the one with the army 10 miler

i did the entire army 10 miler.
i beat the bus!
i had an awesome time!

washington d.c. is a beautiful city, and this was a wonderfully scenic course. i wholeheartedly recommend it to everybody!!

my strategy today was to run 12 minutes and to walk 2 minutes as long as i could. it was quite warm and extremely humid, so i had to really take it easy if i wanted to get through the whole 10 miles. i carried a little water bottle with me the entire time, which was the smartest thing i have ever done. if i wasn't drinking water, i was pouring it over my head to keep myself cool!!

i lost ground at a potty stop at watering hole number 1. sheesh. but didn't have to "go" anymore after that.

around mile 6 there was some weird CONCENTRATED GATORADE. omg. blech blech blech but it's supposed to be good for you? blech blech i thought it tasted alot like sweat. blech

around mile 7 we ran past the capitol building. it was so beautiful. i invaded a fountain there that was within our course range and re-filled my water bottle ...not to drink, but to keep pouring water on my head. phew. it was stinking hot! with the humidity so high, people were cooking. ambulances were running all morning. eek.

around mile 8 there wasn't any water. finally it seemed some was brought to that station before i passed it completely, and at the very last table i got a big drink of water. i was super thirsty, and still had the yucky leftover sweat taste of the gatorade piss. big rookie mistake, man. i drank a whole cup...and immediately regreted it because i got a cramp. oh well...so i walked really fast most of mile 8. in hind sight, getting that water was really important! there were no more water stands after that.

at mile 9 i was getting happy to see i still had energy to burn, but was only comfortable now running 4-5 minutes and walking 3-4 minutes. ugh. hot hot hot! folks around me were pretty much doing the same. no shame in walking. better than heat stroke, any day!

the last mile was surreal. we were on the exit to the pentagon. the sun was blasting us. people were literally staggering along. it was hot as blazes there. i think i got through it because i had managed to down water at mile 8, and i was still carrying my trusty water bottle, with just enough water to keep pouring on my head. it was the most challenging and longest mile of the entire race i think. i kept up my walk/jog combo as best as i could but when we got to the last 1/4 mile i knew i could run the rest of the way. i asked the woman on my right if she'd like to run the last 1/4 mile together, and she agreed. we kept gathering women as we went. with our encouragement we picked up about 15-20 women who ran the last 1/4 mile all together. that was awesome. i even had enough energy left to kick it in the last 30 meters or so. yay! that felt so amazing!

i think my time was about 2 hours 15 minutes. i beat the bus, guys!! i beat the bus!!
army 10 miler, babyyyyyyyyyyy!

http://www.armytenmiler.com/


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ps i read later in the washingtonpost.com that a runner died at the race today. my heart goes out to who ever that was and to their family.

Fairfax Runner Dies in Army Ten-Miler Race
Associated PressSunday,
October 7, 2007; 4:14 PM
ARLINGTON, Va. -- An unidentified runner from
Virginia died Sunday during the Army Ten-Miler race, collapsing near the finish
line at the Pentagon.
The runner collapsed about 200 yards from the finish
line, said Col. Jim Yonts. Arlington County medics took the runner to George
Washington University Hospital.
The cause of death was not known. The runner
was a civilian, not a member of the military, Yonts said.
The race started in
70-degree heat and high humidity. Race officials said there was plenty of water
and first aid stations along the course.
More than 25,000 people registered
for the 23rd annual race -- the largest 10-mile race in the United States. The
course runs from the Pentagon, across the Potomac River through the streets of
Washington, past the Capitol and back to the Pentagon.
Runners included
amputees who were injured in Iraq and a group of 36 women from Georgia whose
husbands are deployed in the war zone.
One other race death occurred in 1990,
Yonts said.
© 2007 The Associated Press
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