posted Sep-10-2007 09:28 AM            

I was hoping to run a 5k in the 20:30 range today. The race was not going to be chip timed but I didn’t think a lot of runners would attend so I could start up front. Sure enough it turned out there were about 330 total runners/walkers so I could line up near the front.

I figured I had a good shot to get in the top 3 in my age group today for a medal.
The weather was super. It was about 65 degrees and not too much wind for the 10am start. I got on the course around 9:20 and began by walking the course in reverse from the finish line. I paced 580 feet or so and marked the 3 mile mark of the race so I could get a 3 mile race split when I passed this mark. The course didn’t look too bad. It was about 65% grass and 35% dirt trails. There were 4 tougher hills in all on this two loop course but I felt good. I had only run 42 miles in the past 2 weeks but figured my base over the last year should carry me today.

I ran about 2 miles warmup in all ending about 15 minutes before the race start. I had to hurry and get my race shoes on which was a little unnerving. But I got to the start and found a spot up front in the 2nd row. About 400 feet into the race was a rather steep grassy hill about 200 feet in length. I was glad to see it at the race open rather than later on as I like to ease into races. I spotted MaryEllen a 20:00 runner in my vicinity so I was going to try to stay with her.

The signal was given and about 100 runners took off so fast my thoughts wanted to scold all the inexperienced runners who were sure to die a slow death after their anaerobic start. But soon my thoughts said to me “My God I am going to have to pass a lot of runners in the 1st mile or so and the trail ahead is only about 12 feet wide” But it was too late now as I estimated I was about in 100th place of 270 runners so I had to make it work. I took the uphill nice and easy. With quick strides but an easy effort I made it to the top and readied myself to pass the newbies. For a hundred feet or so I was boxed in on all sides by fairly slow runners. I finally got a couple feet room and said “excuse me” as I squeezed in between a couple runners and forged ahead. Then off to the side of the trail near the cornfield I passed another 5 runners.

I recognized a 40 year old woman who usually runs around 22:30 so I caught up to her and passed her. It was 2 minutes into the race and I felt like I hadn’t even broke a sweat yet. At about the half mile mark I came up quickly on Claude (40 year old who runs around 23:00 for 5k)…I couldn’t help but think “Why are you going so fast buddy?” A 5k is not won in the 1st kilometer but can be lost. Well the truth be told Claude loses his 5ks in the 1st kilometer by going to fast…in a sense I was losing mine today by going to slow and getting clogged behind slower runners on the trail. As I passed a struggling Claude I said to him “Take it easy” and he mumbled something back with a wild look in his eyes.

I pulled in behind a guy my age with headphones. I gathered my breath for a couple hundred feet and then swung around him as we went downhill. On the downhills I let gravity pull my body and let my feet go as fast as they will do. Now we were coming up to the 2nd uphill (a gravelly steep but short hill) and I used my uphill strategy of running slow with quick strides. If someone wants to pass me on the uphill I will yield the way. I have found going hard on an uphill takes way more out of you than it is worth. I glanced at my watch which read 6:18 and saw the mile mark about 500 feet ahead. I need to get going I thought. I passed a 45 year old guy and 2 others alongside him. I passed the mile mark in 6:57. I average around 6:32 for the 1st mile so I just told myself this was a very slow course and I would continue to work for race positions.

The course went into the woods on a dirt trail and I started to reel in a couple guys ahead. Then we came to the water stop where I passed the two guys as they grabbed waters and I went way to the right of the path. Back into the woods which began a series of s-pattern zig zags on a dirt path. In the pre-race I had estimated this section at 0.3 miles and it was nice because you could see runners who were about 600-800 feet in front of you or behind you as the zig zags took you right passed where you had been so you would run 500 feet then make a U-turn and run back 500 feet then another U-turn. Looking ahead on the race course I tried to spot Mary Ellen but could not see her so that was a little disheartening. I was really feeling strong here and I passed another 3 or 4 runners in the woods.

Now we were out of the woods and onto loop 2. The uphill from the race beginning was approaching. I saw a young girl probably about 15 years old maybe 100 feet ahead of me. I will catch her eventually I thought but focused on the hill. Up the hill and over the hill. The 15 year old passed a few runners and I followed suit. I caught her and she fought me for a hundred feet. I was very impressed as I must have went passed 40 runners so far and they all gave up as they had all started too fast so I went around with ease.

A downhill approached and I put a few feet on the girl. The 2 mile mark signaled a time of 14:02. So my 2nd mile split was 7:05. At least my first 2 miles were pretty close timewise. Now I started to hurt as the mental wall was hitting me. The 15 year old was coming back and passed me going up long grassy hill. The only one to pass me all day and now I know how all the others I had passed had felt. It makes you feel weak. But I fought off the mental wall and immedieatly swung back to the left and pulled even with the girl then went passed her on the downhill. The goal was to break her by getting some distance. I know you will say beating 15 year old girls is your goal man you have fallen a long ways buddy. But Im telling you she was tough and had an attitude. So I fought hard and came to the gravel steep hill. As I went up the hill slowly again a race volunteer said to me “POWER THROUGH THE HILL…POWER THROUGH THE HILL”…

For a couple seconds I actually pondered the psychology of how I could make myself power up a 20% steep hill but my legs said “no thanks” so I went up low and slow.

Now the elapsed race time was 18:10. There are only about 3 minutes left so I told myself to get moving and I did pick up my pace. I looked ahead and saw a couple youngsters about 10 seconds ahead. Well the last kid will be tough to catch but I just need to run hard from here in and it is what it is. With about 700 feet left a spectator shouted at the kid in front of me “You need to fly now!” Again my brain went into pondering the meaning of that sentence. Yes I had been a spectator before at race finishes and you would think that telling someone to “FLY” would make them dig down and bolt to the finish line like Alan Webb. I wished that I could fly but in reality you can only go so fast without the necessary training.

My 3 mile line was approaching quickly. I hit my split time without looking and now put the pedal to the medal. Right about this time I heard the race announcers calling out MaryEllens finishing time. (which was 21:00). As I got to the final 100 yards I was catching the youngster. He was about 2 seconds ahead but I had started my head of steam . I am passing him no doubt in my mind. With about 60 yards left the kid must have sensed me coming for he started his finishing sprint. He was about ten feet ahead of me. I passed him with about 20 yards left though and finished in 21:25. Almost my worst time of the year. 4th of 11 in my age group.

The slower start coupled with the cross country style trails absolutely murdered me today. I can only remember being passed once after the opening 500 feet of the race by a young girl and I passed her back. It was a lot of fun doing all the passing but my race time suffered. I have to stop worrying so much about getting out to a fast start. Shoot the winner of the race with a time of 16:26 ran the 1st mile in 4:57….what would seem a vastly poor positive split. My splits were 6:57, 7:05, 6:48 and 36 second last tenth.

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posted Sep-10-2007 10:32 AM            

It sounds like you had a rough time with that yesterday. It sounds like you need to find some road courses instead of those trail runs. Come down to Raleigh NC some time and we can burn up some of the courses downtown. They are pretty flat and fast.

Have you mapped out any of your courses on www.gmap-pedometer.com? Check and see how big the hills really are for these races. It sounds like you are running some pretty steep ones. That is never good for trying to achieve a PR.

Good luck with it. I know if you get a flat course and a good start you will be able to pull it off. I know starting fast did not work for you before. However, starting just a little fast in order to start right on the line can help a lot.

I have been at races where I lost about 20 seconds at the start and I only started 3 rows back. Now I just start on the line and hammer it for the first 20 seconds. It costs me a little when I hit the latter stages but it is a necessity to get the stroller out of the crowd. In the end though just a few seconds of fast pace at the beginning doesn’t kill you as long as it is a downhill start.

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posted Sep-10-2007 12:54 PM            

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posted Sep-10-2007 01:42 PM            

"Occasionally I would pass a runner but since I had started so far up running with the big dogs my pace was not altered much"

I had started way up front in my PR race and went out pretty strongly. While I passed a few people in the 1st mile (some of the same rookies who still go out too fast) it wasn't very many. I may have passed 5-6 runners in the 1st mile.

Yesterday I think I passed about 40 in the 1st mile and it takes a lot out of you even if you don't notice it. That and on a trail run especially the line of runners backs up as the trail forces you back further in the pack then you normally would be. So the futher back you are in the opening quarter mile the more your time suffers.

Another thing I remember from my PR race is that a handful of runners actually passed me after a tenth of a mile. That happened because I had not been afraid to get out a little fast. My problem is I am afraid to go out too fast and burn out but it is MORE costly to go out too slow because PASSING slower runners takes more effort then grabbing onto a pack going at your pace and following the pack.

I am going to make an emphasis on getting out a little faster now and looking for my pack to run with. You see the pack at the lead of just about every race. A handful of runners lock on each other and run as a pack in the lead. If one runner surges they all try to surge.. If the pack slows they all slow. You don't have alot to think about (psycholgy and stats) just stay with the pack. Yesterday I was passing people then running alone for 200 yards then trying to catch the next runner ahead. Bad way to run.

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