The 25th running of the Navy 10k (and 5k) went last Sunday. The conditions were okay, but they weren’t ideal: the day got hot quite quickly. For an August race, though (where you’ve got to expect some heat), the day was good. And the heat didn’t stop J-A from running a PB in the 5k!! I’m so proud of her for getting out there and doing it even though her training got pushed aside over the past couple of weeks. She ran awesome – and now she’s gearing up for her first 10k in PEI in October!
The 10k unfolded pretty much as expected – although the times were slower than usual, probably because of the heat. Greg took the race in 33:22. I was thinking he would run under 33 (maybe even under 32), but there was nobody pushing him – no reason to put in a maximal effort. Rob (go Antiques!) crossed 2nd in 34:20. He told me he was looking for something around 34:10, so the result was excellent, given the heat. It’s great to see him working his way back into fast running. I’m sure he’ll be back into sub-32 form in no time. Jonathan rounded out the top 3 with a 36:26. He told me he went out conservatively, and I can believe it – a 36 mid is not a fast result for him. But he made a move on a couple of guys over the second half of the course, so it must’ve been a little more interesting for him.
I must admit, for one of the biggest 10k races in the province (555 finishers), the times were a little lacklustre -- not that I’ve ever run under 35, but I’d expect more guys running 33 and under. Maybe next year will be a little more competitive at the top – if Rob and Rami are healthy and Toby is running, then there should be a few more battles for first. And rumour has it – well, I’m starting the rumour – that A. MacLeod may take a stab at fast running and racing next season. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a contender too.
As for the women, there was no surprise at the top – Rayleen took it in 37:36 (go ‘Tiques!). Nobody was even close. With Denise out and Erin and Caroline not running this one, there was nobody to push her. Rayleen wanted to break 37 - she was certainly capable - it just didn't happen. I wonder if she just needs someone to scare her into faster races – hopefully she doesn’t get too frustrated – there’s always Fredericton in the fall. Leslie and Leah (two more Antiques) had excellent races – they both went under 40 min – and this was Leah’s first time under 40 – yay Leah!
Mike (another Antique) had a good result, finishing 3rd in the Masters category and missing a sub 39 by 1 sec -- 39:00 on the nose – that’s gotta hurt, Mike!!
A couple of other friends were running the 10k as well. Thomas went in hoping for sub 45 but missed it by 2 seconds. Blame it on the heat, Thomas! But the other inspiring performance of the day (other than J-A, of course!) came from Steve who absolutely crushed his PB and tore across the finish line like Usain Bolt. It was awesome! He was smiling and running right up on his toes. The heat didn’t seem to slow him down at all – it was a pleasure to watch.
Like the 10k, the 5k held few surprises in terms of the winner -- Solomon took it handily. The only surprise was how slow his time was – 17:20. For a guy who says that he’s gone under 30 for 10k, that’s a very slow time – you’d expect that to be barely a threshold pace. But I don’t know what the deal was – he may have been jogging it just to enjoy the sunshine. I’ve seen him run some beautiful intervals at the track, but he’s yet to stun the local scene with a really fast time – can’t wait for it to happen.
Two other good friends braved the hot 5k and netted 2nd place finishes in their respective age categories – Patricia and Delthia both ran awesome and found themselves on the age-class podium. I’m thinking they should get comfortable with the view from up there!
All in all, the morning was a success. The race finally got the distances right, and I heard few complaints about the course. I’m not a fan of running in the heat, but I may put this one on the calendar next year, especially if it’s going to be well contested – it’s so much fun being part of fast races, even if I finish well back.
Maybe RNS will even consider putting the race back on the series.... but that’s another story (and not mine to tell).
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