Race: 29th Annual Fall City Day Run 10k
Runner: Aaron R
Race Date: 06/09/2018
Location: Fall City, WA, USA
Results:
????MASSIVE P.R.???? 36’28”, 8th overall (out of 101 total, out of 23 under 44′), 2’28” p.r. at the 10k distance!
Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1627743846/
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
In no particular order:
- Race day weather
- Competition
- Friendly race volunteers
- Festival-like ambiance at the start & finish in town
- Elevation profile
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
- Race timing: my result was not initially reported on the timing company’s website. I had to send a correction inquiry to ask to have it displayed. (Edit: results updated 7:10am PDT!)
- Out and back course with a sharp turnaround half-way through the run.
- Mile markers that were a bit inaccurate. (Yeah, I know, I whine about this a lot).
Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?
- Cars driven by unfriendly neighbors coming out from their homes on the race course at the exact time the race was going down their country road. At least they didn’t run us over or exercise their right to stand their ground – that’s a thing in Fall City, yeah?
- I think we passed two (or was it three?) gun stores on the course on the way out of town.
- Running a massive ????MASSIVE Personal Record????and almost a minute faster than planned! That was INCrediBly WeiRD!
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
- I stayed patient and ran with, and not in front of, a group with whom I had competed in the past. This helped me stay right on and slightly faster than goal pace the entire race.
- [SHAMLESS NAME DROP ALERT] I looked down at my watch as we came off the bridge with 600m to go, turned to Amber (Morrison of the Bellingham Distance Project) and exclaimed, “Holy Sh!t, we’re gonna break 37!!?
- After we crossed the line, I got a huge thanks from Amber to thank me for *MY* excellent pacing. Ha! I mean, I tried to run on her shoulder almost the entire race after she said pre-race that she was “tempo’ing” at 6min/mile pace for this race. Bahah. #humblebrag.
- I nailed my pacing and came through with another personal record and a fairly respectable time! Still not LRC status, but, hey, I’m getting there!
Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
Don’t over think this race. It is supremely fast. Having to “climb” over the river at around 800m to go is the only thing between you and sweet sweet glory!!!
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around
Hmm. Probably taping my nips. I thought we were out of the nipple bleeding season and that a race of this distance wouldn’t be a problem up there. Nerp. They buh-led. It wasn’t uncomfortable during the race, though it could have been embarrassing had I noticed it while chatting with anyone shortly after the race in my copper-tinged, sky blue Seattle Running Club singlet.
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race
Just the thing about the bridge mentioned above. And being alert of any unfriendly neighbors who are just jealous of how fab you look in your split shorts trying to pick you off in their SUVs.
Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?
It’s the country, in the pastoral Snoqualmie Valley and reminded me a lot of the scenery during my race in Ireland. And since I mentioned it, you can read about that race, too! Here (http://www.rocheam.com/move.html#MidletonAC5) *AND* here (https://teamrunrun.com/joe-hourigan-memorial-middleton-5m-race-report-aaron-r/)!
Difficulty – Is it a tough course?
Nope. Easy peasy.
Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?
It was the 29th edition. The timing company should be fired for not getting my result up in time and without a correction inquiry, though. Thumbs down.
Competition – Is there a strong field?
It’s not a deep field, though it can attract fast peeps such as myself. Ha. Seriously though, the winning time will probably always be 35 minutes or faster. I think the winner this year was 33 minutes and change. Top 10 were all under 37 minutes.
Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.
Very low key race logistics. Packet pick-up is simple enough on the day-of.
Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?
One aid station at the 5k turnaround – 2.5k from the start/finish. I think there was also one at the 10k turnaround – 5k from the start/finish.
Weather and typical race conditions
June-uary weather this year. Temps in the 13-15C range (55-60F), overcast, a slight mizzle during the race just for kicks. Felt pretty darn perfect for a ????MASSIVE P.R.????!
Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next guy?
Nip tape!
Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?
Yeah, for sure. Bring the fam to hang in town for the post-race parade and fair. The part of the course out of town is easily accessible, as well. And maybe they can help with traffic control for those unfriendly SUV-driving neighbors!!!
How’s the Swag?
Comfy race t-shirt that I would gladly trade in for a GOSH DANG RESULT ON THE TIMING COMPANY’S WEBSITE!!! 0: (Edit: Correct results are now posted!)
The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?
3.5/5 – get my result up there and this is a 5 out of 5 stars! Update results are posted – 5 out of 5!