Music City (Nashville) 10k Review

The Stats
6.5 mi; 53'12"; 8'10" avg. pace

It was hilly in Nashville that day, my friends. And it was a tad long for a "10k" course. The two lap course was read as 6.5 miles instead of 6.2 miles by most of our crew. About 1,500 runners (5k and 10k) lined up next to Public Square Park on July 4, 2014 morning. They too experienced the long, rolling race in summer sun. But local Nashvilleans assured us it was temperate weather for this time of year. The conditions kept our times in check, but we all finished and without injury. That is a win for the PTR.

One of our best looking pre-race pictures

The first mile crossed the Cumberland River and began to circle the Titans' stadium. I had a little shin pain in the beginning and moderated my pace even after the pack spaced itself out. That mile was still my third fastest of the race, probably due to fresh legs and the downhill section we were running. I ran behind a couple for a half mile only to see the girl trip and hit the pavement. To her credit, she bounced right back up and trailed me after that. Mile two finished our circling of the stadium and crossed us back over the river on Korean Veterans Blvd. This bridge was the longest incline section of the race and it gave the legs an early test. I grabbed a "water bag" and bit it numerous times before receiving any water. Then, I chucked it across the road away from other runners. Our whole group was a little baffled at these odd water bags as a substitute for your generic water cups. Maybe it makes clean-up easier for the organizers but they are a pain to handle when you're running.
Mile three was perhaps the trickiest and toughest part of the course. We ran 6th and 7th Avenue across Broadway, Church, and Commerce Streets. That section contained some steep hills and some longer, gently sloped hills. It was tough to pace myself as I only expected a hill on the Korean Vets Bridge and not on the downtown section. Despite my grumblings about the hills, that third mile was still my second fastest split at 8'05". We turned right onto Union Street and ended our first 5k. I had a 5k split of around 24'33".
Of course, the second loop was harder. I took advantage of the downhill section towards the stadium and ran my fastest mile, the race's fourth mile, at 8'01". I paid for it on the fifth mile, a long, slow, march that ended on the Veterans Bridge. Having set a goal of a sub-fifty minute 10k, I increased the tempo coming off of the bridge. But I burned out a little as we entered the 6th Avenue tunnel. I kept a steady pace, but ultimately cashed in a time a few minutes over my goal.

Loopy

As I crossed the finish line, I asked a volunteer if I should finish on the 10k lap 1 section. She motioned me that way, but I think she mistook it for my first lap. I finished on the side adjacent to the banner and awkwardly crossed the metal barriers to get my finisher's medal. That experience made me worried the race organizers would miss my time. But I had no time to dwell on that. I waited in a long line for refreshments before moving away from the crowd to a predetermined family meeting point. Mom joined me, having stopped at the 5k mark. We sat on the stone steps and had some protein bars to recover.
Ashley was the next to join me, happy with her time and, in general, with being finished. We took a medal selfie while catching our breath. Mary, Mike, and Emily found our meeting spot and seemed in good spirits. We talked about the race: the weird water bags, the hills, etc. as we walked back to the hotel. Nashville, nay, Tennessee has been conquered. Where to participate next?