Fortunate One
Cool Runner |
 posted Jun-03-2007 01:12 PM
   
The Dam to Dam 20K, billed as Iowa’s Distance Classic, is a fun race. It starts at a dam at a reservoir 12 miles north of Des Moines and finishes near a low-head dam downtown. High points are the view of the Des Moines skyline from the starting point, crowd support (especially after the course enters the city), music and entertainment along the way, and goodies/beer at the end. Its popularity is increasing every year and 4300 people showed up to run this year. The race has sentimental value for me, being the first race I trained for, and this was the third time I have run it. BTW, Ilene, it was on June 2, not June 3 (my bad--sorry).My goal was to finish in 1:40 or less, which would be a PR and, based on last year’s results, would put me in the top 20 in my AG (55-59) and thus be highlighted on the web site as a “Top Finisher.” Last year, I came in 25 in my AG, but I have become a better runner since then and I have also learned this year in 5Ks and 10Ks that I can sustain a strong effort (under 7:30 m/M pace) for 3 or 6 miles. McMillan’s on-line prediction calculator says that I should be able to average a 7:43 m/M over 20K. Allowing for a slow start (the 1st mile is along a road on the dam, with not much room to maneuver) and McMillan’s confidence in me, my goal didn’t seem to be an unreasonable stretch. A caravan of school buses from downtown got everyone to the starting point and the race started a couple minutes after 7 a.m. The overnight rains had moved on and we started with mostly clear skies, temperatures in the low 60’s (F), and a southerly breeze. This year, for the first time, there were various bib colors corresponding to self-predicted finishing times. There was no enforcement, though, and I passed many people whose bib colors indicated that they should have started behind me. It took over 10 minutes for me to get through the first mile (about the length of the dam), and the second mile (which included a drop in elevation of over 100 ft) was still crowded (7:58m/M). After that, I could run at my own pace, although I had to keep passing/weaving to maintain my pace. In fact, I never did catch up to a group running my goal pace and was still passing people in the last mile. Four of the next 5 miles were very close to 7:45 m/M, and the 5th (8:14) was slower because I ran with and chatted with friends for a while as I came upon them. A big digital clock at 10K read 52:05, and there were time-callers every mile, so I was always aware that I had to keep the pedal to the metal if I wanted to be anywhere close to my goal time. A significant hill slowed me to 8:06, but the subsequent downhill (and GU kicking in?) resulted in a couple of 7:36 miles. My HR was in the mid-150’s by this point, which was as high as I wanted it to be, as 157 is 90% of the maximum I have ever seen on my Garmin. Mile 11 was 8:03, but I can’t blame friends for that one. There were stretches of slight uphill, or maybe I was paying the price for 2 speedy miles, or maybe it was just lack of focus. With mile 12 at 7:43, though, I was still hanging in there. I sprinted to the finish (HR up to 168) in an official time of 1:40:48 (I could swear the clock said 1:40:40 as I crossed the line, but whatever). Positives: I guess McMillan was basically right. On a course without crowds or hills, under cool, dry conditions, with no friends to distract me, I probably could maintain a 7:43 pace for 20K. Oh, and I can be proud of my PR by 2:17 m too. And I had negative splits. And the beer tasted good. The Farmer’s Market a block from the finish line was good too. And a Dam to Dam paper weight, instead of the usual medallion, for finishers was a nice touch. Negatives: 26/119 in AG was not in the plan. What is with all those fast boomers (lower case to distinguish them from CR Boomers) out there? I suspect that many are smart enough to line up closer to the start line—maybe I’ll try that next year. Thanks for reading.
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Fortunate--a volleyballer with a running problem
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[This message has been edited by Fortunate One (edited Jun-04-2007).]
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