Respect The Run: Race Report: Novartis 10k Run (4/12/14)

The Sellers family had another Saturday at the races here in Lincoln, NE. I ran the 10k this morning and my son Gavin ran the 2 mile race.
It was great to see some Lincoln Running Company teammates that I hadn't seen in quite awhile (Jason Zakaras and Logan Watley in particular). Zakaras, Brian Wandzilak, and I are likely making a run at Rim to Rim to Rim (running across the Grand Canyon and back) in July so we have plenty to talk about for that trip.
It was also nice to see that Team Nebraska represented well this morning with several strong runners including Eric Rasmussen, Cory Logsdon, Cheto Cerda and Nate Stack. It made for a nice large pack the first couple miles of the race and really helped to break the wind.

Below are a few starting line shots that my wife snapped. (I'm in the orange hat.)

It was a very humid and windy morning with temps in the upper 60's at the 9am race time. This course starts and finishes at Holmes Lake, which is a nice little lake right in the heart of Lincoln. I had never run this course so didn't have a very solid goal for my first mile or my overall race pace.
I ran my first track workout of the year this week so I had no real feel for my fitness yet. I decided not to overplan things and just run on feel. I ended up getting out in 5:21 for the first mile and that left me in the chase pack, which was fine. 5:21 was probably the fastest mile I had run yet this year, period. But luckily I was feeling pretty good and in mile 2 and I ticked off another 5:21 while I made a move up to run alongside my teammates Ryan Regnier and Logan Watley.

We were in 8th, 9th and 10th place at that point with runners strung out in front of us and a small Team Nebraska pack chasing us. For mile 3 I went 5:30 and still felt pretty darn good.
Mile 4 included a nice long climb up 56th street where Logan, Ryan and I continued to work together to a 5:45 mile split.

There was a bit of goofiness at the turnaround point just after mile 4. Unluckily for me, whoever was working that turnaround was confused and ended up telling the first seven runners to turn around early and cut about 20 seconds off the course (I timed it). As our little pack approached the turnaround, the volunteer figured things out and we were told to go on up to the real turnaround point---which we did. And we grumbled all the way. That 20 seconds did cost me one place at the end of the day, but the difference between 7th and 8th place at the Novartis 10k is nothing I will lose sleep over.

This is me near the finish of the Novartis 10k.

Near the finish with local runner Ivan Marsh offering encouragement.

After the turnaround you get to run back down the 56th street hill, which was a nice break. I was able to run a 5:25 mile and separate myself from Watley and Regnier at this point. During mile 6, I worked to reel in the next runner but I just ran out of time. I held my 8th place standing through the finish. I ran 34:16 and felt pretty good out there on the course. Results Here
Our LRC men put 6 in the top 10 today and our women put 4 in the top 5! See the LRC team race recap here.

I was testing a new pair of racing flats today. The Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2. They treated me well but I'm not sure yet if they are a sturdy enough shoe for a full marathon. I need a day or two to evaluate any soreness in my lower legs and feet before I can make a good evaluation of these shoes.

Looking ahead, I have the Lincoln Marathon in 3 weeks. I'm toying with dropping down to the half marathon at Lincoln and then running the full marathon at Grandma's up in Duluth, MN in late June. I'm still on the fence at this point. If I run the Marathon at Lincoln and/or at Grandma's, my goals will be 2:40 and 2:35 respectively. I believe the Grandma's Marathon course is quite a bit faster than Lincoln.

In related news, my son Gavin (9) ran the 2 mile and looked strong. He ran 13:34 for 7th place overall. He was the first finisher under 18 years old. Gavin is getting warmed up for his outdoor track season which starts in May.
Nice work Gavin!