Polar Bear Series 10K; Bradford Y through Pitt campus out and back; 35 F
Roads were clear and dry except for a bit of ice on some turns and the occasional shallow puddle extending across the road. Went out strong despite pain my left calf. Missed the first mile marker (it was just after two quick turns), but hit the two mile mark in 17:09. To my surprise, Patty Lyons passed me at about 2.5 miles commenting that I was looking good. The comment did it; my left calf groaned and I felt a tear and some warmth. I limped up to the turnaround (3rd mile - 9:03) and it felt like I could continue. Fourth mile was 8:55 on a gentle downhill. Fifth mile included a nice dry downhill run onto campus and a tailwind. I suspected that the marker might have been misplaced, but
mapmyrun.com suggests that it was closer than I thought. Firth split - 8:19. Began to feel it on the way in; final split 10:48, a 9:00 pace.
Definitely feeling the calf tonight...