The Road Mile

This morning I took a slight detour from my Dipsea training to run the San Rafael Road Mile - a new addition to the Pacific Association schedule.  I hadn't even committed myself to running this race until the night before, but figured what the heck, it would be fun to race my first mile since college, and it should be a good final sharpening for the Dipsea in a week. 

Before the race, I had NO IDEA what to expect.  I've become increasingly confident with my fitness over the past two weeks, but that fitness has been focused toward hilly trail running, not fast road racing.  I'd only run a small handful of track workouts since resuming my training in late April.  My only speed work at all was a set of 6x200 in 29-32 at the end of a workout. 

The course was slightly net downhill.  You start on a downslope, make two right turns as you pass the finish line at the 1/4 mark.  Then it is 3/8 (~600 meteres) on a gradual upslope, the a 180 degree turn and 3/8 of a mile downhill to the finish. 

I watched the masters race a half an hour before the open men's race, and noticed that most the runners were not dying at the finish.  I tweaked my strategy from "don't go out like a bat out of hell" to "don't go out like a bat out of hell, but don't be afraid to push hard to the top of the hill". 

As we started I jumped fast off the line, then told myself to stay composed on the downhill first quarter mile.  As we made the 2 right turns and headed back uphill, a few runners passed me - including Gus Gibbs & Alan Jackson of the Rebels.  But feeling good around 600 meters, I picked up my knees and tried to keep them in contact, as well as keeping my eyes on Todd Rose just head of them.  At the half mile mark, I'm still feeling good and kept pressing and moved around Alan with the turn around 200 meters away.  Before the race, I told myself to take that turn hard because it was likely to be a spot where tired runners would lose momentum.  As I banked into the 180 degree turn I almost ran right into the back of a Transports runner who sure enough had slowed around the turn.  If there was a spot of the race where I cost myself some time it was from the turn around until about 300 meters to go as I wasn't pressing the downhill hard enough.  Alan blew by me (triggering a memory of his decisive downhill move at the Humboldt Half Marathon), along with another runner.  Finally I told myself to go, and held my spot to the finish line.  Final time 4:30.

I don't think my time was a particularly grand performance, but I'm very happy with how I competed.  I finished right with a group of guys who beat me by 1-2 minutes at the 10K last weekend.  Overall it went surprisingly smoothly considering I hadn't raced the distance in 8 years.  Based on what the front runners ran, it seems like somewhat of a slow course will the hill and the turns. 

The Dipsea is 1 week away.  I'm ready & I'm excited!