And the real answer is...

{UPDATE} Official Result: 49:45 
75 / 250 Overall
5 / 28  Age Group

[For those just tuning in, I ran the TrailBlazer 10k this morning.]

This is almost exactly an 8:00 pace, so new PR! Last years time was 52:09.

Just for comparison, my niece and nephew ran the Boulder Bolder 10k and got these times vs me:

Oscar  (age 15) 45:04.94 (7:15)  
Age graded: 41:46    (6:43)
[UPDATE: Oscar ran a 18:44 5k!]

Me     (age 53) 49:45    (8:00.7)
Age graded: 42:28    (6:50)

Ursula (age 17) 46:18.85 (7:27) 
Age graded: 44:18    (7:07) 

[Age grading scales your time based on world records for your age and sex to that of a 25 yr old male.]
So not bad, not bad at all..8)

----

It was NOT a really cool morning. Temp at the start (8:30am) was already 62, and by the finish climbing quickly toward 70's, with no breeze and bright sun.

This year I did my new trick of just chugging a small bottle of water a few minutes before the start and for a race this short, not bothering to take any water until after the finish. Saved me a few seconds mucking about at water stops.

Here's my pacing graph

The Great Karnac....

"8:00 min/mile".

And the question was "What pace will Paul average in the Trailblazer 10k tommorrow?"

Seriously, last year I did an 8:20 pace (no timing chips so you have to time yourself if you want accuracy...they said 8:24). The prediction based on my April 8:30-pace half-marathon is 8:05. I think I can tough it out for such a short race and do sub-8:00, so I'll try for that. One concern is the expected huge turnout of 1000+ which is 2-3x last year I think. Might be crowded for the first mile or two.

To hit this pace, I plan to bang right up to an HR of 145...pushing it up to 155 by the end of the race if I want to hold my pace (due to muscle fatigue the same pace takes more aerobic output).

But compared to marathons, 10k races are simple...just put the hammer down and go.

Will it hurt? Yes it will....but it's also fun to run fast. You can't do it every day so when you do it, it's something very special.

Mercifully 10ks are short, the whole thing should be done in 49:48, give or take.