2011 Hillsboro Road Race 10k

Jarrod, Me, Erin, and Rick before the race

Two days after the YMCA Chase Race was the Hillsboro Road Race.  Erin and I both signed up for the 10k.  The day of the race Rick emailed me and asked if we wanted to ride with him in Eunice and I told him we'd love to.  After Erin got off work Rick came picked us up and we headed for Hillsboro. Erin and I were preregistered, but Rick still needed to register. We picked up our stuff while Rick registered and headed back to the camper to drop our shirts and for Rick to change.  Erin and I headed to the starting area while Rick was changing to try to meet up with a friend from the daily mile.  Eventually Jarrod found us which was good because we were having no luck finding him.  We chatted for a little while before Rick found us and it was time to start the race.  At the start there was a slight breeze and it was probably in the upper 70s, but the humidity didn't seem to be too high making for decent running conditions.

The start of the race

Rick and I passing Eunice near the halfway point

Based on the McMillan running calculator and the results of the chase race I knew I could run around an 8:35 pace.  I decided I wanted to be a little more conservative than this and decided I'd shoot for somewhere between 8:45 and 8:50.  My goal was to get the race done under and hour so even if things went poorly at my conservative pace I could still slow down and reach my goal.  Rick's plan was to start off with me to warm up and then start pushing harder.  As we started running he was pushing the pace just a little faster then what I was shooting for, but I figured I'd keep up with him for a while.  Near the 1 mile mark Jarrod passed us and shortly after that Rick started to speed up as well.  I started to look more at my heart rate than pace and tired to find a level where I was working hard but could keep it up for the entire race. As I neared the halfway point I started to develop a side ache that lasted a mile or so before it went away. As the course twisted and turned around town the direction of the wind was always very obvious.  When it was at your back you immediately heated up but when you turned into it you cooled down.  Somewhere between miles 4 and 5, I caught back up to Jarrod who wished me luck on the rest of the race.  I wanted to talk to him more, but was working hard enough that I couldn't talk all that well.  The rest of the race I focused on catching up to the next person and passing them.  As I neared the finish line there was a good sized group of walkers coming in from the 5k.  I avoided them as best I could and crossed the finish line.  After kneeling for a while to let my heart rate drop a little I got up and found some Popsicles that were available to race participants.  With as warm as I was it was the best tasting popsicle I think I've had.  I talked with Rick a little while before Erin finished.

Erin, Jon and Rick after the race

After the race we stood around and talked while door prizes were given out.  When the door prizes were all given out Jarrod headed out but some of the rest of us hung out a little while longer while the winners were announced. As things were winding down we went over to check the official results. I had come in at 53:35 and Erin finished just under 1:05.  Both of us had set PRs.