Well, I've been away from the blog for awhile, mostly because I've been on Spring Break. Now, I'm back, and I've got lots to tell. But, first and foremost, the report on Saturday's race.
Being on vacation last week, I had intentionally planned a down week in my training for the Madison Marathon. Not knowing our exact schedule made it convenient to plan it this way, and it was a good time, since I was dealing with a painful bout of plantar faciitis before I left. Unfortunately, this left me feeling a little sluggish on Friday, and unsure of my training levels. I needn't have worried.
My goals going into the DINO 15k race at Avon were (1)to beat my friend, Tom, (2) to better last year's course PR of 1:18 and change, and (3) my stretch goal was to run under 1:15. I was disappointed, then, when I checked DINO's website on Friday night and found that due to heavy rainfall in the area, they had to route a new section of course. I had my strategy planned out, and it would have to change.
Arriving at the race on Saturday, I found that only a small section of the course had been changed, and it was being exchanged for an equally flat, equally long section, so there was effectively no change in difficulty. So, I set my goal to run a strong, but evenly paced race in order to make up for my poor race two weeks ago, when I set out at way too fast a pace and ended up walking part of the last 4 miles. My stretch goal, then, was to run the three 5k laps in 25 minutes, 25 minutes, and 24 minutes. This would put me under 1:15 with a little cushion. I thought this was aggressive, but doable based on my Eagle Creek race four weeks ago.
It was a beautiful day, but a little cool (37 F), so I struggled with what to wear. I ended up with shorts, a long sleeve Brooks tech t-shirt, and a New Balance running vest. I froze at the start line, but would soon warm up. Great choice!
The horn sounded and we were off. The newly paved trail at the open made for a very tight course, with 130 people jockeying for 24 inches of trail width. Against my instinct, I held back to run a slower pace, and watched Tom run away with some faster competitors. After about a mile, I realized I was running at the back of a train of about 9 people, but decided the pace was good and I would hang in for a while. We hit the two mile mark on the new section of course, and the runner in front of me glanced at his watch. "What time have you got?" I asked him. "15:47, just under 8 minute miles," he responded. Perfect! I felt nice and relaxed and the first mile of the course has the only serious downhill section on the course, so I felt good about being ahead of my stretch pace. The last mile has a serious uphill section that I walked, but I finished lap 1 at 24:48... get this- EXACTLY 8 minute pace for 3.1 miles. Coincidence, I'm sure.
Lap 2, and the crowd starts to thin out. Right after the finish line, I can see Tom about 7 runners ahead of me, probably 30 seconds or so. My instincts say to pick up the pace, but I remind myself it's a long race, and I'm catching him, anyway. So, I settle back into the marginally comfortable pace I've been running. We hit the downhill again right around mile 4 and I turn my ankle on the way down. Immediately, I'm feeling a sharp pain everytime my right foot hits the trail, and for about 15 seconds, I figure, "it's over... I can't run anymore." But, by now, Tom is only about 10 seconds ahead and I decide just to run the next mile and see what happens. Within a minute, the ankle's fine and I am right behind Tom. I asked him how he's doing and he mumbles something like, "okay, but this one's yours." So, I take off. Just before the 5 mile mark, I take a PowerBar Gel, down some water, and start up the hill. I finish the second lap at 49:36... hey, wait a minute. That's another lap at 24:48. Maybe those 200 yard strides I did at 8:00 pace on the treadmill yesterday really helped. I've now gone through 6.2 miles at exactly 8 minute pace!
After the finish line on lap 2, I decide to put the hammer down... at least by my standards. I decide I'll run the ups and downs the same, but push hard on the flats when I feel good. By mile 7, I can no longer see Tom behind me, and there are only a few runners around me (I'm passing more by now than I'm being passed by, and that's great!) so, my only motivation is to push for a sub 1:15-finish. I cross the finish line at 1:13:44 - a new PR for this course by about 5 minutes! Even, better my last lap was 24:08. So, my 25-25-24 goal turned out to be 24:48-24:48-24:08. Not too shabby, probably my best-paced race ever.
I still have some work to do to run with the faster guys in my age group- I finished 53 out of 130 or so total runners. But, I feel the progress I'm making. Only 6 weeks until Madison, and I just hope my foot holds up. After that, I'm on the bike for the Summer!
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