Lewis Memorial 10-Miler Race Report - 1/23/10

We had great weather Sunday morning for the annual John Lewis Memorial 10 Miler in the hilly outskirts of Frederick, Maryland. Although the temperature was right around freezing, with sunny skies and basically no wind I was quite comfortable at the starting line wearing shorts, a racing singlet, and my brand spankin’ new arm warmers (courtesy of the kind folks at If the Shoe Fits). In fact, as the race wore on, I bet many of the runners realized that they were over-dressed.

This race is very low-key and budget-friendly, being free for Frederick Steeplechaser members and just $5 for anyone else silly enough to run this course. No shirts, no awards (except for person who finishes with a time closest to their predicted time – no watches allowed!), and maybe 40 or 50 runners altogether. Since most were fellow club members, I really enjoyed the chance to see a lot of familiar faces and run amongst friends.

Soon we began and were climbing the first steep hill even before the echoes of the race starter’s “Go!” had reached our ears. Seriously, you run about 30 feet and the have to crane your neck upward to see where you’re going. No messing around with this course, you just dive right in!

The course really divides nicely into 3 sections. The first 3 miles have killer, lumpy hills; from miles 3 to 7 you get a merciful reprieve; and then for the last 3 miles they’re back with a vengeance.

During the first section I ran amid a group of 4 or 5 runners that would repeatedly pass each other, depending on how we each tackled the hills. I would generally lose ground on the uphills and then gain it back on the downhills. By the second section of the course I had settled into a good pace alongside a friend of mine, Terrance, who typically finishes just ahead of me in our age group. I was hoping to simply stay with him as long as possible.

That plan worked great until the hills returned, and then I slowly lost ground to Terrance. Miles 8 and 9 were really tough, and on some of the uphills it was all I could do to just keep moving one foot in front of the other. I was happy when I came across the mile 9 marker – knowing that not only was I getting close to the finish, but also that some decent descent awaited me at the very end. If it weren’t for the 2 or 3 frickin’ mountains in between I’d have been just fine!

Well, I eventually got through those obstacles and flew down the final hill to the finish, with my shoes feeling like they were about ready to explode into pieces like an Incredible Hulk t-shirt from the force of my toes coming out the front! I finished in 82:20, nearly 2 minutes slower than my pre-race prediction, but given the nature of the course I was pretty satisfied anyway. I gave it a good, hard effort and for the most part felt that I ran strong. I enjoyed the weather and the company, and maybe best of all I was not really hampered in the least by my knee! A few weeks ago it was slowing me down significantly at times. I think this race has set me up well for a run at my 76:49 PR at the RRCA Club Challenge 10 (Go Steeps!) at the end of next month.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the post-race spread is fantastic! Club members bring in all sorts of goodies to eat, from baked goods to homemade soup to bagels and fruit. Plus, we had Muscle Milk reps there handing out free samples! Chocolate Malt and Strawberry were both yummy!