10K PR*

Great race yesterday.

The 30th Annual Fort Myers River Run. This is a 10K race that takes 300 runners over TWO bridges that span the Caloosahatchee River and connects Fort Myers to Cape Coral. The first climb is at mile 1 after runners have warmed up their legs through the historic section of Fort Myers. The second climb is at mile 5 - a steeper and longer climb that lasts for over 1000 meters. (see picture)

I PR'd with a 42:54 but I put an *asterisk* on this one as this was only the second 10K I have ever run and the first 10K I have run in over 3 years. My last 10K was a "beginners" 54:02.

I came in 34th overall and 2nd in my age group. Took home some hardware which is always nice. It was also nice to see 10th Grade phenom Eric Montoya continue to excel with a win in 34:25.

What makes me most excited about the performance was the last 500 meters of the race. For some reason, I got passed by 3 guys (who appeared to be in my age group) on the way DOWN the last bridge. Not sure if it is my bum right knee or just a lack of practice, but I haven't figured out the "art" of descending down a hill. The 3 guys sped by me and it looked effortless. I noticed that 2 of them were wearing triathlon gear. Gotta go get 'em.

When we hit the last 500 meter flat and the finish line was in site, I caught all three of them. I felt them turn it up a notch so I matched their "kick" with a semi-sprint.

I held on and beat all 3 of them. Turns out it was the difference that allowed me to podium! I credit my ability to "kick" to the endurance and multi-sport training from the last 5 months. The long hours in the pool and on the bike, coupled with the Wednesday speed runs and Sunday long runs allow me to dig deep when I need it most.

6:55 mile pace in a tough 10K. That's better than I could have ever imagined.