Green Valley 10 Miler

I ran the Green Valley 10 Miler this morning. The weather and the views were fantastic. I love running through the country side. I also saw a lot of traffic jams and angry drivers waiting for us to pass through the intersections. I have not run over 6 miles since the Spinx ½ marathon so I decided to take it easy. I know this is an incorrect thought but I always believed if I complete a race without stopping and/or walking I have been successful. I have a few friends that actually do marathons where they run for a while and walk for a while. For some reason I feel like I need to run the entire race. Does anyone else think that?

The course is very hilly but there are not any of those “endless” hills where you feel like you are going to croak before you get to the top. I did not set any records on this run. I believe I finished in about 1 hour and 27 minutes. I held an 8:45 pace through most of the race, about mile 7 I started slowing down a bit. According to my Garmin I fell behind the 8:45 pace by about 300 feet. At mile 9 I decided to suck it up and speed up to get back under the 8:45 pace. I felt really good when I hit the finish line.

Instead of downing some Gatorade or other sports drink before the race I decided to go natural. I consumed a large cup of OJ, a banana, some peanut butter, and I poured a little honey down my throat. I also brought a banana along on the race. I will admit that eating a banana during a run is almost as difficult as trying to suck down some energy gel. I ate about ½ the banana about mile 5, another portion at mile 6 and finished it at mile 8. I think it helped give me the burst of energy at the end of the run. Actually now that I am thinking about it maybe I did not finish the banana. I think it is still shoved in the pocket of my running jacket. I better get that before it funks out and my wife finds it when she is doing the laundry.

One good thing about running is it gives me hope that life is still good in your 50s and 60s and later. I saw many older people as they passed me on the run. Besides being passed by a guy with one leg and the guy with the stroller in previous races, being passed by a person in their 60s also makes one feel somewhat inadequate. I also just remembered being smoked by a 10 year old in the Furman 5K last year too. I was planning on being in the senior Olympics when I am old enough but my dream seems to be fading.

Have a good day.

Gary