Ran the 10K at the 6th Annual Aut2Run 10K in Camarillo Yesterday

The 6th Annual Aut2Run 5K/10K races took place yesterday at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo. The last time I ran a 10K with a bit number on was this same race in April 2015, when I finished in 38:56 at age 50. This was the first 10K for me since then and was not planned for – it was a decision made about 10 days prior.  

Being leery of injuring myself, I ran within my means, finishing in about 45 minutes. Yes, I lost 2 minutes per year of age from 2015 to 2018. But…I was really not prepared for an all out performance. With about 10 to 15 miles per week at a slow pace, I could not fool my body into running anywhere near the 6:17/mile pace I ran three years ago. To get close to that, I’d have to run 30 to 40 quality miles per week.

But it was fun getting out there and testing the limits of this untrained body. My friend Craig was a couple minutes ahead of me. At age 65, he’s running quite well, doing speedwork on the track one day a week along with some downhill intervals on the trails. I, on the other hand, was running on a cup of coffee and not much else.

The first mile clocked in at 6:47, close to a 42 minute pace, I had a 7 minute per mile pace in mind, which would be a 43:24 10K. It wasn’t even close.

Perhaps, just perhaps, I will start upping the ante again….subject to my body revolting on me!