2023 Run 7-Eleven 10k

 And you thought I stopped blogging... 😁

Yup, still here. So much has (not) happened since my last post that I dipped my feet back onto the racing scene by running last weekend's Run 7-11 10k race.

The world has risen back from the Covid19 pandemic such that we are almost back to normal again. By "almost" I meant the facemasks that everyone's still required to wear indoors though I expect that they might lift that mandate towards the end of the year (fingers crossed). This is assuming that the Covid19 case numbers continue to be at a very low rate especially here in the Philippines.

With the return to normalcy is the return of a slew of races (running, duathlons, triathlons, etc.) that got everyone giddy into registering (at higher race fees unfortunately). This is great actually, as these race organizers were really hit hard during the pandemic so it's good to support them as much as we can.  

I myself have been aghast with excitement on the numerous races being offered this year so much so that I am hoping this year I'll be fully motivated to train (and race!).

MY 10k RACE EXPERIENCE

The race itself (venue, route, aid stations, giveaways, marshalling, etc.) was very well organized so kudos to the organizers for a great job! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

As to my race, since I was not in tip-top shape (finding myself getting heavier lately...ugh!!!) I was able to achieve my target time of sub-1:10 (finished in 1:09 and change per my Garmin).

For the 2-3 weeks before the race I trained for a sub-7min/km target pace since I estimated that to be the safest and fastest pace that I can race a 10k right now. I was glad that I ran the race as planned in the first half as I was surprised that the Filinvest route had several hidden climbs in the 2nd half. Those 3-4 hills really hit me hard especially that last one where I had to stop to walk about 5 meters or so.

I didn't bother to open my GU gel reserve as the aid stations had Pocari Sweat and water which were sufficient, though it would be interesting to know what would've happened if I took the GU before gun start? Would the sugar kick me into higher gear as I raced (I didn't eat anything before the race except for the early dinner the night before)? Something to think about in my upcoming races...hmmm...

As I said, I was happy with the expected race outcome. A good baseline reference for the start of the year to see how much I can improve my 10k time.

Next race? May14 is the PF Sub60 10k so that's something to aim for. Definitely a lot of work needed to trim 10mins from last Sunday's finish time to reach 59mins by May 14. 

Can I do it by then? The last time I ran a sub60 10k was on the 2018 edition of the same race. 

We'll see... :)