Race Review: Mainly Masters 10k

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Fiesta Island is an interesting section of the Mission Bay recreational complex. Lacking any amenities other than portable toilets and not boasting the nicest scenery, it still attracts a lot of locals to its laidback sandy shores and dog-friendly beaches. Sure it can heat up like a furnace in the spring and summer, but it’s flat and circular and this morning it drew about 120 runners for the annual Mainly Masters 10k.

Like most San Diego Track Club events, this one’s inexpensive (always a plus this time of year) and low-key. I had a tiny conniption when I checked my e-mail at 5 a.m. and discovered I was slated to do synch sheets at the finish line. But by the time I arrived about an hour later the Volunteer Coordinator had realized his error and I worked the registration table instead. This was an easy assignment, given the event is divided into two races – one for those 39 and under at 7:30 a.m. and one for those 40 and up at 8. So I had plenty of time to do my club duty and still hit the portable toilet and then warm up. I also met some new people, all of whom were really nice and a few of whom were really fast.

I wanted to average under 9-minute miles, which once was a cinch but not lately. I found a woman that I knew ran a steady pace and decided to fall in behind her. Last time I used her as an unwitting pacer, she ran 9-minute miles. This time, I realized at the first mile marker, she’d ramped it up to 8:35. I started to back off slightly and continued to move along, the gap between me and everyone else in front and behind me widening. At times I felt like I had the island to myself. The air was calm; the sun bright. There was very little motor traffic due to road closures. Other than stopping to drink ice-cold water and, on the second loop, a few swigs of Powerade, I kept at it, paying attention to my breathing, my form and my leg turnover. The last mile took forever. As the Mile 6 marker finally came into focus, I decided not to look at my watch. I feared I’d slow if I didn’t like what I saw.

I finished in 55:09, or 8:53 pace. For the first time in a long, long time I ran the race I’d wanted. Can’t think of a better way to start the day and end my racing year.

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