Goal of 3:05, basically met
10 days prior
After the pain that was the Father Joe's 5K feeling totally dead and running at 6:19/mile (not all that fast) I decided to basically take it easy for 10 days. I did not run Friday (but got a massage from Carles) and then did Hutch's trail run with Patrick McBride and a group near home. Should have done more of that cold weather running (more on that later).
The next day (Sunday the 1st of December) I ran with the group for some final "MP" running from Carlsbad south to Del Mar. Hutch had picked us up at the Solana Beach train station and drove us up to Carlsbad and we ran back down. I did not want to run that much over the weekend, so I only did 9.7 miles with just over 5 miles at MP or so. The splits for the faster portion were:
The next day (Sunday the 1st of December) I ran with the group for some final "MP" running from Carlsbad south to Del Mar. Hutch had picked us up at the Solana Beach train station and drove us up to Carlsbad and we ran back down. I did not want to run that much over the weekend, so I only did 9.7 miles with just over 5 miles at MP or so. The splits for the faster portion were:
I still felt tired doing these with our group (me, Jessica Hoffman, Leonard Trihn, Karen Wheaton). Leonard went out fast and I fell back and we did the first mile at 6:33 still, then slowed down up the hill into Leucadia and basically cruised back to around the south end of Encinitas. I was tired as was Karen so we slowed down around Hansens surfboard shop and jogged down to where hutch was parked near Cardiff state beach.
The rest of the week was pretty mellow. Took off Mon/Tue, ran about 5 miles to the trail end at 8:40/mile or so on Wed, took thursday off, then ran 2 miles on the treadmill on Friday. Saturday I ran 4 miles up around the hotel in Sacramento. I felt good, but my tendon was sore the whole time. I wore tights and ran around 10 am, then showered, went to the expo picked up my number, then went back to the hotel and watched a movie and slept the rest of the afternoon.
I began carbo loading Thursday evening with a large spaghetti dinner and two pieces of pumpkin pie, then in the morning followed that up with 2500 calories of pancakes, bagel and apples. Dinner Friday was a big meal with Ed and Heidi in Sacramento of shrimp scampi (and some glasses of wine;) and turned in early. Saturday I ate some muffins and bread in the morning, then at 1500 calories of rice during the day from the packages at vons that are about 500 calories each. I heated them up in the microwave at the hyatt. Dinner on Saturday was more pasta and I had my last solid food about 5 pm.
The rest of the week was pretty mellow. Took off Mon/Tue, ran about 5 miles to the trail end at 8:40/mile or so on Wed, took thursday off, then ran 2 miles on the treadmill on Friday. Saturday I ran 4 miles up around the hotel in Sacramento. I felt good, but my tendon was sore the whole time. I wore tights and ran around 10 am, then showered, went to the expo picked up my number, then went back to the hotel and watched a movie and slept the rest of the afternoon.
I began carbo loading Thursday evening with a large spaghetti dinner and two pieces of pumpkin pie, then in the morning followed that up with 2500 calories of pancakes, bagel and apples. Dinner Friday was a big meal with Ed and Heidi in Sacramento of shrimp scampi (and some glasses of wine;) and turned in early. Saturday I ate some muffins and bread in the morning, then at 1500 calories of rice during the day from the packages at vons that are about 500 calories each. I heated them up in the microwave at the hyatt. Dinner on Saturday was more pasta and I had my last solid food about 5 pm.
Race Day
Woke up after a good night's sleep (7 or so hours) and had a mango drink (16 oz) I'd put in the ice bucket the night prior. I had already prepared my gear for the race and opted to wear a tank top with arm warmers and two pairs of gloves as it was 28 degrees at the race start and only warmed up to 38 by the time we finished. I used compression calf socks and a pair of very thin shoe socks and use Nike 5.0 shoes. I had a baseball hat (the BAA one) and my ipod with the special mix for CIM 2013 on it.
I rode out on the bus listening to my steely dan album, then got off the bus for potty break 1 and ran into Brooke. We then hung out together and went back in a VERY warm bus. This photo below of Mark Gorence next to the bus says it all
it was not cold - it was REALLY cold (28 degrees) and about 1 min outside the bus was felt freakishly cold. We left the bus about 6:45 (15 min prior to race time) and headed out to for one last potty break and the start. There are like 10,000 porta potties at the start of CIM. Dropped my gear into the bus and headed to the start line. I ran into mark and we had a quick "good luck" hug and then suddenly the race started. I had already started ipod and just noticed everybody running so I opted out of finding the 3:05 pacer and just began running down the hill of mile 1.
Race - Part 1
I felt mostly good, but my tendon sore from the very first step. I was hoping that it would go away, so I tried to run as if there was no pain at all - i.e. did not alter my stride to "baby it" at all. We went down the road and took the turn and hit mile 1 at 6:49, which felt very easy. The miles than rolled by quickly and I felt good. I was worried about the pain, and when to dump my shirt off. I took drinks at about 50% of the aid stations throughout the race and would walk slowly for 5 seconds or so then take off again. I still don't like the idea of running with a drink, especially on a cold day. At the first station I nearly slipped as the ground had frozen "black ice" that was nearly invisible and sent me skidding for half a foot until i regained my balance.
I never saw the pace and kept up the average of 7:04 I had intended. I kept it slow deliberatly and was never tired aerobically at all during the race.
Part 2
I came though the 13.1 mile half marathon marker at about 1:32:30 or thereabouts, again, right on pace. I was going through a bit of a "sore" spell at that point and was coming to the recognition that today I'd be sore all the way to the end. I had nightmares about cramping having heard Leonard and others talk about this in races the past year or so. Right about the half way mark Leonard passed me and said hello. I had not noticed passing him, so i must have just prior to that and as I found that I was modulating my speed he was either speeding up and or slowing down at the opposite time as I was.
I noticed that the music really helped me keep my pace up and was glad to have my old familiar sound track in the background as I ran. I kept thinking about Coach Temples mantra "light and quick" and tried to keep it that way during the race, even during this slower paces. I was never really struggling during this period or during the race in general, but mostly just keeping it moving and thinking "relax" and moving along. There was a mild wind so from time to time I would find somebody to draft behind. Also, I was cognizant of the fact that the course was measured using the absolute shortest route so I was mindful of running as close to the inside of each corner as possible. I'm still amazed at how many people don't do that, but seem to do almost the opposite.
Part 3
I kept waiting to really start "running" and was waiting for when I would do that. I had a couple slower miles at 17 - 20 as I decided to finally take a gel out of my shorts, but it was so hard to do at the 17 mile mark I missed it. I spent the next 200 meters trying to extract it without taking my gloves off, but finally just took the gloves off, toke the gel out, and then put the gloves back on. Geez that was tough to do for some reason. then I anxiously awatied the next mile marker and aid station - but - mile 18 came without a drink station, then mile 19, then the station. I had 2/3 of the gu and gulped enough water to wash it down. I realize I could have had the gu at any time just fine and then washed it down later rather than carrying it for so long. At mile 20 there was a fake "wall" we had to run though that was put up by an insurance company or something. funny.
At about mile 21 I saw Leonard up ahead 300-400 meters or so. I also noticed Karen next to him. At first I wondered how long it would take me to catch them, or if I could, but after about 3 min I noticed I was sort of reeling them in. The pain in my legs was getting quite bad at that point: both my hamstrings felt like they were a twinge away from cramping, both tendons were sore, my quads were really sore. I was just sore all over...I was not really going all that fast - but I had sped up back to the 7:03/7:04 pace I was supposed to be on. I felt like I was presssing harder and harder on the accellerator for a very small increase in pace.
I finally passed them around mile 22, and noticed that Leonard (who had a nasty blister pop just prior to that and was bleeding through his shoe) was falling behind. I did not know until I spoke to them at the end that they were with a struggling pacer guy - the 3:05 pacer - and just following him. He ended up finishing around 3:07. I noticed after I passed them that Karen started following me. I saw her ponytail bouncing up and down in the shadow to my right (footnote - I took sunglasses and would have worn them, but they were so steamed up that I could not see through them when I took them off my hat).
I was thinking that we may finish together, but was inspired to try and pull them along behind me. I slowed down a couple times and looked for Karen and when I'd see her behind my I'd slowly speed up again and was thinking I would pull her ahead with me (which I think happened). In retrospect a better idea would have been to simply talk with them about the pace and make a plan together. I was realizing at this point that 3:05 was not possible, but it would be close. I was quite sore and doing all I could to keep it going at that speed - but I don't know as I did not "floor it" until the last 0.2 miles. I think I could have done that a bit earlier, but I don't think that it would have been possible to go too much faster due to the leg pain.
The last couple of miles I was in pain, but clearly in less pain that those around me as I don't recall anybody passing me, but I did pass a lot of runners in the last mile or two. I ran the last couple of miles at 7:03 and the people around me were running like 7:15 pace it seemed like. At mile 26 I saw Jim Goss (who's bad knee kept him out of the race - but we need him back soon! we miss you Jim!) - he took this photo below:
You can see we had about a 5 mph headwind which we had most of the race. I turned the corner and sped up a bit and passed a couple more people and finished. I came through and got my "blanket" and turned around and Karen was there getting her medal/blanket. She had not been watching the clock as closely as I had and did not notice that we were not going to make it under 3:05 (she came in at 3:06:10 - just 14 seconds behind me). At the moment we were just talking and she was telling me that she had been with the 3:05 pacer when I caught them and he finished holding his "3:05 Pacer" big red sign and as he came through about 3:07 he just yelled "FUCK" really loudly. (what is it with these bad pacers? my 1:30 pacer at the SD Half earlier in the year came in at 1:32 with some flimsy excuse that he was "helping" other struggling runners. WTF.)
The event was well run overall. All there was for drinks at the finish chute was a can of coke. They must have been a sponsor...no water or sports drink. Further along there was some hot soup and Naan bread, bananas and more. Oh - did I say there was no water? I forgot - there was a Michelobe Ultra tent serving this yellow stuff they call "beer". Hardly.
Mark G. (3:17), Leonard (3;12), Jess (3:10) and Karen and I hung
Final results:
3:05.56, 17th place in AG M50-54 (see below)
Race - Part 1
I felt mostly good, but my tendon sore from the very first step. I was hoping that it would go away, so I tried to run as if there was no pain at all - i.e. did not alter my stride to "baby it" at all. We went down the road and took the turn and hit mile 1 at 6:49, which felt very easy. The miles than rolled by quickly and I felt good. I was worried about the pain, and when to dump my shirt off. I took drinks at about 50% of the aid stations throughout the race and would walk slowly for 5 seconds or so then take off again. I still don't like the idea of running with a drink, especially on a cold day. At the first station I nearly slipped as the ground had frozen "black ice" that was nearly invisible and sent me skidding for half a foot until i regained my balance.
I never saw the pace and kept up the average of 7:04 I had intended. I kept it slow deliberatly and was never tired aerobically at all during the race.
Part 2
I came though the 13.1 mile half marathon marker at about 1:32:30 or thereabouts, again, right on pace. I was going through a bit of a "sore" spell at that point and was coming to the recognition that today I'd be sore all the way to the end. I had nightmares about cramping having heard Leonard and others talk about this in races the past year or so. Right about the half way mark Leonard passed me and said hello. I had not noticed passing him, so i must have just prior to that and as I found that I was modulating my speed he was either speeding up and or slowing down at the opposite time as I was.
I noticed that the music really helped me keep my pace up and was glad to have my old familiar sound track in the background as I ran. I kept thinking about Coach Temples mantra "light and quick" and tried to keep it that way during the race, even during this slower paces. I was never really struggling during this period or during the race in general, but mostly just keeping it moving and thinking "relax" and moving along. There was a mild wind so from time to time I would find somebody to draft behind. Also, I was cognizant of the fact that the course was measured using the absolute shortest route so I was mindful of running as close to the inside of each corner as possible. I'm still amazed at how many people don't do that, but seem to do almost the opposite.
Part 3
I kept waiting to really start "running" and was waiting for when I would do that. I had a couple slower miles at 17 - 20 as I decided to finally take a gel out of my shorts, but it was so hard to do at the 17 mile mark I missed it. I spent the next 200 meters trying to extract it without taking my gloves off, but finally just took the gloves off, toke the gel out, and then put the gloves back on. Geez that was tough to do for some reason. then I anxiously awatied the next mile marker and aid station - but - mile 18 came without a drink station, then mile 19, then the station. I had 2/3 of the gu and gulped enough water to wash it down. I realize I could have had the gu at any time just fine and then washed it down later rather than carrying it for so long. At mile 20 there was a fake "wall" we had to run though that was put up by an insurance company or something. funny.
At about mile 21 I saw Leonard up ahead 300-400 meters or so. I also noticed Karen next to him. At first I wondered how long it would take me to catch them, or if I could, but after about 3 min I noticed I was sort of reeling them in. The pain in my legs was getting quite bad at that point: both my hamstrings felt like they were a twinge away from cramping, both tendons were sore, my quads were really sore. I was just sore all over...I was not really going all that fast - but I had sped up back to the 7:03/7:04 pace I was supposed to be on. I felt like I was presssing harder and harder on the accellerator for a very small increase in pace.
I finally passed them around mile 22, and noticed that Leonard (who had a nasty blister pop just prior to that and was bleeding through his shoe) was falling behind. I did not know until I spoke to them at the end that they were with a struggling pacer guy - the 3:05 pacer - and just following him. He ended up finishing around 3:07. I noticed after I passed them that Karen started following me. I saw her ponytail bouncing up and down in the shadow to my right (footnote - I took sunglasses and would have worn them, but they were so steamed up that I could not see through them when I took them off my hat).
I was thinking that we may finish together, but was inspired to try and pull them along behind me. I slowed down a couple times and looked for Karen and when I'd see her behind my I'd slowly speed up again and was thinking I would pull her ahead with me (which I think happened). In retrospect a better idea would have been to simply talk with them about the pace and make a plan together. I was realizing at this point that 3:05 was not possible, but it would be close. I was quite sore and doing all I could to keep it going at that speed - but I don't know as I did not "floor it" until the last 0.2 miles. I think I could have done that a bit earlier, but I don't think that it would have been possible to go too much faster due to the leg pain.
The last couple of miles I was in pain, but clearly in less pain that those around me as I don't recall anybody passing me, but I did pass a lot of runners in the last mile or two. I ran the last couple of miles at 7:03 and the people around me were running like 7:15 pace it seemed like. At mile 26 I saw Jim Goss (who's bad knee kept him out of the race - but we need him back soon! we miss you Jim!) - he took this photo below:
You can see we had about a 5 mph headwind which we had most of the race. I turned the corner and sped up a bit and passed a couple more people and finished. I came through and got my "blanket" and turned around and Karen was there getting her medal/blanket. She had not been watching the clock as closely as I had and did not notice that we were not going to make it under 3:05 (she came in at 3:06:10 - just 14 seconds behind me). At the moment we were just talking and she was telling me that she had been with the 3:05 pacer when I caught them and he finished holding his "3:05 Pacer" big red sign and as he came through about 3:07 he just yelled "FUCK" really loudly. (what is it with these bad pacers? my 1:30 pacer at the SD Half earlier in the year came in at 1:32 with some flimsy excuse that he was "helping" other struggling runners. WTF.)
The event was well run overall. All there was for drinks at the finish chute was a can of coke. They must have been a sponsor...no water or sports drink. Further along there was some hot soup and Naan bread, bananas and more. Oh - did I say there was no water? I forgot - there was a Michelobe Ultra tent serving this yellow stuff they call "beer". Hardly.
Mark G. (3:17), Leonard (3;12), Jess (3:10) and Karen and I hung
Final results:
3:05.56, 17th place in AG M50-54 (see below)
Splits
| LAP | DISTANCE | DURATION | AVG PACE | AVERAGE HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.04mi | 7:10 | 6'49"/mi | 174BPM |
| 2 | 0.99mi | 7:01 | 7'03"/mi | 147BPM |
| 3 | 1.01mi | 6:54 | 6'47"/mi | 142BPM |
| 4 | 0.98mi | 6:57 | 7'05"/mi | 151BPM |
| 5 | 1.00mi | 7:10 | 7'06"/mi | 144BPM |
| 6 | 1.00mi | 7:16 | 7'14"/mi | 150BPM |
| 7 | 1.00mi | 6:59 | 6'58"/mi | 154BPM |
| 8 | 1.00mi | 7:11 | 7'08"/mi | 147BPM |
| 9 | 0.99mi | 7:07 | 7'07"/mi | 150BPM |
| 10 | 0.99mi | 6:50 | 6'51"/mi | 149BPM |
| 11 | 1.00mi | 6:55 | 6'54"/mi | 145BPM |
| 12 | 1.00mi | 7:10 | 7'08"/mi | 148BPM |
| 13 | 1.01mi | 7:13 | 7'07"/mi | 150BPM |
| 14 | 0.98mi | 7:03 | 7'09"/mi | 145BPM |
| 15 | 1.00mi | 7:24 | 7'22"/mi | 147BPM |
| 16 | 2.00mi | 14:03 | 7'00"/mi | 147BPM |
| 17 | 0.99mi | 7:08 | 7'08"/mi | 159BPM |
| 18 | 0.99mi | 7:05 | 7'09"/mi | N/A |
| 19 | 1.00mi | 7:15 | 7'13"/mi | 160BPM |
| 20 | 0.99mi | 7:10 | 7'12"/mi | N/A |
| 21 | 1.00mi | 7:04 | 7'02"/mi | 161BPM |
| 22 | 1.01mi | 7:03 | 6'56"/mi | 161BPM |
| 23 | 0.99mi | 7:04 | 7'07"/mi | 157BPM |
| 24 | 0.99mi | 7:06 | 7'09"/mi | N/A |
| 25 | 1.01mi | 7:06 | 7'01"/mi | 163BPM |
| 26 | 0.22mi | 1:31 | 6'47"/mi | 163BPM |
