Race Report: Charlotte 10 Miler (2015)

What to call this post? Hmm.  It could be "Ice, Ice, Baby."  Maybe "Let It Snow?"

10 miles of running and a tasty breakfast during one of the coldest cold snaps in the Charlotte area in years. :)




The Charlotte 10 Miler and 4 Mile Run bills itself as "Charlotte's Premier 10 Mile Race."  With the start/finish near EarthFare in Ballantyne, the course is a nice mix of greenways and quiet neighborhoods around Johnston Road, with some time spent on Carmel Road and Highway 51.  There's also an out-and- back over Interstate 485, the loop being constructed to encircle Charlotte.

The night before, the temperature was forecast to be 22 degrees at race start, warming to 22 degrees by the end of the run.  On cold days like that, especially when the bed is super warm and super cozy, I like to sleep in.  Which is exactly what I did. :)

It was about a 45 minute drive, and I figured I would have about 15 minutes or so once I parked.  Thanks, Google Maps!  I picked up my super-awesome tech hoodie and bib, then dropped the hoodie back at the Jeep.  The 4 Miler run had already started, and the emcee announced we had 5 minutes before the start of the run.  Had one more thing to do.

Where are the people?
At the start line of course.
Porta-Potties to the right.
I'm in line. :)

It didn't look like there was a line at the 8 pink porta-potties lined up in the parking lot, no one standing within 20 feet of them.  Then I walked into a line of people facing the other direction.  As my eyes followed the line I realized that THIS was the line for the restrooms!  There must have been at least 50 people, and all of them were ready to get to the start of the race.  Did I mention the race start was across the street?  These were pros - the line moved quickly, and I was 10 back when the emcee announced two minutes until the start.  In and out, and then I ran across the street to the starting line.  The very back of the starting line.

On my way to the start line.

Starting near the back was actually kind of nice.  In the days prior to the race I kept reminding myself:  take it slow; you aren't fully healed; treat it like a training run.  I had the opportunity to start a little slower than usual, and was able to pass people throughout most of the race.

All those people ahead of me....

...and all those people behind me.
They must be REALLY late.

The run itself was very pleasant, and we had a positive temperature surprise:  it was 28 degrees instead of 22!  That may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference when you're talking sub-freezing temperatures.  All shapes, sizes, and abilities were out in the cold, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Some runners were talking about running this distance for the first time, and I passed a few runners talking about finishing several marathons.

There was ice along the course on both the road and trail portion, and it was a nice chance to practice my running form.  Running on icy patches safely requires shorter strides, midfoot strikes, landing directly below your center of gravity, and not overstriding.  All the same stuff most runners should be practicing anyway. :)

More fun than the ice was the SNOW!  Around mile 4 little snowflakes started falling.  It lasted only a minute or two, but was really nice to run through the snow during a race in Charlotte.

I've been doing a little hill training, and it's starting to pay off.  At the end of the run are three roads:  Ridgemore Drive, Hickory Forest Drive, and Prince Edward Lane.  Ridgemore is a hill, Hickory Forest is less of one, and Prince Edward is downright steep.  Last year I pulled up and walked by the time I hit Hickory Forest, but this year I ran up all three.  It wasn't fast, but it felt great to be able to make it all the way through.

It's a flat run to the finish line, and Strava thinks I ran a 6:33/mile pace for the last tenth of a mile.  No idea if that's right, you can judge for yourself at the YouTube finish line video (I'm at 1:25:24 to 1:25:32).

At the end of the run was a tasty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and hot coffee provided by Big View Diner and Xenia Hospitality Group.  Hoka One One was out there as well with a raft of shoes to try, and so was Charlotte Running Company and Carolina Sports Clinic.  My favorite was TapSnap, always a treat!

Twitterfied:  @TapSnapCLT
Happy to finish a nice run!

John and Elaine both ran this one, as well as Carolyn.  I didn't see John or Carolyn, but caught up with Elaine on the run and for a bit afterwards.  John continues to conquer longer distances, and his third half marathon is coming up.  Elaine is getting faster and faster all the time.  The Old Runner was out there as well, cranking out a 7:27/mile pace.

Special kudos to Races Online, which not only posts the race results but also offers a link for every runner to download a finisher certificate with name, time, and place.  Very nice touch.

It was a great cold weather run, and hope to do this one again next year.  For now, it's a few days rest and then some light training before the BB&T Corporate Cup Half Marathon, coming up in two weeks.  I'll be running on a corporate team along with Rex, Elaine, and some of the team from the Tuna Run 200 last October.

Happy running!

Update:  The Old Runner has posted his review of the race!


===  RACE DAY  ===
Race:  Charlotte 10 Miler
Location:  Charlotte, NC
Shoe:  Saucony Guide 7
Date:  2/21/2015
Distance:  10 Miles
Time:  1:24:21.5
Pace:  8:26/mile
Overall:  217/700 (31.0%)
Gender:  127/277 (45.8%)
Group:  31/65 (47.7%)

===  LINKS  ===
Website:  Races Online
Registration:  Races Online
Results:   Start2Finish
Finish Line Video:  YouTube