This Sunday I ran the 6^th Annual Lone Gull 10K in Gloucester, MA.The race benefits the The Children’s Center for Communication.

I drove up with two friends and we got there nice and early. It was a little chilly as we stood in line for the porta-potties and we debated long-sleeve or short. I almost wore my running vest it was so cold. In the last few minutes before we walked to the starting line I ditched the vest and stuffed my car key and a GU in my back pocket.

At the starting line we saw about 10 other people from our running club. It was great to see everyone and talking helped ease the pre-race nerves. I could not hear the announcer saying whatever he or she said, but I did hear the starting gun. We started on a brief down-hill and then onto a flat well paved road along the Atlantic. It is a very scenic course and I tried to take in the ocean views as much as possible.

This section of Gloucester is full of beautiful homes and we ran past many impressive estates. There was also a Holland America cruise ship in the harbor. I didn’t expect that and didn’t even realize they came into Gloucester.

Click this link for a video of the Lone Gull 10K.

After the race they had a nice breakfast for us with pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage and all kinds of pastry and cookies, many of which looked home made! Nice touch.

My friends and I pulled up same gravel and grass and sat down to have our breakfast. As we ate more members of our club gathered around and we had a large crew hanging out, eating, talking and just having a good time. Eventually we broke out a small cache of craft brews and had a couple of cold ones after breakfast.

Before all of the runners were in, I looked at the posted results. I came in 117 out of 350 or so and 30 out of 45 in my age group. This morning a saw the final results on coolrunning.com and I came in 117 out of 526 runners and 30 out of 65 for my age group. On top of that I set a new PR for the 10K.

My Lone Gull 10K run

I used my accumulated knowledge to run this race well. I ate lots of good carbs but no fiber before the race. This helps minimize the chance of stomach issues. I have to eat before I run. I also drank very little before the race. 10K is not a long race and I knew there were several water stops. The last thing I want to do on a 6.2 mile race is run off into the woods for a pit stop.

The first mile started out very fast but I felt warmed up after only about half of a mile. My first mile was 7:39! I could not believe it. I ran four of the six miles under 8 minutes and the last quarter mile I ran at a 7:12 pace. I felt good most of the race and had prepared properly. There were times when I thought I had run strong enough, far enough, and that I could let off a bit. Then I would tell myself that I was probably near to a PR and that I needed to keep pushing if I really wanted to get it.

Here are my splits:

The key was to keep throwing everything I had into the race. It was only six miles, so there was no need to hold anything back. I took water at all of the stops but did not stop running to get a cup. Thankfully they used paper cups which fold nicely for a runner’s gulp. Kudos to the race organizers for that one!

It was a strong field and after the first few miles it was difficult to pass anyone. We were all sorted out by then. I did pass a few people and fended off a few attacks. No one passes me on a hill! Well, not often.

The race was well organized with people at each mile marker ticking off our pace. People were at side roads and intersections to wave us in the right direction. There was plenty to drink at the finish, and it was cold. And of course, they served us breakfast!

This is another race that I would definitely run another time.

Run well my friends,

Andy

© 2014 Andrew nagelin