IBM Uptown Classic 10K

If this is to be the final race for the IBM Uptown Classic 10K at The Domain—and in all, likelihood it is—it couldn’t have had a more perfect send off for the 19th annual running of this event. On a morning that must have been created by the running gods (clear with a temperature of 57 degrees, low humidity, and almost no breeze), nearly 2,000 ran and said farewell to the fast north Austin course that has served this event so well.

Leading the way were the two classiest runners in the field: Erik Stanley, the overall winner in 30:46, and Betzy Jimenez, earning her third consecutive IBM victory in a course record 35:20. The women’s race was strictly a cakewalk for Jimenez. With almost all of the top area women either running the Chili Pepper Cross Country race in Arkansas or a fall marathon, the only competition Jimenez had was with the other men—and the clock. Despite running a paltry 35-40 miles per week while in med school in San Antonio, Jimenez wanted to better her course record, which she set two years ago in her first road race after graduating from the University of Texas.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to just hang out with the girls this morning,” said Jimenez who had run a 16:34 in the national 5K road champs two weeks ago in Providence. “I don’t run 10Ks very often [this was, in fact, her first since last year’s IBM Uptown Classic] so I wanted to make this a good one.” Next Up: Run for the Water 10 Miler (October 27, 2013)

Two Workouts to Prepare for the Decker Challenge Half Marathon:

The Decker Challenge prides itself on the hilly, east Austin course it’s utilized for over three decades. Racing isn’t for the faint of heart and garnering a personal best is highly unlikely—that is, unless it’s your first time to run 13.1 miles. Here are two workouts to help you prepare for the relentless ups and downs around the Travis County Expo Center.

Short, Medium, Long Hill Repeats Find a nice, gradual hill somewhere in your neighborhood that measures out to around 500 meters. Mark off 150, 300, and 500 meters and, after a short warm-up, perform three to four sets of short, medium, long at about 70 percent effort. The recovery between sets is turning back and running downhill. Not only is this great strength training, it also reinforces the repetition in your muscles involved in constantly going up and down, working both your quads and hamstrings. After completing, do three sets of 150 meters backwards up the hill and three sets of 50-meter sprints up the hill.

Long Run You should be doing a long run every weekend while training for the Austin Fit Magazine Distance Challenge. Two weeks out from Decker (November 23), head out for a 14-mile run and run the last six miles at half marathon goal pace. This type of training will help your body dial in on race pace and hold it for a sustained period. Make sure you don’t go too hard in the early miles otherwise you will surely pay for it towards the end of your goal pace practice.

Keep checking austinfitmagazine.com for the latest 2013-2014 AFMDC leaderboards. We'll be updating as that information becomes available.

Runners who are interested in participating in the 2013-2014 AFMDC must register for the series at austinrunners.org/austindistancechallenge; registrations for the individual races are completed separately at each event’s website. Look to the Austin Runners Club for free training for both the half and full marathon distances.