RECAP: Ten Mile Time Trial
Spring Valley, Ohio
Saturday, April 25, 2020
After racing the Gate River Run 15K on March 7th, my next race was going to be the Cleveland Ten Miler on April 25th. Given the circumstances, I deferred my entry to next year and I completed a time trial instead. I ran 52:54 for 10 miles, less than 15 seconds off my PR. Below is a snapshot of my course.
I started on the bike path in Spring Valley and ran point-to-point down to Corwin. My wife provided support by handing me water at mile 7 and then transporting me back to my car after the run. I started at 10am and it was around 55 degrees with a slight headwind. I made it through three of four road crossings without having to stop — I did have to stop after mile 6 and wait for two cars to pass. That was my slowest mile.
I timed my run using the Coros Apex. I purchased the watch the week before the time trial so I could give it a few practice runs beforehand. I’ve avoided training with GPS for a long time as I’ve always tried to practice running by feel. Now that I have the watch I’m excited to continue using it in training. I can already see some benefits, including helping me to run a little easier on my recovery runs.
I wore the Nike Next%s for the time trial which helped give me that race-day feel. One benefit of time trialing vs. racing is being able to stop after 30 seconds to loosen up the shoes and then start over. I definitely recommend going a half-size up in this shoe and being careful when lacing up. There is zero stretch in the upper which can quickly lead to a painful run if you tie the shoes “normally.” I try to tie the shoes slightly loose which I find provides the most comfort once the race gets going.
Overall the time trial was a solid effort and I was happy to get close to my 10-mile PR from 2012. I will likely utilize the ten mile time trial again this summer as a way to break up my training and to keep things fresh. You can view my training leading up to the time trial here.
Question for you – have you done any virtual races or time trials recently? Share your distance, time, and your experience in the comments section below!