Apr 8, 2008 10:16 AM
Has Anyone Done Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz?
I've signed up for the Wharf to Wharf race in Santa Cruz in July. This will be my first 10K, and I've only done one other race before (it was a 5K). I'm not terribly worried about it, since I'm not really a serious runner and I figure that if I can't run the whole thing, I can always break it up with recovery walks. However, since this is twice as long as anything I've ever run before, I'm afraid I'm being a little naive and I will go into this underprepared. Here are my specific concerns:
- I have been exercising pretty vigorously since Oct 2007, although I'm not specifically training to run races. We do a lot of running in my exercise group, but never more than a mile at a time. Will this be sufficient?
- I've had occasional pain in my left heel for years (usually after being on my feet all day), but since I started running regularly in Oct it flares up more frequently. I also have mild shin splints. Neither of these is debilitating...more annoying than anything else. I've been thinking about starting physical therapy before the pain becomes worse, but I wonder if it will make any difference by race day (July 27 2008).
- The race route runs by the seashore, so there should be some offshore winds to cool off the runners. However, I am heat sensitive and even if there is a good breeze I don't always do well in direct sunlight (I'm used to running pre-dawn). Can those of you who have run this race before say if the weather is usually fairly cool on race day or whether there are any shady spots along the way?
Any other advice you wish to give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a million!
