Yesterday I ran in my first ever 10K (6.2 miles) road race. That’d be the 17th Annual Harris Teeter YMCA Loudoun County Leesburg 10K & 20K road race. I’d never even run a 5K — 3.1 miles — race, which would have been a natural introduction to competitive racing, but I am a badass.
Or so I thought.
The good news: I finished the race. Without walking (save for stopping to get water at a couple of the water stations).
The bad news: I ran it slow. REAL slow. Like in an hour, seven mintues, and 30 seconds, which comes out to a eleven minute, 10 second pace. I knew I was running more slowly than my training pace, but I didn’t care. It was extremely hot. (Kudos to my buddy Jack W., who completed the race in 57:58.)
The really bad news: I was beaten by one Robert Gurtler, of The Plains, VA, who finished the race in 1:01:55. Robert — who I now consider my mortal enemy — is 70 years old.
The really really bad news: I was also bested by one Robert Smith, age 71, of Comus, MD, who finished the course in 58:26.
I hereby declare war on all septugenarians named Robert who run faster than me.
Here’re the offical race results, which reveal the sad fact that I finished 257 out of 289 male competitors. (Had I raced against the ladies, I would’ve come in at about 172 out of 234. Next time I’m running in drag.)
One final word: despite my poor showing, this race was a lot more fun than the last endurance athletic event I participated in, the dreaded VentureQuest.