I’ve always suspected it and

I’ve always suspected it and now I’m certain: Charlotte is good for my running!

I did the 10K in the Charlotte Race Fest this morning and, following a couple solid months of a lot of activity but not much running, I finished in ~1:08. The results have not been posted yet, and I had some issues with my watch that left me 3-4 minutes off, but my watch read 1:03:57 (average heart rate of 190) as I crossed the finish line so 1:08 should be about right. I definitely beat my 1:12 goal time.

The course was lovely because, well, Charlotte is lovely in the spring! (Sometimes I really miss this city.) The weather was gray and overcast, and at the start I was afraid it might thunderstorm — the clouds were very, very dark. But we only got a few drips, and the clouds kept things pretty cool.

We started about five minutes late (one of many issues that left me feeling a little disgruntled with race management). Mile 1 was mostly downhill, and I spent the first few tenths messing with my watch. Somehow the sound had gotten turned on, and it was beeping along with every beat of my heart. Rather annoying! It took me a few minutes to figure out how to turn it off, so that’s the reason for my watch time being 3-4 minutes off the clock.

I cruised through Mile 2 without much trouble, even keeping steady up a long hill. Things fell apart for a while in Mile 3 though, when I was faced with another long hill and took my first couple walking breaks. Mile 4 was flat to downhill and I regained some energy there and really cruised along feeling good. There was no Mile 4 marker, but there was a mile 11 marker for the half marathoners, so I took my split time at 4.1 miles (2.1 remaining). Mile 5 stayed mostly flat, with one quick down and up that I pumped through. Mile 6, however, kicked my butt as we had to climb back up the hill that we’d run down in the first mile. I kept a steady pace for the last 0.2 and crossed the finish line with the clock reading 1:08:xx. Take out the 30-40 seconds of start time and by my best estimate I ran something like a 1:07:45, or just a bit under 11:00 pace. I’m very happy with that result.

Mile 1 — 7:13 (more like 10:30-11:20 accounting for watch issues)

Mile 2 — 10:30 (cruisin’)

Mile 3 — 11:37 (stupid hill!)

Mile 4.1 — 11:15 (1.1 miles, cruisin’ again)

Mile 5 — 10:05 (0.9 miles, still feeling good)

Mile 6 — 11:25 (another freakin’ big hill!)

Last 0.2 — 1:53

If you’re interested in the route (or the elevation change, aka the hills that kicked my butt in miles 3 and 6), I mapped it here. Total elevation change was only ~140 feet from lowest point to highest point, but the hills here are what you’d call “rolling.”

As for my issues with race management, they were mostly minor, but made me appreciate how well I think most Houston races are organized:

+ First of all, we started a bit late. Not a huge deal, but hey, I was ready to start at 8:00.

+ The race was chip-timed, however, there were no timing mats at the start line. They were at the finish line, so I can only assume that the race is sort of chip-timed — they use the chip to get your finish time, but everyone is given the same starting time. That’ll make my official time slow by the 30-40 seconds it took me to reach the starting line.

+ At the second water station (mile marker 3), I actually had to wait in line for a drink. It was quick, a minute at most (and probably not even that), but still not cool to have to stop and stand waiting for the volunteers to fill cups.

+ There was no mile marker 4. There were markers for 5 and 6, so where was 4? I’m certain that I didn’t miss it, as those around me were looking for it as well. There was a mile marker 11 (for the half marathon), so I took a split there (which would be 4.1 miles for me).

+ Big hill right before the finish line!!! (Ok, I’m joking on this one, I have no complaints about the course — Charlotte is just hilly.)

+ At the finish line, there was hardly any water. They had two of the office coolers, you know, the plastic jugs with small cone-shaped cups that only fit a gulp or two of water. I ended up just standing there to refill my cup 5 times. After I left the finish area (where they were taking chips and giving out medals), I spotted two coolers with cups, and went over to get some Gatorade — but the coolers were empty. And this was at the end of the 10K, with all of the half marathoners still to finish! Only once I got to the post-race tent, a few tenths of a mile away, did I get a good cup of Gatorade. Not having water right at the finish line is inexcusable to me.

+ The post-race party was pretty lame. For $30 (yes, $30 entry fee for the 10K, that’s another complaint), they should have had more than water, Gatorade, oranges, bananas, bagels, and doughnuts. But that was all they had.

I’m still glad I ran the race because I liked doing a Charlotte event and I was very happy with my performance, but I definitely learned that we runners have it good in Houston!

Update: My official time from the race website is 1:07:54. So, with the time to get to the start line taken out, probably something like 1:07:30. Woo!