Rodeo Run 10K

Yesterday morning I took part once again in the springtime mass spectacle that is the Rodeo Run. With the ongoing METROrail construction, we got a new route for this year's 10K. The initial downtown parade loop started next to the Hobby Center, and instead of the remaining distance over the Elysian viaduct, the bulk of the run was an out-and-back on Allen Parkway, a flatter and faster course.

And with the mild conditions, I was all ready to go faster:

Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 9:38
Mile 3 - 9:59
Mile 4 - 10:24
Mile 5 - 10:13
Mile 6 - 10:42
Last .33 - 3:28
10K elapsed time - 1:04:34 per Garmin Forerunner 110
10K elapsed time - 1:04:36 per D-tag chip

I had to flip back on this blog a few years to find a faster 10K time than that. A nerdy thing about Rodeo Run is that they're using all the stat breakdown reports that the Houston Marathon uses on their website. So  in addition to knowing that my 5K split times were 31:16 and 33:20, the results page also graphically shows how far back in the pack I was compared with my peers, or compared to the women. I can even take pride knowing that during the second half of the race, I passed 367 people and only got passed by 113.

Anyway, the new course gets mostly a thumbs-up from me. Only the couple of Allen Parkway underpasses keep this from being a really flat course, and the finish line area is a short walk back to the starting area -- which also means that it's easy for a runner to enjoy the rest of the parade after finishing. It is a little bit mean, however, that the 5K finish line was placed about a half mile before the 10K finish line. It's a bit disheartening to see a finish line, then realize it's not yours, and have to go around it to the left and continue on.

At least reaching the real finish line felt rewarding. Wait -- no it wasn't. It felt like a bug in the face, because right as I stepped on the chip mat, a moth suddenly appeared on the wrong side of my glasses. So on the finish cam, instead of looking of relieved, accomplished, or victorious, I look like a crazy person swatting at my own face.