33rd Annual Atlantic City St. Pat’s 10 miler: Race Report

I look forward to the annual Atlantic City St. Pat’s 10 miler as the “official” start to my race season each year. Community, friends, positive energy, and running to raise money for a worthwhile local charity–the Donny Fund. Whatever the reason, this event is a perfect way to start the season.

With a 10 a.m. race start on Sunday, March 12, there was no need to set the alarm for the O’crack hour of the morning. (I told you: PERFECT!) This “late” start allowed us to wake up naturally, which is a nice change from most race mornings where the alarm clock beats out “Eye of the Tiger” or salutes us with the Rocky theme somewhere around 4:30 a.m. (Don’t worry we still got our Rocky fix: I played these songs during the drive over to the starting line.)

At dinner the previous night–carb loading with pasta and red wine–we told John’s mom Jeanne, who was planning to walk the 5k, we’d pick her up at 8:45 a.m. Even though it only takes us about 15-20 minutes to drive to Margate, NJ where the race was held, I wanted to get there a little early so I could get in about 2 or 3 miles before the race, partly as warmup and partly to keep my mileage up for Boston on April 18.

Jeanne & John after the race.

We were almost on schedule, picking Jeanne up at 8:55, and arriving on site by 9:20. By the time we picked up our race packets, I only had time for a 16 minute warmup–and that was cutting it very close. I was running toward the starting line as most of the racers were already lined up and the man with the bullhorn was telling everyone to get in line.

It reminded me of the days when I rowed crew, and our Coach Joe Haney told us, “Always be the last boat to the starting line. Make the other boats wait. It messes with their minds.”

Well, I wasn’t trying to mess with the minds of 600 other runners. I just wanted to warm up and I was short on time. Then, I remembered…

Uh-oh. The last time I had seen John, he was in a very very long port-o-potty line. I looked down the street where the “johns” were. Yup. He was still in line. I veered off and ran over to tell him, as well as the others waiting in line, that it looked like the race was about to start.

“Dude – they’re lining up. I don’t know what you want to do about that…” I let my voice trail off, as I looked at the beach dunes. Don’t judge–you gotta do what you gotta do.

I left John hoping he’d find his way to the line in time, and worked on finding a place for myself. I didn’t want to line up in the front, so I was running down the side of the starting chute trying to find a place to sneak in, when who did I see? My friend Marg! She was about 7 or 8 “rows” from the front, which looked like a good spot for me. I settled in next to her, and we talked race plans.

“I can’t run this one too hard,” I told her. “I’m still rehabbing this hamstring and I don’t want to do anything stupid before Boston.”

The hamstring hadn’t bothered me in about 10 days. But, every time I try to run too fast, it gives me a warning niggle. The last thing I wanted to do was pull it or aggravate it and not have enough time to heal it.

“I have to be a good girl,” I said, mostly to convince myself. Let’s face it, I’m a runner. I like to race. I like to compete. To stay disciplined with my pace during a race requires considerable mental strength. It wouldn’t be the first time I said I needed to take it easy and then ignored myself.

While I was chatting with Marg, I saw some more running friends. Katie, the training director from my gym, will be doing her first marathon in May (Go, Katie!). Dan, a childhood friend of John’s who recently completed his first marathon, is now moving on to his first half ironman. He’ll be in Lake Placid this year volunteering. We know what that means–2012 IMLP. (Go Dan!)

We barely had about 2 minutes to chat before the man with the bullhorn raised it and let the siren wail. The beeps of 600 watches filled the air.

And we were off...!

As we took off, I hoped that John was able to make it to the starting line in time. I didn’t see him down the potty street, so I took that as a good sign.

For the first quarter mile or so, I stayed within a congested pack of runners. This forced an easy pace, but perhaps a little too easy. I wanted to run conservatively, but I didn’t exactly want a recovery run, either.

So, I started weaving in and around the other runners, and found my space. Right about then, I noticed that Katie was staying close, just behind and to the left of me. Her presence pushed me to keep the pace competitive, while heeding my own caution to “keep it easy.”

The course stays on Atlantic Avenue for a short period of time before turning onto the Ventnor-Atlantic City Boardwalk–a flat and supportive surface for running. The beach and Atlantic Ocean sits to the East, and with the bright, sunny day, we were treated to some fantastic views.

Within the first mile of the race, the course turns on to the Ventor-Atlantic City Boardwalk. Great views!

Heading north to Atlantic City, we had a great tail wind – 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, according to Weather.com. Sounds great – except when we turn around and come back…

As I ran the first 5 miles, I didn’t think about the head wind that would be waiting for me. I just enjoyed the steady rhythm of running, the sun on my face, and the camaderie of fellow racers. What a glorious feeling! It’s hard for me to keep the smile off my face on days like this one.

My splits for the first 5 miles were promising: 7:51, 7:44, 7:50, 7:44, 7:31. My heart rate remained steady – between 154-158 bpm, which for me is the border between zone 2 and zone 3. While I was moving faster than I had in quite some time, I wasn’t racing as fast as I could. I was being a sort-of good girl.

At the 5 mile turnround, however, I was tired of being a sort-of good girl, especially because I was starting to realize that a PR (personal record) for 10 miles was within reach. So, despite the heavy head wind, I decided I would go for it. To heck with caution!

Mile 6: 7:29. I’m not scared of a little bit of wind. It’s refreshing.

Mile 7: 7:33. I’m tougher than you, wind.

Mile 8: 7:45. Don’t you give in, girl! Dig in. Find it-it’s in there.

At this point, we had moved out of the semi-cover of the casinos that line the boardwalk into a completely open section of the board. The wind was coming from all sides. Despite the slower pace, my heart rate for mile 8 was the same as mile 7 – 163 bpm, which puts me right on the precipice between my zone 3 and zone 4 HR. I took this as a sign that I was continuing to work hard into the wind, but still not racing “all out.”

Mile 9: 7:41. That’s it. Keep pushing, keep pushing. It’s time to let ‘er eat…

Heart rate bumps up to 165 bpm. I’m in zone 4 at this point, but with only a mile to go, and the leg holding strong, it’s time to feel that kick. C’mon horsies, let’s go for a ride!

Mile 10: 7:25. Oh no, you are not going to pass me here!

I saw Katie come up on my heels with about a half mile to go. It was time to take off. HR: 169 bpm – coming up on my anaerobic threshold, and I could feel that lactic acid building. I have to admit, I like the way that feels (especially when it’s over!).

Mile 10.08: …And the course was .08 miles long according to my Garmin. I was almost sprinting for that final .08 with a pace of 6:28 for the final 31 seconds. I finished with a HR of 171 bpm, pushing over into anaerobic zone for just a few brief seconds.

Overall, I had a solid race, with an overall time of 1:17:01. My previous best for a 10 miler was 1:16:41.

Ahhh, that’s a killer, isn’t it? I missed the personal record by just 20 seconds.

Thankfully, there’s more to the story than just time. In that original PR, my average heart rate was 165, with zero wind (thank you, traing log, for having all of this useful information!). For this race, my HR was only 159 bpm. So, the lower overall HR for almost the same effort demonstrates improved fitness. Yet, it seems that being conservative for the first 4 miles, and my slower pace during miles 8 and 9 kept me from a PR.

I did, however, win my age group (30-39), and I was the 5th female overall. Thank you kindly!

Katie finished super strong as well, just 9 seconds behind, capturing second in her age group (20-29).

So, you might be wondering: Did John make it to the starting line?

Yes, he did–he ran from the call of nature right to the front of the line to have an amazing race. I saw him after he had passed the turnaround, and he was in 12th place overall, looking strong and focused.  He finished the race in 1:06:54, which was a 3 minute PR over his previous best. This was good enough to get him to 9th place overall, and the age group (30-39) win!

It was a double bling day for us!

After the race, we met up with Jeanne, who rocked her 5k walk, and we spent time chatting with friends who enjoyed the day with us.

As we left the awards ceremony, the beautiful sunshine warmed us as we walked to the car. I was warm inside and out.

“I love this race,” I said to Jeanne and John. “I just love it. The people, the charity, the bling [giggle]. It’s the perfect way to start the season.”

And that’s not just the endorphins talking.

The winners :). Katie is to the left of me, and John is kneeling to the right of me. (I'm in the Guinness T-shirt - what else?)