Race to Robie Creek - 1:25:04 - 6th place
Well, I guess now people in Boise will consider me a "real" runner since I completed the annual Race to Robie Creek. This is called the toughest half marathon in the Northwest. It gains about 2,000' in the first 8.4 miles, then drops down between 1000' and 1500' in 4.7 miles. Most of it is on dirt roads. The day started out kind of chilly and a bit breezy, but in the end, it couldn't have been much better. I got a good spot at the start line, in front of 2,400 people. This race had a lot of former top 10 placers coming back, but no former champions, which was rare. I was hoping for top 5 and/or a sub 1:25 time. Top 3 and sub 1:23 was my ideal goal. Here's the breakdown:
Mile 1: 5:34. Mostly flat mile. Got out well and felt like I was running very easy. 5th place
Mile 2: 6:22 Solid climb up Shaw Mtn. Rd. Eventual race winner Brian Crowl caught me at the end of this mile and we ran together until about 3.5. At about 15-16 minutes in, he told me that if we kept the front runners close, we could catch them on the downhill. Well, he did. I didn't. Good fan support through here, including lots of people I knew.
Mile 3: 5:43 Drop down into Rocky Canyon and the beginning of the 6 mile climb to the summit. Really feeling strong through here.
Mile 4: 6:33 Onto the dirt at mile 3.4. Faster than I expected but feeling good. Passed Tyler Williams, a former 3:45 1500m guy at NAU, at about 3.5. Have gained about 600' by mile 4.
Mile 5: 7:14 In no man's land. Plugging along ok. Brian isn't far ahead, and around most of the curves I can see eventual 2nd and 4th place finishers.
Mile 6: 7:17 (38:45 total time). I'm estatic to see the mile 6 split, which comes at the bottom of the second worst climb of the race.
Mile 7: 7:34 A couple of tough hills in here, and I'm wavering between excitement and feeling like tossing in the towel and walking, depending on the moment. Still in 5th place.
Mile 8: 7:55 There's one tough little hill between 7 and 7.5, but that half mile isn't too bad. At about 7.6 to 8.4 (the summit), I really lost a lot of ground.
Mile 9: 7:59 Ridiculous. I crawled up the last half mile (didn't walk, but may as well have) to the summit and although nobody passed me, when I glanced back, a small pack had made up lots of ground. The first part of the downhill went ok; I got the lactic acid out of my legs and was able to handle the terrain ok. The snow and ice was mostly gone, so the footing was solid.
Mile 10: 5:08 Started to get into a decent rhythm but a bit before mile 10, my calves started to cramp. Very reminiscent of SLC half last year and NYC marathon. Tried to change my stride to compensate but not working. Too bad, because I'm feeling great otherwise. Ate a gel I had taken with me. Didn't have water and it was a bit sticky but I got it down.
Mile 11: 5:29 Got passed by two people as the cramps have hit full force in the calves. Stopped once to rub them out; probably didn't help. Frustrating because I really feel like I could roll as the grade is still dropping, but not as steep as before.
Mile 12: 5:19 One guy is gone, but 6th place is coming back to me. I can't fully push off on the calves, but if I land on my heels and change stride length frequently, I can keep the cramps somewhat manageable.
Last 1.1: 6:57 (I think mile 12 was short) Made some nice surges as the ground leveled out the last mile. Actually felt pretty good, and passed a runner with about a half mile to go.
Overall, I think the race went ok. Obviously the trend of my calves blowing up is a huge issue I need to resolve. I do feel that I could make some changes and run a few minutes faster if I do it again. Having said that, I think this race is a novelty act and I'm not sure I'll run it again. There are a lot of other races that are better organized and don't have the frat party feel.
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