We thought we were running a ten-mile race yesterday morning, but we ended up running 1.4 bonus miles after security concerns forced the course to be re-routed. Therefore, the race was unofficial and I really can't say what my ten-mile time was (because I'm not sure at which point on the course I completed the ten miles). I ran the 11.4 miles in 1:41:38, so assuming a constant pace, I'd have finished 10 miles in 1:29:23. Up until the last real mile marker that I saw, the 7-mile mark, I had been speeding up over each of those first seven miles, so I'd like to think I would have done even better than 89 minutes. I'm satisfied with those numbers though, especially considering that I got less than 5 hours of sleep the night before, and the buffet-food and cocktails I consumed at Liz & Jarriel's wedding on Saturday night didn't exactly constitute carb-loading. It was a flat, fast course, and I'm curious to know how I would have done with more rest and less booze the night before. I'm honestly not sure whether those factors even came into effect.
My dad finished about ten minutes behind me, and like me, was somewhat faster than his anticipated pace (10 minute-miles, 9-minute miles for me). Go Barry! Not bad for an old man, not bad at all. That 11.4 miles was the longest either of us had ever run, so that was kinda cool. We did both agree that no matter how flat the course or pleasant the weather, at some point during a race of that length, you start to question how much fun you're really having. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I predict no marathons for either of us for at least the next couple of years.
Other than the added course length, we were quite unimpressed with the race planning and logistics. Not only did race officials not notify runners of the change in course and distance until we reached the finish line, but once we made it to the race staging area after the race, it was chaotic. Food and drink distribution locations were a mystery, so you had to wander around until you found the (long) lines for the food). There were people handing out commerative coins, but unless you ran into one of those people, you wouldn't have gotten a coin. They didn't even have enough trash cans, and the Pentagon parking lot was a mess as a result. Bottom line - I'd have to really think twice before signing up next year, although ten-milers are pretty rare so we'll see. I know that it's an 'Army of One', but that one dude needs to get his act together.
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