mile to the finish...it challenged too and there is NO feeling like powering around that corner onto Congress and seeing the finish line!
The medals, so beautiful! One of the coolest ever:

 The event t-shirt I will wear proudly! It is a fantastic Nike tech T with the coolest graphics I have seen anywhere. 
Honestly, the bands and musicians playing were cool for the most part. and I know most runners appreciated them. Me, I had my iPod shuffle cranking out more energetic stuff to get me up those hills. I made a point to take the ear buds out now and then and interact with my Austin Fit running buds Amy and Eliza (thanks for pacing me girls!), and some other cool peeps on the course. To all the lovely ladies that wore pig-tails, extra kudos to you! Yeah, I find them sexy. Deal with it. :O)
Austin, be proud of these twin jewels, I ran the marathon in 2008 and I enjoyed that too, in a really sick way! But I am hooked on the Half, and I have Feb 17th, 2013 already saved to do this again!

Like I need an excuse to Pig out on Italian food...

Dinner tonight!

That's right, time to pig out!

Tonight is prime carb loading time for the Austin Half Marathon, and I need another new place to review for Yelp! My new addiction. Blogging about food. Some of the cool kids have unwittingly friended me on there, lol.

So Megs and I will go sacrifice our bodies to the carbs, and I only hope the place is as good as it once was. I went years ago several times, and I remember the Cannelloni being really most excellent.

I'm trying my best to rest for the Half Marathon Sunday, but it's not easy. I did an hour on the elliptical and an hour on the stationary bike last night at LifeTime. Craving some cardio! The legs feel so strong, like I could go all night. And even after another night of riding the cubicle hell chair, they feel great. I can't wait for this race, no real pre-race jitters yet, just a strong excitement knowing I will be running 100% healthy! After coming off an injury, running takes on a very special luster.

Tomorrow is packet pickup and the first day of the expo, I will be like a little kid in a candy store! My bib number is a Palindrome!! 10201!!!! Download the app (search Austin marathon in the app stores) and track me Sunday!!! It will have an interactive map that will track my bib via GPS!!! So cool!

Awesome new ear buds for just $18!

Damn these rock!

Thank you sir, I'll have another! Tonight I trekked to the local Wally World and was all set to buy another pair of my favorite $40 (+tax!) Sony ear buds. The ones I buy always crap out on one ear and last about 3-4 months at best. I use them a lot, both at the gym and while running. They had great bass and never fell out, two absolute must-have traits for ear buds, in my book. They also came with a nice short extension cable, so I could use them and set my iPhone or iPad on the elliptical/treadmill and not have any reach issues. And of course they were sold out of them. I "settled" for the above iFrogz Luxe ear-buds with built in mic, and all I can say after my test run with them was WOW!!! I did an hour on the elliptical, an hour on the spin bike at my LifeTime Fitness, and not a single issue. They never slipped out at ALL, had SUPER bass and great all around sound - just as good as the more expensive Sony's. And at $18 tax included (Walmart), I think it was a great investment - just in time for Sunday's Half Marathon!! I'll update with longevity issues if there are any, but I think these are really solid, cables seem strong, they are super comfortable, in short a great buy. I love the mic control too, a simple way to pause music finally on my iPod shuffle or iPhone! Oh, and they come in quite a few different colors, but I went with the simple black ones to match my iPhone. Of course.

One of my favorite movies..."The Nines"

I love this movie - it's quirky, mind-bending, suspenseful, you name it. The original posters headline Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis, and both do excellent jobs with their roles...but it's Melissa McCarthy that steals every scene she is in. I think she's simply beautiful:

She's well known for her funnier roles, she kills it in "Life As We Know It"; but here she shows her true range. Watch the scene (it streams on Netflix currently) where she tells Reynolds what she really thinks of him. It's a shame that Hollywood hasn't done more with her. 

On the running front, I ran a really fantastic 7 mile loop yesterday at Town Lake - from Austin High to the I35 frontage and back via Riverside Drive and the trail. It was such a beautiful day to run, one of those warm days we get right before a cold front hits - and hit it has! I've learned to watch for these days, because once the cold front hits, so long to warm outdoor running! Me, I love running in the cold but a warm sunny day can't really be beat.