Hilly, out and back course. My first 20K, or anything in the half-marathon ballpark, so I'm not quite sure what to expect. I know the first/last two miles are quite hilly, because I drove in over that part of the course. Not sure about the other 4.2. Temps around 60 as we get started, low humidity, hint of a wind, zero clouds, so favorable weather (at least as compared to what we've lived through since, oh, mid-May around here).
My approach for this one is as the long MP run required in Pfitzinger 24/55, so I settle in at a smidge under 8:00 pace. The first two miles are net downhill and, as it turns out, miles 3-4 are flat, so I settle in at a good pace. I have a couple of guys to run with at my pace (no guarantee considering there are only about 100 people entered and most of them are already behind me). Cross over Interstate 30 at 2 miles, hit the flat section, and I'm cruising. Ah, but then we come back to the I-30 frontage road just as the hills begin. Up and down for two miles, then get to the turnaround. Look at my watch: I'm almost two minutes under my 10K PR. Very encouraging. Gulp down some Gatorade and head back through those hills. Still maintaining a good pace, but it's taking its toll. By the aid station at about 8.2, I'm starting to drag. The pace is just not there even on the flat section; those 8-minute miles are now 9-minute miles. Back over the freeway and back into downtown Benton, where I'm going UP those rolling hills. I'm starting to cuss myself, don't be such a wimp, etc. And for the last 1.25 miles, I'm back under GMP.
With such a small field, I was able to estimate that I was in 24th place at the turnaround (counted 23 people headed the other way). I got passed by four people on the inward 10K, didn't pass anyone, but that still leaves me in 28th unofficially (we'll see if the official results agree when they're posted). When I hit the finish, the digital clock reads 1:42:39. No chip time, but then with such a small field I didn't need a chip time. Not quite GMP, but still 8:15 average -- and the average of BOTH 10Ks was less than my previous 10K PR. I'll cut myself a little slack for a hilly course, and it's a learning experience to try to run that kind of pace for 100 minutes. In four weeks, a half-mary, and then six weeks after that, the real thing. (Official results say 26th in 1:42:38.07).
Oh, there was also a marathon in Benton this morning. I arrived 1:15 early for my race to make sure I didn't run into marathon runners, and saw a guy warming up as I arrived who had a good, efficient, rapid-turnover, shuffle-type gait. I said "that guy looks like a marathoner." Fast forward three-plus hours, I'm leaving after my race, no marathoners had finished yet, and the first marathoner I see on the course is that same guy. Very hilly course for the full 26.2, I'm told, and it's a very small field (only 37 finishers last year), so not likely to have elite runners; thus, a slow pace. Last year's winner ran 3:13:25. Looked like this guy was on about that same kind of pace.
So I've already topped my monthly PR this month with three days left. Hard to tell what October is going to bring, since I know I'm going to taper again for the half in Conway on the 25th; just don't know how much (although this week's taper seemed to be OK, with the exception of running 17 on Sunday instead of Saturday). One 20-miler in October, one more four weeks out from the race, then back down from there. One advantage of this 24-week plan -- it allows me time to tweak, taper a little more, even taper for these two races, and still get in semi-adequate preparation.
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