Wow, what a nice weather day last Saturday! Shawn and I went to this event for some speed work on soft trails. About 90 people showed up for this first time low key event. After my poor outing a couple weeks ago at a 10k I wanted to try and get another handle on my fitness. A hilly trail race on very soft footing however is not the best way to get such an evaluation :)
A couple faster guys showed up, but I figured I should still be able to get a top 5 finish. We warmed up on the course with a 3.5 mile run, then lined up at the start line in a grassy field. At the gun I took off way too fast - in fact I was in the lead for a couple hundred meters. All that did is put me in oxygen debt for the hills, and I gave up several positions and felt whupped. I eventually steadied up and got going again, and by the two mile point was in 3rd place. There was someone right on my shoulder for a half mile or so, but he finally fell off after a hilly section. From there on I was running by myself for the rest of the race.
I finished strong and fast the last 3/4 mile or so, but I was disappointed with my slow time once again. I averaged only 7:00 mpm, and the course had less than 300' of elevation gain/loss. I should have been able to average at least 30 seconds per mile faster than that I feel. I somehow have lost a tremendous amount of fitness over the last couple months. I'm really looking forward to getting past the Chicago marathon in a couple weeks and hitting the 'Reset' button. I think I'll try and take the rest of October off from running then begin with a much reduced weekly mileage with a day per week on the track and start building back up again.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tacoma Bank to Bay 10k Race Report
Wow, my last 10k was such a stunner and huge PR (back in June). Since then I've run a tough 50k, strained my back and missed a little running, tried picking it back up and sprained/damaged my left (usually good) ankle/foot, and last Monday - Labor Day - I cracked a rib as a result of a dirt bike fall (crash?).
Since I'm supposedly running Chicago in four weeks I figured I'd find out how out of shape I was by running the Tacoma Bank to Bay 10k. I'd never run it before, but it is billed as a fast 10k. I ran most of the course for a warm up and found the race starts at about 50' elevation, goes up to 140' elevation, drops down to 0' for a while, goes over a high bridge for another gain of about 40', then repeats all the above after the turnaround - not my idea of a fast course, but not necessarily brutal either.
My left foot mostly bothers me on downhills, but my broken rib hurts with any jarring motion, any bending motion, or any deep breathing. Not that I'm using that as an excuse :)
I ran as hard as I thought I could, and even picked it up to 5:30 pace for the last half mile to bury a couple guys before the finish. I ended up with a very disappointing 39:30 - my slowest 10k since at least 2005 I believe.
So with 4 weeks until Chicago I guess my pace will be about 7 mpm - arghh. I can't believe I've gotten 2:30 slower over 6 miles in 3 months! I guess since I'm so slow and feel like I won't have a fast Chicago I may run a 50k (Cle Elum Ridge 50k) this coming weekend (with 7,000' elevation gain/loss). My slowness won't matter much there, but I also don't want to aggravate my left ankle/foot issue and miss Chicago entirely. I have a couple more days to decide I guess.
Since I'm supposedly running Chicago in four weeks I figured I'd find out how out of shape I was by running the Tacoma Bank to Bay 10k. I'd never run it before, but it is billed as a fast 10k. I ran most of the course for a warm up and found the race starts at about 50' elevation, goes up to 140' elevation, drops down to 0' for a while, goes over a high bridge for another gain of about 40', then repeats all the above after the turnaround - not my idea of a fast course, but not necessarily brutal either.
My left foot mostly bothers me on downhills, but my broken rib hurts with any jarring motion, any bending motion, or any deep breathing. Not that I'm using that as an excuse :)
I ran as hard as I thought I could, and even picked it up to 5:30 pace for the last half mile to bury a couple guys before the finish. I ended up with a very disappointing 39:30 - my slowest 10k since at least 2005 I believe.
So with 4 weeks until Chicago I guess my pace will be about 7 mpm - arghh. I can't believe I've gotten 2:30 slower over 6 miles in 3 months! I guess since I'm so slow and feel like I won't have a fast Chicago I may run a 50k (Cle Elum Ridge 50k) this coming weekend (with 7,000' elevation gain/loss). My slowness won't matter much there, but I also don't want to aggravate my left ankle/foot issue and miss Chicago entirely. I have a couple more days to decide I guess.
Monday, July 12, 2010
My first ultra - the Siskiyou Out & Back (SOB) 50k
My buddy Shawn got me interested in doing an 'ultra' trail race earlier this year. He mentioned the Siskiyou Out & Back - a 50 kilometer race starting at the Mt. Ashland ski area and running along the Pacific Crest Trail. I like running on trails, I've run several marathons (and they no longer seem as 'long' as they used to), and welcomed the idea of doing something new, so I decided to run it!
My training wasn't really anything special. I did quite a few trail runs earlier in the year and have averaged about 50 miles per week for this year so far (despite starting from 0 at the beginning of the year with an injury). I've pretty much been doing base building this season with a couple shorter races and a marathon thrown in for good measure. I also didn't obsess over this race and thought I'd treat it like a fun learning experience while also trying to at least run a respectable time (whatever that might be for something like this).
I was a little curious what effect the forecast hot (mid 80*s) weather and the elevation (the race began at 6500') would have on me though. I really wanted to be able to run below 4:30:00 for this race, but really had no clue how it would play out. The course only had about 4200' of total elevation gain/loss, which is less than many of the training runs I've done - though I have never run farther than about 25 miles on a training run and 26.2 miles in a race.
Shawn and I drove down to Ashland Friday and had a fairly uneventful trip. It's about a 9 hour drive though. We arrived in Ashland in the afternoon and checked out the Rogue Valley Runners store, had a bite to eat and a cool frosty beverage, then headed up to the ski area about 40 minutes out of town. It was 97* in the town of Ashland, but as we climbed up to the ski area the temperature kept dropping. By the time we arrived at the parking lot the temperature was around 73*. We hoped that race day would offer similar high temps! We met the race directors, and one of them - Erin I think - offered us another cold frosty beverage. Sweet! I am beginning to like trail runners!
I set my tent up and hit the sack around 9:30 or so. At 5:00 am sharp the loud music started. That gave us a couple hours to get our race packets, get some food down, socialize, and get our drink and fuel stuff situated. It was already in the 60*s an hour before the race, so I went with my trusty Race Ready shorts and no shirt. I did apply lots of sunscreen though! I also decided I'd try to run the race in the Inov-8 X-Talon 212 shoes. However I placed my trusty old Brooks Ravennas in a drop bag to be placed at the 22 mile point of the race if the Inov-8s weren't working out.
The race start was a very laid back affair with the RD asking everyone to move forward to the line. Then we were off! I settled in to what I hoped was a reasonable pace pretty much right away, and the first half of the race was uneventful. I hit the half way point in about 2:15 so was right on pace. I also felt very good, but was pretty hot. The trail was heavily cambered which is something my body really doesn't like, and I hoped I'd do ok with it. However between the cambered road and the super lightweight shoes I began to have some issues with my right foot. Between miles 15 and 22 I was limping a bit and really concentrating on letting my left side do the most work. My right ankle and foot were quite painful. I swapped shoes at the 22 mile aid station - losing 6 or 7 positions to the necessary task. Thankfully it was a good decision as my foot felt much better in the Ravennas. After the 22 mile aid station the course was pretty much 4 miles of unrelenting uphill running. It didn't take long before I was reduced to run-walking. It was surprising how fast I'd lose my breath! Even with this 'failure' I was able to get back 3 or 4 positions by the end of the race though - and had a good kick-fest with another runner the last .25 miles or so.
Right after crossing the line the same RD who'd given me the beer the night before stood with a 22 oz. microbrew in each hand and said, "Pick one!" Nice! I definitely like this trail runner crowd! Did I mention that yet! There was a hose near the finish where I gave myself a nice quick and cold rinse, then I nibbled on finish line goodies and waited for Shawn to show up.
I ended up finishing in 4:47:30 which, despite being an ugly +17:30 positive split, was good enough for 13th place OA and 4th in my AG (ten year age groups). The winner completed the course in something like 3:43 - damn! I've got some work to do before I do another one of these!
My training wasn't really anything special. I did quite a few trail runs earlier in the year and have averaged about 50 miles per week for this year so far (despite starting from 0 at the beginning of the year with an injury). I've pretty much been doing base building this season with a couple shorter races and a marathon thrown in for good measure. I also didn't obsess over this race and thought I'd treat it like a fun learning experience while also trying to at least run a respectable time (whatever that might be for something like this).
I was a little curious what effect the forecast hot (mid 80*s) weather and the elevation (the race began at 6500') would have on me though. I really wanted to be able to run below 4:30:00 for this race, but really had no clue how it would play out. The course only had about 4200' of total elevation gain/loss, which is less than many of the training runs I've done - though I have never run farther than about 25 miles on a training run and 26.2 miles in a race.
Shawn and I drove down to Ashland Friday and had a fairly uneventful trip. It's about a 9 hour drive though. We arrived in Ashland in the afternoon and checked out the Rogue Valley Runners store, had a bite to eat and a cool frosty beverage, then headed up to the ski area about 40 minutes out of town. It was 97* in the town of Ashland, but as we climbed up to the ski area the temperature kept dropping. By the time we arrived at the parking lot the temperature was around 73*. We hoped that race day would offer similar high temps! We met the race directors, and one of them - Erin I think - offered us another cold frosty beverage. Sweet! I am beginning to like trail runners!
I set my tent up and hit the sack around 9:30 or so. At 5:00 am sharp the loud music started. That gave us a couple hours to get our race packets, get some food down, socialize, and get our drink and fuel stuff situated. It was already in the 60*s an hour before the race, so I went with my trusty Race Ready shorts and no shirt. I did apply lots of sunscreen though! I also decided I'd try to run the race in the Inov-8 X-Talon 212 shoes. However I placed my trusty old Brooks Ravennas in a drop bag to be placed at the 22 mile point of the race if the Inov-8s weren't working out.
The race start was a very laid back affair with the RD asking everyone to move forward to the line. Then we were off! I settled in to what I hoped was a reasonable pace pretty much right away, and the first half of the race was uneventful. I hit the half way point in about 2:15 so was right on pace. I also felt very good, but was pretty hot. The trail was heavily cambered which is something my body really doesn't like, and I hoped I'd do ok with it. However between the cambered road and the super lightweight shoes I began to have some issues with my right foot. Between miles 15 and 22 I was limping a bit and really concentrating on letting my left side do the most work. My right ankle and foot were quite painful. I swapped shoes at the 22 mile aid station - losing 6 or 7 positions to the necessary task. Thankfully it was a good decision as my foot felt much better in the Ravennas. After the 22 mile aid station the course was pretty much 4 miles of unrelenting uphill running. It didn't take long before I was reduced to run-walking. It was surprising how fast I'd lose my breath! Even with this 'failure' I was able to get back 3 or 4 positions by the end of the race though - and had a good kick-fest with another runner the last .25 miles or so.
Right after crossing the line the same RD who'd given me the beer the night before stood with a 22 oz. microbrew in each hand and said, "Pick one!" Nice! I definitely like this trail runner crowd! Did I mention that yet! There was a hose near the finish where I gave myself a nice quick and cold rinse, then I nibbled on finish line goodies and waited for Shawn to show up.
I ended up finishing in 4:47:30 which, despite being an ugly +17:30 positive split, was good enough for 13th place OA and 4th in my AG (ten year age groups). The winner completed the course in something like 3:43 - damn! I've got some work to do before I do another one of these!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
It's been a while
I haven't been very good about updating this blog! The last several weeks have brought a recurrence of PFS (patellofemoral syndrome - commonly called runner's knee) back that I haven't had for several years. I don't know if it is a change in shoes, diet, or training. I'm actually running less steep trails now than earlier in the year, so it's hard to blame it on the hills. I did try some minimalist trail shoes but have only put around 40 miles on them, and those miles were interspersed with wearing other shoes.
These things can be extremely frustrating.
I will be running my first 50k trail race (the SOB near Ashland, OR) this Saturday. It'll be the longest run I've ever done, and I'm really looking forward to it. However it is at 6500' elevation, and the temperatures are forecast to be in the 90*s. I'm not heat acclimated due to the cool spring and early summer we've suffered through here in the PNW, so the race could be quite a challenge. My plan is to try and drink lots of Gatorade, eat Hammergel every half hour, and maybe take a salt tablet halfway through if I think I need it. I'm hoping to finish in the 4:30 range, but that may be optimistic considering it being my first effort at this distance and the elevation and temperature.
I'm going to bring three different pairs of shoes and decide on race morning what to wear. I'd really like to wear the Inov-8 X-Talons due to their traction and light weight, but I'm not convinced they aren't what contributed to my current knee problems.
These things can be extremely frustrating.
I will be running my first 50k trail race (the SOB near Ashland, OR) this Saturday. It'll be the longest run I've ever done, and I'm really looking forward to it. However it is at 6500' elevation, and the temperatures are forecast to be in the 90*s. I'm not heat acclimated due to the cool spring and early summer we've suffered through here in the PNW, so the race could be quite a challenge. My plan is to try and drink lots of Gatorade, eat Hammergel every half hour, and maybe take a salt tablet halfway through if I think I need it. I'm hoping to finish in the 4:30 range, but that may be optimistic considering it being my first effort at this distance and the elevation and temperature.
I'm going to bring three different pairs of shoes and decide on race morning what to wear. I'd really like to wear the Inov-8 X-Talons due to their traction and light weight, but I'm not convinced they aren't what contributed to my current knee problems.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fall City Days 10k Race Report
I try and do this race every year. It's a fairly fast course with usually good weather for running. The last two years the organization has been lacking however as the RD dropped the professional timing/organizing company for a local middle school principal. They do their best, but it's not the same.
Anyway for background I've been doing mostly easy runs since the marathon a couple weeks ago. I have done a couple trail/hill runs though, and have averaged about 50 miles per week since the marathon. My goal for the Fall City Days race was primarily for it to be a training stimulus speed workout. I figured I'd be in maybe low 38 minute shape, but didn't really know. Since I hadn't tapered for the race and I've been dealing with some pretty severe patellofemoral syndrome pain in my knees I wasn't even sure of that goal.
Race day weather was in the mid to upper 50s with occasional very light liquid fog - not bad racing weather! I warmed up with around 4 miles of easy running followed by 3 or 4 accelerations. The race started nearly on time this year which is always a plus! I tried to hold back a little bit the first mile as I always go out too fast. Also I had my GPS watch set to HR display and tried not to look at it during the race.
About one half mile in I was behind a young woman who herself was behind but on the shoulder of a young guy. The guy had headphones on. He turned and without looking launched a glob of spit over his shoulder and directly in to the face of the young woman. She was exceedingly displeased by this gesture, and I'm not even sure the dope who did it even knew. What a tool.
I followed a group of people for the next couple miles. There were no mile markers on the course, and even at the 10k turnaround cone there was no course worker - I guess they were operating on the honor system! Shortly after the turn-around I began overtaking the group ahead of me one by one. After the 4 mile point I had no one in front of me that was within reach. On straight stretches I could just see a bright jersey maybe 800 to 1000 meters ahead of me. Then I hit the 5k walkers. No longer could I run the tangents of the course, and I spent the last 1.5 miles or so weaving in and around them. I finished strong but could not see a finish line clock. I stopped my watch at the finish line matt and finally looked at it as a race volunteer cut the timing chip from my shoe. My watch said 36:58, but I was sure it said 38:something as there's no way I could have run that fast! That would have been almost a full minute PR from last fall when I was just finishing up a great training cycle. Then I looked for the water that is always at the end of a race. There wasn't any! All they had was some cans of something called Neve. It turned out to be an undrinkable heavily carbonated water beverage. Nasty.
After a 1.5 mile cool down I cycled back to see if the results were posted. The results listed my time as 37:00, which must be the 'gun' time - so I guess somehow I did run that fast. It's still tough to figure out where an improvement that big came from though.
Anyway for background I've been doing mostly easy runs since the marathon a couple weeks ago. I have done a couple trail/hill runs though, and have averaged about 50 miles per week since the marathon. My goal for the Fall City Days race was primarily for it to be a training stimulus speed workout. I figured I'd be in maybe low 38 minute shape, but didn't really know. Since I hadn't tapered for the race and I've been dealing with some pretty severe patellofemoral syndrome pain in my knees I wasn't even sure of that goal.
Race day weather was in the mid to upper 50s with occasional very light liquid fog - not bad racing weather! I warmed up with around 4 miles of easy running followed by 3 or 4 accelerations. The race started nearly on time this year which is always a plus! I tried to hold back a little bit the first mile as I always go out too fast. Also I had my GPS watch set to HR display and tried not to look at it during the race.
About one half mile in I was behind a young woman who herself was behind but on the shoulder of a young guy. The guy had headphones on. He turned and without looking launched a glob of spit over his shoulder and directly in to the face of the young woman. She was exceedingly displeased by this gesture, and I'm not even sure the dope who did it even knew. What a tool.
I followed a group of people for the next couple miles. There were no mile markers on the course, and even at the 10k turnaround cone there was no course worker - I guess they were operating on the honor system! Shortly after the turn-around I began overtaking the group ahead of me one by one. After the 4 mile point I had no one in front of me that was within reach. On straight stretches I could just see a bright jersey maybe 800 to 1000 meters ahead of me. Then I hit the 5k walkers. No longer could I run the tangents of the course, and I spent the last 1.5 miles or so weaving in and around them. I finished strong but could not see a finish line clock. I stopped my watch at the finish line matt and finally looked at it as a race volunteer cut the timing chip from my shoe. My watch said 36:58, but I was sure it said 38:something as there's no way I could have run that fast! That would have been almost a full minute PR from last fall when I was just finishing up a great training cycle. Then I looked for the water that is always at the end of a race. There wasn't any! All they had was some cans of something called Neve. It turned out to be an undrinkable heavily carbonated water beverage. Nasty.
After a 1.5 mile cool down I cycled back to see if the results were posted. The results listed my time as 37:00, which must be the 'gun' time - so I guess somehow I did run that fast. It's still tough to figure out where an improvement that big came from though.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Newport Marathon 2010 Report
My wife, Cherie, and I ran the Newport, OR marathon Saturday. It was sort of local (a 6 hour drive), inexpensive, and had a great reputation - plus it was at the beach!
This is the first marathon I've run (of 7) that I didn't follow any training plan for, didn't have a time goal for, and didn't stress about. I've been pretty much doing base building this year, have averaged ~50 mpw this year, and have been doing lots of mountain/trail runs to try to prepare for my first ultra next month. I decided to run this race solely by HR - 5 bpm less than my marathon PR HR from last December - and hoped to have the will power to stick to that plan. I don't want to lose too much training time to recovery and hoped that running at marathon HR - 5 would be the ticket.
After literally months of rain and 40* weather for my training runs, race day arrived with a starting temperature in the upper 50*s and bright sun. By the finish the temperature was well in to the 60*s. This was the hottest temperature I've run any marathon so far (and I know it's not that hot!).
Anyway I was able to stick to my HR plan for the most part. After 18 miles and in the direct sun my HR did begin to creep a bit - and my pace creeped the opposite direction. I'd hoped running slower than marathon HR would make this easier than it felt the last few miles. I did finish strong and felt great afterward (and today) with only a little soreness. The best part is my time was only 2.5 minutes off my PR from December. I'm a little surprised that running 'easier' than max effort (lower HR) on no training plan, no tempo runs, no marathon pace runs (except for a half marathon 4 weeks ago), and no sustained weekly 'high' mileage led to this result. I'd have to say the strength I must have gained from the difficult trail running has been the difference I guess.
My worst injury today seems to be my inverse-singlet sunburn, which is quite impressive. After I finished I went back up the course and cheered the other runners on for 1.5 hours with no sunscreen. Stupid is as stupid does as they say.
Results:
Avg. HR: 171
Gun time: 3:01:05
Watch time: 3:01:01
First 13.1 ~1:29:30
16th OA
5th AG (the #2, 3, and 4 runners were 47 years old and ran 2:45, 2:46, and 2:47 respectively)
Cherie's results:
I can't get her to write a RR. Briefly this was her second marathon. She had some injury issues in the buildup, but did average more miles than for her first marathon. I set the 'virtual partner' on her Garmin to 9:00 mpm pace for her, but she ran the first 8 or 9 miles at nearly her 10k pace. She gutted it out though and set a 17+ minute PR finishing in 4:06:28. I'm very proud of her but did tell her she deserved a spanking for not paying attention to her watch and going out so fast.
__________________
This is the first marathon I've run (of 7) that I didn't follow any training plan for, didn't have a time goal for, and didn't stress about. I've been pretty much doing base building this year, have averaged ~50 mpw this year, and have been doing lots of mountain/trail runs to try to prepare for my first ultra next month. I decided to run this race solely by HR - 5 bpm less than my marathon PR HR from last December - and hoped to have the will power to stick to that plan. I don't want to lose too much training time to recovery and hoped that running at marathon HR - 5 would be the ticket.
After literally months of rain and 40* weather for my training runs, race day arrived with a starting temperature in the upper 50*s and bright sun. By the finish the temperature was well in to the 60*s. This was the hottest temperature I've run any marathon so far (and I know it's not that hot!).
Anyway I was able to stick to my HR plan for the most part. After 18 miles and in the direct sun my HR did begin to creep a bit - and my pace creeped the opposite direction. I'd hoped running slower than marathon HR would make this easier than it felt the last few miles. I did finish strong and felt great afterward (and today) with only a little soreness. The best part is my time was only 2.5 minutes off my PR from December. I'm a little surprised that running 'easier' than max effort (lower HR) on no training plan, no tempo runs, no marathon pace runs (except for a half marathon 4 weeks ago), and no sustained weekly 'high' mileage led to this result. I'd have to say the strength I must have gained from the difficult trail running has been the difference I guess.
My worst injury today seems to be my inverse-singlet sunburn, which is quite impressive. After I finished I went back up the course and cheered the other runners on for 1.5 hours with no sunscreen. Stupid is as stupid does as they say.
Results:
Avg. HR: 171
Gun time: 3:01:05
Watch time: 3:01:01
First 13.1 ~1:29:30
16th OA
5th AG (the #2, 3, and 4 runners were 47 years old and ran 2:45, 2:46, and 2:47 respectively)
Cherie's results:
I can't get her to write a RR. Briefly this was her second marathon. She had some injury issues in the buildup, but did average more miles than for her first marathon. I set the 'virtual partner' on her Garmin to 9:00 mpm pace for her, but she ran the first 8 or 9 miles at nearly her 10k pace. She gutted it out though and set a 17+ minute PR finishing in 4:06:28. I'm very proud of her but did tell her she deserved a spanking for not paying attention to her watch and going out so fast.
__________________
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Weekend Double
This past weekend is one I always look forward to due to the Bloomsday 12k race in Spokane. I've run it every year since I discovered it (about six years ago?). The elevation changes and crowds (50,000 participants) make it a challenging race, and it is about the right time of year to officially open the racing season for me.
This year I've been able to get a pretty good base of mileage built up in comparison to previous years (though I haven't done much speed training yet), so I was hoping for a good showing (a PR and a sub 48 minute Second Seed qualifying time). Then a new race was created near my home town - a half marathon with a flat elevation profile - that would be happening the day before Bloomsday. There's something about first year events, especially ones in/near my town, that are very compelling. Also my half marathon PR is 5 years old and very soft, so I would be almost guaranteed a PR. Of course I knew it would likely have a negative impact on my goals at Bloomsday, so I initially fought back the desire to sign up for it.
Eventually the draw of running the new, local Saturday race overcame my concerns of the negative impact on Sunday's race and I decided to run it. Even up to the morning of the race I hadn't decided how I'd run the race. Should I make it a max effort? Since I had no marathon pace runs in yet this year should I make it a marathon pace run? In the end I decided to run it at a steady marathon heart rate level as I don't know what my pace really is right now. I drove down with Shawn, a running buddy from my neighborhood. Since we'd picked up our packets the day before we had plenty of time for a nice, slow 1.5 mile warm up. Once the race started I paced Shawn for the first three miles at a slightly lower HR, then tried to maintain a HR of 175 for the rest of the race. I averaged 178 bpm at my last marathon in December, so I felt a 175 rate effort should leave me a little something for Bloomsday the next day.
As it turned out I was able to run 6:30 pace at that heart rate, which was a pleasant surprise. The last mile I ran in 6:00 minutes as I was working on passing the person in front of me. I passed him with about 400 meters to go, then really opened it up on the Mount Si High School track for the last 300 meters to the finish. My final time was 1:25:09 - good for a 3+ minute PR and 3rd place in the Masters division. I actually won $50 for that! Whoohooo! And Shawn kept me in sight and secured a 30+ minute PR for himself with an outstanding effort made even more remarkable coming just six days after he ran a 36 mile trail race!
After the awards ceremony Cherie and I headed home for a quick meal and a shower before making the long 4 hour drive to Spokane. We got to the expo just in time to pick up our race packets, then it was off to get more food! Race morning brought clear blue skies and temperatures in the lower 40*s - perfect race weather! Cherie and I headed toward the start and split up where she had to go in the Yellow start corral while I went down to the Second Seed corral. Since I'd just raced the day before I only did a short, easy 1.5 mile warm up instead of my usual 3 miles at increasing intensity warm up for short races. I worked my way up near the front of the corral and got a look at the elites about 20 yards ahead. The start gun went off and so did the runners! My intention was to try and go out at 6:15 mpm pace for the flats and downhills the first couple miles and see what I had for the hills. I was able to stay fairly strong on the hills including Doomsday Hill (see accompanying elevation profile) - I even high-fived the vulture at the top. The last 2.5 miles went well, and I was able to pick off a few more runners at the end. I finished in 47:22 and feeling good - like maybe I could have pushed a bit harder. Cherie finished in 1:01:59 which was a 7+ minute PR for her. She only has 4 more minutes to shave off before she too can start in the second seed corral!
In summary I'm quite pleased with how my body responded to the weekend double. My troublesome left achilles/soleus injury thing is a little more obvious today, but it's not too bad. I'll take some easy days this week before hitting a long trail run this coming weekend.
This year I've been able to get a pretty good base of mileage built up in comparison to previous years (though I haven't done much speed training yet), so I was hoping for a good showing (a PR and a sub 48 minute Second Seed qualifying time). Then a new race was created near my home town - a half marathon with a flat elevation profile - that would be happening the day before Bloomsday. There's something about first year events, especially ones in/near my town, that are very compelling. Also my half marathon PR is 5 years old and very soft, so I would be almost guaranteed a PR. Of course I knew it would likely have a negative impact on my goals at Bloomsday, so I initially fought back the desire to sign up for it.
Eventually the draw of running the new, local Saturday race overcame my concerns of the negative impact on Sunday's race and I decided to run it. Even up to the morning of the race I hadn't decided how I'd run the race. Should I make it a max effort? Since I had no marathon pace runs in yet this year should I make it a marathon pace run? In the end I decided to run it at a steady marathon heart rate level as I don't know what my pace really is right now. I drove down with Shawn, a running buddy from my neighborhood. Since we'd picked up our packets the day before we had plenty of time for a nice, slow 1.5 mile warm up. Once the race started I paced Shawn for the first three miles at a slightly lower HR, then tried to maintain a HR of 175 for the rest of the race. I averaged 178 bpm at my last marathon in December, so I felt a 175 rate effort should leave me a little something for Bloomsday the next day.
As it turned out I was able to run 6:30 pace at that heart rate, which was a pleasant surprise. The last mile I ran in 6:00 minutes as I was working on passing the person in front of me. I passed him with about 400 meters to go, then really opened it up on the Mount Si High School track for the last 300 meters to the finish. My final time was 1:25:09 - good for a 3+ minute PR and 3rd place in the Masters division. I actually won $50 for that! Whoohooo! And Shawn kept me in sight and secured a 30+ minute PR for himself with an outstanding effort made even more remarkable coming just six days after he ran a 36 mile trail race!
After the awards ceremony Cherie and I headed home for a quick meal and a shower before making the long 4 hour drive to Spokane. We got to the expo just in time to pick up our race packets, then it was off to get more food! Race morning brought clear blue skies and temperatures in the lower 40*s - perfect race weather! Cherie and I headed toward the start and split up where she had to go in the Yellow start corral while I went down to the Second Seed corral. Since I'd just raced the day before I only did a short, easy 1.5 mile warm up instead of my usual 3 miles at increasing intensity warm up for short races. I worked my way up near the front of the corral and got a look at the elites about 20 yards ahead. The start gun went off and so did the runners! My intention was to try and go out at 6:15 mpm pace for the flats and downhills the first couple miles and see what I had for the hills. I was able to stay fairly strong on the hills including Doomsday Hill (see accompanying elevation profile) - I even high-fived the vulture at the top. The last 2.5 miles went well, and I was able to pick off a few more runners at the end. I finished in 47:22 and feeling good - like maybe I could have pushed a bit harder. Cherie finished in 1:01:59 which was a 7+ minute PR for her. She only has 4 more minutes to shave off before she too can start in the second seed corral!
In summary I'm quite pleased with how my body responded to the weekend double. My troublesome left achilles/soleus injury thing is a little more obvious today, but it's not too bad. I'll take some easy days this week before hitting a long trail run this coming weekend.
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