Davis Stampede 10K Race Recap 2/21/16

I ran the Davis Stampede 10K last weekend and it went as well as it could running with acute bronchitis (no worries, the doc said I wasn't contagious). I found out the Friday before the race, you can read about it here, and I am so glad that I switched from the half marathon to the 10K because had I not, I don't think I would have finished. I'm 100% sure I made the right decision and wasn't worried about missing the half marathon with more races lined up this year.

PACKET PICKUP: There is no expo for the race but packet pickup was at the Fleet Feet in Davis. It was a breeze picking up my bib and shirt along with changing from the half marathon to the 10K. All I had to do was go to the Solutions person and she easily changed it. Since I signed up for the Triple Play Offer in December (Stampede Half, Lucky Run Half, & Moonlight Run Half), I got the upgraded technical shirt for free which was nice. Normally they are an extra $5 which also isn't a bad deal to add on.

RACE DAY: The best thing about doing a local race is not having to wake up as early. I got up around 6:45am, ate breakfast, woke up the kiddos (well one of them since one was already up), got them ready, got my Simple Hydration bottle and filled it up with Nuun. The race started at 8am and I had Hubby drop me off by the start at 7:45am. I told them to pick me up in an hour. I actually did not care if they watched me in this race since I wasn't running for time. For a local race, there was a great turnout. I did not have to use the port a potty's but it looked like there weren't huge lines and the park bathrooms were open so I'm sure that helped too.

I wasn't sure if I would see my running buddy, Lenora, but I texted her my location and we connected. I was excited for her since she was doing her first half marathon. I was hoping to run with her in this race but with being sick and downgrading to the 10K, we'll have to do another race some other time (actually we're doing Bay to Breakers in May which should be fun).

The weather was perfect for running. It was 43 degrees at the start but nice and sunny. 

The race started pretty close to 8am because before I knew it, we were off. This is the map of the course (in the red). It was nice because some parts were part of my normal training runs so I was familiar with some of the course.

Source: achangeofpace.com

There was a bit of congestion at the very start but it spaced out pretty quickly.

I felt pretty strong the first mile. I didn't seem to notice any symptoms of my bronchitis and was feeling good. In the pic below you see the bridge overpass that we will be running on.

Between miles 1 and 2, I was already starting to feel a bit tired and couldn't keep my pace so I started to slow it down. Below is a pic of the split off of those running the half marathon and those running the 10K. I veered to the right to continue on with the 10K race. At this point I was very happy with my downgrading to the 10K.

It was nice running on the bridge overpass and looking back at the people below. 

By mile 3 the coughing came here and there. People were passing me as I slowed my pace. I thought this gal's shirt was nice as it said "May the course be with you". I thought it wasn't really with me today, but hopefully next race I'm sure.

This part of the run was familiar territory as I usually do my long runs on this path. The area is beautiful. 

At mile 5 we are at Research Park Drive and I ran by Hubby's work. Here I thought, only 1.2 miles to go and I can do it. 

At mile six, I was steadily running on. I was happy to almost be at the finish. The coughing was getting annoying and I think not running all week aided in me losing steam during the run but when I saw the finish I was able to pick up my pace a bit and finish strong.

I was pretty happy when I crossed the finish, but had some pretty bad coughing fits afterwards. Thanks to LooLoo from San Jose for letting me borrow her medal and for also taking the pic below! The only way to get a free medal is to do the half marathon. If you want a medal for the 10K or 5K I believe it is an extra $5, which isn't bad because the fees for the race aren't horrible.

Here's a pic of me and LooLoo! :)

I'm pretty happy with my results. 

There was Gatorade and bottled water at the finish. There were also booths set up of local vendors and area races, but I didn't get a chance to browse them much because I saw the kiddos and Hubby soon after I took the pic with LooLoo.

Overall, I felt it was a well organized race and a good 10K route. I enjoyed the run as much as I could while still being sick. I hope next year I'll be able to do the half!