The Long Run

Sea Dog Brewery 5K Race Report

I had pretty good luck running a 5k one week after the Utah Valley Marathon so decided to try again.  So, there is a fun local race called the Sea Dog Brewery 5k which allows dogs and has catagories for small breed and large breed, but people without dogs are allowed to run also.

Race started in the Sea Dog Brewery parking lot (which is next to American Running Company that puts on the race) and heads away from US 19 on an out and back course with a big loop through a neighborhood.  The race starts and just a few feet into it, the guy in front of me drops his phone.  I see that people are going around him safely so I continue on and catch up to the pack.  For about the first half mile there are two dogs on leashes keeping up.   One of the dogs really wanted to go faster based on the gasping noise he was making from straining against the leash.  I had been running at about a 6:05 pace but then slowed down a little bit once the crowd thinned out and we made the first turn.  But, fortunately I didn't slow down that much and finished the first mile in 6:21.

Second mile was pretty steady but I lost a little more pace.  Toward the end of it young lady is running next to me for a bit.  I start to pull ahead a little bit until she catches up again and slowly paces me.  I finish the second mile in 6:25 - ok, still sub 20:00 pace.  

Into the third mile we are well on our way back, out of the neighborhood and heading down the main road.  The girl that passed me is running near a guy, still within sight but too far to catch.  I see them round the corner and lose sight for a second or two.  Nearing the parking lot I finish the third mile in 6:20 - this is my first time in quite some time where my third mile of the 5k is the fastest one.  I can see the inflated finishing arch but the course loops around the parking lot for a bit to get in the last about 0.1 miles.  Turning the very last corner in the parking lot I can see 19:17 on the finish clock so I give it all I've got to try and get under 19:30.  The clock seems to tick in slow motion but I just miss it but come pretty close with a 2016 PR of 19:33 (last time I ran faster was fall of 2014 for 19:18 at Little-Markou 5k).

So, the girl I was chasing finished in 19:03 and was the first place female overall winner and she was 2 seconds behind a guy that finished in 19:01 and was the first place masters winner.  Maybe next time I can be that guy.

Splits: 6:21, 6:25, 6:20, 0.1@5:13

Lots of good food and drink after the race but I didn't hang out too long because it was time to head home to make the cinnamon rolls for the boys (and then work on the fence).

8.47 mi, 1:17:31, 9:09 avg, HR 128 avg, 139 max

Nice run on Starkey Blvd bike trail with the Striders, starting from Longleaf at 5:30ish start.  Good paces for heart rate training with first mile a little faster than usual warm up first mile - 9:28, then three miles under 9:00, one just over 9:00 and the rest started to get a little slower in order for me to stay in the heart rate zone.  Going to stick with this a while longer especially while I can still see some improvements.

6.26 mi, 1:01:15, 9:47 avg, HR 115 avg, 131 max

Rainy run with Joe and Jamie in the neighborhood - ranging from light sprinkle to medium drizzle but ending altogether toward the end of the run.  Felt good with easy pace feeling easy.

7.02 mi, 1:06:18, 9:26 avg

Ran with Jamie in the neighborhood.  Started almost 8:00 because of the supposed world-ending torrential rain we were supposed to get.  Pretty sure it wasn't coming (not until the next day).  It was actually eerily calm.  Easy conversational pace and no heart rate monitor to look at.

4.17 mi, 38:17, 9:11 avg, HR 126 avg, 134 max

Out and back run from my house, past the golf course to the last neighborhood before getting to Trinity Blvd.  A few wind gusts and sprinkles but mostly no rain.   Big puddle on the little golf course hill I usually run when going to the water fountain.  Some guys were unclogging the drain.  A few branches were down here and there but other than that everything looked ok despite the very heavy rains and strong winds.  Even though we missed the eye of Hermine, the bands were pretty serious.

Run was pretty evenly paced with miles ranging between 9:30 (first) and 9:01 (second).

Tomorrow will be 46 miles of the Pinellas Trail Challenge (which hopefully won't be too flooded).

Pinellas Trail Challenge Race Report

I had two main goals for this race :

1.  Run a steady pace throughout 
2.  Pace Jamie (her first ultra) and Joe as far as I could

Weather was much better than two years ago.  The temperatures at the starting line and humidity felt exactly the same but the day would never get out of the 80's and for the most part there was cloud cover as well as a good 30 minutes of heavy rain.

The starting area of the PTC has such a relaxed feeling (as do many ultra marathons) and includes all ages from young 20-somethings to lots of men and women in 40's and 50's, a few in their 60's and this years youngest finisher at 16 years of age.  It's all fun and games for the first mile until you realize there are 45 more to go!  Actually, the first mile has the biggest single mile elevavtion change as it travels from near the waterfront heads inland past Tropicana Stadium (two more "climbs" later on at miles 12,13, and 14 and a smaller one around mile 40 in the "keystone mountains").  But, other than that it's a pretty flat course as you'd expect in Florida near the coast.

Pacing strategy two years ago was to run about a 10:00 pace per mile including a one minute walk break in the middle of each mile.  That strategy had lasted to about mile 16 when we switched to same run/walk but at 11:00 pace per mile, and that strategy lasted to about mile 26 then it turned into run whenever I felt motivated enough and otherwise trudge on.

But, this year the plan was 4 minutes run/ 1 minute walk and try to stay around a 12:00 average pace.

1. 12:31
2. 11:29
3. 11:33
4. 11:54
5. 11:09
6. 11:18
7. 11:29
8. 11:17
9. 13:01 (first aid station, near Tyrone Square Mall)
10. 14:42 (bathroom break, Subway/hot bakery)
11. 10:29
12. 11:21
13. 11:29
14. 14:13 (aid station where we saw the RMHC Striders contingent)
15. 11:55
16. 11:56
17. 10:58
18. 11:39
19. 13:31
20. 10:51
21. 11:45
22. 16:09  (aid station with drop bags)
23. 11:09
24. 10:54
25. 11:13
26. 17:05 (Dunedin Boxcar aid station/bathroom break)
27. 11:33
28. 12:05
29. 12:01
30. 11:10
31. 12:43
32. 11:17
33. 12:46
34. 11:59
35. 13:44
36. 11:23
37. 15:46  (Tarpon Tavern Aid Station - race begins!)
38. 11:31
39. 11:40
40. 12:55 (Keystone Road aid station, very brief)
41. 11:24
42. 11:51
43. 11:21
44. 12:27
45. 11:49 (Cynthia tells me to go ahead and she'll bring Jamie in)
46. 9:57 

So, this years race was a success. Jamie was able to finish her first ultra (just a few minutes behind me) with no real prep or experience other than running marathons, Joe also finished after signing up at the last minute and having previously said this was "one and done" last year.

I had more to write about this but realized (today at the end of November) I had never finished writing this and had forgotten to publish it!