2008 Joe Kleinerman 10K

I did it. I broke the 40 minute barrier on the 10K. My official time was 39:04, a 6:18 pace. Yet, I don’t feel as happy about it as I thought I would. I think that’s because I know I could have pushed harder. I didn’t leave everything out on the road today. In fact, I ran an atypically smart, conservative race. I started slow, then sped up gradually. I kept my pace exactly where I wanted it and carried out my exact plan for the hills. So, why am I not elated? Maybe it’s because two guys passed me right at the finish line when I was easing up, seeing that I’d clearly made it sub-40. Maybe it’s because I realized after checking the results that I was so close to sub-39 and could have easily gotten it if I’d only pushed a little bit at the end. But, what I think it really is is that I can’t look in the mirror and say that I gave my best effort today.

The draw of these races — the reason we get out of bed at 6:00am and pay $25 for a bib and deal with the crowds in the first mile — is to have an opportunity to push ourselves to the limits and really see what we’re made of. I feel like I cheated myself of that experience today by not pushing outside of my comfort zone. This is definitely something that I’ll keep in mind going into next weekend’s races — I’m going to put it all on the line in both of them and hold nothing back.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the morning. I still am very glad to have the new P.R. and to have finally broken the 40 minute mark. And, even if it was a little on the cold side, it’s always great to be out running in Central Park.

Finally, congrats to Elizabeth who ran 48:46, her first sub-50 10K!