Today I wanted to find my limits on the 5 and 10 K downhill running, and the Alta Peruvian course seemed like the best place for it! So I put on the Hokas and got ready for some stompin fun. The race started off at the eastern end of the paved segment, and I was instantly in front and cranking. I didn't limit things at all, I was going for a record today! Even with only 220 drop I managed to get 4:46 on the first mile - running a bit warm in the legs, but still middle on the breathing. After mile 1 things really get going downhill so I was limited more by the biomechanical resistance than breathing. Mile 2 was 4:48. When mile 3 went by at 4:55 I knew I had a 5k record in the bag! And I got right under 15 flat, so I am calling it 15:00. I can't imagine how people actually go 13 on the flat. I could barely do it running downhill. Of course I wasn't breathing hard at all but I was definitely pushing the legs.
So now it was time for the 10K record. I had hopes of getting in the 29s because the hill was getting steeper, but already I was starting to feel the strain as my next miles were 4:58, 4:55 and 4:55. Good enough for a 1 minute PR (30:20) but not to break 30. My breathing was still fine, but by mile 7 I was starting to feel like I was going to pull a hammie so I had to back off just a little (5:04, 5:18). It didn't help enough as the moment I hit the first less steep down hill and I had to provide thrust instead of braking my legs turned to rubber. Mile 9 dropped to 5:30, and it turns out that I can in fact maintain a sub 5 pace average for 9 miles.
Unfortunately this race was 13 miles.
I tried walking through the aid station at mile 9 and this was a terrible mistake, I did get going again, but on absolutely dead legs that felt wobbly and about to collapse at any moment. I figured as long as I could stay under 1:08 at the end I would be OK, and I was still under 1:06 so I could pull out 30 seconds per mile and still get a HM PR. Ha ha. Mile 10 was 6:16, even though it was 100 feet downhill, and things were getting worse rapidly. Mile 11 has a nasty 50 foot vertical climb - I had to walk it. 7:03, destruction accelerating. Then the course went into a park. Flat. Auuugh! I walked on the FLAT. Still well in front, but somebody is going to catch me. Come on Dave, get going again, it's only 2 more miles. Trudging downhill I was passed during mile 12 as I ran a 6:34. Good grief! Well I'm not going to win now and I feel like it's mile 24 or a marathon so I'll walk a little here. and here. and there. Ow ow ow mile 13 went past at 6:32. I still couldn't see the finish, I hope I didn't take awrong turn. That's OK I am going to go in hard and not care how much it hurts. My mighty effort got me a 6:14 pace at the end for the last .17 and third place was only 6 seconds back :)
So now I know what the top end speed is, I think on Nebo I'll do 5:05s and feel much better at the end :)
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