Cant imagine what it would be like to race one of these.In at Cramer Road (mile 77.9) in 19:56, which is ahead of his 2016 time of 20:25.Up to 24th place. He's kicking some ###.
Go @SayWhat?!
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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ned
- Start date
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Bring it home!!!!!!
JAA
Footballguy
JShare87
Footballguy
JAA
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
gruecd
Footballguy
gruecd
Footballguy
gruecd
Footballguy
Did my first 20-miler of the training cycle this morning. It was designed as a progression run with miles 1-5 in the low 8:00s, 6-10 in the 7:40s, 11-15 in the 7:20s, and 16-20 in the low 7:00s. Didn't get back from a work trip until after midnight, and I was up and ready to run a little after 6:30, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Ended up going really well. Miles 1-5 avg 7:49/mile, 6-10 avg 7:28, 11-15 avg 7:13, and 16-20 avg 6:52. Last mile was the fastest at 6:46, and my overall average was 7:21. I had to push a bit the last 3-4 miles, but otherwise the effort level was pretty reasonable. 8 weeks to go.
Ended up going really well. Miles 1-5 avg 7:49/mile, 6-10 avg 7:28, 11-15 avg 7:13, and 16-20 avg 6:52. Last mile was the fastest at 6:46, and my overall average was 7:21. I had to push a bit the last 3-4 miles, but otherwise the effort level was pretty reasonable. 8 weeks to go.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Thanks for the all the well wishes and encouragement. Even though I wasn’t in the thread, the fact that I knew some of you would be (foolishly 
) following along was most definitely motivation. It was a race that mirrored 2016 to a T. Struggled very badly beginning at Mile 12...YES, only 91 more miles to go! Had problems with things I’ve never dealt with before and am proud to say I gutted the #### out of that race. My pacer also kicked ### once again and we made great strides overnight as the temps cooled to the upper 40s.
) following along was most definitely motivation. It was a race that mirrored 2016 to a T. Struggled very badly beginning at Mile 12...YES, only 91 more miles to go! Had problems with things I’ve never dealt with before and am proud to say I gutted the #### out of that race. My pacer also kicked ### once again and we made great strides overnight as the temps cooled to the upper 40s. 
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Itasca Oktoberfast 5K Race Report
As I mentioned in my brief month end report, I initially wasn't too sure about this race. My training was inconsistent in May, June and most of July. However, August went better than expected and it seemed like I got most of my speed back relatively quickly. During a mile repeats track session last week, I ran miles under 5K PR pace and they weren't too terrible. After that workout, I thought I had a chance at beating my 5K PR of 17:50 set in 2016.
Weather was good for early September. 65/53 and overcast. It was a little on the windy side but not too terrible.
Race started at 9:00. I ran a 2-mile warm up at 6:00 a.m. and another 2 miles with Tri-man and Brony at 8:15.
Mile 1: 5:43/149 avg. HR
This is a competitive race so there were lots of people out ahead of me. There were a couple of hills this first mile that messed with pace a little. I passed several people who seemed to be all in on the Sand method. I'm not these days. I just try to stay under goal pace the whole way. PR pace is around 5:45 so I wanted to stay under that.
Mile 2: 5:42/168
I passed a few more here but we're pretty thinned out. I accidentally slowed down a few times and had to do a gut check and pushed to pick it back up. Fortunately I had that push there to do that. I kind of was at that edge where if I went much faster I'd likely burn out but the pace seemed possibly sustainable.
Mile 3: 5:43/172
Mile 2 is always the most important one for me in 5Ks. If I handle that mile OK, I can usually push through to the end. If mile 2 is too much of a #####, I'm in serious trouble. I didn't feel too bad so I pushed on through. I got passed by one guy early this mile. I was tiring quite a bit but could still keep pace. I didn't check my heart rate which was a good thing. It's very rare for me to ever be over 170. I thought I was all alone but then I heard footsteps from behind near the end of mile 3.
Remainder: 5:29 average pace/174
I tried to pick up the pace to hold off the guy behind me but he had a serious kick and was in a sprint. I didn't have that gear then and I'm not sure I even have it ever. He beat me by three seconds and, of course, he was in my age group. I think the other guy that passed me was in my age group too.
Final time 17:45 for a PR of 5 seconds. I finished 3rd in my age group so I got a medal. I'm not sure how many ran in total and the results aren't posted online yet.
Overall, a good day and it was nice to see the FFA boys again. This race serves as a confidence booster for other races this fall. Next will be a 5-miler September 29. My goal will be to break 30:00. The McMillan calculator thinks I should be able to do that.
As I mentioned in my brief month end report, I initially wasn't too sure about this race. My training was inconsistent in May, June and most of July. However, August went better than expected and it seemed like I got most of my speed back relatively quickly. During a mile repeats track session last week, I ran miles under 5K PR pace and they weren't too terrible. After that workout, I thought I had a chance at beating my 5K PR of 17:50 set in 2016.
Weather was good for early September. 65/53 and overcast. It was a little on the windy side but not too terrible.
Race started at 9:00. I ran a 2-mile warm up at 6:00 a.m. and another 2 miles with Tri-man and Brony at 8:15.
Mile 1: 5:43/149 avg. HR
This is a competitive race so there were lots of people out ahead of me. There were a couple of hills this first mile that messed with pace a little. I passed several people who seemed to be all in on the Sand method. I'm not these days. I just try to stay under goal pace the whole way. PR pace is around 5:45 so I wanted to stay under that.
Mile 2: 5:42/168
I passed a few more here but we're pretty thinned out. I accidentally slowed down a few times and had to do a gut check and pushed to pick it back up. Fortunately I had that push there to do that. I kind of was at that edge where if I went much faster I'd likely burn out but the pace seemed possibly sustainable.
Mile 3: 5:43/172
Mile 2 is always the most important one for me in 5Ks. If I handle that mile OK, I can usually push through to the end. If mile 2 is too much of a #####, I'm in serious trouble. I didn't feel too bad so I pushed on through. I got passed by one guy early this mile. I was tiring quite a bit but could still keep pace. I didn't check my heart rate which was a good thing. It's very rare for me to ever be over 170. I thought I was all alone but then I heard footsteps from behind near the end of mile 3.
Remainder: 5:29 average pace/174
I tried to pick up the pace to hold off the guy behind me but he had a serious kick and was in a sprint. I didn't have that gear then and I'm not sure I even have it ever. He beat me by three seconds and, of course, he was in my age group. I think the other guy that passed me was in my age group too.
Final time 17:45 for a PR of 5 seconds. I finished 3rd in my age group so I got a medal. I'm not sure how many ran in total and the results aren't posted online yet.
Overall, a good day and it was nice to see the FFA boys again. This race serves as a confidence booster for other races this fall. Next will be a 5-miler September 29. My goal will be to break 30:00. The McMillan calculator thinks I should be able to do that.
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Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Congrats Saywhat. You would have been the second to post mid raceI’ll post more later, but I’m pretty bummed as I was going to post the following in the last 15 miles of the race but didn’t have cell reception!
First ever FBGs mid-race post?!
Well I’m driving the Struggle Bus.
ALL ABOARD!
gianmarco
Footballguy
Thank you. Plane just landed.
Note to self: Do not sign up for a race the morning after Vegas.
MAC_32
Footballguy
Yeah, you're supposed to red eye in then go straight to the start line.Thank you. Plane just landed.
Note to self: Do not sign up for a race the morning after Vegas.
mr. furley
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Itasca Octoberfast 5K Race Report
Juxt has given the conditions, which were favorable today. My morning routines were fine and not rushed, given the 9:00 a.m. start. I arrived before 8:00 a.m. and ended up parking near Brony. We quickly hooked up with Juxt, and as he mentioned, we had a couple mile warm-up. We also met some of the Brony clan. I knew this would be a competitive race as its part of the Chgo Area Runners Assoc race circuit this year. I figured I would need low 21s to place (and a bit of luck as to who showed up), so my goal was a 6:50/mi pace.
Mile 1: 6:56/ 157 avg HR
As Juxt described, two hills in the first half mile meant it took a bit to settle into a rhythm. But when I did, I noticed my pace was slipping a bit from the first section. It didn't help my confidence to be behind a girl of maybe 7 years old late in the first mile! But then I smoked her.
The pace felt good ...it just wasn't as fast as I'd like it to be.
Mile 2: 6:56/ 168 avg HR
Rinse; repeat. We were running into a mild wind, but not sure that it had much effect. My cadence was still good and I wasn't too fried, so I actually looked forward to the challenge of mile 3.
Mile 3: 6:47/ 174 avg HR
Much of this is a long stretch with a very short zig-zag in the first part. I focused on mantras and really worked the striding. There was a very slight roll to the course at each intersection, just enough to pop up and drive down. I was running very well here. I took the last turn and continued to accelerate toward the finish.
Remainder: 5:58/ 178 avg HR
I also had a sprinter come by at the end, but he was a younger guy, so no big deal.
Final time was 21:21 (6:51/mile). 3rd of 18 in AG, so more medal mongering. Two AGers behind me were under 22:00. 58th of 275 males. Juxt, you finished 17/275 males (18th overall). Brony, you were 51/275.
Always good to enjoy race day with the guys!!! Congrats on the PR, Juxt!
Juxt has given the conditions, which were favorable today. My morning routines were fine and not rushed, given the 9:00 a.m. start. I arrived before 8:00 a.m. and ended up parking near Brony. We quickly hooked up with Juxt, and as he mentioned, we had a couple mile warm-up. We also met some of the Brony clan. I knew this would be a competitive race as its part of the Chgo Area Runners Assoc race circuit this year. I figured I would need low 21s to place (and a bit of luck as to who showed up), so my goal was a 6:50/mi pace.
Mile 1: 6:56/ 157 avg HR
As Juxt described, two hills in the first half mile meant it took a bit to settle into a rhythm. But when I did, I noticed my pace was slipping a bit from the first section. It didn't help my confidence to be behind a girl of maybe 7 years old late in the first mile! But then I smoked her.
The pace felt good ...it just wasn't as fast as I'd like it to be.Mile 2: 6:56/ 168 avg HR
Rinse; repeat. We were running into a mild wind, but not sure that it had much effect. My cadence was still good and I wasn't too fried, so I actually looked forward to the challenge of mile 3.
Mile 3: 6:47/ 174 avg HR
Much of this is a long stretch with a very short zig-zag in the first part. I focused on mantras and really worked the striding. There was a very slight roll to the course at each intersection, just enough to pop up and drive down. I was running very well here. I took the last turn and continued to accelerate toward the finish.
Remainder: 5:58/ 178 avg HR
I also had a sprinter come by at the end, but he was a younger guy, so no big deal.
Final time was 21:21 (6:51/mile). 3rd of 18 in AG, so more medal mongering. Two AGers behind me were under 22:00. 58th of 275 males. Juxt, you finished 17/275 males (18th overall). Brony, you were 51/275.
Always good to enjoy race day with the guys!!! Congrats on the PR, Juxt!
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gianmarco
Footballguy
My only run there at 6:30 in the morning was when I had just gotten back to the room from that night. If I didn't go then, it wasn't happening. I think I slept more on the flight home tonight than I have the last 3 days
Tomorrow is going to be....interesting.
At least the weather looks fantastic except for the rain. 61/58 and a little bit of wind. Anyway, off to bed (hopefully).......
gianmarco
Footballguy
bud29
Footballguy
Fixed! When you finish a long run, you should be able to stand there with your hands on your hips, admiring the excellent training that has occurred.
Slowed down my long run tonight and it made a huge difference. Felt great both during and after the run. In fact, I was feeling so good that each mile got progressively faster, which was not my intention. Mile 7 clocked in at 9:02 compared to the 9:50 pace I set with the first mile. Felt like I could go a lot longer. Post-run bloating/discomfort were pretty minimal this time around, so it may have just been an over exertion issue as I was pushing too hard on the first couple long runs.
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Brony
Footballguy
Quick race report. Itasca oktoberfest 5k
Great as always to catch up with tri and Juxt. Race prep was as good as I could ask for. Came into the race on fresh legs and feeling as confident as I've been.
Went out too fast. Probably 600 pace for the first half and came through mile 1 at 6 23. Glad that I could do this pace without excessive effort, but I was hoping to be around 640. In my head, I was hoping that maybe I was in good enough shape that 620 was the new norm. I was wrong...
Mile 2. Purposely downshifted to save some in the tank for mile 3 and this was a flat, comfortably uncomfortable 643 mile. So all good at the 2 mile mark.
Mile 3. Just after mile 2 mark, I start to pick up the pace and body says hell no. Instead of falling into groove, I fell into 'why the hell do I do this and why can't the race be 2 miles' mode. Ugh. Mile 3 was rough and lungs were hurting big time. Suffered through a 7 and change pace. Found some energy to kick the last 150 yds.
Final :20:40. 60+ overall. 10th in AG. As is tradition, my younger brother beat me handily.
Bummed that I didn't run a smart pace and slightly disappointed that body isn't as good as I thought. We move on.
Good after race though. All the beer and brats you can handle.
Leg is doing OK. I'm 2.5 months post steroid shot and I'm noticing minor pain in the morning in that calf region. It hasn't caused the usual muscle strain issues that I've grown used to. Yet. I go back to ortho on Oct 15.
Great as always to catch up with tri and Juxt. Race prep was as good as I could ask for. Came into the race on fresh legs and feeling as confident as I've been.
Went out too fast. Probably 600 pace for the first half and came through mile 1 at 6 23. Glad that I could do this pace without excessive effort, but I was hoping to be around 640. In my head, I was hoping that maybe I was in good enough shape that 620 was the new norm. I was wrong...
Mile 2. Purposely downshifted to save some in the tank for mile 3 and this was a flat, comfortably uncomfortable 643 mile. So all good at the 2 mile mark.
Mile 3. Just after mile 2 mark, I start to pick up the pace and body says hell no. Instead of falling into groove, I fell into 'why the hell do I do this and why can't the race be 2 miles' mode. Ugh. Mile 3 was rough and lungs were hurting big time. Suffered through a 7 and change pace. Found some energy to kick the last 150 yds.
Final :20:40. 60+ overall. 10th in AG. As is tradition, my younger brother beat me handily.
Bummed that I didn't run a smart pace and slightly disappointed that body isn't as good as I thought. We move on.
Good after race though. All the beer and brats you can handle.
Leg is doing OK. I'm 2.5 months post steroid shot and I'm noticing minor pain in the morning in that calf region. It hasn't caused the usual muscle strain issues that I've grown used to. Yet. I go back to ortho on Oct 15.
JAA
Footballguy
JAA
Footballguy
BMFs don’t care about hangoversThank you. Plane just landed.
Note to self: Do not sign up for a race the morning after Vegas.
JAA
Footballguy
Tri guys representItasca Octoberfast 5K Race Report
Juxt has given the conditions, which were favorable today. My morning routines were fine and not rushed, given the 9:00 a.m. start. I arrived before 8:00 a.m. and ended up parking near Brony. We quickly hooked up with Juxt, and as he mentioned, we had a couple mile warm-up. We also met some of the Brony clan. I knew this would be a competitive race as its part of the Chgo Area Runners Assoc race circuit this year. I figured I would need low 21s to place (and a bit of luck as to who showed up), so my goal was a 6:50/mi pace.
Mile 1: 6:56/ 157 avg HR
As Juxt described, two hills in the first half mile meant it took a bit to settle into a rhythm. But when I did, I noticed my pace was slipping a bit from the first section. It didn't help my confidence to be behind a girl of maybe 7 years old late in the first mile! But then I smoked her.
Mile 2: 6:56/ 168 avg HR
Rinse; repeat. We were running into a mild wind, but not sure that it had much effect. My cadence was still good and I wasn't too fried, so I actually looked forward to the challenge of mile 3.
Mile 3: 6:47/ 174 avg HR
Much of this is a long stretch with a very short zig-zag in the first part. I focused on mantras and really worked the striding. There was a very slight roll to the course at each intersection, just enough to pop up and drive down. I was running very well here. I took the last turn and continued to accelerate toward the finish.
Remainder: 5:58/ 178 avg HR
I also had a sprinter come by at the end, but he was a younger guy, so no big deal.
Final time was 21:21 (6:51/mile). 3rd of 18 in AG, so more medal mongering. Two AGers behind me were under 22:00. 58th of 275 males. Juxt, you finished 17/275 males (18th overall). Brony, you were 51/275.
Always good to enjoy race day with the guys!!! Congrats on the PR, Juxt!
-OZ-
Footballguy
Depends. I'm always close to civilization here.
Looking ahead at the duathlon in a few weeks. What do you wear to a duathlon? My tri shorts make sense for a tri, but I suspect most people won't be wearing shorts quite that tight. I could wear running shorts but they provide zero protection on the bike seat. Bike shorts would be awkward to run in.
Fwiw, this race is on the arsenal, where I work, is hosted by NASA. Otherwise I'd probably just go with the ball revealing tri shorts.
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JAA
Footballguy
I’d do Tri shorts. I love running in tights. YMMVDepends. I'm always close to civilization here.
Looking ahead at the duathlon in a few weeks. What do you wear to a duathlon? My tri shorts make sense for a tri, but I suspect most people won't be wearing shorts quite that tight. I could wear running shorts but they provide zero protection on the bike seat. Bike shorts would be awkward to run in.
Fwiw, this race is on the arsenal, where I work, is hosted by NASA. Otherwise I'd probably just go with the ball revealing tri shorts.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Congrats on the AG victory!! Looking forward to the report.
Doesn’t count.
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Most should be wearing tri-shorts. Tri-shorts are actually better suited for a du than a tri. At least you won't be running/biking with a wet diaper.-OZ- said:Depends. I'm always close to civilization here.
Looking ahead at the duathlon in a few weeks. What do you wear to a duathlon? My tri shorts make sense for a tri, but I suspect most people won't be wearing shorts quite that tight. I could wear running shorts but they provide zero protection on the bike seat. Bike shorts would be awkward to run in.
Fwiw, this race is on the arsenal, where I work, is hosted by NASA. Otherwise I'd probably just go with the ball revealing tri shorts.
eta - I'm sure the NASA folks have seen a rocket before.
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gianmarco
Footballguy
2018 Trails for Tails 10K Race Report
My first 10K race. I had some experience with the 7K relay race earlier this year as an in between distance but still wasn't completely sure how the last 1-2 miles were going to go. Weather was perfect for me. It had rained most of the day yesterday and this morning was a cool 60 degrees with a dew point of 58. Best running conditions I've had in a while. About 10 mph winds, but no rain, it felt great. The pace calculator from my last 5K had me at around 7:43 pace. Although the weather conditions were nice, I know some of that would be offset by my lack of running this week and, well, Vegas. So I figured I'd shoot for 7:45 and go from there.
Since I seriously slept maybe a combined total of 7-8 hours since Wednesday night, I had no problems sleeping last night. Woke up at 6:30, drank some Gatorade (yay, electrolytes!!), had some yogurt with honey and fruit, and took care of business. Since I couldn't pick up my bib yesterday obviously, I was getting it this morning. It's a pretty small race so logistically it was pretty easy. Location is about 20 min drive from my house (and the place where my HM will be in 1 month), arrived at 8am, got my bib, then had a 1 mile warmup. The warmup didn't feel as comfortable as I would like, at first, but by the end, things felt better. I was pretty relaxed overall and was ready to start. Of note, much like @OrganizedChaos race recently, this was a dog event that some people were running with their dogs. Our race started with a 5K or 10K and there was also a 1 mile fun walk shortly afterward. The course was a mile and a half out and back in one direction (and 5K finish) and then another one and a half mile out and back in the other direction for the 10K. Completely flat on a crushed limestone trail course. Very cool atmosphere to start the race. Anyway, got to the line a few minutes before 9, line up toward the front, and off we went.
Mile 1 -- 7:34 pace
First mile started with a little burst out of the gate. A couple runners completely took off and one girl with her dog also flew by. Some of them were with the 5k it turns out, but it thinned out pretty quickly and I settled in by a couple tenths of a mile into it. The rest of the first mile was uneventful and I actually felt pretty comfortable. I looked at my HR as I was coming up to the mile marker and was surprised it was only ~150. That was really encouraging and when I saw the 7:34 pace along with that HR, I figured I would try and keep it up.
Mile 2 -- 7:45 pace
There was a 1 mile marker for the fun walk that we passed. I could see further up ahead was where the turn around was. Shortly after we passed that mile marker, one of the racers was already flying by in the other direction. At this point, there was a guy coming up behind me with an English accent that was calling out some of the other runners coming back by name and just encouraging everyone, telling them to smile, etc. After the turnaround at 1.5 miles, he catches up to me and we started talking. We ended up running together for the next ~ 1 1/2 miles. Asked me about running, we were talking about English soccer, the nice weather, etc (and meanwhile keeps giving all this positive encouragement to runners going the other direction). Very experience runner and he has a triathlon coming up in a month that he's doing. Just a really nice guy that was helping pace me and just take my mind off of it. It was nice. The funny thing is, as I'll get to in a moment was that I completely missed my 2nd mile split. I just knew that I felt fine and would just keep it up. I peeked at my HR at one point and saw it was still only about 150 and figured that I was managing this well so far.
Mile 3 -- 7:38 pace
I was still running with that guy for most of this and the 3rd mile was uneventful otherwise for most of it. Toward the end, we were approaching the start of the race to start heading in the other direction. Right before we got there, I noticed my pace was a little faster than It should be and I started to feel like I was working more than I had been. Sure enough, my HR was now in the 160's and he could see I was starting to slow. Awesome guy, just looks back at me and says "you run your race, you're doing awesome, just keep it up!". So I kind of slowed a little bit, reset, and tried to get back into a groove.
Mile 4 -- 7:58 pace
Probably my toughest mile of the race. I was starting to get a little fatigued and was worried that my last few days were going to catch up to me. I also didn't think I was going to be able to keep this up until the end. So, I slowed down a little and then there was a water station shortly after the 3 mile marker where I grabbed a cup and tried to drink. It didn't go well so I slowed down for a brief moment, took a couple sips, and then put the cup in my pocket and started back up. About halfway through this mile, I was getting worried that I was going to crash as I wasn't feeling well. I looked at my HR and it was now at ~170 (you can see the max at this point on Strava). But, I also had a great moment right then. I had completely missed my 2nd mile split and for some reason I thought I still was only on mile 3. When I looked down and saw the HR but then also saw that I was almost 4 miles done (it was 3.88 on my watch at that point), it was a great relief. I truly thought I wasn't even at the halfway point. That realization all of a sudden made me feel much better knowing I only had a little over 2 miles to go.
Mile 5 -- 7:49 pace
At this point in the race I'm running completely by myself. There's no one really in front of me and no one behind me. But, I'm seeing a couple of the 10K runners that finished ahead of me start coming back from the turnaround that is halfway through this mile. I used this mile to just relax, settle into whatever pace I could manage that wasn't as bad as the last mile and sure enough this turned out to be one of the better miles I had. I saw my running partner coming back toward me and he shouted out some encouragement to me which helped. At the turnaround, my HR was coming back down a little and I was in a good place. I saw the split at the end and knew I could keep this up until the end. Not ideal at 7:49, but good enough for me compared to what I was feeling one mile earlier.
Mile 6 -- 7:49 pace
This was another tough mile. This is also where I realized I ran a pretty good race. My legs were getting tired. My lungs were starting to burn a bit halfway through this mile. No one remotely around me in front or behind so I'm all alone but I know I can finish this last mile and I was going to leave enough for a strong finish. Just kept concentrating on my form, slowed down a little halfway through, and then started to push again for the last couple tenths of the mile. I could see the finish coming up too. I knew I had it left to do it right.
Remainder -- 6:33 pace
As much as these last 2/10ths of a mile hurt, it also felt so good. I was going to wait for the final tenth but after I passed the 6 mile marker I knew I had enough to go from there. Started picking it up, there are people on the trail with their dogs not even paying attention so I actually had to kind of weave a bit as I'm about to start a sprint. Final bit I was in a full on sprint (whatever I had left, of course), and my running friend is there just yelling at me to get over that line. Crossed at the end, couldn't really breathe, but felt awesome all at once. Didn't puke, though, so my biggest disappointment.
Final chip time: 48:27 (7:48 pace), 7/55 overall, 6/21 male, 1st in AG (40-49).
While I didn't negative split, I felt like I ran a good race and paced well. I hurt myself toward the end of the 3rd mile which made that 4th mile really tough, but I got it back under control and finished the last 2 strong considering where I was. Pretty happy with the result and got a good feel for a slightly longer distance and the pacing needed.
ETA -- Just saw the next 2 finishers right after me were both in my AG and I beat them by 15 seconds and 20 seconds. They must have been closing hard toward the end (I didn't look back for the last half mile). Sweet
My first 10K race. I had some experience with the 7K relay race earlier this year as an in between distance but still wasn't completely sure how the last 1-2 miles were going to go. Weather was perfect for me. It had rained most of the day yesterday and this morning was a cool 60 degrees with a dew point of 58. Best running conditions I've had in a while. About 10 mph winds, but no rain, it felt great. The pace calculator from my last 5K had me at around 7:43 pace. Although the weather conditions were nice, I know some of that would be offset by my lack of running this week and, well, Vegas. So I figured I'd shoot for 7:45 and go from there.
Since I seriously slept maybe a combined total of 7-8 hours since Wednesday night, I had no problems sleeping last night. Woke up at 6:30, drank some Gatorade (yay, electrolytes!!), had some yogurt with honey and fruit, and took care of business. Since I couldn't pick up my bib yesterday obviously, I was getting it this morning. It's a pretty small race so logistically it was pretty easy. Location is about 20 min drive from my house (and the place where my HM will be in 1 month), arrived at 8am, got my bib, then had a 1 mile warmup. The warmup didn't feel as comfortable as I would like, at first, but by the end, things felt better. I was pretty relaxed overall and was ready to start. Of note, much like @OrganizedChaos race recently, this was a dog event that some people were running with their dogs. Our race started with a 5K or 10K and there was also a 1 mile fun walk shortly afterward. The course was a mile and a half out and back in one direction (and 5K finish) and then another one and a half mile out and back in the other direction for the 10K. Completely flat on a crushed limestone trail course. Very cool atmosphere to start the race. Anyway, got to the line a few minutes before 9, line up toward the front, and off we went.
Mile 1 -- 7:34 pace
First mile started with a little burst out of the gate. A couple runners completely took off and one girl with her dog also flew by. Some of them were with the 5k it turns out, but it thinned out pretty quickly and I settled in by a couple tenths of a mile into it. The rest of the first mile was uneventful and I actually felt pretty comfortable. I looked at my HR as I was coming up to the mile marker and was surprised it was only ~150. That was really encouraging and when I saw the 7:34 pace along with that HR, I figured I would try and keep it up.
Mile 2 -- 7:45 pace
There was a 1 mile marker for the fun walk that we passed. I could see further up ahead was where the turn around was. Shortly after we passed that mile marker, one of the racers was already flying by in the other direction. At this point, there was a guy coming up behind me with an English accent that was calling out some of the other runners coming back by name and just encouraging everyone, telling them to smile, etc. After the turnaround at 1.5 miles, he catches up to me and we started talking. We ended up running together for the next ~ 1 1/2 miles. Asked me about running, we were talking about English soccer, the nice weather, etc (and meanwhile keeps giving all this positive encouragement to runners going the other direction). Very experience runner and he has a triathlon coming up in a month that he's doing. Just a really nice guy that was helping pace me and just take my mind off of it. It was nice. The funny thing is, as I'll get to in a moment was that I completely missed my 2nd mile split. I just knew that I felt fine and would just keep it up. I peeked at my HR at one point and saw it was still only about 150 and figured that I was managing this well so far.
Mile 3 -- 7:38 pace
I was still running with that guy for most of this and the 3rd mile was uneventful otherwise for most of it. Toward the end, we were approaching the start of the race to start heading in the other direction. Right before we got there, I noticed my pace was a little faster than It should be and I started to feel like I was working more than I had been. Sure enough, my HR was now in the 160's and he could see I was starting to slow. Awesome guy, just looks back at me and says "you run your race, you're doing awesome, just keep it up!". So I kind of slowed a little bit, reset, and tried to get back into a groove.
Mile 4 -- 7:58 pace
Probably my toughest mile of the race. I was starting to get a little fatigued and was worried that my last few days were going to catch up to me. I also didn't think I was going to be able to keep this up until the end. So, I slowed down a little and then there was a water station shortly after the 3 mile marker where I grabbed a cup and tried to drink. It didn't go well so I slowed down for a brief moment, took a couple sips, and then put the cup in my pocket and started back up. About halfway through this mile, I was getting worried that I was going to crash as I wasn't feeling well. I looked at my HR and it was now at ~170 (you can see the max at this point on Strava). But, I also had a great moment right then. I had completely missed my 2nd mile split and for some reason I thought I still was only on mile 3. When I looked down and saw the HR but then also saw that I was almost 4 miles done (it was 3.88 on my watch at that point), it was a great relief. I truly thought I wasn't even at the halfway point. That realization all of a sudden made me feel much better knowing I only had a little over 2 miles to go.
Mile 5 -- 7:49 pace
At this point in the race I'm running completely by myself. There's no one really in front of me and no one behind me. But, I'm seeing a couple of the 10K runners that finished ahead of me start coming back from the turnaround that is halfway through this mile. I used this mile to just relax, settle into whatever pace I could manage that wasn't as bad as the last mile and sure enough this turned out to be one of the better miles I had. I saw my running partner coming back toward me and he shouted out some encouragement to me which helped. At the turnaround, my HR was coming back down a little and I was in a good place. I saw the split at the end and knew I could keep this up until the end. Not ideal at 7:49, but good enough for me compared to what I was feeling one mile earlier.
Mile 6 -- 7:49 pace
This was another tough mile. This is also where I realized I ran a pretty good race. My legs were getting tired. My lungs were starting to burn a bit halfway through this mile. No one remotely around me in front or behind so I'm all alone but I know I can finish this last mile and I was going to leave enough for a strong finish. Just kept concentrating on my form, slowed down a little halfway through, and then started to push again for the last couple tenths of the mile. I could see the finish coming up too. I knew I had it left to do it right.
Remainder -- 6:33 pace
As much as these last 2/10ths of a mile hurt, it also felt so good. I was going to wait for the final tenth but after I passed the 6 mile marker I knew I had enough to go from there. Started picking it up, there are people on the trail with their dogs not even paying attention so I actually had to kind of weave a bit as I'm about to start a sprint. Final bit I was in a full on sprint (whatever I had left, of course), and my running friend is there just yelling at me to get over that line. Crossed at the end, couldn't really breathe, but felt awesome all at once. Didn't puke, though, so my biggest disappointment.
Final chip time: 48:27 (7:48 pace), 7/55 overall, 6/21 male, 1st in AG (40-49).
While I didn't negative split, I felt like I ran a good race and paced well. I hurt myself toward the end of the 3rd mile which made that 4th mile really tough, but I got it back under control and finished the last 2 strong considering where I was. Pretty happy with the result and got a good feel for a slightly longer distance and the pacing needed.
ETA -- Just saw the next 2 finishers right after me were both in my AG and I beat them by 15 seconds and 20 seconds. They must have been closing hard toward the end (I didn't look back for the last half mile). Sweet
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Zasada
Footballguy
Saw your 10K PR on Strava, @gianmarco! Great pace and time!gianmarco said:My only run there at 6:30 in the morning was when I had just gotten back to the room from that night. If I didn't go then, it wasn't happening. I think I slept more on the flight home tonight than I have the last 3 days
Tomorrow is going to be....interesting.
At least the weather looks fantastic except for the rain. 61/58 and a little bit of wind. Anyway, off to bed (hopefully).......
bushdocda
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
JAA
Footballguy
Awesome RR @gianmarco, you ran a perfect race within yourself. Sounds like it couldn’t have been better. Except drinking the water instead of putting in your pocket 
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
You are one fast dude. Congrats on the PR!
Do you have a storage unit somewhere just filled with medals?Itasca Octoberfast 5K Race Report
Final time was 21:21 (6:51/mile). 3rd of 18 in AG, so more medal mongering. Two AGers behind me were under 22:00. 58th of 275 males. Juxt, you finished 17/275 males (18th overall). Brony, you were 51/275.
Always good to enjoy race day with the guys!!! Congrats on the PR, Juxt!
Sorry to hear you didn't execute as well as you hoped, but glad to hear about the beer, brats, and most importantly that your leg is holding up.
That's all you had to say!gianmarco said:
