Bridge of Flowers 10K in 48:48

Well, the race is finished. I ran exactly 48:48 for the 6.2 Mile course for an average pace of 7:52/mile for the course. The weather conditions were MORE than ideal. Race temperature at start time was 67 degrees with a slight breeze, lots of sun, and no humidity! Given the extreme difficulty of the mile stretch that makes up Crittendon Hill, I am extremely pleased with my finishing time. I started way back in the field, so I probably lost about 30 seconds by the time I crossed the start line, then proceeded to run the first two miles slow as planned. It felt like pace was that of a turtle's, yet I still ran the first 2 miles in about 8 minutes for each mile. It just goes to show how much adrenaline kicks in when the gun goes off. So, I was very comfortable listening to my iPOD and running the first two miles knowing that Crittendon was looming ahead. When I touched the base of the hill I grabbed water from the stop and headed up the hill. Let me tell you, this was the third time running this 10K, and no matter how much you prepare and expect that hill, it always is a killer. It never gets smaller, if anything I swear that hill, or should I say "Mountain", grows in size. So, I imagine mile 2-3 was somewhere in the mid to high 9 minute range. However, after I cleared the top, I felt like a million bucks. Mile 3-4 was a solid shaded downhill, with some flat areas, where I picked up the pace for that mile to about 7:40 or so. Mile 5-6 was more flat areas and a large downhill section as you head back down Buckland before crossing the bridge into Shelburne. I think I nailed this mile in the low 7 minute range. I kicked in the last .2 miles very hard (almost a dead sprint) and finished with a final time of 48:48. I finished 205th out of 540 runners.

I am happy that I beat last year's time by almost a full minute (9 seconds/mi faster pace), and very satistfied I could again fulfill my grandfather's dream to have me run this road race. Thank you to my Mom and Sara for their support!