This is my third year doing the Jingle Bell, which is a small 5k held by the Fitness Zone in Lugoff. Its been on the Palmetto Grand Prix since its inception and this year its on the Tour de Columbia courtesy of some lobbying by Mrs. Diesel. The best thing about the race is that its flat – probably 2nd flattest of all the 5ks in the Columbia area behind the Colonial Cup in Camden. That being said,  it seems to be a touch long, despite its certified course status. This is based on my highly scientific method of asking a few people what’s on their Garmin. Basically a loop, first half very slightly uphill, and the reverse on the way back.

http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=SC08033BS

I thought I would make a PR attempt here last year and ended up with a bonkapalooza, coming absolutely nowhere close. I will say the 2010 race came in the wake of me shredding my IT band at the Richmond marathon a month earlier.  I cant talk about Richmond due to my PTSD about that race, but just ask Trophy or Team Schmitz, they’d be glad to tell you about it.

I have been fighting a nasty cold all week, which has already led to me catastrophizing about being sick at the Jacksonville Marathon next weekend. I even thought about bailing on this race last night,  and would have, had I not already registered. Luckily I woke up feeling OK and decided to run it as a race. I thought about possibly running it at tempo pace, but my ego cant handle being Trophied.

Got there an hour early and ran 2 miles warmup with Trophy and the Code. Diesel did the last  bit with us before exiting to Chernobylize the Fitness Zone bathroom.  Anton, Greg, Geary, Teo, J-Reeves, Buckleup, Team Diesel, Karen and her Sweet T, Ted, Billy Tisdale and Team Howell were all present. I think the start was running a little late because the RD shouted go about a microsecond after we all toed the line.  Kevin Kelley missed the start and blasted past me about a quarter mile in. Pace was nuts in the first half mile – a bunch of kids went out in sub 5 pace and then crashed and burned, but all us old folks had too much pride not to follow. I hung on to Greg and Billy like a fungus, and I saw Billy keep looking back to see what wild animal they allowed in the race. Hit mile 1 in 6:17, which is a little slower than I thought, but the whole way is slightly uphill. After mile 1 Greg started to give me a case of the dropsies, and Billy surged ahead too. This was too much for my fragile ego to take, so I surged ahead against my better judgement.  I caught back up to Billy, who by this time was probably really tired of being harassed by a panting grizzly bear. Greg blasted even further ahead. There is one decent hill at the turnaround, and I was able to pass Billy, but he passed me back on the ensuing straightaway. They dont close the roads on the backside of the loop so I had to carefully calculate curve tangents and potential death from speeding pickups into my race strategy. Hit mile 2 in 6:26, which is about 20 flat pace, so I knew I had to pick it up to hit my low 19 goal. At this point the course starts a very slight decline, so that helped. Passed Billy again right after mile 2. Greg was remaining strong despite the fact I was started to throw in a dash of early blue shoes. Finally at about 2.5 miles in, I started to gain on him some, which was all the motivation I needed to blast the kick. I had 2 days off leading up to the race because of the cold, and the legs were feeling very strong despite my lungs begging for mercy. I then threw down one of the most vicious kicks unleashed in blue shoes history. Passed Greg with about a quarter to go,  and was running like a headless chicken all the way home, scared to death of Billy coming back, since he usually beats me. Made out the clock at 19 flat at the last turn and crossed in 19:27,  6th overall, 2nd in age group behind the Code. Garmin had 3.16, informal garmin survery all had 3.16-3.18 miles, so probably a shade long.

Jaz Greene, a 15 year old kid who won Springdale, took 1st overall with Anton a mere 7 seconds behind. K. Kelley ended up 3rd despite the late start (18:24) Code took 5th in 18:59. Greg had a big PR with a 19:41, with Billy 10 seconds behind him. Geary finished a shade over 20 and Trophy is on the comeback with a 20:15. Sharon Cole took overall female and Mrs. Diesel managed a 2nd overall, just short of a PR.

Awards were a little chaotic, as they initially excluded the 2nd and 3rd overall male and female winners completely. Diesel must have threatened to break some legs because they eventually corrected themselves and got Anton and J-Ward their medals. I did have them pose for their “first losers” championship picture though.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/11jingle.txt

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/133693336

Next week: JACKSONVILLE!

The Jingle All the Way 5k is a race held in conjunction with the Carolina Carilon parade, where you essentially lead off the parade through the first mile. This race, for whatever reason, has not been one of my best. My first try in 2009 led to my first “shoelace incident”. I was on PR pace when my shoelace and car key started flopping loose, making me have to stop, hold the key and quickly tie the laces back up. I made a valiant effort to regain lost ground and caught up with the pack I was with in the final stretch, only to get a taste of my own blue shoe medicine by Eric McMichael. The guy completely obliterated my kick. This was of course before I knew he could lay down a 54 sec quarter like he was out for a jog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8tezHE9nyE  Last year I ran what I thought was a strong race, overtaking Amy and Greg with the kick, but still finishing way over 20 minutes (20:15 I think). Its worthy of mention this race has a hill…a long, first gradual, then lung-blasting, lactic-acid-producing, and spirit-crushingly steep incline.  I used to hate it in undergrad, when I had a class at the coliseum and had to hike back to my dorm on top of that mountain. Losing the backpack and about 20 pounds hasnt made it any less painful, unfortunately.

Other than the killer hill, the course is not too bad. You start with about a half mile little loop around main street where all the parade crowd is, reminiscent of the Ray Tanner start. Read: you will go out way too fast. After the loop you plunge down Gervais st into the vista. You will continue to go too fast. Flat stretch on Lincoln St where you will start to feel the ridiculously fast mile you just did, then make a left turn. At that turn, any hope of having a good time or otherwise enjoying your race will be instantly gone. A half mile of pain and suffering awaits, where you will either actually will or will at least contemplate the walk of shame. Course never seems to level out until the Russell House, after which there are some rolling hills that loops you back into downtown and the finish. Oh wait, maybe it is kind of bad.

Got there an hour early, did just under 3 miles warmup with the Code and JB – had to orient JB to Mt Greene St. Start time was 9:45 – which the flyer states is “9:45- sharp!”. Just in case you thought about moseying up there 9:45″-ish”. Temps were 40’s, some wind, not too bad. Even Trophy didnt complain. Fairly sizable crowd, including a trash talking Tigs, who had her sights on taking down the blue shoes after her 19:15 last week.  Code, Trophy/Lady McGaha/Sweet T , JB, Greg, Jen with a race whisperer who looked awfully familiar, Team Allers, Meg, Teo, Geary were all in attendance. Derek Gomez was back from tri season to make the 35-39 AG even more brutal.

The start was bollocks fast, totally pants. I hadnt done any speedwork this week, having twisted my back a little last Sunday, so it felt like I was getting beat down from step one. I was instantly getting gapped by Greg, Tigs, Meg and Derek, and I was trying my psychiatrist best not to switch into panic mode. The crowd seemed a little more subdued than last year, but it still got crazy as we completed the short downtown loop and went flying down into the Vista. My goal was just to hang on to my position on the downhill, because for some paradoxical reason I cant transmit the potential energy of my gorilla physique into any speed on the decline. Finally got to the flat part and hit mile 1 in 6:09 by the almighty Garmin. Wasnt until after mile 1 that I finally caught up with Teo, who must of done just over 6 flat, and was still talking in full sentences. Greg and Tigs were still ahead but closer. I have delusions of grandeur that I’m a good hill climber, having developed Ask Naomi style defined quads from carrying around my sasquatch self, so I hit the hill hard. I started passing people but Greg and Tigs were maintaining pace pretty well. Then we got to the steep part and the hill hit me back..even harder. I havent looked closely at the garmin graph, but by the top of greene I was at a virtual walk. Legs were cooperating OK but that whole oxygen exchange thing wasnt working so well. I did catch up to Greg, who then latched on to me and chased me like a rabid dog. I was sucking wind for about a quarter mile after the hill, in a delirium past the Russell House and my old dorm (Woodrow), lungs begging for mercy. Finally started breathing again on the downslope to Pickens, where Greg had started to gap me again and a nasty 640 split came up on the Garmin. The turn on to Pickens gave me some more motivation, as I could see almost the whole field ahead of me. I started an early blue shoes, as I knew Id have to make up some serious time to even go sub 20. Managed to pass Tigs and caught up to Greg, who was matching the kick pretty well this time. Suddenly I saw the Code who was looking wounded up ahead, with Meg and Derek leaving him behind. Managed to gap Greg right before the turn to the last straightaway and  was painfully close to Code/Meg/Derek, but they were all throwing down pretty hard with the finish clock in sight. Whats worse is that my Garmin had beeped the 3 mile just after the turn, and it seemed like an endless stretch to the finish. Clock was already at 19:40ish when I could make it out, and I just didnt have enough to really crush it at the end. Fell short of the pack in front of me and crossed the line in 20:06, a full minute slower than my last 5k.

Looked at my Garmin, which showed a 6:11 mile 3 split and a 3.20 mile total distance. I know this course is certified, but this thing has got to be long based on my informal Garmin survey and just the slow times in general.  There is obviously the hill to slow things down, but the times are way slower than even that could account for. The bitterness got worse when I realized I placed 4th in age group, missing 3rd by 7th seconds and 1st by 16 seconds. Bummer. Got 13th overall. The guy that won my age group (Brad Bell) also won the AG at gov cup, and must be commuting on weekends from Solon, Ohio. Gotta figure that one out. Plexico easily won by over a minute. Two kids, including a 13 year old, took the 2-3 spots, followed closely by Mr Allers. An out-of-towner won the women’s race, with Meg and Tigs taking the next two spots.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/11JINGLEALLTHEWAY.TXT

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/images/11jinglealltheway.pdf      Sharp.

http://www.carolinacarillon.com/RaceRoute.pdf    Course Map.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/132734988  Garmin plot.

This race is the third one in Columbia this week, following the Shandon Turkey Trot 8k and the Sleigh Bell Trot 5k in Saluda Shoals. I did the first two last year and decided to sit this race out so this was my first time at this event. Its not on the Tour de Columbia, but is on the Palmetto Grand Prix, so it draws a big, very competitive crowd.

This race was the first chance for my brother Ben and I to run a race together, as he made a goal of doing this race after coming back from years of back trouble preventing his running. He was a pretty good cross country runner for Dutch Fork back in the mid nineties, with a 16:45 PR I think. I’m pretty sure he could beat me then, with my grueling training regimen of quiz team practice and working on the school newspaper.  That and eating a lot. He was my unofficial coach when I was starting running,  and he’d usually be the first person I’d text with each new PR.  So the least I could do is help pace him to a 21 min 5k. He has been training pretty faithfully since he started again when we had our family vacation at Folly Beach back in July, though he has to be careful with the back trouble. I knew he was getting back in form because he raced a trail 5k  a few weeks back and managed to run 22 minutes and place 2nd overall.

A 21 minute 5k is 6:46 pace, but this course would be difficult to pace with its big hill taking up a good part of the first mile, and the same crashing downhill 3rd mile.  The course is mostly an out and back starting at the Colonial Center, going up the hill into the USC campus on Pendleton St, turning around just before 5 points then heading back on Senate. There’s a little loop that takes you by Longstreet Theater, Hunter Gatherer and the old Nickelodeon before heading back downhill to the Colonial Center again.  I knew even pace wouldnt work out with the change in elevation, so I figured a good 21 minute estimate would be halfway between Lady McGaha and Crazy Legs Schmitz.  Shoes were triple knotted this time around to avoid last Saturday’s fiasco.

The start was crazy at this race.  Ben and I were just standing around when all of a sudden Selwyn says go and the pack takes off.  I usually start first or second row, and rarely do races of this size (650 runners) so the first quarter mile felt pretty chaotic. I was dodging kids, strollers and the median and trying not to lose Ben behind me. Luckily the hill started to thin out the pack a little, especially the brutal stretch leading up to Assembly.  I knew Ben was laboring a little so I tried to rein in my tendency to blast up hills as quickly as possible to shorten the pain. Schmitz was just ahead and I told Ben that we would try to catch him and hold his pace for a majority of the race. He also is the only person large enough to provide a draft for us two saquatches.  As we approached the first mile, I panicked a little, as I saw we were way off the  7 minute split I had hoped for. Had to pick it up just to hit 7:17.  Guess Crazy Legs was slacking. The course finally leveled out and I could tell Ben was feeling better, so I tried to gently press the pace a bit.  The turnaround had a quick steep hill, where we finally caught William.  I had lost track of Trophy. Heading back on Senate was rolling but slightly downhill and Ben was able to keep right on my heels.  Thought we were back on pace at mile 2, but saw a disappointing 6:56 split. Told Ben we were going to have to crush it to get 21, to which he surpisingly said OK. I really started to ramp it up on the first part of the loop down sumter st, and Ben faded a bit, but as I turned the corner he was right by my side, and dude started throwing down a brutal kick.  He started surging ahead and I really had to lay the hammer down to pace ahead of him.  We were picking off roadkill left and right, and  by the time we hit the downhill stretch I was basically pulling my 5k race pace. I could see Trophy and he was in danger of getting blue and yellow shoed for awhile, though he did respond with his own kick to prevent this. Near the arena I caught the garmin split at 6:17, which I honestly thought I misread. The finish seemed to be a bit far away though, and as we rounded the last turn, 21:10’s were on the clock. I tried to time an exact simultaneous finish, but it seemed Ben wanted to give me the glory, so we crossed at 21:22 and 21:23. Ben was happy with the time, which was the goal. My Garmin had the certified course at 3.16, and exactly 6:46 pace.  The race was a lot of fun for me, and it also felt great not to feel like I was going to pass out or puke at the end.

Ben’s wife Cindy also ran this race, and ran a strong sub 36 just 5 weeks out from giving birth. Crazy. Code was very proud of not getting chicked by Amy for once, though both of their times suggested a slightly long course. Greg didnt care about the long course and rocked his first sub 20, finishing in 19:59 and taking his age group also by a single second.  This was after 10 Bodourov style miles yesterday, I believe. Anton took 1st easily in his age group with an 18:10.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/11BGCM.txt

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/130642156

The Shandon Turkey Trot is a combined 4k/8k that is one of the oldest races in Columbia, celebrating its 30th year this year. It has prize money and usually attracts a pretty competitive crowd.  Looking back in the results, the 4k has usually been a walk with only a handful of people actually racing it, and the 8k has had some super fast winning times – the race actually offers a 100 dollar bonus for anyone beating the course record (held by both Selwyn Blake and Eric Ashton) of 24:15.  Thats  4:50ish pace, so I think their money is safe.

I’ve done this race only once before (in 2009), as last year it conflicted with the Colonial Cup. It was my first 8k then, and it was one of my better races at the time with a 34:05. I had only tried to break seven minute pace, but the course is so PR friendly I had done a lot better than I thought. I do distinctly remember, however, getting outkicked in that race by a guy pushing a stroller and talking in full sentences to his toddler. Running has a way of reminding you that “fast” is a very relative term.

This is definitely a “fast” course – a simple rectangle in the relatively flat Shandon neighborhood that is repeated twice for the 8k. Start and finish is next to Hand Middle School, the same finish line that is shared by about 6 other races. It is a sacred place for the blue shoes, as this is where the first pair made its debut in Feb. 2010 and instantly produced my first sub 20 5k. That being said, this is not my favorite type of course. I just cant stand the “two loops”.  Psychologically this makes me feel like the first loop is just a way of tiring you out before the race really begins, and it definitely sucks to pass a finish line youre not allowed to cross yet. Its one of the main reasons I havent been excited about trying the Kiawah marathon, which is also a two looper.

Race time was 8 am, got there my traditional hour in advance, and did a warmup with Amy, who used to run the same times as  me but now has become a blazing machine of speed. Temps were chilly but had warmed up into the 40’s by race time, no real wind. This is the first race that I’ve done in forever without the Code, which actually left the age group a little more open, though Angel showed up to make sure I had no hope of taking first.  I usually become Angel’s and Code’s biggest supporter during their races, because if they can take an overall 1-2-3 placement than I can get my consolation prize age group win. A critical award factor is that the top 2 age group finishers get a much-coveted turkey trophy, while 3rd place gets you a tiny “running man” one. I still have the running man from my 2009 3rd place. A lot of people showed up this year, but I was surprised to see no super elite guys (i.e. Ashton or Striggles, or even Plexico or Dimery). I figured Angel or Brandenburg actually had the best chances of winning this race when I was at the start.  Women’s side was easily Amy for the win and Megan, Amanda and Tigs fighting it out for the rest.   My goal in this race was to PR and possibly pull a sub 32 (equivalent to a sub 20 5k pace through 8k).

Race starts are always crazy fast, but this one seemed particularly ridiculous. I paced with Greg ,Tigs and Geary, and the Amanda/Megan tandem was already leaving me for dead. There were a lot of strong age groupers in this race, and I felt a lot more back in the pack then my ego liked. At about a half mile in, disaster struck – I felt a loosening of my left shoe and sure enough the  long, thin, hard-t0-tie laces were completely undone. I immediately thought I would have to stop to re-tie, but given the competition in this race, and my goal to PR, I might as well have dropped out, so I kept going. The constant whipping of the laces on both my ankles sucked and made me wish I wasnt so ridiculously, maniacally competitive. Hit the first split at 6:19, which, as Greg would and did say, was “a little loud”. I was thinking of 6:30, negative splitting to 6:20 and hitting 32 on the mark, but as usual all strategy went to hell with the starting gun. I tried to keep up with my pack, but the second mile saw Geary and Greg start to gap me. I dont know if it was the laces or not, or whether that’s a convenient excuse, but just wasnt feeling it like last week.  Second mile was about 6:34, which wasnt too bad. The loop is roughly 2.5 miles, and as I came upon the end of the first loop, I saw the clock turn over to 16 and probably hit the 1st loop split at about 16:20ish, certainly well over the sub 32 goal and a little worse than my PR. Tigs was still at my side, and I thought she was laboring a bit, but as soon as the first turn of the second loop ended, she threw down a burst of speed and abandoned me on the side of the road. It suddenly got very quiet, and I could tell there must of been a huge gap behind me, which made me feel like I was in last place. The sag wagon of the age groupers. Hit mile 3 in 6:30 something, and I was hurting pretty bad, trying to get over the mental hump that this was not a 5k. It was approximately a mile and a quarter left as I circled back toward the finish line, and I could see the whole group ahead of me – Some unknown guy who seemed very late 30ish a few meters ahead, Greg about 20 meters ahead of him, followed in succession by Tigs, Geary, Megamanda, and the same dude (Matt) who latched on to me on Devine St at Gov Cup (also in my age group. By mile 4, 630ish again, I had pretty much given up on my goal, my PR, or really even passing anyone else. Stopping to tie my shoe was reentering my mind as a nice excuse instead of the reality of just getting beat down. After a brief incline, the road shifted and gave way to a distant view of the finish. Somewhere back in my obsessive race memory, I remembered this as the same finish to Race Judicata, where Blue Shoes 1.0 debuted, a 0.37 mile straightaway to glory. So I threw down. Not a surge, not even a kick, but a balls-out, lung blasting, headless chicken blast off. Burned past age grouper dude, and caught Greg just before the last cross street. Anton’s going to ride him even harder this week. Then I saw Tigs just ahead and the clock came into focus at 32:20ish. Pace went into the 4:30’s as I saw a PR and roadkill possibility in the last 20 meters. Went flying past Tigs, who blurted out some English curse or something, with maybe all of 10 feet remaining, and hit the finish mat right at 32:34. PR by 3 seconds. Had to suck wind for at least half a minute to breathe again and not to give up my breakfast, a classic blue shoes finish. Pictures on Strictly running’s photo site preserves the moment for posterity:

http://www.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=1K1000BS000107&po=107&pc=546

Not a pretty finish, but then mine never are. Thanks to Angel winning the whole thing (in an awesome 29:59) , I managed 2nd in age group and got my turkey trophy. Matt took first. Turns out the other guy near me was like 50 and I was just having 35-39 hallucinations.  Aubrey Johnson, a kid who finished behind me in 2009, took 2nd, and Eric Allers took 3rd. JB took 8th and 1st in AG. Amy took the womens race and chicked Brandenburg, finishing 6th. Meg apparently outkicked Amanda and they finished 3 seconds apart. Geary had a very strong race and gapped me just enough to fend off the blue shoeing. I took 14th overall, followed by Tigs and Greg, who took 1st and 2nd in thier age groups, Sarah by over 10 minutes.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/11SHANDON.TXT

The Colonial Cup races are held in conjunction with the horse races of the same name, held in Camden at the Revolutionary War site. This is my third year doing this race, and Ive done the 5k every time. I’ve heard the 10k course is pretty PR friendly as well, but I can’t get away from the fact this 5k  is pancake flat.  Actually not quite – course is out and back, and the outward route is a very slight incline with a decline all the way back  home. But basically flat. Flat enough to skip a golden chance to break my very soft 10k PR. Ive done the undercard 5k so much that Ive competed in only a handful of 10ks in my 80+ races. It also helped that I cyberstalked the code’s strictly running profile and saw he was doing the longer race, leaving me with the “kids and old ladies” and a wide open age group in the 5k.  That being said, my prep for this race could have been better. I’m in the middle of marathon training (Jacksonville Marathon Dec 18) so I’ve been jacking up my mileage and had 40+ miles already this week. I did take Friday off, but couldn’t pass up the Pixies concert in Charleston, so several beers, a philly cheese steak,  and a 1:30 am bedtime were part of my “rest day”.

I got up at 6 and pounded some coffee to try and wake up. Got to the race site an hour early and warmed up with the code, trophy, diesel, JB, and the OG. I was hoping the 5k would be well marked this year. Last year the leader, Coach B, couldnt find the turnaround point of the 5k course, and the race became a free-for-all, choose-your-own-turnaround-point event. I finished third overall in that race in a blazing 18:24…for 2.9 something miles. I was pretty upset at the time, because I would have been close to a PR even with a full-length course. This year they had sent out course maps, and mentioned the turnaround point at the race start, so I felt pretty assured they had addressed the situation.

My goal at this race was to PR, given the peaking of my training recently. I felt less than confident though, given my “suboptimal” race prep. A stretch goal was to pull an 18:59, which I’ve been tracking down in earnest since this summer. I would need to pull 6:06 pace to do this, which is no small feat for a beast like me. With the gun, I went out with my usual sprint out and settle down, but I decided to kick the first mile a little harder than usual. I moved up in the crowd past the Code and several others until it was just plexico, anton, JB and maybe 3 or 4 unknowns ahead of me. I knew JB was doing the 5k, so I knew I was 2nd at best. After 2 early turns, the course is completely straight out and back, and I settled into the middle line of the road, which keeps me going steady straight, and for which Trophy mocks me. The first sign of trouble in this race was the first intersection, which was completely unmanned by police. Managed to jaywalk at 6 min pace without getting mowed down. A short guy who looked about a buck twenty of lean muscle latched on to my side and paced with me to mile 1, which felt like 6 flat but was a disappointing 6:15. Mean and Lean then decided to drop me like a bad habit and left me for dead. Whats worse, ends up he was doing the 10k.  The crap split deflated me a bit, and I admittedly faded a bit until I could start to see the turnaround. The turnaround point is always interesting in this race, as you never know exactly who you are racing against until you see people start splitting off the pack ahead. I saw a kid go first, followed by JB fairly far behind. Tall very lean dude then turned. I was next to hit the turnaround, except there were just cones on the side of the road designating the area. Unfortunately joe pickup truck comes barreling down the other side of the road at just the right time, then slows to a crawl. Suddenly I faced a decision to either risk my life and run out in front of the truck, or run longer behind him. Im all for “PR or ER” but decided the family I solely support would prefer the latter choice.

With the turn, I could see that the three ahead of me had gapped me more due to the “truck incident”. Its a little demotivating to see three guys far ahead of you with less combined body fat than the load I was carrying. Gotta lay off those philly cheese steaks. It is nice to see exactly where you are in the field, though. Trophy and Teo were far back enough to hopefully not challenge me, but I didnt know what might be lurking directly behind. I hit mile 2 at 6:20, which I figured completely sunk any sub 19 or PR thoughts. I made an effort to try and really push in mile 3. I started to gain on the three in front of me, surprisingly. Since there is a slight decline in the second half, I figured gravity was more my friend than theirs. All of a sudden there was a commotion and a bus pulled into the intersection right in front of JB and the kid, who were now about even. This was not a school bus or a greyhound, but a huge cross-county charter bus, randomly heading down a back street in Camden. I could see JB ranting ahead with a bunch of WTF hand gestures, which I thought was funny until I realized the thing wasnt moving and I was about to plow into it too. Luckily, a cop was able to get the bus out of the intersection just in time as I came through. I thought I heard some footsteps at this time, but I wasnt sure.  I was inching closer to 3rd place as we entered the dirt road of the park. Mr. Tall and Lean was kicking it in though, and every time I surged near, he seemed to have a response. The sand on the path was kind of sucking the life out of me, and of course my heart and lungs were having a contest of who could bust out of my chest first. I didnt see my 3rd mile split but I didnt quite kick it like I usually do, which may come back to haunt me.  The finish clock is partially hidden on this course until the last second, and when I did see it, there were 1850’s. Then suddenly I was able to find an extra gear and crossed the line at 19:06, a PR by 4 seconds. I dont know how to count this, as my garmin had 3.06 miles, but this is also a certified course. Took 4th overall, another painful 4 seconds behind 3rd. 1st in age group. JB won in a battle with the kid, Walker Comer, who is only 13 years old. Tall and Lean is a tri guy, Robert Taylor. Amanda Charlton said she was those footsteps, winning the women’s race in 19:37.

I ran a cooldown back on the course to try and seabiscuit the code home. Plexico had a huge lead and took the overall 10k, followed by a high school kid and Anton, who crushed a sub 6 pace 10k (37:07). Code was 5th, and said he was dying in the end, but pulled out a sub 40 by the slimmest of margins (39:59).

Other notables: Double Diesel PRs: MR (22:37) and MRS (23:48 and 2nd overall). Trophy and Teo both scored low 20’s, Laura Howell took 4th female. In the 10k, Brian “El Capitan” Clyburn PR’d with a 41:56. Both Schmitzes and the OG scored age group places.

I was bummed about the 4th place finish, as the overall plaques are really nice at this race. For some reason, though, they decided to go FOUR deep in overall awards this year, which is the first time I’ve ever seen this. Good timing for me to be fourth I guess.

The Governors Cup races are the oldest and most competitive in Columbia, this being the 39th year of the event. It usually brings out some of the biggest crowds of the year and basically all of the competitive runners in the area. This year had some competition from the Savannah Rock and Roll Half and Full marathon, but there was no shortage of blazing fast people out this morning.

Personally, this was my first half marathon in 2009, where I endured a world of suffering as I hadn’t trained over 9 miles prior to the race. Trophy left me for dead in that race as I was reduced to a death march from mile 10 onwards. I vindicated myself in the Palmetto Half  the next April, PRing by 13+ minutes when I had actually committed to training for the distance. That race had been such a perfect combination of peaking in training, race strategy and conditions, that I hadnt gotten close to the 1:31:55 since. I missed the 2010 Gov Cup with my Richmond Marathon debacle, and my second Palmetto half  in 2011 was a bust, where I was a full 5 minutes slower. However, I had pretty high expectations for this race, since I’m in the middle of training for the Jacksonville Marathon and have been running some of my best times in the 5k- 12k this fall. Goal was to make an attempt at the PR, pacing as if I was going to sub 1:30 (6:53/mile)

This was a pretty grandiose goal, as anyone who knows the Gov Cup knows that this is a pretty brutal course. You can read the Gov Cup preview post (August 2011) for a full description. Basically a big loop, rolling hills throughout, but 3 main hill segments:  Millwood hill (gradual but long), Kilbourne (long and spirit crushing) and Blossom (infamous and noted for inducing puke and/or walking).

I got to the race over an hour early, mostly because I somehow had gotten in my head the start time was 7 am (actually 8). I was about to leave at 5:30 when I found out this critical bit of info. Nice job, champ. When I got there it was dark, 40 degrees with a nasty wind, not exactly a motivating situation. Picked up my packet (long sleeve tech shirt and hat were very nice) and did a slow warmup mile with Trophy and the Code. It should be noted that the Code opted to race the old ladies and kids in the 8k. He just told me he was “pulling a blue shoes”.

Lined up a couple of rows back and went blasting out of the gate with the start (’84 Olympic marathon champ Joan Benoit Samuelson was the guest starter). Greg, who I thought would be good to pace off, instantly dropped me. Trophy and I were running together at what seemed like a crazy fast pace for the first mile. I felt pretty good until I looked down at my mile 1 split: 6:51 – basically what I would have to do for the next hour and 23 minutes. I could think of more fun things to do. Millwood hill is pretty much right after that, and Trophy got dropped as I took down some roadkill. Pace definitely suffered some though and I fell off to a 7:03. Greg was already out of sight. Got to the first water stop and the volunteer kids had no water out. Apparently they thought we would come strolling up and get our own. Next couple of miles were fairly flat through Shandon, basically on pace with a 6:53 and 6:58 splits. Finally got some water when we hit the church on Kilbourne and decided to take my Espresso Love GU. I was having trouble figuring out my pace as I had been by myself for quite awhile. Two women and three guys then roadkilled me,so I figured I was getting slower. To add to my dismay, I looked back at a turn and saw Trophy tracking me down. Pace splits showed I was pretty steady though – 6:50, 6:59, 6:57.   This was all in the Lake Katherine neighborhood, rolling hills but a gradual net decline. I knew I was very close to 1:30 pace at mile 8, but then I turned the corner and met the 4 tiered Mt. Kilbourne – a full half mile of pain in mile 9. Started sucking some major wind, plus the course really doesnt entirely level out until almost mile 10. Mile 9 effectively trashed my 1:30 hopes with a 7:24, and set into motion a world of hurt. Mile 10 was faster with a return to the flat Shandon area, but couldnt get back to that 6:50ish pace – 7:02. At least I wasnt bonking like 2009 though. Halfway down Devine Street I started to pass a guy, but he then latched on to me and ran literally inches from my side for the next half mile. I actually ran into the guy at one point. Having him and a kid nearby helped me push the pace a little, though the fatigue was really setting in, 6:56 mile 12. There was a mile 12 clock, saw it turn over to 1:24. Turned onto Blossom and started a blue shoe kick, blasting out low six pace, dropping my shadow but entering a new world of pain and suffering.  The fuel tank was officially empty as the hill began, though painfully I could now see Greg  up ahead. Unfortunately there would not be a Howell last second takedown today, as the last bit of Blossom hit me like a truckload of bricks. Code met me for the near the top of Blossom hill and tried to Seabiscuit me to a strong finish, but I would have rather crawled into the fetal position and cried. As it was,  two guys near me were reduced to walks of shame, one appeared to have just puked, and just a quarter mile from the finish. I thought I was barely moving, though Garmin showed 7:41 at the worst. Finally got to the top of the hill with the turn on Sumter st and made out low 1:31’s on the finish clock. Somehow found another gear and was able to manage a sub 6 kick on the last 0.17, crossed the line at 1:31:42 and a new PR!  A little disappointed not getting the sub 1:30 but very happy to set a new PR on this very tough course.  Nowhere near an age group place, got 6th in 35-39.

Notable performances: Ashton crushed the field with a 1:11. Anton posted a crazy fast 1:21 and took male masters. Amy continues to get faster and faster, taking the women’s race and an impressive 8th overall with a 1:23. Brandenburg came back strong with a 1:27 after only managing a blue shoes 5k time last weekend. Trophy and Brian “El Capitan” Clyburn both got PR’s with 1:34’s  Longcreek training group’s Nathan Ward got a big PR with a 1:41, Buckleup and Freight Train also crushed  1:49 personal bests. Diesel had a bad case of the walksies in mile 3 after Ty tried to Seabiscuit him to a sub 8 pace. In the 8k, Tigs had an epic showdown with Joan Benoit Samuelson , where she white shoed a finishing kick to take the female overall win. Hedgecock , Mr Allers and Code took 3-4-5 overall in the mens race.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/11GCup.txt

http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=1481592

This is a post of the official Tour de Columbia event last weekend, the Poochapalooza 5k. Diesel wrote a report after I harassed him enough about it. Supposedly Trophy is his copy editor. The above photo references the fact that if the temperature is zero to 65 degrees, the black jacket will be on.

The Poochapalooza 5k is a first time race that is designed for runners to enjoy a race with their four legged companion.  All of the proceeds benefit PAALS and the Heartworm Project.  This race was part of the Columbia Running Club Tour de Columbia schedule.  The race ran through what I would consider a very hilly Lake Carolina .  Luckily for the runners that course bypassed a few of the bad areas of Lake Carolina .    It was pouring rain when we left for the race and it rained our whole ride there.  Over and over I was asked why I signed her up to run and the continuous questions gave me the opportunity to use my favorite running line on her.  SHUT UP AND RUN.  Once we arrived the rain went away and the temp warmed up just a little. 

 As some of you know, I am not an animal lover but it appeared that the majority of the 51 runners were serious dog lovers.

“Not an animal lover” – understatement of the year . Diesel needs a Valium every time a dog barks at him on our marathon training runs. 

 There were dogs of all sizes and seeing all the yard darts and fresh yellow puddles gave me the opportunity to explain to the Mini Diesel crew why we do not and will not own a four legged animal.  I was on camera/kid duty since Mrs. Diesel’s agent had scheduled her to race again on this nice and cold rainy weekend.  With this being a Tour de Columbia points race I assumed there would be some fast runners showing but I also figured with so many other races going on the same day that some runners may bypass this event for a flatter and faster course.  As I scanned the crowd, only a few face faces stood out to me.  Greg Howell and Teo Gamishev were there supporting the TDC, Ted Hewitt that I noticed at Bazaar Bazaar a few weeks ago and a training partner of mine Charley Clements .  Charley was there running with Winston aka Demon Dog.  I will go on record to say that this might be the world’s happiest and fastest dog.

Winston gets up every Sunday and pulls sub 8 pace with a big smile on his face, while we all complain the whole way. He is a machine.  

Sarah Blackwell and Laura Howell were the only females that I recognized outside of Mrs. Diesel.  The Mini Diesel crew have started attending races on a regular basis and they always ask me who I think is going to win the race.  I told them that Code Brown, Blue Shoes and Kong all got scared and went to the airport for a flat and fast course so my winning vote was going to Mr. Greg followed by Teo.  I also told them that their mom should hopefully come in 2^nd overall female behind Sarah and her dog.  I do not consider myself the brightest bulb on the tree but that theory was proven wrong at the start of the race.

I would have thought the same thing. Greg pulls consistent low 20’s, Teo goes low 21s or high 20’s. Little did we know that Charley may have finally found his faster gear.

  I told the kids that I did not think “dog races” were smart and sure enough, at the start of the race there was a NASCAR style pileup and one runner went down.  My kids and other runners noticed it but I was too busy snapping pictures for it to sink in.  The lady was still attached to the leash and her dog appeared to be pulling her like he was a boat and she was a boogie board.  The husband circled back, took the leash handoff and left his wife for dead.  For that I give an Atta Boy.

Total Blue Shoes mentality. A similar thing happened at the March for Meals 5k – a kid bit it at the first turn. My first responder trained reaction: high step over him at sub 6 pace. Fair warning as well as to any ipod wearing older women, strollers, dogs, and walkers that line up near the front. – be prepared to be mowed down.

 At this time I noticed I had not seen Charley and Winston go by.  I knew he had gone on a warm up so I figured I had just missed him.  I was wrong.  Charley missed the start of the race and was about 30 seconds behind the walkers when he finally crossed the start line.  He did not look very happy when he passed but I think those bad thoughts passed by the end of the race. 

Ive seriously had nightmares about this same situation.

The kids and I positioned ourselves so that we could see the runners as the came around the final turn towards the home stretch.  As the cop car approached I told the kids to be looking for the PR or ER shirt worn by Mr. Greg.  Sure enough…..there he was.  Greg Howell won the race and crossed the finished line with a time of 20:12.  I assumed Teo would be rounding the turn next but it was a pleasant surprise to see Winston rounding the turn pulling Charley.  Winston crossed the finish line at 21:19 followed by Charley at 21:20.  The most amazing part of this is Charley was able to start the race about 30 seconds behind and still manage to pass 49 of the runners to place 2^nd overall.  This was a PR for Charley.  Charley was followed closely by Teo with a 21:35, Ted Hewitt with a 21:41 and David Hale with a 21:50.  Sarah Blackwell took overall female with a time of 23:42 and Mrs. Diesel followed closely behind with a 2^nd overall female finishing time of 24:50.  Laura Howell came in 13^th and was able to take home 1^st in her age group.  Congrats to everyone that pulled points for the Tour de Columbia. 

Glad to see Greg take home his first victory. We age groupers pray for a day like this, when all the super fast guys go elsewhere and leave us an opportunity for glory. A big day for Charley and Mrs Diesel as well. Charley runs faster than me in training, so I imagine he still has even more room to improve that PR. If he hadnt started late he might have given Greg a run for his money. Mrs Diesel has been pulling PR times left and right recently, so her man better watch his back. Nice report Diesel.

 http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/11POOCH.TXT

This is the second year of this 5k, which is held at the Columbia airport. It’s not on the Tour de Columbia or Palmetto Grand Prix, but I couldnt resist the temptation of running a completely flat race and possibly setting a PR. I skipped the Poochapalooza 5k in Lake Carolina, half because of the crazy hills in that neighborhood and half to protest the 35 and 40 dollar registration fees. This decision may have cost me a trophy opportunity, as it turned out, though I was glad to see Greg Howell take the overall win there. I already knew the results from that race (thanks to the Diesel) on the way to the Runway because the race had a late start – 10 am. Still really cold by the time I got there, probably high 40’s with a nasty wind. This race offered a free airplane ticket as the prize for overall, so I knew there would be no trophies today. Eric Ashton and OJ Striggles showed up to make a run for the overall win. The rest of the crowd was actually mostly unknown to me. Crazy Legs Schmitz was back with tri season over.  Code Brown was there as always.  The “barefoot guy” John Richards and a few of the RU running/Palmetto running club guys showed up, as well as the guy Jack that took 2nd at Crooked Creek. Did a mile warmup and felt pretty good – I took a needed day off yesterday after further increasing my mileage this week in prep for the Jacksonville Marathon (Dec 18).

Start is right outside a plane hangar, and the course is a long out and back with a little loop at the turnaround.

http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=SC10086BS

 Almost completely flat, since its on a runway, though there were some very slight incline/declines on some parts.  I lined up front row and was surprised at how many people went bolting out of the gate. My goal was to throw down a very low 6 first mile and try to hold on, with a hope of taking down the 19:10 PR. I was a little unsure of my pace in the first half mile because there were so many people still around me, though I felt like I was really moving. The course was so flat and open, it was tough to figure out exactly where you were. I had scouted out the offical USATF map ahead of time and saw the turnaround just after the first mile, with about a quarter mile track loop before heading back where you started. I was happy to just barely miss Ashton and Striggles coming back on the loop as I approached the start of the loop. Hit mile one at 6:07, about where I wanted to be. I felt really strong at this point, and I’d passed maybe 10 people in the previous half mile. With a very slight decline at the start of the loop, I thought a sub 19 might be possible today. Just when I started feeling especially grandiose, the loop made its turn and all of a sudden I was getting smacked in the face with a vicious headwind. I guess this was at my back the whole time on the way out, because I swear I never felt it earlier. I hoped that when we finished the loop the wind would be changed, but no luck with that. With the turn back home, the wind as slightly less, though probably like that between a class 4 and 5 hurricane. All of the glory I was feeling at 1.25 miles was replaced with the dread of having to fight this headwind with my less than aerodynamic body.

Hit mile 2 in 6:20. Not terrible, but definitely not going to help me get my PR (6:11 pace) . It was very difficult to figure out pacing at this point. I could see the finish, though it looked pretty far out. I was totally alone, too. I could see two guys start to fade towards me as I tried to ramp up the pace in mile 3.  I wasnt feeling great but as I neared these guys I could hear them sucking wind as least as bad as me. After drafting them a bit, I decided to lay down a blue shoes kick, and passed them both. Turns out I misjudged the distance because the course just seemed to keep on going, and my lungs and legs were really starting to protest. What I thought was a half mile was probably more like .75. I did start to gain on the Code some, but I knew I couldnt close the gap in time. As I hit mile 3, I could feel the gas gauge officially at empty. I finally made out the finish line at about 18:50 but just didnt have enough to get there in time to sub 19 or even PR. Crossed the finish at about 19:14, 5th overall, 2nd in AG behind the Code. I’m pretty happy with the time, though I would have loved to see what I could have run without that wind. Got a runway run winter cap, which was pretty cool. Ashton and Striggles finished 1-2, followed by Jack and the Code. Schmitz pulled a low 21. Ive never heard of the top women in this race, though i think overall was at mid 20 or so, which is pretty good for someone that presumably doesnt race regularly. I’ll post the results when they’re available.

Results just posted – they tacked on at least 4 seconds so maybe my chip didnt read when I crossed.

http://runwayrun.com/overall2011.txt

http://runwayrun.com/age2011.txt

http://runwayrun.com/

Today is one of the busiest race weekends of the year, with no less than nine events on the results page of Strictly Running. But there was never a moment of hesitation with which race I would do, because Race to Read is my holy grail, my one moment in the sun. Last year there was a decent crowd but absolutely no local “elites”. Greg Howell and I battled all out  in 2010, two age groupers hell bent on the dream of the elusive overall win. It was only an absolute balls-out, 190 percent effort, dry-heave-on-the-last-turn, blue shoes kick for the ages that secured me my one and only first place. And so I had to defend my title this year. I knew ahead of time that Anton and the Code had already signed up for this race this time, so my chance of repeating rested on these guys both missing a turn and running at least a mile off course. It was actually my fault both had signed up. I had talked it up so much with my grandiose rambling that they probably felt practically obliged to go out there and kick my ass. I knew the race director had already gotten the race on the palmetto grand prix this year as well, so I knew the competition would be significantly stiffer this time around. Plus, any race that crowns me as their champion clearly needs more publicity.

I got there about an hour early and it was super cold, low 40’s and windy. Did 2 miles very slow warmup with the Code and Anton, and with the surprisingly slim turnout at that point, figured they would probably take the top two slots. Later though,  Bedenbaugh, Kelley, Geary and Billy Tisdale all showed up, making the field look like a SC Masters running championship. Plexico then came out, crushing Anton’s hope for glory. To be fair though, I think Anton’s already won 2 races this year, so its not like me where the chance to win comes around once in an eternity.

Towards the end of my warmup, my Garmin decided to completely crap out on me, which makes no sense, since I charged it overnight. Hope its not dying on me. Strolled up to the line with my bare wrist feeling so vulnerable and exposed, actually having to run by feel… imagine that. The course to this race is awesome – its set in rural Lugoff. You start with a slow incline out of Doby’s Mill Elementary, turn right on an almost flat stretch for the first mile. Mile 2 is on a gravel/dirt road almost downhill the whole way. Turn right again for mile 3 with lots of rolling hills, some pretty tough ones in there. Mile 4 continues with the net incline from mile 3, then turns back toward the school with a sharp downhill. Mile 5 is crazy with a very tough long hill followed by a winding nature trail section in some woods near the school, then a lap around the bus loop for the finish.

At the start, it looked like most of the crowd was doing the walk instead. Turned out to only be around 40 runners. With the start, plexico and anton blasted out of the gate with all the masters guys and the Code and I brought up the rear end of the front pack. After staying with me for about a half mile, the Code finally realized he was slumming it and decided to kick it into high gear, passing Billy in the process. I was clueless as to my pace, having relied on my calculator watch brain for so long. Tried to keep the intensity up but not let Billy get too far ahead, since he was the only one I could see in my zip code. The whole first mile felt really good, so I can only assume I was pulling some slow pace. When I hit the downhill mile 2, I kept hearing some serious breathing and footsteps behind me, who was clearly pacing off me and almost drafting at times. I had no idea who it was, but kept imagining a 35-39 unknown guy. That or a rabid bear, by the sound. At mile 2.5, there was a water stop, with cups and a cooler…if you wanted to stop and get some. Maybe we outran the volunteer.

The turn back onto the pavement for mile 3 was most unpleasant, as we had to make up all that downgrade we enjoyed on the gravel road. Hill after rolling hill, but definitely a net elevation gain.  Wind sucking commenced. I run downhills like a floppy chicken but somehow I always make up ground on uphills. I credit my beast-like quads, jacked up from years of carrying my heavy ass around. Cujo sounded a little more distant behind me and I could see Billy a little closer. Code must of been using some bath salts, because he was way off in the distance. I was glad to see Anton leading the pack way in front. Plexico was probably in another area code by then. At about 3.5 miles came the plunge downhill again, and I tried super hard to keep up my form, though limb flailing was inevitable at times. Rabid bear made his presence known again, and Billy gapped me badly. At the mile 4 marker, I pulled an Emeril and tried to really kick it up a notch. Again, I had no idea what pace I was pulling or what time it was. Very unnerving for my obsessiveness. Made up some ground again on Billy on the brutal hill of the last mile. As I entered the “nature trail” loop, Bedenbaugh was coming out and halfway through I see the Code flying. With all the turns on the trail I finally saw it was Geary that had been chasing me down the whole time, which made sense since we usually run very similar times. This provided me a little motivation to avoid him blue shoeing me..since I knew TDC open points were on the line. As I exited the trail, with just under a quarter mile to go, I could make out the clock in the 31’s. I knew it would be close to last years PR time. I tried to push it, but the drive to finish 7th just isnt the same as for the win. With the last turn, I saw last years 32:37 pass so painfully close to the finish. Crossed the line at 32:41. 7th overall, 2nd in AG.

Geary finished about 30 sec behind. After the finish there was no one to be seen on the course..found out later there was a 4 and a half minute gap after the top 8. Plexico won easily, Anton crushed his own sub 30 expectations with a 29:11. Kevin Kelley took 3rd. Code beat me by over a minute for 1st in AG. Jennifer Lybrand took top female and was the only one under 40 minutes. Overall winners got a cool custom trophy, age groups only went one deep, which is probably appropriate given the small size of the field – they won water bottles. Although it didnt match the euphoria of last year, I was still happy with the race and I’m glad to be at the same fitness level.It was this point last year when I was so high on winning this race, that I went out for my long run the next day and did 26.2, tweaked my IT band and sent me on a downward injury spiral for months. Wont be doing that again this year. Kudos to Betsy Long for directing this race well – the trophies, food spread and tech race shirts were really nice.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/11racetoread.txt

This is my third year doing the Ray Tanner 12k, one of my favorite races on the Tour de Columbia.  The race is held to benefit the Ray Tanner foundation, a charity set up by the USC baseball coach’s wife. Although I think it started relatively small, the race has exploded in popularity over the last few years, and now is one of the biggest races in the state.  The new awesome Carolina baseball stadium and Ray Tanner’s  back to back national championships certainly had something to do with it. Ken Lowden race directs with the help of a lot of Strictly Running volunteers, so its an event that really caters to the running community here in the city, and this has also helped it grow. The race actually completely sold out a couple of weeks ago, with 1600 total runners – about 1000 5kers and 600 12kers I think. Almost every runner I know in Columbia showed up this morning.

This is the only 12k I’ve ever run and I’ve always had a hard time figuring out how to pace myself. Did a 55:55 in 2009, and just missed my goal last year of going sub 50, with a 50:10. The course is really nice, featuring two crossings of the Congaree River and giving you good views of the city throughout.  Both years I got suckered into stupid pace in the first mile:  the start is crazy with all the 5kers , cheerleaders and spectators cheering. You do a short loop and then go right back through the same start area gauntlet.  People prone to grandiose tendencies will go out way too fast, setting themselves up for a bonk super early in the race. Yeah, that would be me.  As soon as you finish the 1 mile loop, you have to climb a nasty incline on a bridge over the railroad, do a 2 mile loop in the greek vilage/colonial center area of USC, then back on the railroad bridge. Miles 3 and 4 crossover the river and go uphill to Avenue B. Avenue B is one very long , though not terribly steep hill. Mile 5 marker is right at the turnaround. Miles 6 and 7 are mostly down hill back across the river with one last little nasty hill on Huger, then a nice drop back down into the stadium with the finish at home plate.

I got to the race about an hour early and did a couple of warmup miles with the Longcreek training group (Trophy, Diesel, Charley, Nathan, Freight Train) as well as Team Schmitz, Code Brown, Burgess, Anton, and a few others. A sad thing was our training group leader, Ken, lost his father this week, so Trophy gave the team all yellow ribbons to wear in his honor.  I felt kind of flat this morning – a trip to the fair had given me the beginnings of a cold, and I had been up since before 4 for absolutely no reason. Planned to make another attempt at a sub 50, but really wasnt feeling it before the race.

12k start was first at 8 am, about 60 degrees, clear. As mentioned, the crowd is nuts at the beginning. I lined up in front (remember grandiose tendencies) and had to bust out a sprint to make sure I didnt get trampled from 600 people behind me. I had decided to try and pace with Yerger and Greg again, like last week at the Habitat 10k. The problem with this is that Yerger apparently had delusions of Ryan Hall and immediately gapped me by at least 50 meters. Greg held back a little but was still pretty far in front very early.  Just as I tried to settle into a reasonable pace, here come the screaming cheerleaders again on the loop back, and of course I have to show them what a bad ass I am, and another near sprint ensues. I felt OK as I approached the Mile 1 marker, figuring I was about where I should be for pace. Garmin spits out a 6:20 and I spit out my first obscenity of the day. Nice job, hero.  I tried to slow down at this point, remembering all to well my 6:18 start at the Dam Run and total breakdown at the end.  Yerger was already out of sight over the bridge and Howell was dropping me like a bad habit too.  Hit mile 2 in 7:02, so now I had overshot the other way (50 min 12k is 6:42 pace). Wanted to speed up some but I hit the bridge again and any surge attempt got stuffed. Got passed at this point by Mike Ufford, who is always trying to track me down in 5ks.  Race crowd had gotten pretty sparse until I crossed the bridge and got blindsided by the huge 5k start. Luckily Ken Lowden was there to keep most of the 5kers in their lanes.  Had to do a little maneuvering but managed to get through the crowd and run near the front mid-pack 5kers, Started to recover some from my ridiculous start mile, though was still doing 6:50ish pace. Mile 3 in 6:44, Mile 4 in 6:58.  I did pass Mike back again but Greg was way ahead. Mile 5 was mostly Avenue B hill, just one long slog up a gradual incline. Tried to push it since hills tend to be my strength.  I made it close to the top before Plexico and Anton passed me going back down, having already done the short loop at the turnaround.  I had made up some ground on Greg and another guy ahead of me, but mile 5 was still just a shade under 7 minutes, way off my 49:59 goal.

I was kind of gassed from the hill climb, but there was no way to get my sub 50 continuing this way. Last year I had slacked on the way down the hill and lost too much time, so I really tried to pick it up at this point. Despite being 190 lbs and thus having a lot of gravity to help me on my way down, I just dont run downhills very well. Greg gapped me a little more on the way down, though it was cool to see everybody else coming up and getting some support. Merged into the slower 5kers at the bottom of the hill and onto Gervais, which made it difficult to run the turns efficiently – basically had to swing wide and run right next to the cars on the bridge. Hit mile 6 more on pace at 6:34. Crossed the bridge and really tried to push it up the hill on the other side. Managed to pass the guy in front of me and make up some ground on Greg. At the crest of the hill I knew it was all downhill to the stadium, and it would take a crazy kick to pull a sub 50. Hit mile 7 at 6:37, which gave me a chance. Total redline the rest of the way, even though I was hurting. I could feel my form going all to hell as we turned onto Wheat St in front of the stadium, but the crowd and the stadium was a huge adrenaline boost.  Finally managed to pass Greg in almost the same spot as last week, less than quarter mile from home plate. I had to really start dodging 5kers and made a hard cut into the stadium and made out the clock at 49:30. Pulled a couple of Marcus Lattimore moves on the baseball field, sprinting as hard as I could, and crossed the line in 49:55, 5 seconds to spare. 5:32 pace for the last .49.  Despite my effort, I still didnt come close to placing in my age group. The Code did get 2nd for his 47:52. Plexico won fairly easily. Anton scored an impressive 3rd overall. Amy McDonaugh crushed the female field, not sure of the time but not even in the same zip code as me. Robbie and Tigs both had good returns to form in the 5k, with a 19:3x and 19:4x respectively. Eric A crushed an 18:20 something in the 5k, and Brian Clyburn (Capt of my Palmetto and Blue Ridge relay teams) PR’d with a 20:11. Results should be up shortly. Look at the pics for my beauty at the finish. Classic race face.

Photos by Jen Ward, Janette Robinson

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/Results/11RayTanner.txt

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/121712798