Got it!

I was in New England on the 4th of July and ran the L.L. Bean 10k in Freeport, Maine.

Result: 39:54

I did it!

It was a beautiful sunny day, and temperatures were around 55-60 at the start. The course looped through scenic Freeport, home of L.L. Bean and a ton of other outlet stores. The first mile dropped steeply downhill, but we gained it all back (and then some) for a total of around 300 feet of climbing.

The funny thing about this is that, unlike the Bolder Boulder, I didn't think I was ready for a sub-40 race yesterday. In the last month, I haven't done any long runs (my longest run was 7.1 miles), and I've averaged only 20 miles per week of running. I did exactly one tempo run, and no track workouts. I was on vacation during the past week, and ate like a pig, gaining a couple of pounds before the race. On the plus side, I did do a couple of multi-sport races (the Teva Mountain Games and the Buffalo Creek Xterra Triathlon). The L.L. Bean 10k was also at sea level, and I was better rested going into it.

Anyway, it's starting to seem like training doesn't pay, but I know that can't be true!

The race itself felt easy for the first three miles. Not coincidentally, those first three miles were mostly downhill. I couldn't believe it when my watch said 5:49 for the first mile split! That's the fastest mile I've ever run. I knew that a fast start could spell trouble later in the race, but forced myself to focus on other things instead. I decided to continue taking splits at every mile, but told myself I wouldn't look at my watch until late in the race.

The big hills started at mile 3, and that's when I really started working. It was encouraging to slowly pass a steady stream of runners, so I knew I was doing well. On mile 5, the biggest hill of the course, a large diesel truck was just ahead of me, spewing noxious fumes. The truck was traveling the same speed as the runners, so I got to breathe a few minutes' worth of diesel fumes before it turned off on a side road. Nice.

With less than two miles to go, I tried to pick up the pace even more. Runners were fading right and left. I was still focused enough to run the tangents on each curve of the course. After a short and steep downhill, the climbing continued.

We hit Main Street and the mile 5 marker, the home stretch! I'm glad I didn't check my watch, because my mile 5 split was 6:51. Despite working so hard, the hills kept my pace slow. Thankfully, the last mile had only 20 feet of climbing. I heard footsteps behind me. It was one of the top-10 women, and I held her off.

I checked my watch somewhere in the middle of mile 6, and it said 35 minutes. There was no way I could do the math to figure out my chances of a sub-40 race, since I didn't know how far I had left to the finish. All I knew was that I needed to push with everything I had. My watch said 38:39 at the mile 6 marker, and I dug deep. I believe this is the hardest I've ever run. My lungs were making a strange wheezing sound with every breath. My whole body was made of pain.

When the clock came into view, it said 39:30. I thought I could make it, but knew it would be close. A few steps from the finish line, I knew I would do it. The joy of finally reaching my goal started to kick in before I even finished. I had done it. 39:54. It wasn't to be at the Bolder Boulder this year, but at least I'd proven to myself that I could run a 10k under 40 minutes. It felt wonderful!

My splits...

1. 5:49
2. 6:29
3. 6:39
4. 6:30
5. 6:51
6. 6:21
7. 1:15 (Last 0.21, 5:50 mile pace)