I was looking forward to another Lake George race because I love the scenery.  This race is even more scenic than the Adirondack Distance Run and just as hilly.

I ran this race 2 years ago as my first 10k ever.  I finished at 1:09:07 but I was still recovering from ankle surgery.

Since then I have run 3 more 10ks –  each one faster than the previous one. My PR was the Spring Run Off 10k this year with a time of 1:00:51.

I expected to improve upon my first Camp Chingachgook Challenge time but not PR due to the hills.

The course is out and back – which means hills both ways.

along the lake most of the way

no flat sections!

The weather was perfect for running – warm but not too warm, sunny and low humidity.

I had my usual breakfast of hot cereal and left around 7 am.  I got there with no problems around 8:15 am, found parking, used the (real) restrooms and wandered around for a while exploring the grounds.

before the race

I bumped into Judy whom I met on Facebook and then our boating friend, Ron.  Ron was there because his daughter’s boyfriend, Josh, was running the half marathon (which ends at the same place as the 10k but starts an hour earlier) and J0sh’s father was running the 10k.

I lined up with Josh’s father and made the mistake of trying the keep up with him for the first 2 miles or so. (He is fast!)

As I mentioned, although you run along the lake for the whole way, it is HILLY, I mean very HILLY.  I have run 2 races on the other side of the lake and this side, the hills are a lot steeper.

I started out too fast, of course, and I even tried to run up the hills.  But since I don’t train for hills and hate them, I soon tired and realized that if I wanted to finish upright, I better walk them and so I did.

Walking during a race does not make me happy but at times, the hills were so steep that I had trouble walking up them.  The only good thing was that many runners were walking and even those who did not, were running slow and I could pass them on the downhills.

With all the walking, my PR hopes were gone and then I wondered if this would be my slowest 10k ever.

I planned to pick up the pace the second half of the race but my right shin started to ache.  I didn’t want to wind up injured so I just walked more often.  Now I was only running on the downhills.

Finally the race ended and I was happy it was on a downhill plus my friend, Ron was there cheering me on.  I mustered up enough strength to sprint and pass two runners. I crossed at 1:04:54.

Both Josh and his father had already finished and ran very well.

I got some food…there were hotdogs, chicken, potato salad, pasta salad, bagels, and watermelon – quite a spread.

food pavillon

Then I wandered around waiting for friends to finish.

beautiful facilities on the lake

I got to see Judy finish.

She was happy with her race.

me & Judy

Then I found a bunch of the SRMs who had done the half marathon.

they were smart to cool off in the lake

Eventually it was time to leave this beautiful place.  My friend Ron had his boat and was going back to the marina.  My hubby was waiting for me there so I hopped in my car and drove back around the lake to the other side.

I did come in 2nd in my age group but I didn’t stick around for the awards. (I think they were only giving out awards for 1st.)

Splits:

mile 1- 9:09
mile 2- 10:29
mile 3 – 9:47
mile 4 – 11:42
mile 5 – 11:14
mile 6 – 10:53
.22 –  9:11

As you can see, the second half of the race got ugly.

Goals:

• Run more than walk – Not sure about his one.
• Pace under 10 min/mile for most miles – Nope – Only miles 1 &3!!
• Course PR (under 1:09) – YES!
• Finish strong and uninjured – YES!
• Enjoy the race – YES!

So was I disappointed?  Of course.  I am pretty hard on myself.  I didn’t like how  I handled (or didn’t handle) the hills. But then again, I don’t train on hills.  At least I beat my time on this course from two years ago and I know I can do better.

race swag – nice tech shirt

I enjoyed the race.  I never regret a race.  And my legs felt fine after.  I was even able to run the next morning.

Happy Running! Any advise for running hilly races?