2021 South Lakes 10K
Prologue
My last in-person race was the 2020 Reston 10 Miler. Shortly thereafter, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the 2020 Boston Marathon., the race that I was training for, was canceled. I held out hope that the 2020 London Marathon and inaugural Wanda Age Group World Championship would happen, but it was an elites only event.
Early this year, a vaccine was developed for the COVID-19 virus and it seemed racing would return – both the Boston and London marathons would take place in October 2021, so I started marathon training again in mid-May, the week I received my second Pfizer shot.
Summer in the Washington, D.C. area is hot and humid, so it was not the ideal time for marathon training. However, my training has been fairly consistent with a 16 to 22 mile long run on Sundays, speed work on Tuesdays, and a medium run on Thursday. If there has been any weakness, it’s been a lack of threshold and marathon-pace miles due to intemperate conditions.
Goals
Likely: Sub-55:00 (8:49 pace). Based on my Roosevelt Island Parkrun time from July, Daniels’ Running Formula, Third Edition put this as an equivalent time. (I checked out the results from the 2019 South Lakes 10K and thought this would be good for an age group placement, too.)
Achievable: Sub-54:00 (8:40 pace). I probably could have done a little better at the Parkrun, so this might be a more accurate prediction.
Stretch: Sub-51:00 (8:11 pace). To run a 2022 Boston Marathon qualifying time at the 2021 London Marathon, I need a sub-3:55;00 (8:59 pace). According to Daniels, running a 10K in this time would be equivalent. But in hot conditions, this would be very difficult.
Course
The course is a big loop around South Lakes Drive and Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston, Virginia, ending at South Lakes High School.
Strategy
With no idea what my current fitness was I decide to stay as close to 8:50 pace as I could for as long as possible.
Playlist
On race day morning, I created this playlist of songs that have motivated me this past year.
Pre-Race
On race-day morning, I got out of bed a little after 5:15 a.m. I had a strange dream that the race was more of a farm-themed obstacle course. I drank coffee and ate some peanut butter toast. I also took a SaltStick Fastchew to ward off dehydration. After feeding the dog and letting her outside for a bit, I left the house at 6:30 a.m. Waze suggested it would take me about a half-hour to get to South Lakes High School in Reston. Planning the trip was the first time I realized I was making my in-person return to racing at the site of my last in-person race – the 2020 Reston 10 Miler.
I registered for the race on Sunday and my race packet arrived on Tuesday. I loved this service but it was a little anti-climatic getting your medal before the race.
My bib arrived on Tuesday and my number was 30. With such a low number, I thought maybe there wouldn’t be a lot of people at the race but there was a fair number.
At the race site, I used the porta-potties because the school building was closed. Back in the car, I worked on my race playlist. Once it was finished, I turned on my Aftershokz headphones and made my way to the start line.
Just as the race was starting, I realized that I left my water bottle in the car! I took a chance that I could do without it. I also had a “salt pill” in my shorts pocket that I could use if I needed it.
Weather
There had been a rainstorm the evening before but it didn’t cool the temperature down. It was about 72 degrees at the start. The humidity wasn’t terrible, though.
The Race
Miles 0 to 2 - South Lakes Drive/Sunrise Valley Drive
From the school, we turned right onto South Lakes Drive and headed uphill. I started further back than I usually do and I felt a little boxed in. I sped up to find some running room away from other runners. I saw the school was in session and guessed that was why the building was closed.
About a half-mile into the race, I checked my pace. It was around 8:20, which felt a little fast. My Garmin showed that I already ran a mile but I didn’t pass the first mile marker until 1.09 miles.
After 1.5 miles, the course turned right onto Sunrise Valley Drive but continued climbing.
Just before reaching the Mile 2 marker, I noticed my shoe had become untied! I didn’t panic, though. I calmly stopped and retied it and pressed on. By then, the course plunged and I told myself, “You have to attack the downhill.”
Usually, I ignore the on-course photographers – it’s a race after all! But today, I smiled when I saw the first one.
Splits (by course): 9:05, 8:26.
Miles 2 to 4 - Sunrise Valley Drive/South Lakes Drive
At Mile 2, the road curved gently to the right and gently downhill. Halfway past the Mile 2 marker, I was happy to see an aid station! I wasn’t thirsty but grabbed a bottle of water just in case I wanted it later. Overall, I felt great! For the next photographer, I went a step further than a smile and waved.
I ran comfortably for the next mile and began thinking, “I’m running okay. I should start passing people.” My competitive instinct was coming back!. At Mile 3.5, I passed a woman.
Splits (by course): 8:10, 8:10.
Miles 4 to 6.2
At Mile 4.5, I passed the last woman I had been targeting. It felt good to feel competitive again! But soon after, my stomach tightened up and I felt queasy. I slowed down and allowed it to settle.
With one mile to go, I passed a male runner who was struggling a bit. He passed me back on an uphill, which I knew was a mistake. Sure enough, I passed him again with authority on the next downhill.
At the Mile 6 marker, I allowed myself to view my overall pace – 8:11! Exactly the race equivalent for my Boston Marathon qualifying time!
Heading through the South Lakes High School parking lot, I took one last look behind me and knew no one would catch me. On the track, I remembered all the hard interval sessions I’ve had recently and pushed as hard as I could. As I approached the finish, I saw I was close to running sub-52:00 and put in the hardest kick that I could.
Splits (by course): 8:26, 8:10, 1:34 (7:09 pace).
Post-Race
After the race, I grabbed a bunch of snacks (Goldfish, Cheez-Its, NutriGrain Bar, Fruit Snacks, Gatorade, and water) and sat down in the bleachers. I thought about how hard this year has been for all of us and tears started falling down my cheeks. This was probably the first race back for a lot of runners. I had been on the fence about traveling abroad but thought, “You deserve to go to London.”
I went back to the car and got my medal for the award ceremony.
Later that afternoon, my throat was a little dry and I thought a little about my COVID-19 scare from last week. I wasn’t coughing though, and my test had been negative so I dismissed it.
Result
I was 59th out of 196 finishers (top 30%), 16th female (top 18%), and 2nd in my age group (top 20%). My prize was a $20 gift certificate to Potomac River Running Store!
Personal Records:
10K PR: 42:41 (6:51 pace) at the 2012 Clarendon Day 10K.
Most Recent 10K: 50:16 (8:04 pace) at the 2020 New Day New Year 10K.
Epilogue
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been wavering over whether I wanted to run the 2021 London Marathon given COVID-19 protocols for international travel, and money. After today, if I can make the money work, I want to run it. I deserve it.
