This morning I ran 1:13:13 for 9th place in the SF Kaiser Half Marathon. While I ran 3 minutes faster than last year, and had a decent place in a race with 7000 runners, I can't help but be disappointed. Heading into the race, I thought all signs pointed to a PR - good overall mileage, and consistently strong workouts in terms of pace and volume. But early on, as the race started to unfold, it just didn't seem like my day.
The plan was to pace ourselves at 5:20 per mile, with teammates James, Jonathan, Todd (who was just running the first half of the race), and I working together. The first mile in 5:20 didn't feel too bad, but then on a slight downhill we picked up the pace to 5:14. Even before the split it felt a little too fast, so I started to back off. Alone in 6th place now, I tried to keep a steady pace in the 3rd mile, while I watched a group of 4 pull away. I hit my 3rd mile in 5:21 (15:55 total), although I think the mile market was about 5 seconds too far forward. My 4th and 5th miles - still running alone - fell off badly in 5:38 & 5:40. In the 6th we headed downhill toward the ocean, and Todd fell back to run with me. I picked up the pace on the downhill (shocker), and averaged 5:23 for the next 3 miles. I went from struggling to pace myself alone after going out too fast, to feeling some serious tightness on the outside of my lower right leg, which radiated up to my hamstring. The pain wasn't terrible, but it was very distracting and made it that much harder to find a smooth stride and rhythm.
Around mile 7, we left Golden Gate Park, and headed for a roughly 3 miles out & 3 miles back section of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean. While it's a beautiful stretch, being able to see so far ahead with almost no scenery change, plus an almost guaranteed headwind one of the 2 directions, makes it a serious mental challenge. Todd dropped off around 7 miles, and said "find your rhythm" as I started down the Great Highway alone. I just tried to keep my sights set on James up ahead. From 7 miles to 9 miles, I barely ever took my eyes off his back. A 20 second deficit shrunk to 12 seconds, then finally to 6 right before we turned around. Miles 9 & 10 were in 11:02 to hit 10 miles in a respectable 54:29 (still under 1:12 pace).
On the run out on the Great Highway, I felt no wind, despite seeing the mile marker flags ripple in the wind. So sure enough at the turnaround just before the 10 mile mark, I felt the fierce wind that I would have to fight for 3 miles. I wish I could say I didn't give up at that point, but the numbers don't lie. My last 3.1 miles were run in 18:40 - slower than 6 minute pace. My legs felt completely dead & it was a struggle to keep a decent pace going. I lost two spots in the last 3 miles, but didn't put up any fight to stay with them.
I should be happy that on a day when nothing really went the right way for me, that I finished with a respectable half marathon time, and 9th place out of 7000 runners. But it was a tough one to swallow. I hadn't had a bad workout in 2010, and my bad day had to come on race day. Maybe I didn't back off enough on my training this past week. But I had trained pretty hard up to the Clarksburg 30K last fall, and that didn't bother me. Perhaps I was nervous leading up to it. But I felt pretty loose on race morning.
I think I have to just chalk it up to an off day. A runner's body is a fickle instrument. You train hard & smart to prepare yourself for race day. But despite your best efforts, every now and then it just doesn't come together. One thing I could control, that I should have done better, was to keep focused and pushing hard even when the day was going great. Being prepared is crucial, but you still have to fight during the race. On a day when you feel great, it's pretty easy, but the rest those days it takes a lot of toughness.
Next up will be the Redding 10 miler on March 6th. Until then, I'll keep the mileage rolling, the workouts strong, oh and make some good ski turns :) I'll be ready to roll in Redding!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Monkey & The Hay
The Monkey
Is off my back. It was a small monkey, and I didn't exactly kick it to the ground, but it's off my back. Over the past year+ I've really struggled at the 5K distance. I would run fast in track workouts, then long at strong in race distances from 10 miles to 30K. But despite workouts pointing toward mid 15 minute 5K times, I couldn't seem run under 16 minutes for the life of me. I thought a 16:07 in the fall of 2008 (which was 4 days after a 6 mile XC race and 24 hours after a red-eye flight) would fall quickly in 2009. But sigh... despite improving at every other distance in 2009, I got slower at the 5K.
On Thursday night, I went down to the track on my own to run the workout the rest of the team had done Tuesday. It called for a 5000 meters at "hard tempo" pace (i.e. slightly slower than a 10K race pace), followed by a little bit more work at a faster pace. Based on recent workouts, I figured I'd go for 5:10 - 5:15 on the track for my fast tempo. Before the run I was a bit tired from some birthday celebrating (32 now!) the night before. Then when I got to the track, it was packed with joggers from local running groups. I basically almost talked myself out of the workout twice. But when I got running, 77 second laps felt pretty good. I tried not to focus on the distance and just run. My first two 1600 meter splits were 5:07 & 5:08. At that point I realized I was on pace to run right around 16 flat, so I looked at my watch with a lap to go, then picked it up to a 74 second last lap to run 15:59. I capped the workout off with 800 meters in 2:25 & 300 meters in 46 seconds.
Funny how it was it was a crowded Thursday night where I ran by myself to get that monkey off my back. Maybe 16 minutes had turned into a mental barrier, or maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself. Now hopefully I can knock some serious time off my new post college PR.
The Hay
Is in the barn. I just ran my last workout before the Kaiser Half Marathon. 3 x mile in 5:05, 5:03, 4:56, followed by a 2:20 800. The past month was the most consistent month of training that I've had. 270 miles total, with 2 solid workouts every week, my fastest 5K in 8+ years, and my best long tempo run. It time to taper this week, then see what I can do Sunday!
Is off my back. It was a small monkey, and I didn't exactly kick it to the ground, but it's off my back. Over the past year+ I've really struggled at the 5K distance. I would run fast in track workouts, then long at strong in race distances from 10 miles to 30K. But despite workouts pointing toward mid 15 minute 5K times, I couldn't seem run under 16 minutes for the life of me. I thought a 16:07 in the fall of 2008 (which was 4 days after a 6 mile XC race and 24 hours after a red-eye flight) would fall quickly in 2009. But sigh... despite improving at every other distance in 2009, I got slower at the 5K.
On Thursday night, I went down to the track on my own to run the workout the rest of the team had done Tuesday. It called for a 5000 meters at "hard tempo" pace (i.e. slightly slower than a 10K race pace), followed by a little bit more work at a faster pace. Based on recent workouts, I figured I'd go for 5:10 - 5:15 on the track for my fast tempo. Before the run I was a bit tired from some birthday celebrating (32 now!) the night before. Then when I got to the track, it was packed with joggers from local running groups. I basically almost talked myself out of the workout twice. But when I got running, 77 second laps felt pretty good. I tried not to focus on the distance and just run. My first two 1600 meter splits were 5:07 & 5:08. At that point I realized I was on pace to run right around 16 flat, so I looked at my watch with a lap to go, then picked it up to a 74 second last lap to run 15:59. I capped the workout off with 800 meters in 2:25 & 300 meters in 46 seconds.
Funny how it was it was a crowded Thursday night where I ran by myself to get that monkey off my back. Maybe 16 minutes had turned into a mental barrier, or maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself. Now hopefully I can knock some serious time off my new post college PR.
The Hay
Is in the barn. I just ran my last workout before the Kaiser Half Marathon. 3 x mile in 5:05, 5:03, 4:56, followed by a 2:20 800. The past month was the most consistent month of training that I've had. 270 miles total, with 2 solid workouts every week, my fastest 5K in 8+ years, and my best long tempo run. It time to taper this week, then see what I can do Sunday!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Next Runner In the Family
Here is my niece Callie along side my sister braving the cold to run a 5K! She ran her first one at age 6, and is now 7. I love the hat & gloves combo. Keep it up!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
On Deck: SF Kaiser Half Marathon
When I first started showing up for West Valley track workouts in late 2007, I made a few rules about me being a “runner” again. 1) I would only run on days I felt like running. Or perhaps more accurately, I wouldn’t run if I really didn’t feel it. 2) Running wouldn’t get in the way of being social. 3) I would have fun.
At first I enjoyed showing up at the track & developing my speed again. But outside of Tuesday workouts, overall mileage was light, long runs were occasional, and secondary workouts were non-existent.
In 2008 I started racing again on a regular basis. My initial results were uninspiring (not like my recent results are either), but I raced my way back into shape and steadily improved. With each mini breakthrough, I saw the opportunity to improve aspects of my training. I also got a taste of that fire back!
Fast forward to now, and I’ve thrown rules #1 & #2 out the window. Last Sunday night, I drove back from skiing, rather tired, but still got myself out the door for 7.5 miles when I’d have preferred the TV & a beer. The Friday before that, I passed on a happy hour to make sure I got a secondary workout in the books.
The key – and I’ve talked about this frequently, is that I’ve stuck very true to #3. The West Valley crew is exactly the type of team I want to train and race with. We workout hard, but have a fun time doing it. Running doesn’t consume anybody’s life, but something we all love doing, and work hard at. I’ve also enjoyed running with and competing against runners from other teams.
If a runner can’t enjoy the grind of training, he’ll ultimately lose the focus and desire necessary to carry on. Races will become stressful rather than exciting. But if he can enjoy track workouts, tempo runs, hill workouts, regular runs, and long runs, then race day becomes a privilege where all the pieces come together.
While I there are days I won’t feel like running, but I’ll push myself out the door anyway, these days are the exception. Most days I’ve been excited to get out and run. Quite often I’m feeling good out on a run, and extending what would have been a 7-8 mile run into 9-10. Even with weekend ski trips, I’ve only missed 1 day (a well deserved day off) all month. I’ve averaged 59 miles the past 4 weeks. In workouts, I don’t feel a lot of speed right now, but my tempo runs and strength intervals have been very consistent with a lot of volume in the low 5 min / mile pace range. There hasn’t been a single workout that I feel like I’ve just crushed, but every single one has been solid.
My next race is the Kaiser Half Marathon in SF the morning of the Super Bowl (Feb 7th). I’ve been happy with my strength and volume, but just wasn’t sure if I was ready for the race until Monday night. Our top runner – Jonathan Charlesworth – decided to join me for a long tempo run. With Charlesworth tagging along, I knew the pace wouldn’t be slow. We immediately ran faster than the 5:25 pace I had planned, hitting the first 3 miles at 5:15 pace. I slowed down a little toward the end but finished 7.5 miles @ 5:23 pace. A week and a half before my 1:11:08 PR last fall, I ran an 8 mile tempo at 5:28 pace. I’m feeling ready for this race!
Now if I could only manage to run 5-flat pace for a 5K!
At first I enjoyed showing up at the track & developing my speed again. But outside of Tuesday workouts, overall mileage was light, long runs were occasional, and secondary workouts were non-existent.
In 2008 I started racing again on a regular basis. My initial results were uninspiring (not like my recent results are either), but I raced my way back into shape and steadily improved. With each mini breakthrough, I saw the opportunity to improve aspects of my training. I also got a taste of that fire back!
Fast forward to now, and I’ve thrown rules #1 & #2 out the window. Last Sunday night, I drove back from skiing, rather tired, but still got myself out the door for 7.5 miles when I’d have preferred the TV & a beer. The Friday before that, I passed on a happy hour to make sure I got a secondary workout in the books.
The key – and I’ve talked about this frequently, is that I’ve stuck very true to #3. The West Valley crew is exactly the type of team I want to train and race with. We workout hard, but have a fun time doing it. Running doesn’t consume anybody’s life, but something we all love doing, and work hard at. I’ve also enjoyed running with and competing against runners from other teams.
If a runner can’t enjoy the grind of training, he’ll ultimately lose the focus and desire necessary to carry on. Races will become stressful rather than exciting. But if he can enjoy track workouts, tempo runs, hill workouts, regular runs, and long runs, then race day becomes a privilege where all the pieces come together.
While I there are days I won’t feel like running, but I’ll push myself out the door anyway, these days are the exception. Most days I’ve been excited to get out and run. Quite often I’m feeling good out on a run, and extending what would have been a 7-8 mile run into 9-10. Even with weekend ski trips, I’ve only missed 1 day (a well deserved day off) all month. I’ve averaged 59 miles the past 4 weeks. In workouts, I don’t feel a lot of speed right now, but my tempo runs and strength intervals have been very consistent with a lot of volume in the low 5 min / mile pace range. There hasn’t been a single workout that I feel like I’ve just crushed, but every single one has been solid.
My next race is the Kaiser Half Marathon in SF the morning of the Super Bowl (Feb 7th). I’ve been happy with my strength and volume, but just wasn’t sure if I was ready for the race until Monday night. Our top runner – Jonathan Charlesworth – decided to join me for a long tempo run. With Charlesworth tagging along, I knew the pace wouldn’t be slow. We immediately ran faster than the 5:25 pace I had planned, hitting the first 3 miles at 5:15 pace. I slowed down a little toward the end but finished 7.5 miles @ 5:23 pace. A week and a half before my 1:11:08 PR last fall, I ran an 8 mile tempo at 5:28 pace. I’m feeling ready for this race!
Now if I could only manage to run 5-flat pace for a 5K!
Friday, January 1, 2010
2009 mileage stats
In 2009 I ran:
2272 miles
295 days (with 70 days off) - running 81% of the days
On average:
43.6 miles / week
6.2 miles / day
7.7 miles / days not taken off
There were a few periods of downtime (a January ski trip, a sore foot in March, my wedding and honeymoon in June, then my post season break this year in December). Excluding those 42 days, and any light runs during those times, my stats breakdown:
2233 miles over 323 calendar days and 284 days running (88%) for an average of 6.15 days run / week.
On average:
48.4 miles per week
6.9 miles per day
7.9 miles per days not taken off
I like to emphasize quality over quantity, but mileage still matters. In the summer & fall I improved my consistency over the first half of the year, with a decent number of 60+ mile weeks. For 2010, I need to avoid numerous sub 50 mile weeks, and push into the 70 range when I can. I've always thought downtime is important between seasons, but the 6 weeks total that I took in 2009 was a bit too much. Fitness wise, I'm ready for a heavier load, after completing my first full, uninterrupted calendar year of training since college. The key is to find the balance between marriage, training, work, and other friendships & relationships. Dana has been very supportive and encouraging of my running. It's been fun to see her improve as a runner as well - dropping her half marathon PR from 1:52 down to 1:44 this year!
2272 miles
295 days (with 70 days off) - running 81% of the days
On average:
43.6 miles / week
6.2 miles / day
7.7 miles / days not taken off
There were a few periods of downtime (a January ski trip, a sore foot in March, my wedding and honeymoon in June, then my post season break this year in December). Excluding those 42 days, and any light runs during those times, my stats breakdown:
2233 miles over 323 calendar days and 284 days running (88%) for an average of 6.15 days run / week.
On average:
48.4 miles per week
6.9 miles per day
7.9 miles per days not taken off
I like to emphasize quality over quantity, but mileage still matters. In the summer & fall I improved my consistency over the first half of the year, with a decent number of 60+ mile weeks. For 2010, I need to avoid numerous sub 50 mile weeks, and push into the 70 range when I can. I've always thought downtime is important between seasons, but the 6 weeks total that I took in 2009 was a bit too much. Fitness wise, I'm ready for a heavier load, after completing my first full, uninterrupted calendar year of training since college. The key is to find the balance between marriage, training, work, and other friendships & relationships. Dana has been very supportive and encouraging of my running. It's been fun to see her improve as a runner as well - dropping her half marathon PR from 1:52 down to 1:44 this year!
Karen Lawrence New Year's Eve run
I've enjoyed bringing Dana back to Lookout Mountain, GA for the past week to spend Christmas and New Years with my family and some old friends. I went for a couple long(ish) runs on the Lookout Mountain Battlefield trails - including a 10 miler with my high school teammate Jeff.
On New Year's Eve, I rekindled an old tradition of running the Karen Lawrence Run for St. Jude's (Children's Research Hospital). The race - which has been run in Chattanooga every year since 1979 - was started by Karen and her family to raise money for St. Judes, which had treated Karen for leukemia over the prior year. Sadly, Karen's condition relapsed, and she passed away in 1980 at the age of 11. Every year since, hundreds of runners have gathered in the evening on New Year's Eve to support the hospital, and to bring in the new year with a fun 4 mile run through downtown Chattanooga. This year Karen Lawrence's niece rang the siren to start the race.
I can't remember for sure, but I'd guess this was my 7th or 8th time running the race - my first year was (I think) in 1993 and the most recent in 2002. I won in 1997, 1998, and 2001 - all during my college years - with a best time of 19:57 over the moderately hilly course in '97. I was hoping to average around 5:10 miles this year. I figured that pace had an outside chance of winning, but most years would be 2nd or 3rd.
Since I took a week off following Kentucky (but jumped right back into to training afterward) - I wanted to go out conservatively, and certainly not lead. At the gun two college runners took off and immediately opened a gap, while I settled back with the chase pack. I didn't get a mile split, but I think I was around 5:20 (net uphill), and the 2 leaders were about 10 seconds ahead. As we started back downhill I picked up my pace to try to catch the leaders. At times it felt like the gap was shrinking, but was we ended the first of 2 loops, Patrick Hall - who was my sister Debby's assistant cross country coach at Covenant College - pulled along side of me. I knew I needed to stay with him, and I momentarily matched his pace. Patrick had no interest in letting it come to a late race kick, so he kept the hammer down, opening a gap heading back up the hill. I kept pressing in the last mile, but all my efforts only kept the gap at a steady 10 seconds.
My final finish was 21:11 for 4th place. It was a weird race, as I never felt like I was hurting that bad, but I just had no zip in my legs. The winner finished in 20:30, with 2nd place in 20:50. I wasn't thrilled with my performance & particularly my time, but it wasn't a terrible effort either.
Debby surprised herself running in the mid 26 minute range (after saying she'd run 28 minutes), and finished as the 2nd woman. Dana finished around 32 minutes, launching a nice kick at the end.
After the race I was really flattered as people still remembered my high school days in Chattanooga. In particular I was touched by the applause I received when I picked up my 30-34 age group award. It was also great to catch up with John Hunt - who had covered local cross country & track for the Chattanooga Free Press while I was in high school.
On New Year's Eve, I rekindled an old tradition of running the Karen Lawrence Run for St. Jude's (Children's Research Hospital). The race - which has been run in Chattanooga every year since 1979 - was started by Karen and her family to raise money for St. Judes, which had treated Karen for leukemia over the prior year. Sadly, Karen's condition relapsed, and she passed away in 1980 at the age of 11. Every year since, hundreds of runners have gathered in the evening on New Year's Eve to support the hospital, and to bring in the new year with a fun 4 mile run through downtown Chattanooga. This year Karen Lawrence's niece rang the siren to start the race.
I can't remember for sure, but I'd guess this was my 7th or 8th time running the race - my first year was (I think) in 1993 and the most recent in 2002. I won in 1997, 1998, and 2001 - all during my college years - with a best time of 19:57 over the moderately hilly course in '97. I was hoping to average around 5:10 miles this year. I figured that pace had an outside chance of winning, but most years would be 2nd or 3rd.
Since I took a week off following Kentucky (but jumped right back into to training afterward) - I wanted to go out conservatively, and certainly not lead. At the gun two college runners took off and immediately opened a gap, while I settled back with the chase pack. I didn't get a mile split, but I think I was around 5:20 (net uphill), and the 2 leaders were about 10 seconds ahead. As we started back downhill I picked up my pace to try to catch the leaders. At times it felt like the gap was shrinking, but was we ended the first of 2 loops, Patrick Hall - who was my sister Debby's assistant cross country coach at Covenant College - pulled along side of me. I knew I needed to stay with him, and I momentarily matched his pace. Patrick had no interest in letting it come to a late race kick, so he kept the hammer down, opening a gap heading back up the hill. I kept pressing in the last mile, but all my efforts only kept the gap at a steady 10 seconds.
My final finish was 21:11 for 4th place. It was a weird race, as I never felt like I was hurting that bad, but I just had no zip in my legs. The winner finished in 20:30, with 2nd place in 20:50. I wasn't thrilled with my performance & particularly my time, but it wasn't a terrible effort either.
Debby surprised herself running in the mid 26 minute range (after saying she'd run 28 minutes), and finished as the 2nd woman. Dana finished around 32 minutes, launching a nice kick at the end.
After the race I was really flattered as people still remembered my high school days in Chattanooga. In particular I was touched by the applause I received when I picked up my 30-34 age group award. It was also great to catch up with John Hunt - who had covered local cross country & track for the Chattanooga Free Press while I was in high school.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Fall Recap
Thanks to my friends and family who have kept up with my blog. I've found it helpful to offload the approach I've taken to training and racing, in addition to the emotions and techniques that have gotten me through my races. I hope that looking back at my running entries will better prepare me for future races - both physically and mentally. It means a lot to hear from a different people - both runners & non-runners - that they've enjoyed hearing my thoughts. Maybe a few people can learn from my approach, just as I've learned from listening to so many other runners. For those of you who were bored to tears by my long rambling recaps - I'm sorry & thanks for sparing my feelings by not telling me that (although constructive criticism is welcome).
With the decade, year, training cycle, and cross country + road seasons over, it's the perfect time to recap and reflect on this year. I'll save statistics till the end, but wanted to start with a qualitative analysis.
Things that went well:
With the decade, year, training cycle, and cross country + road seasons over, it's the perfect time to recap and reflect on this year. I'll save statistics till the end, but wanted to start with a qualitative analysis.
Things that went well:
- A more aggressive training approach: Last Spring I was too conservative on easy days. This year I still logged some easy days and days off when I felt run down, but for the most part, I replaced easy days with moderate effort runs.
- More consistent workouts: Prior to this season, I would consistently attend the WVTC Tuesday workouts, but struggled to get a second weekly workout in (especially for non-race weeks). It's not surprising that my race results hit a plateau last Spring. This Fall, I had at least 2 hard efforts every week, and occasionally a 3rd speed oriented session.
- Tempo runs: Tempos were almost non-existent prior to this season, so it's not a shock that I frequently faded toward the end of the year. Last summer, I made tempo work the cornerstone of my base buildup period. This led to stronger XC efforts - especially toward the end of races, as well as success at the half marathon and 30K distances.
- Relaxed racing approach. Sure I was a bit nervous before Club Nats and the PA Championships, but I did a great job of waking up "loose" on race mornings, and showing up to the starting line relaxed.
- Confident racing approach. Being confident makes it so much easier to be tough. It also makes it easier to be patient.
- I enjoyed it! This might be the most important aspect - seriously... I loved the workouts, the training runs, the long runs, the races, the camaraderie, and the competition. At this point in my life - I'm not running for money or Olympic glory. So if I'm not enjoying this sport and the people I'm running with, then there's no point in doing it.
Things that could go better: Luckily this list is shorter, but there is always room for improvement.
- The 5K distance. The 5K is the monkey on my back right now! It's driving me nuts that my post college PR is 16:07, and that my best over the past year has been 16:15. I've run so much better at longer distances, and even shown some speed in Kezar stadium (running a 2:00 for 800 meters the Tuesday after Club Nats). So why can't I run a damn 5K? My one serious attempt this Fall was 4 days after a demanding 6 mile XC race at the PA Champs. I was tired, but that didn't stop other people who ran both races from running well. I think the longer races are easier to plan, because what you do the first couple miles just don't matter as much (as long as you don't go out way too fast). But in the 5K that first 2 miles are 2/3 of the race! My plan is to run a few track races to get some 1500 / mile speed back in my legs, and then perhaps run a 5K on the track, where it's much easier to pace yourself intelligently.
- Over-racing. As I found myself learning to race well again, I kept wanting to run as many as I could! Over the cross country & road race season, I only took a pass on 1 event between the two circuits (not counting one XC race I was out of town for). I don't think there were any dire consequences to racing so often, but I do think I would have been better prepared for Club Nats if I'd had more time to recover and train between races.
Now for some stats & race specific comments:
- I had a couple goals for the XC season. I accomplished the one I had direct control over and didn't accomplish the one that I did not have as much control over. Goal #1 was knock significant amounts of time off my race times from last year. Ideally up to a minute on some courses. The other goal was to take advantage of less competitive races and score enough points to finish in the top 5 in the series - as the top 5 earns "comp" entry into the next XC season.
- Goal #1: drastic time improvements. I ran 6 races in 2009 that I had run in 2008, and improved my time in every race! For the 6 races, My average time improvement was 64 seconds over an average distance of 4.07 miles. If you throw out the Tamalpa race which was moved to a new (and most likely faster course) it is 50 seconds over 4.03 miles. Not counting Tamalpa (2 minutes 10 seconds but on a different course), my best improvement was the Presidio 3.55 miler in 1 minute 22 seconds, and smallest was the Garin 5K in 22 seconds). Mission accomplished.
- Goal #2: be in the running for a top 5 series finish... not even close! To mirror the nationwide trend, the level of competition really stepped up this year. There were new runners in the series, as well as existing runners who raced the series more frequently. I think the competition is a great thing because it motivates & inspires all of us to run faster. When the dust settled, despite running so much faster than last year, I dropped from 13th in the series in '08 to 16th in '09!
- A consolation to the point above was that last year, my best finish in a single race was 10th at Presidio, while this year, I finished 8th at Presidio and 6th at Willow Hills.
My long road race finishes were a very pleasant surprise
- Humboldt Half Marathon: In the early season, I felt like 1:12 was a stretch goal, but after some good workouts, I decided to pace myself for a faster time, which paid off with a 6th place finish in 1:11:08
- Clarksburg 30K: I thought this was just going to be a hard long run / long tempo run, then I got out there and ran 1:43:57 (5:35 pace for 18.3 miles) finishing with another 6th place run.
Best & Worst:
- Most disappointing race: The obvious answer would be my Turkey Trot 5K, but since that's too obvious I'll say the season opening Santa Cruz XC race. Even though I dropped 47 seconds off the prior year, I should dropped well over a minute considering I hardly slept prior to the '08 race was a bit .. um.. dehydrated. But more so, I ran really tight and nervous, and just didn't have any fight in me late in the race.
- Best regular season XC race: Definitely the Presidio. I had a tough week of running leading up, but ran a smart, tough race plan from the gun to the line and dropped 1 minute 22 seconds over 3.55 miles from the prior year.
- Biggest surprise: The Clarksburg 30K. I had no idea I could run 5:35 pace for 18+ miles... much less that I'd go out and do it!
- Best end of race kick: At the PA Champs, I outkicked several runners, including a teammate who I had never beaten before. Felt like the good old days :)
Looking forward:
- My 2010 racing season will start will actually start on 12/31/09 with a low key New Years Even road race in Chattanooga. I won this race in 1998, 1999, and 2001. Hopefully no college kids show up and I'll have a shot in 2009!
- My focus for the Spring is the 100th Dipsea race. Last year I ran in the Runner's section (i.e. non-Invitation) finishing 3rd in that group, with the 6th fastest time out of everyone. If we had all started with the invitational section my time would have placed me 25th, earning one of the 35 coveted black t-shirts. Single digits for the 100th race?
- I feel like I'm capable of a low 15 minute 5K, but let's start with a mid 15s. This will finally happen!
- As for PA races, I want to build on my success with the long road race series, and notch a good finish in the Redding 10 mile.
- I can't expect to run like I did when I was 21 years old overnight, but I want to keep focusing on knocking down my post college PRs. I feel like every time I step on the road or the track that I'll threaten a PR.
Finally thanks to all the West Valley Kezar crew who I've run with over the past year. T-Rose, Little Mike, Charlesworth, Jonah, Julian, Big Mike, Joe, TK, Mason, Dewey, Sparkle, Big John, Eric, Matty D, Matt, James, as well as out of towners Duke, Ben, Lars, Jann, Marzoff (and sorry if I've I missed some people - I'm sure I have). And of course coach Dr. Jack for all the workouts and coaching... no one can accuse you of being in this for the money!
Happy New Year!!
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