Capitol 10 Miler Race Recap

November 17, 2018

It's been three years since I last ran the Capitol 10 Miler in downtown Montgomery, AL. I had a 10 mile long run on the training plan for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Half. I decided to sign up and treat this as a training run with a finisher's medal.

This year's race didn't draw the crowd that it has in the past years. There were 377 finishers in the 10 Miler versus 580 in 2015. They added the local Turkey Burner 5K to this year's event and partnered with Girls on the Run for the group's celebratory race. Proceeds benefitted the Alabama State Trooper Association, Centerpoint Fellowship, the Montgomery Area Food Bank, and Girls on the Run.

I didn't have any time goals for this race. I knew I wouldn't come close to my time of 1:34:11 in 2015. I hoped to maintain 10 minute miles and finish between 1:40-1:45. I was treating it as a training run after all, and deep down I didn't think I was capable of a better time.

I ran into several friends at the start line. The only friend I managed to get a picture with was Dee (deerenn). We met at the Montgomery Half several years ago, and it is always great to see her at local races.

Me and Dee (deerenn) rocking our Goodr glasses

It was a little chilly at the start, 39 degrees and cloudy. It warmed up quickly once the sun came out. They went over a few announcements, played the national anthem, and we were off promptly at 7:30.

The first two miles ran through mostly residential areas. We turned into Oak Park around 2.5 miles. We ran almost a mile through the park before turning onto Forest Avenue. I took a brief walk break through the first water station, but overall I was maintaining a consistent pace.

Mile 1- 9:16

Mile 2- 9:10

Mile 3- 9:07 

Oak Park entrance

Part of Forest Avenue ran over interstate I85 and there was a view of the Alabama State Hornets football stadium in the distance.

Alabama State Hornets football stadium

The next few miles were mostly through residential areas including Bankhead and Old Cloverdale with beautiful old historic homes. I ate a Honey Stinger waffle at the halfway point and walked through a few water stations. My pace was slowing down, but I was still clocking sub 10 minute miles.

Mile 4- 9:40

Mile 5- 9:27

Mile 6- 9:34

Mile 7- 9:54

I was really starting to wear down by mile 8. There were more rolling hills in the final miles of this course. I started using the 2:00 run/ 30 sec walk intervals that were already set on my watch. We passed by the Fitzgerald Home on Felder Ave just past mile 8.

Mile 8-10:32

F.Scott Fitzgerald's (author of The Great Gatsby) home

We ran past Alabama State University behind the football stadium. Then, we ran back up several more rolling hills, including the worst one on the course: the Hall Street Hill, before turning towards the finish at 9.5 miles.

Mile 9-10:22

Alabama State Hornets football stadium

The photographer may have caught me looking strong, but I was not feeling it with a mile left to go.

I walked up Hall Street Hill, but then I ran the remainder of the way to the finish. I saw my time on my Garmin creeping closer to 1:40, and I wanted to try my best to stay under that time. Even though my original plan was to finish between 1:40-1:45, my plans changed in the final minutes of this race when I realized I was capable of finishing faster.

Mile 10-10:14

My Garmin hit the 10 mile mark before I rounded the corner the the finish line. I don't argue with a certified course. I know it must have a been a result of me not running the tangents. When I saw the time on the clock hit 1:38, I suddenly felt rushed to get across. I sprinted the rest of the way to finish in 1:38:53. I ran the last stretch in an 8:24 pace. Where was that speed during the race?

Mile 0.12- 1:01 (8:24 pace)

I look tired at the finish line.

I was pleased with my performance and my runner's high lasted for the remainder of the weekend.  I wasn't very consistent with following the training plan for my upcoming half. I didn't think I was capable of maintaining a sub 10:00 minute pace over 10 miles due to lack of training.

I ran into Holly (hohoruns) at the finish line. We've done several local runs together and we both enjoy blogging. Although she keeps up with it better than I do. It was great to see her again.

Post-race photo with Holly (hohoruns)

I didn't stick around long after the race. I wanted to get home in time to watch the Bama game. Overall, this is a well organized race through historic downtown Montgomery. I would definitely run it again.

Alabama State Capitol Building

I love the finisher's medal!