Bellin Run 10K

Saturday was the 34th running of the Bellin Run 10K, which is one of the largest 10K's in the country and right in our back yard. I have run this race on and off for several years, and this was the first organized race I ever ran when I started running.  I didn't even know if I could make the whole 6.2 miles.  And I've been hooked on running ever since.  This race continues to grow and this year reached a new participant amount of 18,398 registered participants.  Just amazing. 

Traditionally it is hot and humid and this year was definitely not going to disappoint, especially in the humidity department.  All week there were concerns of thunderstorms but thankfully those went else.  Instead we were left with 100% humidity and temps in the low 60's.  Bright spot....or rather not so bright spot is that it was 100% cloudy...awesome!!

The race runs two very popular programs within the run, the Corporate Challenge and the Kids for Running.  I lead our corporate challenge program through work.  It's great.  Extra t-shirts for signing up, early delivery of your packet, good perks.  The Kids for Running program is also very cool.  Schools have people actually run and train with the kids.  It's great to get the youth into running.

The run has incorporated waves into the starting process, so you sign up based on your expected pace and that places you in a wave.  Waves go every 5 minutes.  This year there were 8 waves.  So if you are in a later wave you might be able to see the winners finish.  That's pretty cool and it keeps the congestion and chaos of the start down and more controlled.  I was in the first wave, so Mark and I trooped up to the front, as our wave was first to go.  They announced the pros and we were set to go.  The gun went off and it took us about a minute to get to the start.  We were pushing a good pace, not able to talk except a few words but not blazing fast.  The first couple miles are uphill.  I usually go out too fast and suffer on the back stretch.  I didn't want to do that today.  Mark and I had done a 2 mile warm up before the race so I thought I was warmed up well and ready to go.  We checked off mile 1 and I was feeling okay, not great but okay.  My heart rate was pretty high and I wasn't able to breathe as well as I had wanted.  We were about 1.5 miles in and I decided to start slowing down a bit, conserve some for after the hill.  And I just kept feeling worse, never better.  I was getting warm at this point too.  Past mile 2 down and up and down the Greene Ave hills.  Still not feeling good.  My legs were empty and my heart rate was out of control high.  Past mile 3 to the water station.  Mark was still with me even though he was bouncing around, talking, obviously not hardly working and I was clearly slowing him down.  For about the 100th time I told him to go and I would meet him at the finish but he stayed.  We walked through the water station trying to get my heart rate down.  It was down but shot back up as soon as I started running again.  Oh well, over half done.  Past mile 4, then about 4.3 in Mark's nephew Zach whips past us and I tell Mark to go and get him and I walk for a bit.  I was ashamed of walking.  Not cool.  I just had nothing in me.  So then I vowed to finish, running, no more breaks.  Past mile 5, only 1 mile left.  I can make it.  Down the forever long Clay St.  past mile 6, around two corners and giving it all I have into the finish (which wasn't much at this point).  Finished.....50:07.  So disappointed.  My best time was last year at 46:59.  So very disappointed.  I ran terrible, I felt terrible, the whole day was just terrible. 

I was so mad at how the race went.  I had had two good runs this past week leading up to the race, a good interval day and a good tempo day but I just couldn't put it to work on race day.  My legs were empty, my heart rate was the highest I have ever seen and mentally I just broke down.  Back to the drawing board on this one.

On the plus side, after we finished and talked to people a bit at the finish, Mark and I ran back and got Jeff, Erik and his daughter.  She is 10 and was running the Bellin for the first time.  Super cool!!  She did awesome!  Jeff also cut 4 1/2 minutes off his previous best from last year!  He continues to improve and do well.  The last couple were a ton more fun than the first 6, there is something to be said for seeing people continue to improve and get stronger and faster.  So neat to see.  I didn't talk to anyone cool and famous like Brad did, I'm just not that good or cool.  But I did get to see a lot of my friends and co-workers out there racing and having fun and that was awesome!  Congrats to all the finishers.