May 17 - HCS Longfellow 2 Mile
The drive from Alexandria to Columbia should take about 55 minutes. That means if I leave the hose at 12:45 I SHOULD make it for the 2PM start fairly easily. Registration takes all of 30 seconds (sign my name and drop 50 cents in a jar). Unfortunately, today I failed to consider the impact of construction on the 14th street bridge would have on my commute. The bridge was backed up to Crystal City and crept along for 45 minutes. The GPS in the car said I would be about 15 minutes late at that point. Nonetheless, I decided to step on it and hope that the start of the race was delayed.
I made it close. By speeding a bit in uncongested areas I was able to make up some time. I pulled up to Longfellow just in time to see the last place runner leaving the parking lot with a pack of runners in front of her. I jumped out of the car, tried to get my heart monitor working , and ran over to the start line. I verified that the runners I had seen were the 2 milers and I was off.
I was obviously out of my normal race mode of being in front of a few people. I had no one behind me and my closest competitor was probably 1/4 mile or so ahead of me when I began. There was no way on Earth I was going to start slow today.
My GPS couldn't figure out where I was since I kept moving. As a result I can't tell exactly what my pace was. But my heart monitor kicked in about 3 minutes into the race. I was already at 132 beats per minute and the last place runner was in sight. I ran hard until I passed her and then took a walk break to recover. I'm surprised to see that my heart rate was only 139 at that point. I felt a lot worse than a 139!
The rest of the race saw similar burst of energy, followed by 1 minute walk breaks. I REALLY wanted to catch up with some of the other runners. I finally caught up to the next to last racer (Karen Denmark) as we took the left hand turn back towards the school. I kept the hammer down all the way to the finish line, resulting in a heart rate at the end of 156. My average for period that was timed was 139 beats per minute. I finished 26th out of 28 finishers and was recorded with a time of 25:24. I estimate my "real" time on the course was about 23:10...maybe a tad faster. The lack of accurate information is frustrating and I now wear a regular watch as a backup in case I can't get my GPS to work properly.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
8 races at once
OK...I admit it. I'm badly behind on my blogging. (Better than being behind on my flogging!) And I actually feel stressed about it. So...to remedy both situations I'm going to use this one blog to make a significant impact on my race reports. Quality will be less than normal but at this point I honestly don't remember a lot about each of these races anyway so short is the way to go.
April 10 - Crystal City 5K
This is my 10th race of the year. I learned the course the previous week so I wanted to give this one my best effort. And I did just that! With an average heart rate of 146 I pushed myself to a time of 36:30. Pathetic I know but it still stands as a 2009 PR for the 5K distance. It earned me 395 place out of 431 finishers. Robert Wade won the overall with a time of 15:28. Briana Whaley was the top woman with a time of 17:38.
April 15 - DCRRC Tidal Basin 3K
Nasty weather reduced the turnout for this monthly race to only 31. Small races can be good or bad for me. They can be good if its largely female and also men outside of my age group. The bad thing is the slower runners generally don't come out on really miserable days. As a result, I came in dead last. But I came in 2nd in my 5 year age group :). Heart rate analysis shows I pushed myself early, getting my heart rate up to 150 in just 4 minutes and 15 seconds. With no one running near me I took several walk breaks to recover and averaged a heart rate of only 139. It really should be in the low 140's at least. I finished with a time of 21:18. Disappointing, even by my low standards.
April 17 - Crystal City 5K
I like this race series! Its not a particularly difficult course, its close to home, I used to walk these very streets years ago when I worked for USAir, and best of all, the 2 for 1 dinners at Noodles and Company after the race! As for the race itself...weak effort. I really struggled with a time of 37:52...nearly 90 seconds slower than the previous week. My heart rate average was 143...3bpm slower than the previous week. I went out slower this week and tried to manage my pace. As a result, I didnt top 150 bpm until 11 1/2 minutes into the race. But my recovery walks were a bit too long, allowing my heart rate to repeatedly drop to the low 130's. I should probably be resuming my running when it drops to about 135. I'm doing this all be feel as its difficult to read the watch while running but this is givving me good feedback on how I'm feeling. Anyway, I came in 451st out of 491 finishers. This race series is clearly a success!
April 18 - University Park Azalea Classic 5K
I laced up the shoes early the following morning and headed out to the Azalea Classic. I ran this race a couple of years ago and had a good time. I spoke to Jon Palks for a few minutes before the race. I enjoy chatting with him...good guy. Anyway, while this is a pretty race and its always fun to run through neighborhoods, it does have a few difficult hills. The other downside is it has quite a few inexperienced racers. This means slower people that start up front and runners who weave and stop unexpectedly. This makes for difficult starts to the race since I start at the back but tend to run well early.
Given these challenges and my time from the previous evening on a less challenging course, I was mildly pleased to finish with a time of 37:12. This put me in 210th position out of 263 finishers. I don't know them but Lea Diamond and Lisa Devlin helped pushed me to the finish line as I was able to nip each of them by a few seconds. Regarding my performance in this same race 2 years earlier when I had a time of 36:30...well I am 2 years older!
April 24 - Crystal City 5K
This was a special race as it was the first time I have ever run a race with my wife Dori. It did require a lot of arm twisting but her running partner Katie also wanted to run it so it was a date.
Now I know this seems impossible but Dori is even slower than I am. I knew that going in since I do some training runs with her. But I admire her for being able to keep a steady pace and not take walk breaks. I was interested in seeing what the lack of walk breaks would do to my time and how I would feel at the end. Well, the data is in and here are the results. I finished with a time of 45:53...about 9 minutes slower than my "average" on this course. But I felt GREAT afterwards. I was sweaty but I recovered very quickly and had no aches at all! This is clearly the sort of pace I should be using when I train instead of my usual race day speed. Its not that I don't try...I just have a lot of trouble slowing myself down. Dori forced me to slow my pace, which was great. My average heart rate was a mere 117 and my max heart rate only got to 126. That tells me that I can probably run even a teeny bit faster and still not feel whipped at the end. But how will I do that without my pacesetter?
Speaking of Dori, I am very proud of her. She finished a second in front of me. This was her 2nd 5K ever. While the pace was easy for me, she was a little tired at the end but she did it! There's no quit in my wife. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner with Katie over at Noodles & Company.
April 26 - Vienna Elementary PTA 5K
This was a last minute decision and it almost didnt happen. I arrived at the race about 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start. They had already packed up all of the registration materials. That surprised me a bit as it was a charity race and I thought they would want all of the money they could get. Fortunately, I found one woman working the race that felt that way and she got me a number just in time for the start of the race.
It was a simple out and back course with few turns but some mild rolling hills. It set up pretty well for me though as the start of the race was uphill meaning the finish (when I'm usually struggling) was downhill.
A little stitch in my side troubled me during the middle parts of this race which coincided with the steepest of the hills. At one point I let my heart rate drop all the way down to 121 while I was trying to push the air out of my stomach. I pushed myself pretty hard during the last mile though and just missed setting a 2009 PR for myself, settling with a time of 36:40. Interestingly, the tale of the tape tells me that I really didnt push myself as had as I thought at the end. My max heart rate was only 151 and my average for the race was only 133. Based on that I should have been able to suck it up and shave off at least 11 seconds. I admit it, I'm a wimp!
April 26 - HCS Jeffers Hill 2 Mile
Not quite satisfied with my performance that morning, I drove up to Columbia to run a 2 miler that afternoon. I had only run this course once before, back in 2007. Thanks to my records I can see that I ran it in 21:48. So that was my target time. Oops, I guess I can go hunting with Cheney because I missed my target too. I finished in 22:51. Showing just how old I've gotten, I don't remeber the race even though the results show that I was nipped at the wire by Jessica Stern by only 4/10th of a second! With that I finished 35th out of 49 finishers.
May 10 - HCS Elkhorn 2 Mile
After a week in Vegas and 2 roadtrips to see a couple of Springsteen shows, it was time to get back to racing!
Now the last time I ran this course was back in December when I was scrambling to try to reach 50 races for the year and it was my 3rd race of the day. I finished with a poor time of 25:56. I was sure I could do better today.
And better I did. I finished with a time of 23:34. That doesn't look like much but the GPS data says I did fairly well considering. My heart rate never got below 137 and I maxed at 156. I averaged 140 which is right about where I think I need to be. So I'm not displeased by this effort, even though I only beat 3 people and finished 37th.
April 10 - Crystal City 5K
This is my 10th race of the year. I learned the course the previous week so I wanted to give this one my best effort. And I did just that! With an average heart rate of 146 I pushed myself to a time of 36:30. Pathetic I know but it still stands as a 2009 PR for the 5K distance. It earned me 395 place out of 431 finishers. Robert Wade won the overall with a time of 15:28. Briana Whaley was the top woman with a time of 17:38.
April 15 - DCRRC Tidal Basin 3K
Nasty weather reduced the turnout for this monthly race to only 31. Small races can be good or bad for me. They can be good if its largely female and also men outside of my age group. The bad thing is the slower runners generally don't come out on really miserable days. As a result, I came in dead last. But I came in 2nd in my 5 year age group :). Heart rate analysis shows I pushed myself early, getting my heart rate up to 150 in just 4 minutes and 15 seconds. With no one running near me I took several walk breaks to recover and averaged a heart rate of only 139. It really should be in the low 140's at least. I finished with a time of 21:18. Disappointing, even by my low standards.
April 17 - Crystal City 5K
I like this race series! Its not a particularly difficult course, its close to home, I used to walk these very streets years ago when I worked for USAir, and best of all, the 2 for 1 dinners at Noodles and Company after the race! As for the race itself...weak effort. I really struggled with a time of 37:52...nearly 90 seconds slower than the previous week. My heart rate average was 143...3bpm slower than the previous week. I went out slower this week and tried to manage my pace. As a result, I didnt top 150 bpm until 11 1/2 minutes into the race. But my recovery walks were a bit too long, allowing my heart rate to repeatedly drop to the low 130's. I should probably be resuming my running when it drops to about 135. I'm doing this all be feel as its difficult to read the watch while running but this is givving me good feedback on how I'm feeling. Anyway, I came in 451st out of 491 finishers. This race series is clearly a success!
April 18 - University Park Azalea Classic 5K
I laced up the shoes early the following morning and headed out to the Azalea Classic. I ran this race a couple of years ago and had a good time. I spoke to Jon Palks for a few minutes before the race. I enjoy chatting with him...good guy. Anyway, while this is a pretty race and its always fun to run through neighborhoods, it does have a few difficult hills. The other downside is it has quite a few inexperienced racers. This means slower people that start up front and runners who weave and stop unexpectedly. This makes for difficult starts to the race since I start at the back but tend to run well early.
Given these challenges and my time from the previous evening on a less challenging course, I was mildly pleased to finish with a time of 37:12. This put me in 210th position out of 263 finishers. I don't know them but Lea Diamond and Lisa Devlin helped pushed me to the finish line as I was able to nip each of them by a few seconds. Regarding my performance in this same race 2 years earlier when I had a time of 36:30...well I am 2 years older!
April 24 - Crystal City 5K
This was a special race as it was the first time I have ever run a race with my wife Dori. It did require a lot of arm twisting but her running partner Katie also wanted to run it so it was a date.
Now I know this seems impossible but Dori is even slower than I am. I knew that going in since I do some training runs with her. But I admire her for being able to keep a steady pace and not take walk breaks. I was interested in seeing what the lack of walk breaks would do to my time and how I would feel at the end. Well, the data is in and here are the results. I finished with a time of 45:53...about 9 minutes slower than my "average" on this course. But I felt GREAT afterwards. I was sweaty but I recovered very quickly and had no aches at all! This is clearly the sort of pace I should be using when I train instead of my usual race day speed. Its not that I don't try...I just have a lot of trouble slowing myself down. Dori forced me to slow my pace, which was great. My average heart rate was a mere 117 and my max heart rate only got to 126. That tells me that I can probably run even a teeny bit faster and still not feel whipped at the end. But how will I do that without my pacesetter?
Speaking of Dori, I am very proud of her. She finished a second in front of me. This was her 2nd 5K ever. While the pace was easy for me, she was a little tired at the end but she did it! There's no quit in my wife. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner with Katie over at Noodles & Company.
April 26 - Vienna Elementary PTA 5K
This was a last minute decision and it almost didnt happen. I arrived at the race about 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start. They had already packed up all of the registration materials. That surprised me a bit as it was a charity race and I thought they would want all of the money they could get. Fortunately, I found one woman working the race that felt that way and she got me a number just in time for the start of the race.
It was a simple out and back course with few turns but some mild rolling hills. It set up pretty well for me though as the start of the race was uphill meaning the finish (when I'm usually struggling) was downhill.
A little stitch in my side troubled me during the middle parts of this race which coincided with the steepest of the hills. At one point I let my heart rate drop all the way down to 121 while I was trying to push the air out of my stomach. I pushed myself pretty hard during the last mile though and just missed setting a 2009 PR for myself, settling with a time of 36:40. Interestingly, the tale of the tape tells me that I really didnt push myself as had as I thought at the end. My max heart rate was only 151 and my average for the race was only 133. Based on that I should have been able to suck it up and shave off at least 11 seconds. I admit it, I'm a wimp!
April 26 - HCS Jeffers Hill 2 Mile
Not quite satisfied with my performance that morning, I drove up to Columbia to run a 2 miler that afternoon. I had only run this course once before, back in 2007. Thanks to my records I can see that I ran it in 21:48. So that was my target time. Oops, I guess I can go hunting with Cheney because I missed my target too. I finished in 22:51. Showing just how old I've gotten, I don't remeber the race even though the results show that I was nipped at the wire by Jessica Stern by only 4/10th of a second! With that I finished 35th out of 49 finishers.
May 10 - HCS Elkhorn 2 Mile
After a week in Vegas and 2 roadtrips to see a couple of Springsteen shows, it was time to get back to racing!
Now the last time I ran this course was back in December when I was scrambling to try to reach 50 races for the year and it was my 3rd race of the day. I finished with a poor time of 25:56. I was sure I could do better today.
And better I did. I finished with a time of 23:34. That doesn't look like much but the GPS data says I did fairly well considering. My heart rate never got below 137 and I maxed at 156. I averaged 140 which is right about where I think I need to be. So I'm not displeased by this effort, even though I only beat 3 people and finished 37th.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The first Crystal City run
This Spring Pacer's held a weekly 5K series in Crystal City. The first race was on April 3. It was overcast and the sky was threatening but the rain held off and we were able to get in a dry race.
This was a race where I felt pretty good at the start but I bonked about half way thru the race. I ran the first mile in 10:15, which is too fast for me right now. I needed a 2 minute walk to recover and bring my heart rate down from 150. Then I ran again to the 1/2 way point. I reached that in 16:45. I had visions of setting my 5K record for the year but I knew it was going to be a struggle as I just couldn't keep my heart rate under 150. 7 times it crossed over 150 and 7 times I took a walk to recover. I was pretty good about keeping the walk breaks short as my heart rate never got lower than 132 and most of my restarts began with a heart rate of about 138 or so. My average heart rate for the race was 142 and I maxed out at 154 at the finish.
I finished with a time of 36:34, good for 3rd in my age group (yes, there were only 3 in my age group if you had to know!). Overall, I came in 301st out of 338 finishers. After the race, Noodle and Company were giving 2 for 1 dinners to runners so I picked up a Friday night dinner for Dori and I. All in all a very good time.
This was a race where I felt pretty good at the start but I bonked about half way thru the race. I ran the first mile in 10:15, which is too fast for me right now. I needed a 2 minute walk to recover and bring my heart rate down from 150. Then I ran again to the 1/2 way point. I reached that in 16:45. I had visions of setting my 5K record for the year but I knew it was going to be a struggle as I just couldn't keep my heart rate under 150. 7 times it crossed over 150 and 7 times I took a walk to recover. I was pretty good about keeping the walk breaks short as my heart rate never got lower than 132 and most of my restarts began with a heart rate of about 138 or so. My average heart rate for the race was 142 and I maxed out at 154 at the finish.
I finished with a time of 36:34, good for 3rd in my age group (yes, there were only 3 in my age group if you had to know!). Overall, I came in 301st out of 338 finishers. After the race, Noodle and Company were giving 2 for 1 dinners to runners so I picked up a Friday night dinner for Dori and I. All in all a very good time.
Honestly, I'm just going to move to Columbia
I ran in my 3rd straight race in Columbia on March 22. This was the 2 Mile race run from Longfellow. I must be honest...the race was so long ago I don't really remember it. However, from my Garmin data I can tell that I went out a little fast and struggled with the hills. No news there! It looks like I took 5 walk breaks....pretty scary for a mere 2 mile race. It just seems like I didn't push myself very hard until we got close to the finish. I took my first walk break after only 5 minutes and my heart rate was only 140. More striking is that I waited to start running until my heart rate dropped to 119. My preference is to slow to a walk when I get a heart rate of about 147 and return to running when it drops to about 132. So, in other words, I was a wimp this day.
I must have realized that I had been slacking late in the race as I then started to push myself. My heart rate maxed at 157 as I hit the finish line in 22:24. That was good enough for 38th place out of 47 runners. Surprisingly, that is also my best 2 mile time this year.
Notable finishers were Dave Berardi, the winner with a time of 11:37; Nina McFadden, who beat me by 11 seconds; and Julia Clearman, who I beat by 3 seconds (ah ha, now we now why I pushed myself at the end!).
I must have realized that I had been slacking late in the race as I then started to push myself. My heart rate maxed at 157 as I hit the finish line in 22:24. That was good enough for 38th place out of 47 runners. Surprisingly, that is also my best 2 mile time this year.
Notable finishers were Dave Berardi, the winner with a time of 11:37; Nina McFadden, who beat me by 11 seconds; and Julia Clearman, who I beat by 3 seconds (ah ha, now we now why I pushed myself at the end!).
Monday, March 16, 2009
I should just move to Columbia
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.
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.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hail...another Tidal Basin 3K
February 18 confirmed that I truly am one of those insane runners who will run in anything. It was time once again for the monthly edition of the Tidal Basin 3K. This one was a little different than usual though. Instead of having to dodge tour buses we had to try to evade the sleet and freezing rain that was falling. It's one thing to run in the cold but its another thing entirely to have to also deal with stinging sleet bouncing off of your face.
There were only 23 competitors for thsi race and even that seemed high given the conditions. I spoke to Charlie Mercer before the race and he told me that conditions at last months race were bad as it was below 20 degrees but that this was certainly worse. I asked him how he was doing and he commented on Ted being there. I told him that Ted has been injured and is not running as fast as usual and he seemed to cheer up. I saw later that he won the race with a time of 10:55, beating Michael Collins by 4 seconds. I'm not certain but I think that may be Charlie's first Tidal Basin win...good for him!
All of the slower folks had the good sense to skip this race except for me. The only person there that I could stay even remotely close to was Tami Graf (who is 72 BTW). I stayed on her heels through about .9 miles but then I had to take a walk break when my heart rate hit 149. I started running again when it dropped to 125BPM, which was probably a bit too low. By that time, Tami was well out of reach and I was merlely running for my dignity and to allow Jay to pack up and get out of the sleet.
I didn't mention crossing the first Tidal Basin bridge. That was absolutely the worst part of the course. The sleet was coming in from across the Tidal Basin so we had no shelter at all. It was coming in nearly vertical and hitting us on our right side as we ran across the bridge. There was no where to hide. I probably ran across the bridge faster than I ever have before as I just wanted to stop being hit by that sleet!
Returning to the race, I took 2 more walk breaks...both times when my heart rate exceeded 150BPM. I should note that I don't stop based on my heart monitor as I actually can't read it when I'm runnning. I simply stop when I feel like I'm overdoing it. It's only after the race that I see that I typically feel that way when my heart rate gets to about 150.
I finished my last walk break at 1.5 miles and pushed myself as hard as I could towards the finish. My dog Riley cheered/barked me on as I passed him in my car as I neared the finish. I pushed myself hard to the finish and actually had a heart rate of 158 as I crossed the finish line in a time of 20:24. While that is obviously slows, that is the first time I have averaged under an 11 minute per mile pace for any distance since mid September of last year so I'm pretty happy about that. I guess we could say I perfom my best when conditions are the worst. Now we just have to test out that theory.
There were only 23 competitors for thsi race and even that seemed high given the conditions. I spoke to Charlie Mercer before the race and he told me that conditions at last months race were bad as it was below 20 degrees but that this was certainly worse. I asked him how he was doing and he commented on Ted being there. I told him that Ted has been injured and is not running as fast as usual and he seemed to cheer up. I saw later that he won the race with a time of 10:55, beating Michael Collins by 4 seconds. I'm not certain but I think that may be Charlie's first Tidal Basin win...good for him!
All of the slower folks had the good sense to skip this race except for me. The only person there that I could stay even remotely close to was Tami Graf (who is 72 BTW). I stayed on her heels through about .9 miles but then I had to take a walk break when my heart rate hit 149. I started running again when it dropped to 125BPM, which was probably a bit too low. By that time, Tami was well out of reach and I was merlely running for my dignity and to allow Jay to pack up and get out of the sleet.
I didn't mention crossing the first Tidal Basin bridge. That was absolutely the worst part of the course. The sleet was coming in from across the Tidal Basin so we had no shelter at all. It was coming in nearly vertical and hitting us on our right side as we ran across the bridge. There was no where to hide. I probably ran across the bridge faster than I ever have before as I just wanted to stop being hit by that sleet!
Returning to the race, I took 2 more walk breaks...both times when my heart rate exceeded 150BPM. I should note that I don't stop based on my heart monitor as I actually can't read it when I'm runnning. I simply stop when I feel like I'm overdoing it. It's only after the race that I see that I typically feel that way when my heart rate gets to about 150.
I finished my last walk break at 1.5 miles and pushed myself as hard as I could towards the finish. My dog Riley cheered/barked me on as I passed him in my car as I neared the finish. I pushed myself hard to the finish and actually had a heart rate of 158 as I crossed the finish line in a time of 20:24. While that is obviously slows, that is the first time I have averaged under an 11 minute per mile pace for any distance since mid September of last year so I'm pretty happy about that. I guess we could say I perfom my best when conditions are the worst. Now we just have to test out that theory.
By George, I'm slow
On February 14 I made my return to the annual By George 5K on Haines Point, sponsored by the Potomac Valley Track Club. Dori and I celebrated Valentine's Day the previous evening in Old Town so I had a hall pass this morning.
It was a cold morning and anyone that has run at Haines Point knows that the wind coming in off of the rivers makes a cold day feel pretty darn frigid. As always, the standing around at the beginning was the worse. But I was able to forget about the cold for a few moments while exchanging small talk with Jon Palks and Peter Blank.
This race is actually 2 races in one. A 10K is run simultaneously with the 5K. Haines Point is just a just a tiny bit longer than 5K around the point so the 10K runners start a little bit in front of the 5K runners and we all finish at the same place. My goal in these races is to not get passed by the 10K leaders as we all near the finish line. I've been able to do it before... I remember seeing Ted Poulos closing fast 1 year as I crossed the tape...but I'm older, fatter, and slower now.
Perhaps the best aspect of Haines Point is its flatness. You really can't ask for a flatter course. Given that I like flat courses and I actually prefer cold days (once I'm running) I hoped for a good day. My GPS wasn't charged though so I was going to have do this one without any help from technology.
I felt good at the start. I was probably running about an 11 minutes pace for the first mile or so. I had quite a few people around me and I was listening to their conversations to pass away the time. I never have understood people that talked during a race...I can barely squeeze out a "Go Shirley" when I'm in a race...but whatever it takes. As we passed the golf course entrance I had to take my first walk break. My lower legs were hurting pretty good and I know from experience that they actually feel better when I run so I started up again. Unfortunately, they still hurt. I ran on the grass where I could to ease the stress but it didnt help too much. But I perservered.
Being a back of the pack runner I have simple goals. One of my golden rules is to be a net passer over the last half of any race. This tells me that my pace is good and that I'm stronger at the finisg than those near my time. I accomplished that goal today. I had a few runners in front of me over the last 1.5 miles but I kept them close and I passed them over the last 200 yards. They probably wondered "What's up with that guy" but that's OK...I need that challenge.
However, I did fail at keeping the 10K leaders from passing me. I finished the 5K in 36:49, good for 163rd out of 182 finishers, while 3 10K's finished before me. The 10K winner, Matt Lowe, finished in an impressive 34:45. BTW, I estimate that my "chip" time would have been about 10 seconds faster than my official time so that means a 2009 5K PR for me at 36:39. Waa-hoo for me.
Other finishers in the 5K included Peter Blank, who won the race walk with a time of 30:35; Jon Palks with a time of 24:41, and Shirley Sameshima with a time of 28:42. Jay Wind had a nice 10K with a time of 43:56 which was good enough to win his age bracket.
It was a cold morning and anyone that has run at Haines Point knows that the wind coming in off of the rivers makes a cold day feel pretty darn frigid. As always, the standing around at the beginning was the worse. But I was able to forget about the cold for a few moments while exchanging small talk with Jon Palks and Peter Blank.
This race is actually 2 races in one. A 10K is run simultaneously with the 5K. Haines Point is just a just a tiny bit longer than 5K around the point so the 10K runners start a little bit in front of the 5K runners and we all finish at the same place. My goal in these races is to not get passed by the 10K leaders as we all near the finish line. I've been able to do it before... I remember seeing Ted Poulos closing fast 1 year as I crossed the tape...but I'm older, fatter, and slower now.
Perhaps the best aspect of Haines Point is its flatness. You really can't ask for a flatter course. Given that I like flat courses and I actually prefer cold days (once I'm running) I hoped for a good day. My GPS wasn't charged though so I was going to have do this one without any help from technology.
I felt good at the start. I was probably running about an 11 minutes pace for the first mile or so. I had quite a few people around me and I was listening to their conversations to pass away the time. I never have understood people that talked during a race...I can barely squeeze out a "Go Shirley" when I'm in a race...but whatever it takes. As we passed the golf course entrance I had to take my first walk break. My lower legs were hurting pretty good and I know from experience that they actually feel better when I run so I started up again. Unfortunately, they still hurt. I ran on the grass where I could to ease the stress but it didnt help too much. But I perservered.
Being a back of the pack runner I have simple goals. One of my golden rules is to be a net passer over the last half of any race. This tells me that my pace is good and that I'm stronger at the finisg than those near my time. I accomplished that goal today. I had a few runners in front of me over the last 1.5 miles but I kept them close and I passed them over the last 200 yards. They probably wondered "What's up with that guy" but that's OK...I need that challenge.
However, I did fail at keeping the 10K leaders from passing me. I finished the 5K in 36:49, good for 163rd out of 182 finishers, while 3 10K's finished before me. The 10K winner, Matt Lowe, finished in an impressive 34:45. BTW, I estimate that my "chip" time would have been about 10 seconds faster than my official time so that means a 2009 5K PR for me at 36:39. Waa-hoo for me.
Other finishers in the 5K included Peter Blank, who won the race walk with a time of 30:35; Jon Palks with a time of 24:41, and Shirley Sameshima with a time of 28:42. Jay Wind had a nice 10K with a time of 43:56 which was good enough to win his age bracket.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)