The Howard County Striders run some wondeful low key racing series around Columbia throughout the year. For a buck or less, you can get in a quality race nearly every Sunday. Most of the courses are challenging as Columbia is suprisingly hilly. Also, they usually give runners an option of racing different distances. There is usually a shorter race of 1 to 2 miles as well as a longer race of 5k, 10K, or even 15K.
On Sunday March 8 my options were a 10K or a 2 Miler. With my still gimpy (though much improved) left knee I opted for the 2 Miler. The race started and ended at Thunder Hill School and the name is well deserved. Over the 2 mile course their is a total elevation change of about 900 feet.
It was an absolutely beautiful day which brought out a lot of runners. 47 runners finished the 10K, with Frank Hemmingway leading the way with a time of 38:16. Ashlyn Sinclair led the women in with a time off 44:10. The last finisher came in with a time of 1:18:52. I probably would have been slower than that so I'm glad I opted for the 2 mile...I hate to force people to wait for me to finish.
63 runners competed in the 2 mile race....by far the largest Sunday Strider race that I remember running in. I fell back to about 3/4 of the way back in the field right away but I passed a few runners on the early steep downhill. I felt comfortable but that feeling quickly went away with the 2nd hill which stretches for about .4 miles. I took 2 walk breaks here. On the 2nd I was passed by Christina Caravoulias. Christina is a very consistent runner and is a pretty good measuring stick for me. When I'm running well I should beat her pretty easily at any distance. But if I haven't prepared myself properly she'll pass me by as she did this day. I kept her in sight the entire race but I just couldn't close the gap. I finished 52nd with a time of 22:57 and Christina finished in 51st with a time of 21:51.
Reviewing the Garmin data after the race I would say I walked a little too long on that hill where Christina passed me as my heart rate dropped to 129 before I began to run again. I think I should be able to start running again at about 135 so I took too long of a break there. Otherwise, I think I did as well as to be expected at this point. My average heart rate was 143 and my max heart rate was 161, which I think is close to a race high for me.
On March 15, I trekked up to Columbia for the Swansfield 1 Mile. Unlike the previous week, this was a pretty miserable day with temperatures around 41 degreees and a light, cold rain falling. I had been considering running the 5K but the conditions pushed me to the 1 mile as I really didnt want to spend an extra 25 minutes out in the rain. Plus, as I talked to Kirk Gordon before the race he helped me recall the devilish hill you have to run up about half way into the race. So I decided to give myself a little speed work to counter the last 2 days of slow runs on the treadmill.
There were 38 runners in the 1 mile race - a good turn out, particularly considering the conditions. There were quite a few parent/child combinations which I always like to see as long as they don't get right in front of me. Dee Nelson was running in this race. One of my goals for the year is to actually beat Dee in a race. I didn't think today would be the day but I did want to keep her in sight at the very least.
The race starts with a steep downhill. Why do all of these races start with a downhill? Why can't they end with a downhill which is when I really need it? Anyway, the course droped 75 feet in the first 1/10th of a mile. I ran that section of the course in 50 seconds and my heart rate was only 122. I was feeling good. However, I was begining to feel the effects of a wardrobe malfunction. I had forgotten to tie the drawstring to my shorts. I felt them slipping down my hips as I ran. I kept trying to pull them up and adjust them as I ran but they just kept slipping. I finally had to pull over to the side of the road after about 5 1/2 minutes to tie up the string. I lost about 30 seconds doing this. I may have had to take a break anyway as my heart rate was creeping up to 148 at this point but the problem was I had to come to a complete stop to fix my shorts. A normal break would have me walking a 1/10 of mile or so so this was just lost time. Anyway, once my shorts were tied I took again.
Now remeber that steep downhill at the start of the race? Well, as usual that became an uphill for the end of the race. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to power my way up the entire hill and I was even able to keep my 10 minute pace going. I passed a few struggling runners on the hill as well. I did take a very quick (10 second) walk break at the top of the hill as I thought I might be over doing it but the data shows my heart rate ws only 153 at this point. Anyway, a woman I had just passed encouraged me on and I raced the final 100 yards to the finish. I crossed the tape in 9:45, which I'm OK with given the problem with my shorts and the tough hill. I finished 24th out of 38 finishers. Dee Nelson finished in 7:28...I obviously have to improve a lot if I'm ever going to catch her.
For those keeping count, this was my 7th race of the year. That puts me on pace for about 60 races for the year, which I think is a good number.
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