One of my mini goals for 2025 is to run a sub 45 minute 10km. My first attempt was made back in February when I ran the Hypothermic 10k - conditions weren't ideal for a fast running, and I ended up finishing in 46.59. I was happy enough with my performance on the day - a winter race in Alberta is no joke, especially when you have to deal with extreme cold and snow/ice underfoot - but I knew I could go faster in more favourable conditions, so was on the lookout for another 10k at some point.
I had completely forgotten about the St Albert Road Race until I saw it being promoted in my social media feed. I had competed in the 10-miler there back in 2022, and having spotted that they offered a 10k, I thought this would be the perfect race to try again for that sub 45 minutes.
The day before the race, we had lovely spring-like weather - beautiful sunshine, warm temperatures, and no wind whatsoever. But when race day dawned and I glanced outside of my bedroom window, there was a light dusting of snow, the pavements were wet, and the trees were blowing around in what looked to be a gusty wind. I really wasn't too bothered by the cooler temperatures and the cloudy skies, but the wind was a huge disappointment, especially as it's the only kind of weather than I despise.
When arriving in St Albert and heading over to collect my race bib, the wind was exceptionally blowy, and I think I was already talking myself out of the sub 45 minutes as I didn't want to have that expectation, only to end up disappointed. To be honest, I really don't know how to pace a 10k race these days - I'm so used to running ultras and setting off much more slowly, the thought of a fast start and a pace that I have to try and maintain is quite scary. I also felt terribly out of place amongst the road running community. They were there doing a warm up, throwing arms and legs around and stretching things out, then running strides along the pathways to get their bodies ready to run fast. I meanwhile did a tentative warm-up and felt self-conscious every time another runner came by - I'm just not cut out for this kind of stuff anymore!
Although windy, I still hoped that I could at least run quicker than I did in February, and when the started at 10 minutes past 9, a small group of speedy, younger runners headed off in to the distance and I found myself in a pack on my own.
I settled into a pace that felt comfortably hard and having glanced at my watch, it was a 7.22 per mile pace. That would be tight for a sub 45, but I thought that maybe I could make up some time on any downhills later on in the race. I recalled the course being quite hilly - not steep climbs, but long drawn out drags, and it appeared that I had remembered correctly. Thankfully I didn't seem to be slowing too much on those climbs, but the wind was really bothering me and I found the negative thoughts creeping in to my mind every time I was blown around by the gusts. I'd also been having a little trouble with tight glutes again - time to work on strengthening the hips! - and I was finding that they were tightening up considerably, even though my breathing and my legs in general were feeling pretty good. There was also one stretch of the course that seemed to go on forever - a long, straight road ahead where I couldn't see anybody else to chase down, and I found myself easing back on the pace, finding it difficult to find that extra bit of a kick to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.
We eventually made a turn that ended the loop and I started to make my way back to the finish. With 2 miles to go, I had 15 minutes on the clock to hit that 45 minutes - it was possible, although I was running into a headwind again, and I wasn't even able to gain any advantage from the downhills. I was pusing as much as I could, trying to pump the arms to keep the legs turning over, but the finish line just didn't seem to be getting any closer. The 1st and 2nd place males from the 10-mile race came past me which gave me a bit of a boost, and by now, I also had more company from the 5k runners who were also heading back to the finish. We offered encouragement to each other which helped all of us to pick up the pace little.
As I passed by the roundabouts by the curling club, I could see the finish line approximately 400m ahead. I took one last look at my watch which told me I had 90 seconds to sprint to the finish if I wanted that sub 45. I knew that it wasn't going to be, especially as my fasted mile had been a 7.15 earlier on in the race. but I did try for a sprint finish, crossing the line in an official time of 45.57. It wasn't as fast as I'd hoped for, but given that I haven't raced on roads in a long time, and I've not really done a great deal of speedwork on the roads, I was happy enough with the result. I was also 1st in my age group, so not bad for a 52 year old, and I finished 7th lady and 12th overall.
It was great morning and I really enjoyed racing again.
The St Albert Road Race is definitely one to do if you have the chance and at just $65 for an entry fee, you get a really well organised event and some great race day swag.
Of course, it does mean I now have to find another 10k to try again for a sub 45-minutes, but that will likely be in the summer now. I've got a 100km trail race in 6 weeks time and I need to get myself ready for that in the hope that I can hit that goal. Time will tell but I already know for sure that I will give it my best shot, just like I always do.
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