Lexington Race against hunger 10k

Big race in the Columbia area, established for 10 years. 880 entrants. I hadnt had a chance to preview the course because its about 40 minutes from my house. It has been billed as pretty tough with lots of hills. I hadnt run a road 10k since late summer last year, PR was set on a flat to downhill course at 45:05. No idea how this would turn out. I know my fitness had improved substantially but the course description and reputation was scaring me. Its an out and back course with two loops into neighborhoods off the main highway. Basically first mile and last 1.2 are fairly flat. The middle 4 miles are up and down big hills. I had planned to go out in 7:00 pace the first mile and see what happened. This is the second race for the crazy blue super light racer shoes.

First mile felt pretty good, I was fighting the urge to go faster as the 7 minute pace felt leisurely compared to the sub 20 attempt 5k last week. Did some maneuvering through the crowd and settled in with a few friends that had also agreed on the 7 min pace. Hit the first mile right on schedule at 6:57. Right at the mile point started the crazy hills. Constant rolling the whole 2nd mile with an apparent net decline in the last quarter. This inspired fear, because I knew we would have to make up the decline at some point. Sure enough, at 1.9 came a monster hill, long and steep. I was starting to get pretty winded, and looking at my 2nd mile split told me why – 6:38. Way too fast. Slowed down some to get my breath back and to stay with my plan. Next mile was just more of the same, big hills that were hard to make up on the decline because of the steepness. Splits were 7:15 and 7:32 for the next two miles. Seeing the 7:32 apparently lit a fire somewhere because I was getting mad at myself for hemorraging so much time. At this point the hills started to even out more as we prepared to get back on the flat section. With this in mind I just decided to go for it. Picked up the pace to just below 5kish, got back some seconds on the 5th mile with a 6:53 split. I felt a great second wind at this point for some reason – maybe because I knew the hills were over and was totally warmed up (race temps in the 30’s -low 40’s). Ramped up the pace further and started flying, passed several people. The sense of speed was magnified by a lane of 5k walkers  parallel to the 10k course. Felt fantastic at this point, hit the 6 mile at 6:36 and kept it up the last 0.2.

Finished in 43:19, PR by 1 minute and 46 seconds! No age group placement though – 3rd was 39 minutes and change. Very competitive race. Just an awesome feeling at the end. Hope I can continue the hot streak! I’ll post the results when they come out.

…Results just got posted:
http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10LRAH.txt

A second faster than I remembered – woo hoo. Still only placed 34th in a super competitive race.

Race Judicata

Almost skipped this one today with a head and chest cold still wreaking its havoc. Absolutely beautiful today in Columbia – low 60’s and sunny with a nice late race time of 10 am. The course was mostly flat, some small rolling inclines. Pretty good turnout today,about 150 people. I did two separate 1 mile warmups, did not feel particularly good on the first but the second seemed better after I shed the warmup sweats and put on my new racing shoes (Adidas Adizero Adios). Decided at the last minute to give it a full effort, as I had been contemplating making it a tempo with the junk still in my lungs.

The first half mile of this race felt like crap, my lungs were trying to get rid of some gunk, and finally at about the half mile point I was able to cough a good bit of it out. Yummy. After that I felt MUCH better, and I was no longer coughing. Legs felt surprisingly good. I dont know whether it was psychological, but the light racers certainly make you feel faster.  I hit the first mile at 6:25 and decided to really give mile 2 a good go, as I have a habit of letting up too much in that mile. I killed the first half of mile 2 , lost one of my friends pacing with me and passed a ton of people. The last part of the mile was the first time I started breathing hard, but the legs were still with me. Hit the second mile in 6:27. After seeing the split, I basically decided to go all out, as hard as I could, because the carrot of the sub-20 5k has been killing me for months. This was my first realistic chance after 2 miles to get it. I was definitely starting to hurt at this point, but i kept telling myself it was only 1.1 left. It was just me and the course for mile 3 – there was a small group ahead of me but no one around me. There was definitely some rough going during that mile, but I kept the thought of that 19:xx on the clock to keep me going. I turned the last corner and there was about a half mile of straightaway to the finish. I could not make out the clock but the sight of the finish line was an incredible motivator. At the last cross street before the finish, I could make out 19:37 or so. I was absolutely cashed at this point but threw every last bit of energy into a finishing kick. Crossed the line in 19:58 with a feeling of overwhelming relief and joy. I established the sub 20 goal in the middle of  ’09, and had a hard time with a plateau in the 21’s, but finally things are starting to break through again.
Today is a good day!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10RaceJ3.txt

Race for the Place 5k

First 5k of 2010, seemingly attended by most of the competitive runners in Columbia. My first 5k since a disaster of a sub 20 attempt on 12/26/09 (finished in 20:53 but felt absolutely terrible).  Temps were right around 40 degrees and cloudy. I showed up an hour ahead of the 8:30 start and decided to jog the whole course. My mileage has been consistently in the 30’s for over a month, so I felt comfortable doing this as a warmup. Jogged it in about 28 minutes, felt good.

Since there were a lot of familiar faces around, it made it easy to assess my approximate pace at any point in time. I went out pretty fast with the gun, and I was amazed how crowded it was at low 6 pace the whole first mile. This race was even more competitive than I thought. I ran close to two friends of mine, one almost with the same 5k times, the other about 30 seconds slower. The course was slightly rolling but mostly flat, with no real hills to change your pace much. Hit the first mile in 6:15 by a volunteer’s watch, but my Garmin had it at 6:22, which seemed more accurate. I was excited to be at sub 20 pace and tried to keep it up. At about 1.5 miles in I started struggling a little bit keeping a good rhythm to my breathing and pace, so I might of backed off a little. I got passed by 2 guys, but I was able to maintain their pace behind them and not get gapped. Hit mile 2 at 13 minutes flat, a 6:47 Garmin split. I was pretty bummed with this. Tried to push it in the last mile. I did feel better for the first half of mile 3 as I finally got into a good rhythm. I ended up leaving the two frinds I was running with behind and stayed with a group ahead of me. Those guys started to die towards the end but were persistent on holding their position. I got kind of boxed in and didnt have the strength myself to go around them. At 3 miles I was definitely sub 20 but I couldnt see the clock. Rounded a turn with about maybe 30 meters to go and saw the clock at about 20:10ish. Dissapointed with that, but pushed it as much as I could behind the pack in front of me, which limited me a little. I dont have the official time yet but it was right at about 20:20, which is still a PR!  Unfortunately the field was so strong that the 30-34 group 3rd place was around mid 19’s. Oh well, I’ll be 35 on March 3, so maybe that will help some. I am happy with the time, though getting closer to sub 20 makes it even more agonizing not to get it. Plus, I would at least hope to get some age group schwag for my efforts, but when all the studs show up, it makes it difficult.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10PLACE.TXT

Red Nose Run 10k

This race was supposed to have 450+ runners, and is featured on the “Tour de Columbia” race series (Columbia area) as well as the “Palmetto Grand Prix” (all of SC). Columbia is /was right on the edge of the huge winter storm that hit the South this weekend. With race temps hovering right at 32 degrees, and a steady hard rain falling, turnout was about 160 total for the 10k and 5k combined. Looking around this am, there were a lot of familiar faces, as these conditions certainly left only the hardcore showing up. I raced the 10k knowing the 800 meter bear of a hill in the beginning, as well as several inclines throughout, made a PR unlikely in the 5k. I have a lot of room to improve in the 10k and havent run a road 10k since October.

My original goal was 7 minute pace, but that would be really tough with the conditions. Race started at 8 am sharp. So on time the two cop cars leading the race were caught snoozing, myself and the first half of the crowd had to weave between them. Unfortunately the lead group turned one block early and left the course about a tenth short. It sucked right off the bat any PR attempts wer off, but the weather was so painful it was hard to think of anything else. The first mile was mostly up a steep incline, steady wind, hard rain and bitter cold. I got soaked despite my 2 tech shirts and a running jacket (which I won for 1st in 30-34 on the Tour de Columbia for ’09 – woo hoo). My face was really hurting, and I wished I could have had a ski mask on.  Hit the first mile in 7:33, which wasnt so bad given the conditions and the fact I hadnt even been able to warm up before hand.

I started to feel much better about the middle of the third mile. My 2nd split was 7:21. Slowly started to pick up the pace as I warmed up and thankfully the rain let up quite a bit. A guy flew past me near the third mile marker – a friend caught up to me and told me it was one of the best runners in the state who got to the line a few minutes late. He passed me like I was standing still – most if been around 5 minute pace. Third mile in 7:19. Passed by the arena again for the second half of the race, wishing I had done the 5k because of the cold but still feeling really good.  On the 4th mile, we went across a lengthy bridge and incline section which exposed me more to the chilling wind, which was rough. My shoes were soaked through at this point too. 7:26 split for that mile. Caught up to a couple of guys in the fifth mile and felt i could probably kick it in with 1.2 to go. Mile 5 was almost the same as 4 with a split of 7:25. The first of mile 5 was back over a parallel bridge and then up a long incline, which I was able to handle pretty well – I was finally warmed up by this point.  It was hard to judge pace during this stretch. I was literally all alone. I saw one guy 1/2 mile ahead of me and heard nothing behind me (I never look back!). Turned the corner for the last 800 meters and I put it into overdrive, as I could see the clock at the end of a very long straightaway. Hit 6 miles at 7:12 and did 6:40 pace the rest of the way. Finished in 44:50. I had a 6.12 on my Garmin, so probably about a tenth short due to the block being cut off in the beginning. Still, I felt it was a good race and I loved finishing strong. Looking back, I definitely left something on the course – just felt too good at the end. Ended up 18th overall in a strong field. I would have placed top 3 in every age group except for mine, where somehow I was the 6th 30-34 runner to finish. Oh well, it was nice to see all the die-hards out there and to complete a tough race.  Looking forward to my 5k next week, where I hope temps will be more SC-like, as in 50’s-60’s.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10RNR.txt

I ran a 10k trail race called the Resolution Run on 1/2/10. Temps in the 30’s and windy, which made it rough. Rolling terrain, mostly single track. I ran about a mile to warm up and almost missed the start because my Garmin had lost its battery power (forgot to charge it). About a 100 runners. Started out pretty fast given the conditions, around 7 minutes. I felt pretty bad from the start, dont know if it was the weather or burnout from ramping up my mileage in December. I hit a major snag in mile 2 where I tripped over a root and nearly did a face plant. I managed to maintain my footing but it probably would have been better to have dropped and rolled. My shoelace came undone and I had to stop and try to tie it up with gloves, so I lost a ton of time and position in the race. I tried to catch up but felt like total crap going into a hilly area of the course. I think my pace probably went over 8 minutes at this point, just totally winded. After the hilly area I started to feel better – and eventually was able to pick up the pace a bit. I passed two of the guys that overtook me after the near fall/shoelace fiasco. Hit the 4 mile mark at about 32 minutes, which was tough for me to hear but indicative of how I felt most of the first 3 miles. The constant turning and convolution of the trail made a good pace impossible, but I had hoped for faster than that. I really started pushing it the next mile and hit 5 miles at just over 39 minutes. The trail opened up to a wide firebreak section and I started to see the pack I had been leading before I had to stop. I tried to catch up with them and almost caught their last straggler just as we reached the finish chute. Managed 49:16, which I was OK with given that I was ready to throw in the towel midway through the 3rd mile. The trail certainly made it impossible to compare to road times too. Finished in 35th place and 8th in my AG – yikes. I’m taking a few days off, probably 3, to try and regain some spring in these legs. Looking at a St Pattys Day 5k race in March to make my next sub 20 attempt.

http://sc.milesplit.us/meets/61827/results/110599

Cold Winters Day 5k  12/26

This is one of the most competitive 5ks in the state, and usually draws 400+ runners, most of them actually racing instead of the ton of walkers the back of most local races. This was my last chance at breaking 20 minutes for 2009. This would be a long shot, but I hoped to PR – the course has no major hills. I got there pretty early and did about 1.5 miles of warmup, as the race temps were in the high 30’s (which is cold for us in the Carolinas!). Everyone that I’ve met through running was there, as this is kind of the “crown jewel” of the Tour de Columbia road racing series. I had ramped up my weekly mileage to 34 miles the week prior, then dialed it back this past week and took 2 days off before the race to give it my best effort. I have been hampered by a virus this week but managed to run through it. I felt OK on race morning.

I managed to get up to the third line of runners at the start, and with the gun there was a pretty crazy rush over the first 100 meters. I was weaving and just trying to keep from tripping. I settled into a quick pace at about a quarter mile. My goal was to bank about 10 seconds or so in the first mile (which was mostly downhill) in my sub 20 quest, This meant about 6:17ish pace. After the first half mile, I knew there was trouble – feeling way too winded for this point in the race. I didnt think I was slowing the pace, but as I approached the 1 mile clock, I realized I was losing seconds, not banking them – had about a 6:36 split. Plus all the inclines are on the last 2 miles. I didnt give up hope of the sub 20 until I reached the 2 mile mark, where I was really sucking wind and saw about a 13:20 on the clock (6:46 split). The last 1.1  was mostly mental, as I had zero left in the tank. I knew the sub 20 and the PR were done, so my main drive was to finish ahead of some of my friends who I knew would love to beat me! This race actually had a 3 mile clock, so I saw the 19:59 disappear at that point, and it was about 20:15 at the point I reached it (6:55 split) . I gave it all I had the last 0.1, and luckily it was a pretty sharp downhill at that point. I crossed the finish at 20:53.

I hate to say I was dissappointed, but I was, as I had convinced myself I could pull the sub 20. I’m not sure what happened, but I felt terrible in this race – couldnt wait for it to end. Breathing way too hard and had no spring in the legs.  May have been too fast of a start or some lingering effect of being sick, or just not my day. Looking back though, it was 3:06 faster than my time in the same race last year (my first race back after a year of shin splints and fourth race ever). I placed 5th in my age group and 51st overall, which is not bad considering the quality of competition. I also earned another point in Tour de Columbia and finished as the 30-34  age group winner for 2009. True, I competed in 17 more races than the #2, but I’ll take it!

http://www.colarunclub.com/RaceResults09/09Cold.txt

Fitness Zone Jingle Bell 5k

I was targeting this race 2 weeks before my years end 5k to try and bring down my PR within ballpark range of the sub 20. About 120 people today, 8 am start, mid to upper 30’s at race time. I like the cold, but this was a little chilly for my liking as far as running is concerned. This was billed as a pretty flat course. Basically a rectangle with a small hill at the turnaround section. One of my friends who runs low 21’s was there, so he told me he was going to try and hold my pace.

The first mile was entirely flat, and I tried to push the pace after getting caught up in the initial rush. I passed about 5-6 people, though an older guy who was already huffing and puffing blew by me. I figured he would crash soon. I hit the first mile in 6:32, which I wasnt real pleased with, because I usually try to go out super fast and hang on. I was hoping below the magic pace of 6:27, which I’m sure Troy, RAN, jalaughlin, and MDR are aware is the 20 minute barrier. THe second mile included the turnaround section and “the hill” which was really a very short incline. It was over before I got too winded. I was told the rest of the course was flat, so I tried to push the pace after I got a 6:40 reading for my second mile. Old noisy guy was still well ahead of me. I felt my friend start to lag behind, but I was trying too hard to look back.  PLus, the course was mostly open, and you still had to deal with a few passing cars, despite the rural town setting. This is when I started to actually feel better – I think I had finally acclimated to the cold and was warmed up enough (I only did a half mile before the race). By the last half mile I the accelerator was pretty much to the floor. I started to catch up with a high school kid, but the old guy was a total machine and holding his ground. Hit the 3 mile mark at 6:23 pace, which I didnt see until the race ended.  The course was certified, but Garmin had it at 3.16. I rounded the last little turn into the parking lot and saw 20:03, so I gave it everything and crossed the line at 20:27,- a fraction behind the high school kid.  New PR by 15 seconds! Finished 6th overall and 2nd in age group. A coffee cup and a patch were the rewards – not bad. Old guy – actually only 54, but he looked older all bundled up, clocked a 19:58. My friend finished 3rd in our age group, at 21:25.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/09Fitness.txt

Jingle All the Way 5k

This is a 5k that is usually well attended  and kicks off the Christmas parade in front of the State House in Columbia. About 300+ runners. I looked at the course which included a huge hill at about 1.25 miles in . Race temps were in the mid 40’s, windy, with a chance of rain. I lined up 2nd row behind the singlet and racer shoe types. The pace right from the start felt pretty fast. There were crowds all through the first mile cheering and screaming, so this probably added to the adrenaline. I found a comfortable pace about a half mile into the race, and felt the pack thinning considerably. There was a long downhill stretch followed by a turn at the  bottom, and my Garmin informs me of a 6:08 pace.

I was a little panicked at this point, because I figured this meant a bonk was in my near future, especially with the monster hill looming around the bend. To add to my trouble, my shoelaces on my left foot were completely undone, and my car key was in the laces of that shoe. I slowed a bit and hit the hill, which was rough. I dont know what my pace fell to, but it was probably in 8 minute territory. Luckily the hill was only about a quarter mile. I reached the top breatheing pretty hard but relieved the worst was over. Unfortunately, my shoelaces were now so loose that my key broke free and was flopping around my legs. I had to stop and almost rip my laces to free my key, and just held it in my hand the rest of the way. This took several pulls at a complete stop, and probably cost me about 10 seconds minimum. I was very surprised that no one passed me during this debacle – the hill had claimed quite a few people apparently.

The rest of the course had some slight inclines but nothing too bad. I hit mile 2 in 6:56, which wasnt too bad given the hill and the stop. I was pretty gassed by the 2 mile mark, but I felt myself steadily closing in on a 4 person pack  ahead of me. I started pushing it a bit as we neared the last half mile. Hit the 3 mile mark at a 6:50 split and put on the afterburners. I passed all but one of the group. However, a ripped black guy built like a sprinter blew by me in the last 100 meters. I saw the clock at about 20:40 but I could not muster a sprint with the way I was breathing. I hit the finish at 21:05. I thought the guy who passed me was in my age group, but checking the computer results showed he was 35, which I think he may of turned in the last month (the guy is known to me from other races). Anyway, I finished in about 14th place and 3rd in my age group, which netted me a nice medal. I knew this was the best outcome because I knew 2 other guys in my AG were there, and they run about 18 minutes. I was OK with the time, considering the huge hill and the stop. I have another 5k next Saturday, which is pretty flat. I’m going to give it my all to lower my PR before my goal race on Dec 26.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/09JINGLE.TXT

I had a chance to run a unique 5k on Tuesday – race was at 7:30 pm at a local state park. This was the first night of their holiday Christmas lights presentation that runs until 12/31, Its run through a very convoluted paved course through the park, with lots of out and back loops. There were more than 500+ people there, many of them just walking the course to see the lights. I was concerned about getting bogged down in the crowds, given the narrow paths and twists and turns. I lined up in the second row behind most of the local high school cross country team. Race weather was about 48 degrees with a light mist – pretty good.

I purposely went out very fast in the first quarter mile to avoid the huge crowd behind me, and it actually felt pretty good. I always feel better in evening races. The course thankfully was well marked with a bunch of volunteers, because with all the twists and turns in the dark, I was afraid of going off course or worse – injured. I hit the first mile in 6:33, which is right where I try to be these days. I thought I did it faster, but I guess slowing down for all the turns and having to avoid others slowed me down a bit. I felt strong throughout the 2nd mile, and was able to keep a strong pace, about 6:38. I was pretty gassed by the last mile, but thankfully it was mostly flat.  I found my form suffering a bit towards the end, and it was hard to see my Garmin to figure out where I was on the course. Mile 3 was in 6:45. Since I only saw my 2nd mile split (too dark to see the others), I thought I might be in low 20 territory. I saw a glimpse of the clock near the finish and read it as 19:xx, so started running like a crazy person, but as I rounded the last turn I realized it was 20 not 19 in the first two numbers. Still finished hard and managed a 20:55. 2nd in age group and 14th overall. I was 5th not counting the high schoolers!
http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/09SLEIGH.TXT

I had my first 8k today. My goal was 7 minute pace, which I felt was doable, though certainly tough. Temp was high 40’s at race time, very little wind. Course was a double loop in a flat neighborhood. I hate double loops but otherwise ideal conditions as far as I’m concerned. 142 runners doing the 8k (there was also a 4k walk/fun run)

I went out in 6:45, which felt really nice, since I had been hitting 6:30 in the first mile for my 5ks. Still running with a fairly large crowd. I tried to maintain this pace, and thought I was doing it until I looked at my split for mile 2 and saw 7:01. The crowd started to thin out some at this point, and I hit the first loop in just under 17:30, which was pretty close to my goal pace. I felt pretty strong coming around the first turn of the second loop. I thought I had stepped it up some, but saw a 6:59 split on the third mile. It was getting difficult to find a steady pace, as by this time I was pretty much on my own – there was a small group pretty far ahead but no one around me. I decided with less than 2 miles to go that I better commence with the suffering, so I picked up the pace. I finished mile 4 at 6:53 pace and was breathing pretty hard, but I had caught up to the small group and passed them. Knowing the end was near, I gave it all I had in the last mile. Passed a few more people, but also got passed myself by a guy pushing a DOUBLE stroller. The dude was a machine, and I just couldnt keep up with him, despite the humiliation. I was able to muster a small kick in the last 100 yards, and just missed going sub-34, finishing in 34:08. My Garmin had 5 miles even, last mile in 6:34. Finished 3rd in my age group but 16th overall. I was very happy with the results, and this was the first time for me to go sub-7 minute pace in a race longer than a 5k. The mile intervals seem to be paying off.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/09SHANDON.TXT