Drake Road Races - the 10K Game-Changer

 There’s much to be said about going with your gut (and not your ego). 

Such was the case last weekend’s Drake Road Races. I made the decision to scale-down to the 10K, foregoing my 9-year half marathon streak. And I did so, surprisingly, with zero regrets or guilt. 

I registered for the half marathon back in October, well before I knew there would a house (finally) selling, another one purchased, and a stressful timeline of all things moving/relocating. In other words, my typical pre-spring training took an unexpected backseat and the probability of running 13.1 miles became unlikely. 

I have several races that are a must-do every year, and this is one of them. I first ran the 10K (back in 2013), and returned for the half marathon in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 ,2021, 2022 and 2023. All events had to assume a virtual format in 2020, so I ran the virtual 13.1 on the actual race weekend (on my hometown streets). Then, a few months later, I "biked" the virtual event when the swag arrived (me, myself and my healing stress fracture). 

2023 (race day no-no, wearing the event jacket)

Affiliated with the Drake Relays, the Drake Road Races (now in their 56th year) kick off the start of the week-long Relay-related events in Des Moines, Iowa. Where the Relays themselves attract pre-qualified athletes at the elite, collegiate, and high school levels, the Road Races are for more "common folk" runners. 

With my new location, I only had a 20-minute drive to get to the staging area and start line. The half marathon and 10K both had a 7:30 start time, and the 5K racers took off at 7:45.

In keeping with Iowa's sporadic spring weather, the morning was chilly. It's usually windy (duh!) and often times damp. This year the temps were cold, but the wind was pretty well-behaved and the  sunshine was bright and welcoming.

I went with my tried and true base layer of fitted tank, topped with a flannel-lined tech shirt. I took a gamble on adding another light flannel-lined layer. Spoiler: I nailed the layering game! I did feel a bit warm in the final mile, but otherwise everything was good (even the new shoes).   

Anyways, I arrived just after 7:00 and found parking a couple blocks from the start line. As I made my way to line up, brrr! The wind was out of the west, and it definitely was a cold wind. I knew I'd be dealing with that for a good part of the first half, but it would all be behind me (literally) after the 10K turn-around.

As mentioned, I ran the 10K back in 2013. The route had been changed since then, though, so I didn't feel any pressure to PR my previous time (55:39). Unlike the hilly half marathon, the 10K is relatively flat. There are some gradual inclines, but they're very minimal in comparison to the 13.1 race course.

That said, the 10K and the half marathon share some of the same route (the half marathoners split off near the 2-1/2 mile mark, then run most of those same miles on their way back to the finish line).

So, how did this play out? 

Well, the first mile felt the tough! It didn't feel like the usual clustered mess that's common at the first mile of most races, but I struggled in getting into a comfortable groove. I didn't feel like I was going out too fast (a usual bad habit of mine, LOL), but my breathing was all over the place. The first mile did have a slight incline, but it wasn't especially steep or lengthy.  

Then I saw my first mile split was 8:41. That's not crazy fast (for a 10K's first mile), but it was the fastest mile I'd run in awhile. I had just turned onto Kingman Boulevard, and was heading west...into the wind. I knew that pace wouldn't be happening for Mile-2, so I continued to work on my breathing. I figured if I could get that under control, everything else would hopefully fall into place. 

I've mentioned this in previous Drake recaps, but this stretch on Kingman is my least favorite of the entire course (half marathon or 10K). It's long (nearly 1-1/2 mile, ugh!). It's straight (so it looks like it's never-ending). And it's relatively flat (which makes it really boring, in my opinion). Thankfully, it's through a nice residential neighborhood, so there are plenty of people sprinkled on the lawns, cheering for the runners.

When my watch beeped, at the 2-mile mark, I was very surprised to see the 8:56 split. I could tell my pace had slowed down considerably, so to see it was still sub-9 caught me off-guard. Then, I spotted the lead 10K runner coming at us, on the other side of the boulevard...almost two miles ahead of me!

A short ways further, the race course turned left onto Polk Boulevard, heading south. Whew!!! Not only were we off of Kingman, but we also out of the headwind. Knowing (what I'd imagined to be) the hardest part of the race course behind me, I had a fleeting thought: What if I could maintain a sub-9 pace for the remainder of the race? Hmmm, maybe I could PR the 10K after all?   

We hadn't gone far on Polk when more runners were coming back from the turn-around, including the lead female. The route then turned left, going east on Harwood for a short ways before the hairpin turn at the 3-mile mark. I was afraid to look at my Garmin...but I gave in, and it showed an 8:46 split. Admittedly, that gave me a quick boost of mojo, but I also knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be back on Kingman and have to face that long stretch before the final mile.

Although I've run that segment on Kingman numerous times (in both directions, nonetheless), it never feels any less dreadful. Even though I try to focus on the fact that the route has a nice decline shortly thereafter, it feels like it takes forever to get there. 

Anyways, I just kept pressing on. My Garmin beeped at the 4-mile mark, showing an 8:50 split. Still sub-9'ing the splits, my mental game got a healthy boost. A short ways later, a lot the 5K walkers were making their turn-around...creating a lot of congestion. It's one thing to weave around clusters of runners, but a lot more challenging doing so within a mass of walkers.

Finally, I made it to the 5-mile mark (woot!), with an 8:48 split. A few blocks later, we turned back onto 25th Street, and were rewarded with a nice decline in elevation for several blocks. Also, in those final blocks, as we approached Forest Avenue (the street we'd started the race on), there were numerous Drake University students enthusiastically cheering all the runners.

The route takes us a couple blocks on Forest, turns right (on 27th) for a glorious downhill that leads us into Drake Stadium. Then it's only a matter of looping around the famous track (known as the Blue Oval) en route to the finish line.

I entered the stadium and immediately heard the announcer calling out the names of the runners, including mine. How can you NOT get a quick dose of adrenaline after that?

As I rounded the final curve, I heard my name again, this time it was one of my cousins (spectating in  the stands). I waved at him and headed to the finish line, where I saw a friend (volunteering) from one of my new running groups...and he handed me my medal. Yeah, all kinds of feel-good vibes at the finish! 

Recognize the guy in the grey shirt? He must have not wanted to beat by a chick, LOL 
 (look at the previous pic, above)

 

That last mile was invigorating, but I was glad to be done. While I didn't feel totally spent, I definitely "brought it" in the final jaunt to the finish.

Then I looked at my Garmin...

A personal record, via this Garmin (not my total racing history)

My stats:

While this wasn't a true PR (that would be 53:39, from the Run for the Roses, October 2019)), this was a hefty "event" PR (as mentioned, the previous 10K had been on a slightly different course than this current one). 

My splits:

Mile-1 ... 8:41

Mile-2 ... 8:56

Mile-3 ... 8:46

Mile-4 ... 8:50

Mile-5 ... 8:48

Mile-6 ... 8:34

(final .28)...2:14

Following the race, I grabbed a pic with Griff II, the Drake Bulldog live mascot. Isn't he a cutie?

All participants got a gender-specific flannel-lined 1/4-zip jacket. I'm loving it!

The medals all are basically the same, but the ribbons indicate the distance (half, 10K, or 5K), and there is a small emblem with the specific race distance on the medal face. I love how it reps the Blue Oval.

So, I can honestly say this race went well, much better than anticipated. Even though I didn't get to conquer all the usual hills this year, I'm glad how the race day played-out. 

Have you ever scaled down to a shorter distance, due to improper training? If so, did you have any regrets in doing so, or any guilt for running a shorter race? 

I'm linking this with Zenaida and Jenn for the TuesdayTopics Linkup. 

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