Ran the same 10K that I ran last year and got the EXACT SAME TIME. To the second. I was kind of disappointed with my performance, to be honest, but I think it's due to a few things:
1) I hardly ever run outside these days because of Luke, so that was an adjustment and
2) Pollen/ragweed/you name it...I was really having trouble breathing, and when I got home all my exposed skin was all rashy and irritated.
3) Started off too fast (just like last year): my first split was 7:43 and the second was 16:45. My iPod (perhaps because of my calibration on the treadmill) was overestimating my speed and told me I'd finished about 200 meters before the finish line. So I kept thinking that I was going too fast according to my iPod and that I was going to burn out.
Anyway, pretty much the same as last year--stopped for 2 of the 3 water stops, stopped to take off my long-sleeved shirt because I'm not coordinated enough to tie it around my waist and run. No rain, and that was nice, although that probably would have helped with the pollen.
To be honest, I don't think I could have gone too much faster--I think last year I was just in a better place training-wise since my long runs for the half-marathon were 10 miles at that point. I guess I just feel like my performance this year should have been an improvement over last year, but then I have to remind myself that I'm another year older, I was pregnant for eight of those intervening months, etc. I ran about as hard as I could run this particular day and I'll just be happy with that. :-)
STATS: 10K, 52:34; 8:28/mile; 5th place for age division (kind of a bummer because I was 3rd last year, but I would have had to run 4 minutes faster to place 3rd this year, which was definitely not possible).
A couple of winters ago I was running almost exclusively on the treadmill. I was getting very fast there but was actually getting slower outside.
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