Warmup:
1.2 mile jog around the field
1x2 min at 1/2m pace - 6:29/mile pace, with recovery jog
Race:
Sound to Narrows 12K - 47:45 (6:25/mile)
I'm not sure why I run in this race. It is a local tradition, and I have done it a number of times. It is not possible to run a good time, though. It is a very tough course. The first four miles are very fast, mostly downhill, and the last 3 1/2 miles are mostly uphill. Two years ago I went out too fast the first half, and really payed for it in the second half. The "assault on Vassault" which is the last mile or so of the race, almost entirely up hill on Vassault Blvd, became more like a death march.
So, this year, I held back during the first four miles. Consequently, I was off pace, even with the dowhill advantages, and had no possibility of getting back on pace in the second half. On the other hand, it was nice to be able to truly race the second half, to blow by everyone else and actually push it back up Vassault. Overall the race felt like a hard tempo run, and I only really worked hard on the uphill of the last mile or so. I missed by goal pace by 10s/mile, but I should've had a more appropriate goal given the course, I supposed.
I started with Carl. He was shooting for sub 50 minutes and I was shooting for sub 47, so I should've been way out in front of him. In the first mile we ran together for a few minutes and then he let me go on ahead. However, in the 3rd mile I found myself catching up to him and repassing him. I don't know when he passed me earlier. Then on the next dowhill he went by me again. We yo-yoed through the first four miles before I finally pulled away during the tough uphill 5th mile. I ended up finishing about 2 1/2 minutes ahead of him. I also passed one of the top masters women just before the 4mile mark and beat her by 3 minutes. So that gives an idea of how my pacing went compared to others. Maybe it was a smarter way to run. I still think I probably should've gone a little faster the first 4 miles. Oh well, I did improve by 1 minute over my time 2 years ago, so I guess I can't complain too much. Plus I finished 35th out of 2472, and 2nd in my age division.
Splits:
Mile 1 - 6:00
This mile is all downhill, very fast start. It is not a good way to start in my mind, because you are forced to run fast right from the get go, and my body isn't ready to go sub-race pace so quickly.
2 - 12:28 - 6:28
The downhill continues until 1.4 miles, then the uphills start. There are two short but steep uphills that make this a fairly slow mile. I should've run faster, though. I didn't take enough advantage of the downhills at this point, but I was also to timid on the uphills.
3 - 19:12 - 6:44
The third mile is mostly uphill. It is not terribly steep, but just continuous climbing. I past quite a few runners during this mile, despite not really pushing very hard at all.
4 - 25:31 - 6:19
The fourth mile starts with some more climbing, but once the downhill starts it is very fast from that point on. My Garmin had be at 6:09 for the split, but for some reason the course had the mile marker 10 seconds beyond that.
5 - 32:19 - 6:48
The fifth mile is another tough, slow, mostly uphill mile. It was here that I began to die two years ago. This year I started to take the race more seriously, and began passing other runners in earnest. Still, I held the pace back enough to not kill myself. More than 20 seconds slower than my overall pace, yet I passed several runners and no one passed me. I went back and forth with the 4th place woman, but finally left her at some point.
6 - 38:36 - 6:17
I used this mile to get my breathing back under control, while still moving up on the last pack that was within my range. There were about 6 runners in a row of about 50 meters, and I passed about half of that pack on the dowhills. Before the mile ends we come out of Point Defiance Park, head down a very steep hill, and then up a very steep hill on the other side. I think my pace was down to 6:07/mile at 6.8 miles, and the last climb slowed me to a 6:17. Still, I moved up and passed another runner by the top of the hill.
7 - 45:23 - 6:47
The mile starts with a short reprieve from the steep hill at the end of the last mile. Then comes the "assault on Vassault". This is one long continuous hill that is about a mile long, taking you from 6.2 to 7.2 miles. There are two steep sections early on, and then the rest of the hill is more gradual. I ran the hill correctly this time, easing back on the two steep sections, catching my breath, and then accelarating the rest of the way up the hill, and through to the finish line. Unfortunately, there was only one more runner ahead of me before a long gap that was just too insurmountable with the hill and the distance left in the race. I waited until clearing the 2nd steep hill before passed the one runner, and then charged after the next pack, but didn't really gain much on them.
7.45 - 47:45 - 2:22 (5:15.5/mile pace!)
The last .45 miles starts with some hill on Vassault still, but once you get to the top you turn left and it is downhill for another .2 miles to the finish. I finished about 20 seconds behind the next pack of runners, didn't gain much on them. As I sprinted towards the finish I was getting that nauseated feeling I love so much at the end of races with hills :) The finish clock must've been off, because it said I was at 48:15, but the official results say 47:45. I forgot to stop my watch, so can't go by that. So, I will go by the official results.
That's all I have to say about that. Here's the link to the course.
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