Race Recap - 2013 Lighthouse Run 10 Mile

On Saturday morning, I ran the Racine Lighthouse Run 10 Mile race in my hometown. I have been looking forward to this race ever since I finished last year! If you recall, I "won" the 4 Mile LHR last year.

On Wednesday night, I got a sore throat - and immediately thought "Oh no! Please don't be sick!" Sure enough - I got hammered by some kind of icky flu/cold/sinus infection. I even considered not running on Saturday, because I was having a hard time breathing without running. But I know myself and I would have been really disappointed if I let a cold get in my way, so I adjusted my goals a little bit and got ready to run.

Mother Nature was not particularly cooperative on Saturday morning - 60 degrees (yay) and consistent rain showers (oy.) And wow - they were consistent! I lined up with the other runners and took off at a moderate pace, feeling things out. I ran the first mile in 6:34 and it felt ok. I knew that would still end up being too fast to maintain, so I eased up a little but and settled around 6:50 - 7 min/mi pace. Around mile four, I could really feel burning in my chest. I had a persistent need to cough and clear my throat. On top of it, the pouring rain was making my sweat run right into my eyes - which was stinging like hell! I literally ran with my eyes closed for 5 seconds at a time. Haha - I'm sure I looked nuts.

 

I'm not crying. That's rain in my eyes!  Photo: Journal Times

Once I got to the 7 mile mark, I knew that I would be able to maintain my pace - and come in under 1:10 (sub 7 min/mi was my goal.) I played my watch closely, not pushing anything too much and taking advantage of any declines or flats where I might drop a few easy seconds. I crossed the finish line in 1:09:31. I was the 8th female overall and 2nd in my division. All things considered, I was pretty satisfied with that performance! 

The Journal Times included the lovely photo above in Sunday's paper, which prompted my dear father to say, "You look like a drowned rat." Can you feel the love?! Haha. Hopefully, my health and the weather are on board next year. The Lighthouse Run really is a beautiful race along Lake Michigan - and a wonderful community event. I'll keep running it as long as my legs let me.