Extra Jam Please: B.A.A 10K Race Report

We interrupt this study session to bring you the race report of the weekend!

5 am - Woke up an hour early full of excitement for my first ever 10K race. Spent the next 90 minutes eating breakfast (yogurt and Grapenuts), drinking coffee, icing my shins (which have been acting up this week), and watching Sportscenter.

6:45 am - En route to the race via public transportation (nothing better than running a race in your own city).

I say 10K's qualify as doing life

7:15 am - Arrived at the start, hit the Port-O-Potties, checked the backpack, and had some extra time for the essential pre-race photo op. (Please take note of all the clouds overhead and how cold we look. ha.).

745 am - We lined up in the 9:00 - 9:59 corral (Wave 3).

8:00 am - Elite and Wave 1 start. The three different waves were spaced 4 minutes apart. This was my first corralled start and it seemed to go very smoothly.

The race started (and finished) in Boston Common and featured an out and back along Commonwealth Ave with the turn around just after the BU Athletic Center.

I am used to the beginning of races being quite jam packed and was pleasantly surprised that we had quite a bit of room around us right off the bat. We did almost no weaving during the first kilometer which payed off when we needed those extra reserves once we really got into the heat.

My favorite part of the race might have been seeing the leaders heading back to the finish (in their last mile) while we were still in our first mile! To give us some credit they did start 15 minutes before us and were running 5 minute miles. I joked that "hey, if we were running any faster we wouldn't have even gotten to see them!" Miles 1 - 3 were almost entirely in the shade, but just after the water station at Mile 3 we were hit hard with some sunshine.

After a grueling half mile incline we passed the 5K at 29:00. With the sun still beating down strongly we hit a slight downhill and after some time (I may or may not have blacked out at some point as I don't seem to have any recollection of Kilometers 5 - 8) we were back in the comfort of the shade.

After doing some math in my head I knew we were well on track to finish under 1 hour (our group goal) and it was only a matter of keeping a steady pace for the remainder of the race.

We quickly reached the 9K marker and could see the tree line on the Common just up ahead. We turned the corner and entered the finishing chute (which was quite longer than .2 is in my mind). We waved to our #1 FAN Darren as we sprinted through to the finish and finished in 57:41!

This was my first race put on by the Boston Athletic Association and let me say they sure do know how to put on a race. From no lines at the Port-O-Potties to an easy-peasy t-shirt pick up and bag drop I had zero complaints during my whole 10K experience. They even mailed us our race packets ahead of time! After such a great experiment I just might have to run the B.A.A Half - Marathon on Columbus Day this year. As an added bonus it starts/ends in Franklin Park AND goes through the entire Emerald Necklace near my house. I have a few weeks to decide but after today I'm definitely leaning towards yes.