Fortunate One
Cool Runner |
 posted Jul-08-2007 04:35 PM
   
Nutshell version:
Midnight Madness, a10K race in the evening heat of Ames, IA, on 7-7-07
My time: 49:43 (8:00 m/M)
Course PR
5/14 in AG, missing my goal of placing 3rdGory details:
There has been some discussion recently on this board about running in the heat. Well, how ‘bout racing in the heat? You’d have to be crazy, right? That sentiment is reflected in the name of this 10K (and a 5K run a little earlier)--Midnight Madness. Many years ago, when it was a longer race, it actually started at midnight. These days, the 10K starts at 8:30 pm but some of the partying (beer “tent” admission included in registration fee) continues past midnight. The date of this race, 7-7-07, was not lucky for us racers, as it was the hottest day of the year. It was close to 90F at the start but had dropped below 85F by the time I finished (half an hour after the winner). Breeze out of the SW. This year’s logo was nice, and was the only thing printed on the cotton t-shirts given to racers.  This is the third year in a row that I have been crazy enough to do this race, which is in the middle of Iowa in the middle of summer. The first year, when temps were way down in the high 70’s (F), I placed 4th in my AG, missing 3rd (and a medal) by a few seconds. Last year, with temps around 90, I wilted and ran slower, placing 6th. This year, I was determined to do better and I set my sights on 3rd. I estimated that this would require an average pace of 7:40, if the same people showed up this year. That might be possible, I thought, since I have run as fast as 7:20 m/M in a 10K with temps in the 60’s. On the other hand, I really slow down on warm training runs, so I knew I might have to give up on this goal if things went badly. I have been training in the heat for about a month, even running intervals in the afternoons. And I (with others) had arranged for small ice bags along the course. I lined up with someone who usually beats me; she wanted to run with me to keep from going out too fast. FR: red adidas headband and singlet, navy RR shorts, white nike socks, blue and white shoes. The first couple of miles were a little faster (7:30 and 7:35) than we planned, perhaps due to the fact that it’s hard to restrain oneself when the spectators are cheering wildly, but not too bad. My pace buddy ran on as I slowed at a water stop. Not long after that, I was disappointed to see 8:20 m/M on my Garmin as we went up a slight incline, but I just didn’t have the energy to do much about it. I could tell that my HR was about as high as I’ve ever been able to sustain for very long.  I resigned myself to examining the people passing me for gray hair, thinking I might have the energy to slip in behind them and be in a position to sprint with them down the homestretch. For a long time, no candidates came by. When a couple finally did, I just had to watch them pull away (looking at the results later, I don’t think any of them were in my AG). My pace was a little over 8 m/M, and there were a couple of small hills to deal with. I did manage to pick up the pace at the end, but not enough to pass anybody. On the bright side, nobody passed me either in the last half mile. My finishing time of 49:43 was disappointing, given my goal, but it was 71 sec faster than last year (also hot) and a PR over the first year by 31 sec. Next year, I move into a new age group, one in which this year’s time would have gotten me 3rd place, so I guess I’m not done with this madness yet.  My Garmin measured the miles short (and hence the pace quicker), and had the distance at 6.31 M It also does this at the track. I have an idea about why it does this (having to do with elevation changes, real or imagined), but I’d like to know what others have found before I think about it too much. Also, can someone point me to the chart that was mentioned in a post about a week ago that showed the effect of temperature on race times. Thanks. [This message has been edited by Fortunate One (edited Jul-08-2007).]
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