IBM Uptown Classic race report

This past weekend I ran the IBM Uptown Classic 10k. I ran it for the first time 3 years ago in 43:07 and had really good memories of the race, so I was looking forward to running it again. I started training specifically for this race around the end of June with the hopes of getting a new PR, and I had 3 months of solid running, with several good long runs and speedy runs.  I decided to do a real taper for the race, and everything was going great, and then I ended up having some random knee/calf pain last week (during my lowest mileage week in months!!!). I'd heard of runners getting weird pains during their taper weeks, but this is the first time it happened to me. I took an extra day before the race off to rest my knee, but it was still bugging me the morning of the race, so I decided to forget about trying for a PR and just run it at a pace that made my knee feel the most comfortable.

I ended up running it in 45:16, which is a little over 2 minutes slower than my PR, but is also 3 minutes faster than the 10k I ran in March. :-)  I also ran at a consistent pace, which is something I've always struggled with (part of the reason why I love running on the treadmill!). My knee did bug me during the race, but thankfully it's just fine now. :-)  

Splits from the race:
7:31
7:18
7:16
7:22
7:11
7:17 

Oh, and this was the first race where Oliver and Buttercup both got to do the kids' run. They ran a 1k, which is just about 3/4 mile. :-) Here are some pictures of them before their run! Way to go, guys!!