Riverbank Run 2012

On Saturday I completed my 8th consecutive 25k Riverbank Run.  My running career has gone through a lot in the last 3 years but I bounced back with a solid race.

My training this year was pretty light in terms of miles, but I've been playing a lot of basketball so my overall fitness is relatively high.  Most importantly, I finally dropped below the 190 lbs threshold and was approximately 10 lbs lighter this year than any of my previous years.  Lighter weight makes a huge difference, especially with reduced training.

2012 was the best weather in my opinion.  It was 60's by the start of the race and stayed right there all day.  A light sprinkle early on brought the humidity down without getting us soaked.

2012 was also a great year for me in terms of family/friend participation and family/friend spectators.  Record numbers for each!

I started a little faster than I should have but wanted to see if there was any prayer for me to keep up with the 2 hour pace group.  After 2 miles I knew there was no way so I backed off as necessary.

Mile 1:  7:58

Mile 2:  7:48

Mile 3:  8:02

Mile 4:  8:08

Mile 5:  8:06

Mile 6:  8:07

Mile 7:  8:26 (pause to hi-five my family)

 

 

Mile 8:  8:11

Mile 9:  8:16

Mile 10: 8:30

Mile 11: 8:18

Mile 12: 8:22

Mile 13: 8:27

Mile 14: 8:42

Mile 15: 8:42

FINAL TIME: 2:08:17

AVG PACE: 8:17 min/mi

Several times between miles 10 and 15 I felt like I might fall apart but kept plugging away and really never lost much pace.  Overall I was very happy with my race and my final time.  As a comparison, it was my 4th best time out of 8 years, and a nice rebound over the last 2.

2005:  2:16:56

2006:  2:06:46

2007:  2:01:17

2008:  2:12:47

2009:  2:05:49

2010:  2:18:57

2011:  2:48:26

2012:  2:08:17