my makeup may be flaking

Although I broke 5k on the track last year, that was at an untimed all-comers meet.

I've had quite a few race performances that indicate sub 17 ability: the 17:23 in terrible conditions, my 35:16 10k, 27:42 8k, 9:34 3k, 17:05 at altitude. However, my workouts just haven't quite been there.

I resolved to go out hard in this race and hang on, which is not a very smart strategy but I though it would work for going sub 17 with my current fitness. I ran with Ari Schorr and Lance Thompson, two Club Northwest guys that said they were going to hit 5:15 for the mile. I was a little behind them at the mile and I got there in 5:13. I was really straining to stay with them as we had a nice group of about 4 but I just couldn't hack it. I just kind of died after that running 5:33 for mile 2 and then 5:35 for the last 1.107. Those splits aren't as bad they sound due to the terrain, but I definitely fell off the pace.

When I saw the clock at the finish line I strained real hard to get to the finish and I didn't think I had it until I saw the results just now. The finish of this race is about a 500-600m uphill into the sun (yikes).

After I was done I felt a little woozy, but still managed to cooldown with a few club northwest guys.

For anyone keeping score, that's 3 PRs in 3 races. It's especially encouraging that this race was run in far from ideal circumstances. I think that on the track, with fresh legs, I could take off a few more seconds.

14.1 Miles including 4 by 2 miles with .8 miles recovery in between.

11:49 (5:56, 5:53), 7:09 recovery

11:34 (5:47, 5:47), 7:33 recovery

11:35 (5:49, 5:46), 8:30 recovery

11:34 (5:49, 5:45)

AM 9.6 Short track workout

1600-800-400 w/ 90 seconds rest 5:38, 2:43, 74

4 by piano in 33.8, 31.1, 30.9, 31.2

PM 2.9

AM 6.4

4.34 mile tempo run on ship canal trail in 25:36 (5:54 pace). Although faster than last time, I gradually slowed down, possibly explained by a head wind the last two segments. However, it felt very difficult. Not sure I'm ready for a sub 6 minute pace half marathon. I think I may be in for a repeat of the Birmingham Half from last year.

PM 2.9 

Serious taper mode now.

That's 4 straight PRs! Given the difficulty of the course, I doubt I could have done much better.

Mile 1 6:20 (5:43 adjusted)

First mile had a ton of uphill. I knew that it would be slow ahead of time so I kept it pretty easy. Still, it ended up being faster than I needed. A ton of people around. I started running with someone in red singlet and a guy in a shirt that said "Elite runners and Sophie".

Mile 2 5:42 (6:01), 12:02 (1:18:42 projected finish)

In the second mile we lost pretty much all of the elevation gain from the first mile. Pretty steep downhill and I relaxed a ton. The two guys I was with took off, along with the lead woman. I ran with the 2nd and 3rd place women going down. This mile ended up being slower than I needed and I was behind goal pace.

Mile 3 5:56 (5:50), 17:58 (1:18:38)

I resolved to stay with the two women that I was with and so just followed them. We caught up to the 3 that had surged on the downhill. Another guy joined us and we formed a pack of 7 strong. I think we were places 9-16 in the half at that point. There were also two marathoners ahead of us.  At about mile 2.7 we took a hard right and hit about a 100m hill with about an 8% grade. That destroyed the pack, so I just stuck with the two lead women, now in spots 9-12.

Mile 4 6:03 (5:54), 24:01 (1:18:49)

The women slowed down ever so slightly, but I needed to speed up so I dropped them. Reach 5k in 18:37 in 9th place. I could see 8th place about ten seconds ahead. I could also see the 2nd place marathoner about 20 seconds up. Finally, the 6/7 place guys were about 30 seconds ahead. I couldn't see anyone else. This mile was one of my slowest miles and also the only one I ran alone.

Mile 5 5:55 (5:56) 29:56 (1:19:01)

I caught up to the 8th place guy (Simon Ong) just as I caught from behind by Allen OConnor. Both of these runners had crossed the start line after me so there were actually several seconds in front by chip time but I didn't know. I picked up the pace again, thanks largely to a flattening out of the course. My legs were starting to show the first signs of fatigue. This mile had the strongest headwind of the race.

Mile 6 5:56 (5:55) 35:52 (1:19:07)

Still running into the slight headwind. My legs were holding steady. I told myself that if I could make it through this mile I'd be over halfway, so fatigue was fine. At south lake union there was a machine setup that allowed you to give high fives to a bunch of diembodied hands. If you do then someone will donate some money to charity. Anyway, these things really hurt a ton. I would not recommend anyone doing that.

Mile 7 5:54 (5:37) 41:46 (1:18:37)

Now we turned back north again and had the wind at our backs. This had been my pre-determined point to surge and it worked out well. The 2nd place marathoner was coming back to us so I used him as a target. Hit 10k in 37:06 still leading a tight pack of 3. 7th place was only 15 seconds ahead at 10k, but had apparently also chosen that spot to surge as he started getting further away. 6th place was 45 seconds ahead. Top 5 were out of sight. This mile had the most significant climb since mile 1 and Allen surged by me. He clearly had the same idea about picking up the intensity. I tucked in behind for a few blocks and then took over again when we crested the hill.

Mile 8 5:51 (5:50) 47:37 (1:18:36)

Mile 8 was relatively flat and I picked up the pace again. We still had a slight tailwind. I knew that I needed to make these mile count due to the impending doom.

Mile 9 5:53 (5:56) 53:30 (1:18:45)

A switch back to another uphill and  slowed down a little. Allen again took the pace and I stayed right on him. I took over again as we crested yet another hill. I was hoping that this would be one of our fastest splits, but now we had a little headwind again. I was also dry heaving a little in this mile.

Mile 10 6:30 (5:53) 1:00:00 (1:18:46)

Legs very wobbly as I reached the bottom of the hill. Allen passed me again and for the first time gapped me. Hit 15k in 55:26, making for 5k splits of 18:37, 18:29, 18:15. When I saw this it pushed any negative thoughts out of my head. I knew I was behind goal pace but I definitely wasn't tanking. Big problem though, was that we had to climb one of the craziest hills I've ever seen in a major race. Starting off at about a 10-12% grade for 100m, it then kicked up to 20% for the next 100m. There were actually timing mats at the top and bottom to encourage people to race up it, but in typical RNR fashion it doesn't seem like they worked. At the base of the hill I was 6 seconds behind Allen and 7 seconds ahead of Simon. I climbed the hill so slowly that Simon closed the gap completely during those .1 miles. Despite climbing slowly my legs felt like garbage at the top. Somehow I managed to keep them moving and didn't lose any ground. I pushed hard to catch Allen and caught up to him again before the tenth mile.

Mile 11 5:52 (5:44) 1:05:52 (1:18:36)

After a bit of recovery I picked up the intensity again. Allen gave me some words of enouragement as I caught up and we started going back and forth again. I know the end of this course very well as its the same as the seattle half marathon which I have run many times in another life.

Mile 12 5:51 (5:33) 1:11:43 (1:18:15)

My best mile of the race. It climbs once again, but it's the last climb (basically). Allen came up along side and I pointed to the overpass peeking through the trees and said it was the top. I caught and passed the 7th place runner as we crested the last hill and just started to roll down to the finish.

Mile 13.1 6:33 (5:50) 1:18:16  

The last mile was mostly down, but my legs were too trashed to take advantage. Allen surged and was gone. I just kept up the same pace, knowing that there was one final kicker. The last .3 was another climb, much harder than I anticipated. Simon once again passed me having crushed the final mile and I managed to stay on his shoulder to the finish. I also ended up losing to another guy in chip time so I was 10th overall.

Great race. I obviously need to work on my strength as I was not very aerobically challenged but my legs were dead when I was finished. So dead that I couldn't even cooldown. So I walked all the way home.

Splits: 77.1, 78.5, 79.5, 81.1, 82.1, 81.7, 81.1, 36.7

Bit of a rust buster after not doing much for the last 10 days. Pleased with how I could still find a fast pace (5:16 split at 1600). Will be doing mostly track races for the rest of the summer.

AM  9.6 Time to get back into it. Woodland park track attack style. Started with some drills and strides then did 6 by 1200m with 400m jog in between.

Goal was 4:05 (17 flat pace). Not a very ambitious goal but I was wearing my skechers and running on a dirt track. I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach, so I didn't push all that hard until the last one.

4:06.6, 4:06.2, 4:04.1, 4:04.4, 4:04.4, 4:01.9 Avg=4:04.6

4.5 miles total in 24:27.6 (5:26 pace)

I lost the shirt after the second one.

Legs felt great after having four down weeks. Hopefully, I don't feel too much worse when I bump the mileage back to 80.

Afterwards did a couple laps of jogging on the infield and then 4 by piano hill:

36.2, 34.4, 33.2, 32.9

AM 4.34 mile tempo run in 26:21 (6:04 pace). Splits of 8:57, 9:13 and 8:11. Had a hard time getting moving this morning for some reason. Breathing felt very easy, probably could have kept going. 

Splits (approx): 76 (409),75,77,74

Later did the 5k

81.6, 80.0, 81.9, 81.3, 83.0, 83.3, 83.1, 84.2, 84.5, 85.4, 84.2, 83.2, 38.9=17:15

km splits 3:23, 3:24, 3:30, 3:31, 3:27

Unlike last week I had plenty of people to run with. My main focus was the mile, and I just didn't have the nerve to really push it. I could have closed a gap to the group ahead of me about 500m in, but I didn't really go for it.

For the 5k I was tired so I just tried to hold sub 17 pace as long as I could. That turned out to be about 4 laps.

AM 9.3

6 by 400m at Woodland Park track. (1 minute rest between reps)

74.8, 75.6, 75.6, 74.7, 74.1, 73.8

4 by piano hill

35.1, 33.9, 32.9, 32.6

Should probably bump this back up to 8 by 400.

PM 2.9