This morning, in Arlington, Texas, I did my sixth and seventh footraces of the fall and my 153d and 154th overall. It was cold, but fortunately sunny and dry. I wore a long-sleeved T-shirt over my jersey during the two-mile race but only the jersey during the 10K (6.2-mile) race. I wore brown cotton gloves during both races, to keep my hands from freezing. My exposed legs were fine. It was about 35º Fahrenheit at the start of the first race. The wind chill was in the 20s.
The two-mile race was hard, because I ran as fast as I could from the start, without much of a warmup. I did the first mile in 6:32 and the second in 6:30.2, for an overall mile pace of 6:31.10. (Elapsed time = 13:02.2.) A year ago, on the same course, my pace was 6:29.14, so I slipped a little. But I won a trophy this year, unlike a year ago, when I finished fourth of 13 in my age group. Today, I finished third of seven. I was 23d of 327 finishers overall (top 7.0%). This is my eighth-fastest run ever, at any distance. I'm pleased with the result.
After warming up in the Maverick Activities Center for a few minutes, I went to the starting line for the 10K. Just before the start, a man I had seen at previous races introduced himself and shook my hand. He asked how old I am. I said 52. He said he just turned 50, which meant he's now in my age group. During the first mile, he passed me. I stayed behind him for a couple of miles, which kept my speed up. Eventually, I eased up, because the pace was too high for me to sustain to the finish and I didn't want to blow up; but the early effort made me think that I could break seven minutes, which I hadn't done in a 10K in several years.
I was still under a seven-minute pace at three miles, four miles, and five miles, even though we were running into the wind for much of it and climbing some small hills. There was no way I was going to lose it in the final 1.2 miles. In the final quarter of a mile, another man caught me. As he passed, I asked, "How old?" He said 49. "I'm 52," I laughed. It meant that we didn't have to sprint. But I outsprinted him anyway, in case he was lying. Ha! He wasn't lying. In fact, his chip time was lower than mine, so he actually beat me, even though I crossed the finish line first. He must have been at the back of the pack at the start.
Overall, my mile pace for the 10K was 6:55.54. (Elapsed time = 43:02.2.) That's my fastest 10K since 1 December 2001, when I was 44. I'm quite happy with it. Yes, it was hard, but it wouldn't be worth doing if it weren't. I finished second of eight men in my age group and 25th of 195 overall (top 12.8%). The temperature of about 40º was perfect for running. A year ago, on the same course, my mile pace was 7:06.15. I was second of 13 in my age group.
The trophies for these races are much coveted. They're always penguins of some sort. They used to be hand-painted ceramic penguins, but this year they're made of soft material. I didn't stick around for the award ceremony, so I will have to pick up my trophies at a nearby running store on Monday. A week from tomorrow, I do the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon (13.1 miles). Do you see why I never get burned out? I do bike rallies during the spring, summer, and fall and footraces during the fall, winter, and spring. I run all year 'round, but race only when it's cold.
Addendum: My personal record (PR) for the 10K distance is 6:32.10, set on 26 November 1998. Eleven years later, I'm able to run 6:55.54. I could probably run 6:45 if I trained properly.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 