Red Raider Road Race 10K

Although I went to Texas Tech School of Law, I will always be an Aggie at heart (even if we are having a bad football season/decade). However, we live a lot closer to Lubbock than we do to College Station, so we went down to Lubbock for the weekend to run the Red Raider Road Race 10K. Our friends Mindi and Jonathan were running their first 10K, along with several members of her family, so it was fun being there to support all of them.

The course was two loops through the Tech campus - other than the numerous curves, it is a fast course. The West Texas Runner's Club did a great job with the event; the course was well-marked and there was adequate water. The weather was overcast and humid, although definitely not hot.

David had been talking all week about how he had not been running much and did not feel prepared for the race. Between all this talk and the several beers he had on Friday evening, I thought I might have a shot to beat him in Saturday's 10K. I thought wrong. It was just not my best race day. Or, maybe, if I am being honest, it is that I absolutely hate the 10K. This was only my second 10K, and I hated the second the same as the first. The distance is too short to run slow, but too long to run fast. In other words, it is awful. I would actually prefer to run a half marathon to a 10K. That's how much I don't like the 10K. People tell me that this race is the best indicator of fitness, which is probably true. However, that doesn't make it any easier, or make me feel any better when I don't improve my time.

David finished the race with a time of 49:38, his personal record. How does he do it? I thought the beers the night before might drag him down, but it actually helped him do better than ever. The guy doesn't even wear a watch. Crazy. I eat a special breakfast, wear a ridiculously expensive GPS watch, and engage in an extensive pre-race routine. David shows up, jogs around and stretches only because he is bored, and does awesome. I don't dislike him. I envy him. He actually won the Clydesdale (190+ pounds) division on time, but finished second with age-graded results.

I am definitely not disappointed in my finishing time of 51:49. It was not a personal record, but I did the best I could. I placed third in my age group, so that is something that makes me proud. I experienced something in this race that I have not experienced much before -- the desire to quit. Races are usually really fun for me, an excuse to run and run hard. However, on Saturday it took everything I had to put one foot in front of the other. I kept telling myself to speed up, but my poor legs could not get the message. The marathon will most likely make me feel this way, so I might as well get used to it.

Mindi and Jonathan ran a 1:03:45 and a 1:03:46, respectively. Congratulations to them on finishing their first 10K! I am sure they would both agree with me that the 10K stinks! To see all of the results of the race, click here.