Morning Run 11/19/06

It dawned on me as I was driving out to the race, “drafting behind a lean, perhaps skeletal runner might be as fruitful as applying Hawaiian Tropic SPF 2 to stop you from burning”. It’s just not going to happen. As best laid plans usually end up, I needn’t have heeded the wind warning but perhaps the race organizers might have considered a TREACHEROUS TERRAIN WARNING, wow.

After signing up for the race I asked one of the organizers to point me in the direction of the course so that I could get a taste of things to come. Finishing my 20’ warm-up, including 4’ at or near race pace, I decided to change “out of” my flats and into my trainers as I was going to need all the cushioning I could get if I was hoping to arrive in Sacramento in one piece.

The course is scenic and had the concrete cart path been substituted for a chip trail this runner would’ve been that much happier. My plan was to take the first few kilometers (and hills) comfortably and then put the hammer down at the 6-k mark. Unfortunately unbeknownst to me, also at 6-k was an unbelievably (Mount Finlayson like) hill that wielded a bigger hammer. Bugger.

In retrospect I am pleased with the race and felt very solid throughout, not fast, but relaxed. I did start comfortably and eased into the first 3-k (the hilliest part of the course) deciding to instead concentrate on turnover, love those baby steps, rather then grunt up the hills. I continually passed people during the first 5-k and moved up from 14th to 8th. I passed runner number 7 at 6-k only to listen to his deafening footsteps for the remaining 15 minutes. Zach ensured I wasn’t going to coast to the finish line. My final time was 37:29 good for 7th overall and 3rd in my age group (M3039). Coincidently I ran the same pace, 3:45 km, which I hope to hold for Sacramento.

I ran, 1h59 this morning (did an easy 61’ as part of my cool down) and my splits for the race are as follows (km, time, AHR, MAX):

1-k 3:23 (156, 165)
2-k 4:03 (165, 168)
3-k 4:35 (166, 168)
4-k 3:18 (164, 168)
5-k 3:32 (165, 167)
6-k 3:27 (163, 166)
7-k 4:15 (164, 167)
8-k 3:41 (160, 165)
9-k 3:27 (161, 164)
10-k 3:45 (164, 167)

Until later then…