The Long Run

Deseret News Half Marathon - 1:41:48  2nd Age Group (55-59)

Perfect race for testing my fitness and downhill legs, plus since running the full marathon here in 2010 have been wanting to come back each year.  I've been getting close to signing up for a "last chance" to qualifiy for Boston and was thinking about Big Cottonwood in September.

Weather forecast during the week was not looking so good with heat advisory warnings and based on some forecasts showing a low as high as 79 degrees (but for Salt Lake City, but not sure how much the extra elevation would buy me).

I kept my full training schedule of running including a long run on Saturday, no taper for this race. I knew that could affect my time but hopefully by not that much.

First goal, make it to the start line.  My hotel was just a couple miles from the buses, got there in plenty of time and made it to the start line with almost an hour to spare.  Warmed up with some easy jogging and a couple of strides.  My garmin watch decided to tell me that I'm now acclimated to 2632 feet, wasn't sure if that was helpful or not.  Fortunately, I know there altitude doesn't bother me on the downhill and there would hardly be any uphill on this course.

Miles 1-4, a little harder than I thought (7:49, 7:36, 7:41, 7:45)

I was right in front of the 1:35 pacer at the start, let him go by me.  Thought with the downhill and excitement I'd have to slow myself to keep from going too fast.  Nope.  Looked at my pace, around 8:00, slowly picked it up.  Thought I'd take it easy until fully warmed up but thought should do at least 7:45.  Going into this race, I thougth if I felt good and locked into a pace that was "too fast" I'd just hold onto it as long as I could.  Instead I was putting into some effort just to make sure I'd be under 8:00 pace for the race.

The 1:35 pacer was now way ahead and just ahead of me now was the 1:45 pacer with a small group running around and behind her.  I wasn't sure the pacing strategy, what was correct?  I figured I'd wait a little but at the very least for now I'd follow along.

Miles 5-7 , good times! (7:36, 7:31, 7:32)

I think sometime around mile 4 or so there was a water stop, the 1:45 group kind of evaporated and it was just me running near the pacer.  Then suddenly I felt better, maybe there was something in the water.  I started running faster and it felt easier.  I was cruising to an average pace that could take me under 1:40

Miles 8-10 , lows and high (8:02, 7:26, 8:06)

And just like that the good times were over.  All of the sudden the race felt like it was over.  Going into the race was not at all worried about mile 8, but I should've have a plan for it.  On paper, it's another downhill mile with net 60ish feet of downhill, but it flattens out and there's a little stretch of uphill, this is all after running 7 miles of downhill.  But, then the course starts dropping again and suddenly I felt the best I did all race, now I can just hammer it home!  Mile 9 was my fastest but the momentum did not carry through mile 10, slowed down again to my slowest mile.

The watch can't make you run faster and maybe it's better not to look at all, but I had my watch on average pace.  Maybe lap pace would've been better and maybe I could've given myself a psychological boost if I'd rallied and run mile 8 at 7:59, and maybe I could've stayed under again for mile 10.

Although mile 10 was slower I knew I could at least keep my overall average under 8:00.

5k to go 11-13.1  (7:46, 7:49, 8:03, 0.15@7:07)

Miles 11 and 12 I was sort of hanging on but doing ok, not losing any ground on the sub-8:00 goal.  I should've been more pumped up for the 1 mile to go and in hindsight wondered if I had lap pace would mile 13 be sub 8:00?  Going into the race, mile 13 was the only one I had worried about as the only mile with net uphill (although such a small net uphill it's really just flat.  On the other hand, with mile 13 done and on the final straight stretch, pace didn't matter.  I could see the clock still had 1:41 and I could make it in before it hit 1:42

Shortly after finishing got a congratulations text and found out I was second place age group (turns out first place was only about 25 seconds faster).  I hadn't even considered age group.

As a predictor race, 3:35 marathon is within the realm of possibility.  As for the downhill, legs held up ok and I reeducated myself on the feeling of running flat and/or a little uphill after running downhill - "the monster" that can appear 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the run.   I didn't crush the run, so certainly not overconfident, but I didn't bomb it either, it was a pretty good race and of course the scenery was amazing and running along the parade route was great too.

2.68@10:57  HR  117 bpm

Ease back into it.  Flight delayed last night, in bed by 1:15.  Glutes a bit sore but quads good.  One smaller loop inside Westlake Village

AM 5.12@10:53  HR   125 bpm

Farther than yesterday and just a little bit faster.  Out and back from my house onto Starkey Gap Trail south.

Andy rode with me to work. Truck died, transmission quit, after almost making it to 20 years time for a new vehicle.

PM  3.33@10:48  HR 126 bpm

I ran the humpday hustle 3 mile route by myself.  Although no one else showed up I had to be in the area to drop Andy off after work so figured why not.  Easy paced run/walk

5.05@10:05    HR 127 bpm

It felt a lot cooler this morning even though 78 degrees with feels like of 83.  Earlyish morning just before dawn run, two loops inside Westlake Village before Jessica had to go to work.

14.62@8:19

Workout/long run, 2 x 5 miles @ goal marathon pace.  Missed my plan start time by about 45 minutes, which really should've been 30 minutes before that to catch the dawn.  But fortunately, for end of July in Florida, 75 degrees and some cloud cover was as good as it gets.  

2 mile warmup from my house to SR54 and the corner of Starkey Blvd, 5 miles takes me up Starkey Blvd and into the park a little over a half mile.  Shortly into the first 5 miles  I stopped for some reason, don't remember exactly why, got going again and finished off the first 5 miles with splits: 7:56, 7:52, 7:43, 7:46, 7:55

5 minute jog with about 4 minutes farther into the park before turning around for the last minute.  Took a PowerBar hydrogel.  Got going again, did just over a mile and stopped again.  Ok, so not the perfect workout, but don't scrap it , just do the best you can so got going again with plans of running the remainder straight through, but didn't, one more stop.  I hate doing that, but still it's time on feet and all that.   Partially out of frustration I went way faster on the last mile which was good and bad, still had plenty in the tank, good, but also bad that I didn't just stick to a steady pace that I could hold.

2nd 5 mile splits: 7:57,  7:52, 7:50, 7:46, 7:18

This workout was part of a plan but its been modified this week, was supposed to be Monday - workout, tues - easy, wed - easy, thu - easy, fri - off/cross train, Sat (today's workout), Sun - 8-10 easy

But  with weekend stuff going on, moved Saturday's run to today on a week where Monday was a race

8.13@9:43  HR 132 bpm

Did the long run yesterday, today schedule called for 8-10 miles, earlyish start at about 7:00 am, somewhat comfortable weather for Florida summer.

A couple of full loops around Westlake Village and then one shorter loop.

Got on the road (a little later than planned) to head up to north GA to spend a few days at the camp where Jessica's kids go and for her to work a few days as camp nurse and where I'd attempt to do some remote work and the little one would attempt to do camp activities with the other "day campers" (children of staff too young to sleep in the cabins).   

Drive was pretty good until we hit some Atlanta traffic, maybe 15-20 minute delay, check engine light went on.  Booked a room at Amicalola Lodge, much cheeper than staying in Helen (camp checkin not until Sunday).  Checked into the lodge, then tried to move the car but battery dead.  Waited a bit, turned off all accessories and fortunately got one turnover.  Got lucky again the next morning, able to drop Jess off at camp and I got a new battery before joining back with her.   Were going to hang out a little more at the lodge if the battery wasn't an issue and I was going to tackle the 415 steps to get to the bottom of the falls (also is part of the course on the GA Death Race).