PC: Fit & Able

My rapid increase in speed has remained consistent for the past several months, and I have been eager to put this to the test with a support of race adrenaline. For my first race of 2026, on Valentine’s Day, I debated between a 10K on a flat, easy course in Greenville, a 1.5-hour drive, and a 6.5-miler on a much tougher cross-country course, with an elevation gain of 433 feet according to my COROS Pace 2, in my neighborhood of Cary. I could not justify driving that far for such a short distance, so I chose the latter, to return to Sole Mates at WakeMed Soccer Park. This would be my fifth race on this exact course.

Final climb and sprint to the finish. I was thinking, “Please, move out of the way!” 😂 PC: Fit & Able

PC: Fit & Able

Starting downhill, I clocked 7:36 for the opening mile; I cannot recall running such a quick full mile in any of my previous races, but I was not surprised based on my recent runs. In spite of the continuous rolling hills on uneven trails, some steep and some muddy, my pace never fluctuated wildly, as I pushed harder climbing, often passing runners, and relaxed coming down to catch my breath. I was encouraged by the noticeable improvement in my running economy. Perhaps greedy, I even asked myself multiple times during the race if I actually could have set a new personal best in the 10K had I chosen to participate in the other flatter event. Conquering the final 0.3-mile climb with relative ease to conclude the race, having to go around countless 5K walkers occupying the entire path that likely cost me a second or two, I crossed the finish in 53:46.27, nearly 5 minutes faster than my second-fastest time on this course and sufficient for 1st in my age group. It may not be a stretch to consider this performance comparable to my 10K PR of 48.42.8 from 2018 on completely flat concrete. I know running at this pace will become difficult once the temperature spikes in a month or two, so I would like to squeeze in a couple of shorter (than ultra) races prior. Happy Valentine’s Day!