Half-Assed Runner

Archive for the ‘Race Report’ Category

Half marathon number two is in the books.  I ran a surprisingly fast (as always, fast is a relative term) race on a course known for its hills.  There were plenty of hills, but there were only about four that were substantial.  Most of the others were pretty short and not very steep.  The humidity on the other hand was very formidable.

Packet pickup was on Saturday in Eden Prairie at the Optum Health facilities.  I had to drive in to the data center in Chaska so I was in the area anyways.  I was in and out in about 15 minutes.  It wasn’t too crowded and the process went smoothly.  The race shirt is pretty good-looking.  Note: I had copied the packet pickup info into my calendar when I first signed up and it mentioned packet pickup at the race from 6:30 am to 7:45 am.  Checking the site yesterday it stated that there was no race day pickup.  Always a good idea to check the site prior to packet pickup in case anything has changed.

Faux Staring Line

Weather was my big worry for this race.  It had been cold, wet, and gloomy Saturday morning.  We got more rain in the afternoon and were due for some substantial thunderstorms…which arrived around midnight.  All night I heard rain and thunder and my room lit up with each lightning strike.  When I got up around 6 am it looked like the worst was over.  On my drive east to Wayzata there was no additional rain fall.  The ground was soaked and it was cloudy, but it was 53 degrees with no rain at the start of the race.  I dismissed the 94% humidity as I figured since rain = 100% humidity, this percentage would drop sharply.  I was wrong.  By the end of the race it was 59 degrees with 88% humidity…and I felt it.

Real Starting Line

I was worried about the parking situation.  The website advised that construction in the area had eaten up a lot of parking and that there would be 300 spots at the nearby Junior High.  I got a late start once again, but made it to the lot by 7:15.  At that time the lot was only about 1/3 full.  I killed time until 7:30 then wandered over to the bus.  I did not have to wait in line to board the bus and it left while only about 3/4 full.  It made a couple of other stops to pick up runners in other lots and dropped us off about a quarter-mile from the starting line.  Judging by the number of people walking to the starting area, most of them must have parked close to the start and skipped the bus.

By 7:45 I was in the starting area about 50 feet behind the 2:10 pacer.  The race started in waves and I was in the third of four waves.  We would move up each time a wave started (about every 2 minutes).  Around 8:06 our wave started…well not really.  We actually were moved up and around the corner to the real starting line.  Then shortly afterwards we started for real.  At 8:08 am I crossed the starting line.

Fuzzy Early Miles

My goal was to stick with the 2:10 pacer (9:55/mile pace) and hopefully break away from her near the end of the race.  Once again, my A/B/C goals were: finish, don’t walk, and break 10 minutes/mile.

I ended up breaking ahead of the pacer around the .75 mile mark.  I had looked at the elevation profile for the race as I had heard it was hilly and didn’t want any surprises.  From that profile, the biggest hill was a 40 foot uphill from the start of the race until about the 1 mile mark.  I wanted to put a little distance between myself and the pacer in case I started to slow down on the uphill.  I ran the first mile in 9:39 so this was not an issue.

Rolling Hills

What goes up, must (well, SHOULD) come down, so that must be what accounted for my second mile.  I ended up with a 9:08 split.  This was way too fast for an early mile on a half marathon course.  Miles 3 – 9 were all run within 8 seconds either side of 9:30/mile.  This was a bit fast for me.  I really wanted to be closer to 9:50 until mile 10 and then speed up at that point if I had it in me.

I wore a long-sleeved tech shirt and some really thin shorts.  By the second mile my shirt was already damp.  This would continue through the entire race.  I sweated out a small ocean.  I was never uncomfortably hot (the temp ranged from 52 to 59 over the course of the race), but the near tropical humidity was a bear.  I had taken some magnesium tablets before the race and had Sport Beans with me to replenish some salt/minerals.  I also had a Gu with me, but did not end up using it.

Epic Fro

The course was nice.  There were tons of lake views as well as mansions and gardens along the path.  This was a point to point course that started in Wayzata and ended in Excelsior (near the launching area for the infamous Vikings cruise of a few years ago).  A lot of the run was spent in the left shoulder of various roads.  This was not a closed course.  The wave start really helped the spacing so it never got too crowded.  Also, I did not notice any walkers and (after the first mile) no three abreast or more runners.

I hit all of the water stops and alternated between water and sports drink.  I think I will stick to just water in the future.  I’m fine with just popping a few Sport Beans if I need flavor/calories.  Despite the crazy humidity, I did not get super thirsty like I did during Goldy’s Run.

Lake views were plentiful

There was only one point where I panicked a bit.  Around mile 8 I started looking for a water stop.  I saw one with just a single table and a group of three kids frantically trying to fill cups.  I figured that this was just a group of super nice spectators and not an official water stop (all of the other stops had many more volunteers and multiple tables) so I skipped it.  Shortly after passing it I started to worry that it was an official water stop.  The last stop had been around the 5 mile mark, and I thought that the next one would be around mile 12 so I was in danger of going 7 miles between rehydrating.  Around the 8.5 mile mark I saw an official stop and grabbed some water.  Disaster averted.

I had been pretty much averaging 9:30 miles since mile 3 (Endomondo doesn’t announce an overall average pace, only split times and a less than helpful pace in miles per hour).  I kept telling myself to dial it back a bit as I didn’t want to go belly up and walk the last few miles a la Goldy’s Run.  I had one of those moments where I forgot if I the next mile marker would be 8 or 9.  I got the best present a few minutes later when Endomondo announced that I had just finished mile 10.  I was now just over 5.5 minutes ahead of my 2:10 pace goal by that point thanks to a 9:15 split on mile 10.

Trail around mile 12

In my last half marathon it was at this point that I started to slowly pick up the pace and run the last 5K strong.  This time I started to fade at this point.  I had been pacing off of two younger guys and I forced myself to slow down and let them go.  Nothing was hurting, but I felt my energy fading.  This turned the remaining hills into a mental battle to keep from walking.

I did end up walking once during mile 11.  As I said, the course was not closed.  This meant that traffic was backed up all along the course.  They may have as well shut down the roads as waiting for a gap in the 2,500 runners was an exercise in futility.  Soon after I faded back a bit to slow down I approached a cross walk.  There was a traffic cop facing a long line of backed up cars.  He motioned the first car forward through the cross walk and I had to come to a halt.  Fair enough I guess.  BUT after the first car went through he motioned the second one through as well.  At this point there was a large group of runners right behind me and that would have meant that they would have to stop as well.  I looked at the cop and said “Fuck no” and ran through the cross walk before the car could get rolling.  I’m not sure why he thought even letting the first car through was a good idea, but I wasn’t waiting for another car.  He didn’t say anything or shoot me so I guess that he knew it was a bad idea as well.  Of course stopping threw me off my mojo and soon after I had another hill to climb.  I took my first and only walk break out of a combination of anger at being stopped, the need to open my Sport Beans package to fish out some beans, and sheer exhaustion.  I walked for about 30 seconds.  That combined with the last water stop occurring just before the 11 mile mark led to my slowest mile of the day (9:59).

Finish Chute

Mile 12 was not much faster and I was fading pretty fast.  Endomondo was measuring the miles a bit short and by this point it was announcing splits about a minute before I saw the course markers.  I was still ahead of schedule, but I was constantly waging a mental war to avoid walking.  I did end up high (well, low) fiving three little girls and gave a thumbs up to woman playing an accordion.  The spectators and volunteers were all pretty awesome.

Midway through mile 12 I was presented with a surprise: a dirt trail.  Ugh.  I was really sucking at this point and even though the path was flat and pretty, I was bemoaning the pavement change and wanting to use it as an excuse to start walking.  There were plenty of people walking at this point.  A lot of them would end up getting passed by me, then start running and pass me, then walk and get passed again.  I settled behind two women and paced off of them.  I did not see the mile 12 marker and was unsure exactly how far ahead of the official distance my GPS was reading.

Finish Area

We eventually exited the path and entered more residential streets.  At this point the crowds were growing and I could sense that the end was near.  Endomondo was showing 12.85 miles, so I estimated that I was closer to 12.6 miles.  I wanted to start picking up the pace, but there were some smaller hills and I really did not have much energy left.  I saw a man walking the opposite way with a medal around his neck and he held up three fingers and told me “only three more minutes”.  Soon after I picked up the pace a bit.  There were a few runners already sprinting.  After the third one shot past me I joined suit.  The finish line had a “mini-tron” and there were race photographers along with a ton of cheering spectators and finishers.  I ended up crossing in just over 2:05.  A new half marathon PR and nearly 5 minutes faster than what I had hoped for on this course.

Medal Front

I was completely drenched.  I picked up my finisher’s medal (huge and heavy!) and then waiting in line…for what I did not know.  I was looking for water at this point and did not understand why no one was moving.  I waited about two minutes then jumped over one of the barriers.  This was the only thing that was poorly planned/executed in the whole race: the finishing corral emptied into a large covered area where runners could grab a plate and choose from a bunch of post race snacks.  This was stupid because it ended up backing up all the finishers.  I personally could give a fuck about post race snacks, but I definitely needed some water at that point.  If they had been handing out bottles of water right after the finish, then waiting in the chow line would not have been so bad.  Hell, they had a huge park at their disposal, even moving the chow hall somewhere else would have been a better option.

Medal Back

I managed to snag two cups of water by reaching over the barrier and taking them from a table at the end of this clusterfuck.  I guzzled them down and headed for the return buses.  After a short walk, I jumped on a bus and was on my way in no time.  The bus ride back to Wayzata took about 15 minutes and was pleasant except for the fact that I left a puddle of sweat in the seat when I stood up.

Shirt Front

All in all this was a great race.  The race was hilly, but only about four of the hills were anything to write home about.  The race support was great and the course was pretty.  The shirts and medals were first-rate.  I will definitely do this race again, but hopefully under less humid conditions.

Shirt Back

Course Map

Purple lips, goosebumps, and 13.1 miles.

Today I completed the first of my (over?) ambitious goal of running 12 half marathons in 2012.  The Get In Gear Half Marathon marked my first half marathon as well as the beginning of 4 half marathons in 4 weeks.

Packet pickup was held on Friday in the same park that would serve as the start and finish for the race.  I had initially planned on picking up my packet on race day.  I re-read the website as the race approached and it looked like the “limited race day pickup” would be only for out-of-town runners.  I decided not to gamble on whether or not I was an “out-of-towner” and planned to pick up my packet on the night before the race.  When I mapped the address I saw that it was within a few miles of where my wife works so I enlisted her to pick up my packet for me.  She told me it was a bit of a clusterfuck, but was in and out within 15 minutes.

I had been worried about the weather for this race.  There was a forecast that included a possibility of snow the morning of the race.  When I went to bed it was still 50 degrees, so I doubted that the white stuff was on the way.  When I woke up, it was cold, overcast, and windy.  No snow and very little rain.  As I drove into the Cities there was very sparse drizzle.

Dreary Day

I arrived over an hour before the start of the race.  Parking was a breeze (well-marked and police were directing drivers into the lot).  I gathered up my Gu Chomps, “sweat handkerchief”, jawbreakers, and phone.  It had started to sprinkle a bit by then, so I decided at the last second to wear a windbreaker.  I was wearing a short-sleeved tech shirt and shorts.  I knew that once I was chugging along this would be sufficient to keep me warm but I would probably need the jacket while waiting for the start.

It was a good thing that I brought the jacket as it was nasty outside.  I made my way to the bus pickup area and joined a long line of shivering runners.  They were running four school busses between the parking lot and the starting area (about a 20 minute roundtrip).  The rain had picked up a bit, but was still pretty much a sparse drizzle.  Combined with the 42 degree weather and the stiff wind, I was pretty quickly chilled.

Vendor Area

It took about 30 minutes to get on a bus.  By the time I exited it, the start of the race was about 15 minutes away.  I looked for a bathroom, but only found the wall of porta-potties.  One look at the lines and I knew I would never make the race start if I jumped in line.

I snapped a few pictures and made my way to the starting line.  This is a huge race.  It’s the largest 10K race in Minnesota (15th largest in the USA).  There were 7,000 10K runners and about 1,200 half marathoners.  They all  started together.  I eventually found a place at the end of the line.  I couldn’t see the start line I was so far back.

Get In Gear

The race began and it took nearly five minutes for me to cross the starting line.  This was fine with me as I was in no hurry.  My goals for this race were to finish and possibly break the 10 minute per mile mark.

Get In Gear

The course was crowded, but I’m used to this by now.  It was run on roads so there was plenty of room to run around the slower runners.  The course seemed to be a slight downhill slope for most of the first two miles.  For whatever reason, my brain started to protest almost immediately.  The combination of the foul weather and the realization that a mile in only meant that I was 1/13 of the way to completion.  Around the two-mile mark my brain finally shut the fuck up and let my legs do the work.

The rain had picked up a bit, but my jacket does not breathe at all so I kept unzipping it a bit more as I progressed.  I knew that eventually I would need to take it off and tie it around my waist.

Get In Gear Start Line

I hit the first water station around the three-mile mark.  I had not yet started my music and was surprised to hear someone speak my name.  It was a runner from my marathon running group.  She was running the 10K.  For the next 3 miles we ran together and chatted.  I was happy to do this as it took my mind off of the race.  She even offered to take my jacket when the half marathoners and 10K runners split.  I happily took her up on the offer.

The races split near an overpass.  The 10K runners turned and finished their last quarter-mile or so, while the half marathoner ran straight ahead.  After that split the field thinned considerably.

Can't see the start line

At this point I turned on my music and settled into a groove.  The rain had picked up again, but I was riding a mini runner’s high and felt good.  Prior to the split, I had remarked that the course was remarkably non-hilly especially for running along the Mississippi river.  Of course the first hill appeared right after the split.  It was a long, but minor hill as all of the hills would be on this course.

I was now trudging along and unfortunately splashing though puddles of water.  I was soaked but my body temperature was still warm enough that I felt fine.  My goal was to not walk at all on this run and the fact that if I walked I would most likely start freezing kept my legs chugging along.

Rainy at mile 6

The course went straight out until a turnaround at the 9 mile mark.  I started seeing the elite runners coming back the other way just before the 8 mile marker.  This was the only part of the race that I did not like.  It was a slight uphill and I kept anticipating the turnaround long before it came.  Eventually the nine mile mark appeared and I turned around.  I felt better at this point as I knew I was in the final stretch and I was still feeling fine.

Endomondo was measuring the miles shorter than the mile markers.  I chalked this up to the cloudy raining day and the havoc it can wreak on GPS.  It is interesting that a number of the race recaps showed GPS readings near what mine read for the course: 13.35.  That’s probably more due to the weather than the course being long.

Blurry Mile 12 marker

I was just below 10 minute miles for the first two miles.  I had taken out my earbuds as I ran with my running club buddy so I missed the times for miles 3 though 5, but the time elapsed divided by distance run was almost exactly 10 minutes per mile, so I was on point.  Starting with mile 6, I surprised myself by getting a bit faster (9:40, 9:45, 9:38, 9:57, 9:52, 9:50, and a “blistering” 9:14 for mile 13).  I was going to meet my secondary goal of logging sub 10 minute miles.  Well…almost.  I did barely accomplish this goal as Endomondo was logging the miles shorter than the mile markers, so my splits were actually slower than what Endomondo was announcing.

I was never really in any danger of taking a walk break.  I actually got stronger over the last three miles.  I passed a bunch of runners during that time (and was only passed by about 3 runners).  Even the sight of a number of people walking those last few miles did not convince my legs to take a break.  My fastest mile of the whole race was mile 13.

We returned to the point that the 10K and half marathon split and it was now our turn to run over the Mississippi and finish the race.  Surprisingly there was still a pretty good-sized crowd near the end of the race despite the weather and the fact that the 10K runners were all done by that point.  I high-fived a little girl and then started my sprint.  I crossed one set of mats and saw another set about 50 yards ahead so I continued my sprint to cross them.  I looked up and saw a clock reading 1:50.  What!?!  No chance.  I knew I was finishing just under 2:10 and the clock should be reading about 2:15 due to my last start.  I think I figured out what happened: there was 5K race that started after the 10K/half marathon and that was most likely the clock for that race.

Anyhoo…I happily collected my medal and grabbed a banana and some water.  I tried some chocolate milk, then remembered how much I hate chocolate milk.  I was feeling remarkably good.  My legs were not hurting, but I could feel them tightening a bit after I stopped running.  The biggest problem was that I was now getting very cold.  I was completely drenched and it was still 40 degrees and windy.

The wait for the return bus was thankfully short.  I did feel a bit of pain as I climbed the three steps onto the bus.  My legs have a tendency to burn a bit after long runs and I was hoping that they would not start doing this as I sat in the cramped school bus seat.  I was still shivering like crazy.

Shirt and medal

We got back to the parking lot and of course I forgot where I parked.  I wandered the gigantic parking lot looking for my car while shivering like crazy and nursing now painful legs.  I eventually found my car.  I had to crank the heat and try to warm up a little before driving and I could not stop shaking.  A quick glance in the rear view mirror showed that my lips were a light shade of purple.  I had goosebumps the size of small pebbles (okay, a slight exaggeration) running up and down my arms.  It took a good 45 minutes before I finally felt warm.

My legs were fine about 20 minutes after the run and I spent the rest of the miserable day cleaning the garage then drinking too much wine at a friend’s party.

I guess that the Get In Gear has been cold and rainy each of the last three years.  I would recommend the run for the course and the thrill of running with nearly 10,000 other runners (if you find that thrilling), but hopefully the run of bad weather ends.

Get In Gear Half Marathon Map

Today I ran the Minneapolis Recycle Run 5k around Lake Harriet.  This is the third time I’ve run this same course (Reindeer Run and 100% Irish).  It’s a pretty course and is relatively flat, but it gets crowded.  That, coupled with the fact that I ran a hilly 6 mile race yesterday, set my expectations to: slow and easy.

Lake Calhoun...we ran Lake Harriet :-)

I was only doing this run to check off my first race on the Explore Minnesota Challenge series.  I signed up for this series back in December.  You have to complete 8 races (from a list of about 25) in 2012.  You have to complete at least one race in four areas of Minnesota (Northern, Southern, Central, and Metro).  This race counted as a Metro race.  For each area you complete a race in, you get a pin.  Complete all 8 races with at least 1 in each area and you get a medal.  You also get some other swag (hat, magazines, MDRA membership) when you sign up.

Anyhoo…I got a late start (quelle surprise) and parked .7 miles away at about 8:40.  I got my “warm up run” in by jogging from my car to the registration area.  I lucked out again as no one was in the line for my particular chunk of the alphabet.  I nabbed my bib and timing chip along with the green cotton race shirt and aluminum water bottle.  I wore shorts with big pockets so I was able to stuff the folded shirt into one of the pockets.  I would have to carry the water bottle.

Vendor Area

I then went to the Explore Minnesota Challenge table and checked in (you have to do this before each race to get credit).  They checked my name and gave me my Metro pin.  At that point I had just enough time to pin on my bib and timing chip before I had to head to the starting area.

Explore Minnesota Metro Pin

The last two races here have been pretty crowded.  This one ended up having around 500 runners.  That’s about a 1/3 the size of the other two races I’ve run there.  I chose a spot I figured would be in the middle of the pack, but it ended up being in the back 10%.  Soon after getting my music queued and Endomondo app ready, an air horn sounded and we were off.

Start Line

I spent the first 1/2 mile doing the normal zig-zagging bit to get around walkers (few and far between) and slower runners (it’s hard to believe that there are runners slower than me).  This didn’t bother me as much as usual as I was running this one just for fun and only wanted to complete it without walking and under 30 minutes.  When I looked at my pace around .3 miles in, I was at 10:30/mile.  No chance of a PR today.

The weather was chilly: 42 degrees and overcast with a slight wind.  Once I got warmed up, it felt great.  The course circles Lake Harriet, so there were plenty of lake views along with expensive houses and gardens to look at.

I’m still getting used to Endomondo.  One thing that I don’t like is that you only get voice updates every mile (or kilometer if you choose) and you cannot change it.  I’m used to my .5 mile updates from Runmeter.  I was very surprised to hear that I was at a 9:02 pace at the one mile mark, especially with the slow start.  I am very impressed with Endomondo (or the RAZR MAXX) GPS.  I got my mile updates within a few feet of the mile marker signs each time (as I did on the 6 mile race yesterday).

At the one mile mark I started my music.  I was feeling surprisingly good.  I was concerned that my legs would be dead today, but I felt pretty good.  The pack was not crowded at this point and I started pacing off of other runners (passing a few of them along the way).  The course has two minor hills, so my hill climbing muscles got a well deserved day off.

There was no water stop on this race.  I felt fine, but probably should have filled the aluminum bottle with water since I was stuck carrying it. 

At the 2 mile mark I was surprised again to hear that my total time was 17 something.  My pace for the second mile (I wish Endomondo would give average for the entire run rather than just split times) was under 9 minutes.  This put me in a position to get a PR.  I was surprised and pretty doubtful that this would happen, but I vowed to keep my current pace.

As I’ve said, I’ve run this course 3 times now.  I’ve never walked a step on it.  Today, I never felt the desire to walk at all.  I also did not feel like I was pushing myself very hard.

Much sooner than I expected, I could see the band shell across the lake.  It looked very close.  I checked Endomondo and it said I was running an 8 minute pace and I was 2.7 miles in.  I knew it was too early to start sprinting, but I made sure to keep my current pace and started to find runners to pace and/or pass.

I hit the 3 mile marker and heard 26 something in my ear.  I could PR this bitch.  The final portion is a slight hill followed by a downhill to the finish.  I chugged up the hill and once I could see the finish line I picked up my pace.  I saw TC Bear (Minnesota Twins mascot) about 50 yards from the finish line.  By that point I was sprinting.  TC gave me a “paw’s up” and I nodded knowingly back at him.  You damn right, TC.  I’m  about to crush this PR.  I crossed the finish line with 27 something on the clock.  I showed my time as 27:18.  The chip time was actually a few seconds faster than that.  I had PR’d.  Hell, I had PR’d and run negative splits.  I almost felt like a real runner. 

Finish Line

A volunteer snipped off my timing chip and I snapped a few pics of the finish area.  I left shortly afterward as I had to get showered and on my way.

Recycle Run Shirt

All in all, a nice run around a pretty area.  The weather was a bit gloomy, but probably aided my time as much as the flat course.  As soon as I saw my time I started to think that I could have shaved at least 30 seconds off that first mile.  Looks like my new 5K goal is to break 27 minutes. 

Next week is the first of three consecutive weekends of half marathons.

Recycle Run Bottle

Today I participated in a local 6 mile race: Walk On Waconia.  I love the Lake Waconia area (it’s where I do my long training runs) and the event was cheap ($18) and pretty small (400 participants with a lot of walkers and spread across two distances).

Walk On Waconia Shirt

The weather was a bit ugly.  The forecast had called for rain and it was overcast with temps in the mid-40s with a decent wind.  I decided to go with shorts and a tech shirt and never got too cold.

Walk On Waconia Start

For once I was early to the packet pickup.  Parking was plentiful and I parked about 200 feet from the finish line/packet pick up.  I grabbed my bib and long-sleeved cotton shirt and dropped off some food items (the race is a benefit for the local food shelf).  We were to be bussed to the far side of the lake to the starting area for the 6 mile race.  This initially was a 5.5 mile race (even says it on the race shirts) but a few days before the run the race director sent out an email stating that the race was now 6 miles and to “enjoy the extra steps”.

I got on the first of two buses and went to sit in the back seat (high school flashback).  There were only a dozen or so people on the bus at that time.  I just figured that most of the people were on the other bus.  About 15 minutes later, a huge stream of people poured out of the building where the packet pickup took place and started to board the busses.  Both busses were packed by the time we left.

Dirt Road

When we exited the bus I was happy to see familiar ground.  The race would start on the same trail I use for my long runs.  At 9:10 the race director counted down from 5 and we were off.

I planned to run this race slow and easy.  I hoped to finish under 60 minutes, but was going to just try to run without stopping, especially after last weekend’s 10 mile fiasco.

We only spent about a quarter-mile on the trail before veering off onto a dirt road to hug the lake.  I was hoping that this would not be the surface for too long.  It wasn’t.  We started running on pavement again about a half mile later.  It was at this point that we hit the first water stop.  This surprised me a bit, but made sense that the 10 milers would be hitting mile 4.5 at this point.  The water stops were well stocked with water, energy drinks, and fruit.

Around Lake Waconia

I had been slowly passing runners since the beginning.  I finally hit a good pace and shared it with a tall woman for most of the race.  I would stay stride for stride with her until the second water stop where I would very slowing increase the distance between us over the final 3 miles.

This was a hilly run.  All but one hill were of the long, slow climb variety.  I was able to handle the hills pretty well.  My legs won the battle with my brain this time.

Walk On Waconia

This was only my second time using Endomondo and my new phone (RAZR Maxx). The phone is larger than my old iPhone, but it wasn’t a pain to carry.  I really miss Runmeter.  I especially miss being able to set the interval at which the app announces your split times.  Endomondo only does mile announcements.  I will say that the GPS seems to be VERY accurate as I received the mile announcements within feet of the mile markers on the course.

Given that I just wanted to keep under a 10 minute per mile pace, I was happy to be around a 9:40 pace through the first 3 miles.  Especially with the hills.  We spent a good chunk of miles 2 through 4 on a rural highway hugging the left shoulder.  There were still good views of the lake and I had hit a comfortable stride, so I enjoyed this stretch.

City Paths

At mile 4 we headed east back into town.  I was still running around 9:30 per mile.  I felt pretty good.  I had also been closing on the larger pack of runners I could see in front of me.  All of this lead to me picking up the pace and I finished mile 5 just under 9 minutes.

By this point I had picked off two runners and was closing on a third.  We were now running on trails inside the city.  A few drops of rain did fall at this point.  I very much welcomed them, but was only rewarded with a few dozen fat drops.  There were a number of hills, but they were shorter ones rather than the long slow climbs earlier.  I finally picked off the runner ahead of me with about a third of a mile left (at the top of one of the short, steep hills).  I enjoyed a downhill and could see the giant church where the race finished ahead on my right.  I made the right turn and saw yet another hill.  I said to the race volunteer “Another hill?” and he replied “It’s the last one and it’s short.  Enjoy it.”

Elevation Chart - Check out that last hill

I started to power up the hill.  This bugger was STEEP.  In the span of two blocks I would go from lake level to what felt like a mountain top.  There was no way I was going to stop now, but by the time I crested the beast I felt a bit woozy.  I felt sick to my stomach for a brief period of time.  I recovered, but I had nothing left so I did not sprint the final 100 feet to the finish line.

Finish Line

I finished in just over 56 minutes.  My last mile was under 9 minutes.  I had run the last 4 miles progressively faster.  Negative splits.  I felt like a real runner.  Then I saw the first 10 miler finish about 5 minutes after it took me to finish 6 miles and that “real runner” feeling faded fast. 

I was really happy I ran this race.  It was nice to get a “win” after last weekend.  I tend to focus on my failures far more than my successes and was starting to doubt whether I had it in me to complete one half marathon…let alone 12.  My running mojo seems to be back now though.

Walk On Waconia Course Map

Today was not my day.

I got up right before my alarm went off at 5:45.  I showered, packed my gym bag, and generally dicked around.  My plan was to get to the race by 7:15 am to park, pick up my packet, and get ready to pound out 10 miles.  I ended up leaving the house around 6:40 which meant that 7:30 was a more likely arrival time.  I had to get gas, so that slowed me up as well.  My planned bowl of oatmeal and/or bagel for pre-race carb loading (my excuse to carb out) went out the window as the monkey had managed to eat the last bagel and the last packet of oatmeal.  I grabbed a Twix bar at the gas station instead.
I actually made really good time and hit the Huron exit at 7:20 am.  Plenty of time…except that this race was far more popular than I realized (the 10 miler sold out) and I spent the next 20 minutes moving about .75 miles.  Much like the Monster Dash, I needed to break from my planned course of action and go into panic mode.  I took a different route to campus and parked in the medical center ramp.  I then jogged the half mile or so to the football stadium.  As I approached I heard “ten minutes to race time” over the loud-speaker.  I weaved my way through the crowd and headed to the third floor to get my packet.  There was a packet pickup on Friday, but I did not have time to make it down to campus last night.

The packet pickup lines were based on first letter of your last name.  For the first (and only time) today something went my way: my line only had two people ahead of me.  I checked in and got my bib and shirt.  I signed up for a large shirt, but was told only 2XL were available.  Fuck it, I can use it as a tent.

It was now less than 5 minutes until the start of the race.  As I headed downstairs and outside, I deftly pinned my bib and tied the shirt around my waist (good thing it was a long-sleeved tech shirt).  I followed two other time-challenged 10 milers to the starting area.  The national anthem was just completing as I wiggled into the starting wave.  Very soon after that, we were off.

Shortly after crossing the starting line, I noticed that I was right next to the 10 minute/mile pacer.  My goal for this race was to complete it with no stops and to finish with sub-10 minute miles.  I decided to follow the pacer.

This lasted until the end of the first mile.  Runmeter was telling me that I was at a nearly 11 minute pace (not sure how accurate that was as Runmeter tends to give me splits that are slower than what it actually records).  I felt good so I decided to leave the pacer.  I figured that I would bank some time and if I lost steam I could always fall back and rejoin the group.

The next 6 miles went very well.  My average went from 11ish to 9:36.  It bounced up again to 9:48 around the 7 mile mark.  I was well on my way to hitting my goals.

The weather was once again glorious.  60 degrees, low humidity, sunny and clear with a slight wind.  Just 10 hours earlier it was 40 something, cloudy, and raining.

We crossed a bridge over the Mississippi river right before the halfway mark.  A bald eagle swooped down and fly about 20 feet above our heads.  I was feeling great.

2.5 miles later I lost my mojo.  There were a couple of hills before this point.  Two pretty good-sized ones (one really early in the run).  I had peeped the race profile and thought that the worst hills were around the 4 mile mark.  I was wrong.  Starting around the 7.5 mile mark the combination of hills and loss of energy did me in.

Part of this was mental.  Around the 7 mile mark I saw runners turning left and hitting a good-sized hill that lead to an overpass.  I noted that they looked like they were speeding up.  As I made it to this point I found out that I would not be making that left…I would continue to the right and hit a turnaround.  The runners on the left were on their way back and they looked faster because they were faster.  This section went uphill, then downhill, then REALLY uphill.  I finally broke down and took a walk break on the “really uphill” section.  I felt a little defeated, but I kept it short and told myself I would make it up on the downhill.  Which I did.  Then I hit the uphill to the overpass and all was lost.

At this point I was not the only one walking, but that did not make me feel any better.  To add to my disappointment, the 10 minute pace group passed me at the top of the hill.  This crushed my spirit.  I had been doing mental math and figured that since I had been running 12 seconds per mile faster over nearly 8 miles, that I was about 1.5 minutes ahead of them.  My two walk breaks had eaten up all my “banked” seconds.

I pulled myself together and decided my goal over the last couple of miles would be to catch and pass the pacer.  This plan failed at the next (slight) hill.  Once you take that first walk break, it just becomes easier and easier to take more.  I even started walking on flat areas.  I was running out of steam.

The finish line is on the field that the Gophers play football on.  This is fitting as they play football about as well as I run.  As we neared the stadium I summoned my last bit of pride and told myself I would run the rest of the way.  This should be easy: completely flat, cheering crowds, and only .5 miles to go.  I ended up walking…TWICE.  Before you enter the stadium you run around the outside.  I was not mentally prepared for that.  I kept thinking “Where the fuck is the entrance?  When will this hell be over?”

When I finally ran down the tunnel and hit the turf, I did pick up the pace.  The finish line is televised on the jumbotron so I got to see my sweaty beaten ass cross the finish line on a huge screen.

Finally it was over.  I was really disappointed.  I did manage to get a 19 second PR.  LOL.  Since I’ve only run two 10 milers (well, 1.75 because whatever the hell I was doing at the end of this one did NOT count as running) this was not much of a win for me.

What went wrong:

1) I glossed over the fact that 10 miles is still a long ways for me.  I did 17 miles on Tuesday.  That was a very flat course and I ran 3 minutes then walked 1 minute.  Running 10 miles with no walk breaks and hills was much more difficult.

2) Hills.  I keep saying it, but I really need to start doing hill repeats.

3) Mental game.  Once I took that first walk break, they just kept getting easier and easier to justify.

I was also wicked thirsty towards the end. I drank at all the water stops and I ended up drinking three cups (2 water, 1 red stuff) on the last water stop.  I downed a bottle of water within seconds of crossing the finish line.  I probably need to start carrying water as I will not make it through summer half marathons at this rate.  I also skipped bringing “nutrition” with me, except for the Wintogreen lifesavers I suck on.  I doubt this was a big issue, but I will definitely bring some Gu and/or Sport Beans on all future long runs in case I feel zapped and pure sugar isn’t doing the trick.

I’m thinking that the Sauconys need to go.  I’m 100 plus miles into these suckers and I’m still getting blisters on long runs.  This didn’t directly to my downfall, but it added to the “things to bitch about as I barely finish this run” list.  This pisses me off a bit as they are my first pair of “real” running shoes.  I will break in future shoes on the treadmill first so I can return them if they give me any problems.

The course itself was great and the volunteers were plentiful and wonderful.  After the first couple of miles I was never crowded.

The final insult occurred in the parking garage.  I lost my iPhone.  I think that I put it on top of my car.  It’s out of contact (old 3GS) and there does not have voice/data capability at this point, but I had just gotten ATT to unlock it the day before.  I had planned to do a month to month data/voice plan until the iPhone 5 rolled out in June and join the rest of my family in Verizonland at that time.  That plan is out the window now along with my photos from this race.  I also got to spend a couple of hours changing all my passwords.  Oh, and the parking ramp ended up costing me $15.  I must have seriously pissed off the running gods today.

Get Lucky! 7K

Today I ran the Get Lucky 7K in Minneapolis.  I had signed up for this race – along with the Polar Dash – way back in early December.  My wife was running this one as well, so I planned on running with her even though she runs at a slower pace than I do.  Due to the odd distance, I was guaranteed a PR and there were 8,600 other runners, so slow and easy wasn’t a difficult decision. [They later announced that this was the “largest, timed race in Minnesota”]

Do you see the start line (left corner)? This is the middle of the wave!

We drove separately as I had to check in at work and she had plans with her family.  The race began at 9 am and I was at the starting area around 8:20.  As there were a ton of runners, it took a while to find each other.  Our plans of running together were dashed when Miss Micro-Bladder jumped in the porta-potty line.  I waited for about 20 minutes and then told her I would get a spot in the (rapidly swelling) starting area.  That was the last I saw her that day.  There were banners denoting the various minute per mile markers.  I settled into the 9:30/mile section.  My wife texted me about 10 minutes before the race began and I told her where to meet me, but the crowds were too thick by that point.

Guthrie Theater

It was a beautiful summer day…in March…in Minnesota.  It was 70 degrees (on the way to a record high of 80) with a slight breeze and 80% humidity.

The Guthrie again...from the other side

At 9:00 am the race began.  I was ready for a long, halting walk to the starting line, but the human traffic flowed better than I anticipated.  By the time I got near the starting line, there was already spacing between the runners and I crossed the starting mats at a slow jog.  My wife complained that it took her 25 minutes to reach the starting line, but looking at the results afterward, I crossed the starting line 7 minutes after the gun and she crossed 6 minutes after me.  Time is a slippery concept to my wife.  She swears she was in the porta-potty line for only 10 minutes (our texts show it was at least 25 minutes) and her 13 minute wait to cross the starting line seemed twice as long to her.

Minneapolis

There were a ton of runners, but I rarely felt crowded.  There were fewer walkers than I normally encounter at the beginning of a race.  About a minute in, I came across a wall of six abreast walkers.  I delivered on my promise of throwing elbows and thumped the dude on the end as I passed him.  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, asshole.

We saw the finish line about 1 mile in

The course was stunning.  The beautiful weather, the thrill of running with 8,600 other monkeys, the scenery, and the costumes meant there was never a dull moment.  We crossed two bridges (including the Stone Arch Bridge) and ran past the Guthrie Theater and other landmarks.  The terrain was a mix of streets, sidewalks, some wooden planks, and even cobblestone.  I avoided the cobblestone by running on the smooth cement strip (drainage?).

Cobblestone street...yuck

Since I wasn’t too concerned about my pace, I snapped pictures with my phone.  They turned out better than I expected considering bouncing about due to running.

I had a blast running on the Stone Arch bridge and seeing the river of green clad runner ahead and behind me.  After the Stone Arch bridge, I finally put on my ear buds and listened to music.

Stone Arch Bridge

I ran a pretty steady 9:45 for the entire race.  This is slower than I expected, but I was more into enjoying the experience than trying to run fast.  There was one water stop around the halfway point.  I grabbed water and walked a bit so I could drink.  Other than that, I took no walk breaks.  Nor did I expect to.  4.35 miles is about my average run nowadays and I can tell the voice in my head asking for a walk break to piss off.

Entering the Stone Arch Bridge

I was surprised at how hot it was.  This was the first run of the year where I felt my energy being sapped by heat and – again, in MARCH – humidity.  I was a sweaty beast about halfway into the run.  When I got to the end, I didn’t really have the energy or desire to sprint.  This was okay as I also did not have the room to do so.

Minneapolis

The "hill"

Running the "hill"

There was a huge crowd of finishers in which you had to navigate your way to get your medal.  They were also handing out bottled water, but I knew that there was a bunch of post-race goodies a couple of blocks ahead near the starting area.  I slowly made my way to this area and the crowds dissipated.  I grabbed a bottle of water, a Muscle Milk, and the “traditional” Team Ortho food bag: chips, Pearson Nut Roll, and banana.  By this time I had to leave to get to the office.  As I was walking to my car, my wife texted me to say that she had just finished.  She enjoyed the race, but was disappointed with her pace.  Kinda like me. 

After Finish Line

Overall I really enjoyed the race.  The day was majestic, the course was gorgeous, and I felt that Team Ortho handled the number or runners very well.  There were some complaints on Facebook after the race, mostly pertaining to the 1/2 marathon (held in a different location in Saint Paul).  It seems that they ran out of cups at one point so runners were unable to get water…on a day where it was very much a necessity.  There were also some complaints about overcrowding in the 7K.  I experienced neither issue, but what I did see that pissed me off was posts complaining about the race being deleted from Facebook.  I love your events Team Ortho, but you have to take the good with the bad – especially when the good outnumbered the bad about 10:1.

Medal

I had waffled about whether or not I wanted to run this race.  I think Lake Harriet is beautiful, but the parking and crowds turn me off.  In the end I decided to do the race because it’s been over 2 months since I ran a race.  A day after I signed up, the race filled so I was pretty lucky to get in.

I exited the house 20 minutes behind schedule and had to stop to get gas on the way in.  It’s about an hour from my house to Lake Harriet.  I ended up parking .7 miles from the start.  I may have been able to find something closer, but this was close enough and I knew that if I fed the meter enough tasty quarters, I would not get ticketed/towed.  I left my car at 8:30.  I still had to pick up my packet and stow the race swag (pretty nice green 1/4 zip jacket) before my race began at 9:10.

It was a gorgeous day for early March in Minnesota.  It was 44 degrees (about 20 degrees above normal for this time of year) and sunny.  There was a steady wind that made it feel a bit colder.  I went with running pants and a long-sleeved tech shirt.  I did get a bit chilly at points before the run, but nothing unbearable.  Some runners decided to act like it was June and wear t-shirts and shorts.

I jogged a bit of the .7 miles to the race area (near the band shell).  Packet pickup was quick and easy.  The “packet” consisted of your bib and jacket.  I probably had just enough time to jog back to my car and stow the jacket and get back before the start of the race, but I just didn’t feel like it.  I also knew that wearing the jacket would be a bad idea as I would get very hot.  So I decided to try the bag check.  You simply grabbed a clear bag, dropped your gear in the bag, then tore off a number from your bib and pinned it to the bag.  You then stowed you bag in the area that matched the last number of your bib.  When the race was over you retrieved your bag and showed the tag to a volunteer who made sure it matched your bib number.  Pretty smooth and it saved me 1.5 miles of jogging to my car and back again.

I walked around a bit then sat near the band shell.  Even though the race was sold out it did not seem nearly as crowded as the Reindeer Run I did here in November.  Tons of runners wearing green (I don’t have any green running gear so I went potato gray) and plenty of costumes.  There were a few vendors and the after race snack area looked well stocked.  There were also a handful of what looked to be portable gas fire pits for runners who needed to keep warm.

The 10 mile race began at 9am and the 5K runners were told to line up near the boat launch.  The line had markers for each minute/mile pace.  I had planned to get closer to the front than normal due to the congestion during the Reindeer Run, but instead settled in with my fellow 9 minute milers.

The race started on time and we…walked to the starting line.  This was not unexpected due to the crowd (and the relatively small path/road at the start).  Since this was not a chip timed event, I started Runmeter when I hit the start line, then noticed the actual start line 35 seconds later.  I noted to shave 35 seconds from my final time.

The race was slow and congested.  There seemed to be more room than the Reindeer Run (and no dogs), but passing was still a pain in the ass.  I still can’t believe the number of people who line up near the front and then walk…usually three or more abreast.  These tend to be fat ham beast women who then get pissed when you have to squeeze past them.  I’m to the point where I’m going to start elbowing them in the kidney as I pass by.  I know that I’m not Usain Bolt and this is an untimed fun run, but I did pay to run and there’s no advantage to the walkers to start near the front.  Meh.  End of rant.

The race was congested the whole way, but there seemed to be enough room to comfortably pass after the first mile.  I was able to hit my stride about then as well, so my frustration level dropped significantly.  My legs felt heavy and – after Runmeter announced a 10:30+ first mile – I knew I was not going to PR, so I just settled in and tried to keep a steady pace.  There were a couple of small hills on the route, but for the most part the course was flat.  The 5K did not have any water stations.  The wind only became a (minor) factor on the last mile of the race.  It was blowing from my left, so it didn’t slow me down much.

The 3 mile point was marked with a large banner (I don’t remember seeing the 1 or 2 mile markers) and it appeared sooner than I expected.  Runmeter was measuring short again (even though I definitely did not run the tangents).  I picked up the pace a bit and then again when I saw the finish mats (the mats were for the 10 milers) although I did not hit a sprint pace.  I finished in 28:50 (once I subtracted the 35 seconds from the time).  A little better than I expected, but not a blazing time.

I walked back to the bag check and got my jacket.  I grabbed a bottle of water, green cookie, and scone.  I walked back to my car and enjoyed a bit more of the unseasonably warm weather.  I saw some of the 10 milers on my way back.

All in all, a pretty nice race.  It was crowded, but not overly so.  I was happy with my time and glad to see that my 5K pace hasn’t slipped a ton over the winter.  This is only my 3rd 5K that I’ve completed without taking a walk break (2 of them on this same course).  It’s funny how quickly we acclimate to conditions.  Last year at this time I would have shit my pants at the prospect of running 3 miles.  Now I think of that previously frightening distance as my short, easy run.

Next weekend I will be running a 7K on Saint Patrick’s Day.  I hope to have a similar minute/mile pace (9:18) as this race and I am guaranteed a PR due to the odd distance.

Packet Pickup/Expo

This is the 2nd Team Ortho race I’ve run.  The first was the Monster Dash 10 Mile race back in October.  While that race was awesome, I was less impressed with the packet pickup situation.  It was the first race I had run where the packet pickup was not on the day of the race and a combination of work, traffic, distance, and crowds made for a less than optimal experience.  I mentioned in the post race survey that multiple pickup days and/or the option to have your packet mailed would be great.  I would love to think that Team Ortho listened to me (highly doubtful) but for this event they had FOUR different packet pickup dates PLUS the option to have your packet mailed to you (the $19 charge seems excessive, but Team Ortho races include heavy swag and it’s still a great option for out of town runners).

I chose to pickup my packet on Thursday, 08 December as it worked out perfectly with my schedule (pick up packet and head to happy hour).  The new Team Ortho offices are in North Minneapolis so the trip was shorter than the jaunt to downtown Saint Paul for the Monster Dash.  I was greeted by a giant penguin (well…a woman in a penguin suit) and within a few minutes had picked up my packets for both the Polar Dash and the upcoming (March) Get Lucky race.  That was another great option, you could pick up everything for both races so you could completely skip packet pickup for the Get Lucky race.  After getting my bibs and timing chips, I headed downstairs to grab my race swag for the two events.

The warehouse area downstairs seemed much larger than the expo area at the hotel for the Monster Dash.  Volunteers were offering hot chocolate and cider and there was tons of gear for sale from each of the Team Ortho races.  Being that it was about 6 pm on a Thursday night (and the first of four pickup dates), the expo was far from crowded.  I nabbed my Polar Dash fleece and Get Lucky hoodie (which my wife quickly claimed as her own once I got home).  I looked for the orange and black tech shirts from the Monster Dash, but did not see them. I did see the cool black skeleton tech shirts from the Monster Dash 5K for $30 each.  A bit too rich for my blood.

I headed back to my car.  I had managed to get in and out with a bit of “shopping” in under 10 minutes.  Gone from the Monster Dash expo was the mandatory scanning of the timing chip and the line for a “beer bracelet”.  I was very impressed with the streamlined expo experience.

I got back to my car and realized that I had forgotten to drop off some children’s books.  Team Ortho was collecting books for “Runners for Reading” at the Minnesota Literacy Council.  My son donated some of his books and when I gave them to Team Ortho, they gave me two $5 gift certificates for the Team Ortho store.  I went back downstairs and nabbed the black Monster Dash tech t-shirt for $20.

Race Day – or – How I Ran A PR In Lady Pants

We stayed at a hotel in Minnetonka over New Years Eve.  We spent New Years Eve with my wife’s family.  Normally I would get blind drunk in order to make that hellish ordeal go by faster and erase it from my brain cells.  Since I was running 6 miles the next morning, I decided to limit myself to two glasses of wine.  I didn’t even bother with the wine (I knew I would not be able to limit myself) and spent the first New Years Eve of my adult life (other than one while in the Navy) completely sober.

While I did not drink, I did manage to stay up until 2:30 am.  My alarm went off at 7 am and I was already cursing my decision to run this race.  The weather was a concern.  We have been having an unusually warm winter in Minnesota.  We had a rare “brown Christmas” (no snow cover on Christmas Day) as well as temperatures well above the average and zero sub-zero days (we average about 8 such days in December alone).  It was over 40 degrees (briefly) on New Years Eve.  Then our winning streak ended.  Around 9 pm heavy snowflakes mixed with rain started to fall.  By midnight we had a few inches of wet, slippery slush covering the ground.  Driving back to the hotel in that sloppy mess was miserable.  By morning, it was colder and the slush had become an icy mess.  The local roads (and the hotel parking lot) were very slippery, but the freeways were dry as a bone thanks to the snow plows.

I brewed some coffee and took a long, hot shower.  My wife kept teasing me about running in this weather and I kept teasing her about nursing a hangover.  The race started at 10 am and the race parking (I had purchased a parking pass for $7 during race registration) was about 15 – 20 minutes from the hotel so I took my time getting ready.  I had packed three different tech shirts (2 long sleeved, one short), two water bottles, three pairs of socks, shorts, five types of racing fuel, etc.  I had over-packed per usual.  So imagine my horror when the one item I absolutely needed for the run was missing: my running pants.  I tore my bag and the hotel room apart looking for them.  The day before I had left home later than my wife expressly because I wanted to wear those pants and they needed to be washed first.  My other pants are all made from that slippery material that makes that annoying friction sound when I run.  These babies are soft, warm, and quiet.  I would later discover them sitting folded on my bed at home…somehow I missed moving them 6 inches into my gym bag.

I was pissed.  It was New Years Day, so nothing was going to be open where I could buy running pants. [This turned out to be completely untrue: Target and Walmart were both open…grrrr!].  I didn’t pack my “compression tights” from the Monster Dash (I couldn’t find them) so I couldn’t even pull off the shorts over tights outfit.  I was doomed.  I told my wife about the missing pants and then asked her if she had brought any sweat pants.  She had.  It was my only option.  My wife is 5’3″ and I’m 5’9 so I was looking at 6 inch “high water” pants.  My wife assured me that these pants were long in the leg, so I had some hope.  Thankfully were a gray color and the only feminine markings were pink lines around the waist area.  I tried them on and if I wore them really low on my waist they nearly covered my ankles.  Since I would be wearing a long shirt and running jacket, the pink piping would be covered.  Not only would wearing them low make them cover most of my ankles, but it was also a necessity because they were really tight in the groin area so wearing them low made them feel less truss-like.  I just hoped that it wouldn’t be obvious that I was sporting women’s sweat pants, but at that point I didn’t care much.

I left the hotel around 8:30 am.  I had initially planed to leave 45 minutes earlier as I was worried about the parking situation and I had flashbacks about the freeway exit traffic jam from the Monster Dash.  I had mapped a couple of routes in case of traffic and the pre-paid parking pass should mean a spot for me.  I needn’t have worried.  The roads were well plowed and there weren’t many cars this early on New Years Day.  Parking was a breeze and well organized (like all of this event).  I was parked and race ready by 8:50 am.  At that point I decided to stay in my warm car until the last minute rather than spending any more time than was necessary outdoors.  Around 9:30 I left the warm confines of my car and jumped on one of the many “yellow limos” (school buses) that transported you from the parking lots to the starting area.

There was a bit of confusion on the Polar Dash Facebook page about whether or not a shuttle ticket would be required for the buses.  It was stated that the parking pass doubled as your shuttle ticket.  I brought mine with me, but was never asked for it to board the shuttles.  I’m guessing that the combination of the obvious race bib and the fact that few spectators would be hopping the buses in this weather made the shuttle ticket a non-factor.  I had timed leaving my car perfectly.  By the time the bus ride ended and I had walked to the starting area, it was only 10 minutes before the start of the race.

The temperature at the start of the race was 27 degrees.  This was actually one degree warmer than it was at the start of the Monster Dash back in October.  While the course (all on roads) was 90% clear (there were some strips of frozen slush the plows missed) the sidewalk on the way to the “racing village” was slippery and I almost fell on my way there.  I made a mental note to be extra conscious of my footing during the race.

The worst bit of the weather was the wind.  There was a constant wind that chilled you to the bone, but it was the random bursts of up to 50 mph wind that made me want to die.  I was wearing gloves (a life saver) and knew that I would actually be very warm in my lady pants running outfit once I started running.  Waiting for the race to start and getting hit by the wind made for some very uncomfortable moments.  I broke down and wore a head band that covered my ears.  I hate hats and this is basically a hat with the top cut out, but it was simply too cold not to use it.  It doubled as a sweat band once I started running.

There seemed to be far fewer runners at this race than at the Monster Dash.  This made sense due to the weather and the non-appeal of running with a hangover.  There ended up being about 800 10K runners and 400 Half Marathon runners.  Throw in another 400 or so 5K runners and the race was around 1,600 participants.

There were pacers for the run (ranging from 6:52 to 13:44 minutes per mile).  I had planned to line up near the 10 minute per mile pacer (9:55 actually) and see if running with a pacing group was a good fit for me.  When I lined up I could see the 10:18 pacer ahead of me.  I couldn’t see the 9:55 pacer and really doubted whether I could move up in the mass of running humanity to reach her even if I had spotted her.

Just prior to the race the national anthem was sung.  During this a bald eagle flew over the runners.  2012 was starting out on a very patriotic note.  The race started on time and it took a couple of minutes to walk to the starting line.  I’m starting to get used to these types of crowded starts.  This one was actually pretty nice as I was able to start running as soon as I crossed the timing mats.

I decided to go without music for the first part of the run as I knew it would be crowded and I would need to keep distractions to a minimum to avoid obstacles (other runners ).  Since I run with music blasting nearly 100% of the time, it is interesting to hear the race sounds.  What’s not so awesome is the sound of my breathing when I don’t get a warm up jog in and it’s below freezing.

It took me quite awhile to get comfortable running.  The weather was a big component, but the mental game was more of a factor.  My legs felt heavy and I felt like I was running a faster than usual pace only to find that I was only running 10 minute miles according to Runmeter.  There were people starting to walk almost immediately.  Not a lot of them, but enough to make me think a quick walk break might be a good idea.  I finally hit my stride around the 2 mile mark and felt comfortable running.

My goal for this race was simple: finish.  This was my first 10K, so I was guaranteed a PR.  Six miles is still a long run for me and a distance that I’ve never run without walk breaks so I planned to take walk breaks.  I also knew that I would not be running very fast with the weather and the winter gear.

A funny thing happens during races: I run faster and longer than I do on solo “training” runs.  It could be any number of factors that contribute to this: excitement, competition, the course – but I’m pretty sure that it really comes down to being able to pace with other runners.  Once I hit a comfortable pace, I tend (consciously or not) to drop into a pace that matches nearby runners.  Today that was the case for most of the race, although I did find myself running by myself from mile 2 to the turnaround point as I somehow ended up between two groups of runners about 50 yards apart and I was running alone between them.  Maybe my lady pants were scaring runners away from me.

Regardless of the reason, I ended up running the entire 6.2 miles without stopping.  The first mile flew by.  When I got to mile 2 I decided to at least run the first 5K without stopping.  At the turn around, I felt good (I pulled off my headband/ear-warmer at that point) so I decided to try to make it to the 4.5 mile water stop without walking.  Once I reached that goal, I decided that I could suck it up and just run the entire race.  The only time I really felt the need for a break (other than the mental jousting during the first 2 miles) was around mile 5.  There were only a couple of minor hills on this course, but there was a pretty long one near mile 5.  I can’t say I powered through that sucker, but it took some effort coming that late in the race.  The downhill made up for the effort and I recovered pretty quickly so it was all systems go to finish this run sans walk breaks.

The course was familiar as it was a segment of the same course I ran for the Monster Dash back in October.  The course was on a road, so it was mostly ice/slush free.  It was an out and back course, so I started seeing the elite 10K and Half Marathon runners coming back when I was just past the 2 mile mark.  There was a set of timing mats at the turnaround so you ended up with a 5K split time as well as your 10K time (Half Marathon runners did two loops of the 10K course).  The 5K started 10 minutes after the 10K/Half Marathon started and it was an out and back as well.  I didn’t see many 5K runners except for the very slow ones and the walkers.  That led to some dodging at the end of the run, but it really wasn’t that bad.

There were 3 water stops along the 10K course (1.5 miles, 3.1 mile turnaround, and 4.5 mile).  There were multiple tables at each stop and they were spaced pretty far apart.  This made it easy to dip in and get water and was less crowded than having one long table.  The water stops at the turnaround had tables on both sides of the turnaround and were spaced so far apart that the distance between the first table (before the turnaround) and the last table (after the turnaround) that it almost made it seem like you got an extra water stop.  I nabbed a cup of blue stuff at the last table.  That would turn out to be the only water stop I would take.

I had brought along some Gu as well as Sport Beans.  I love the Sport Beans and appreciate the packaging that keeps them from getting moist, but those suckers are hard as hell to open with gloves on while running.  I popped in about 5 beans and that was the extent of my refueling during the run.  Of course, I had carbo-loaded like a mother in the form of tons of cheese and crackers, cookies, and wild rice soup the night before so I was in little danger of running out of energy.

My goal for the race was to finish.  I had set a secondary goal of running less than 10 minute miles.  I also entertained the thought of finishing in under an hour.  I didn’t do the math on that last one until I was 5 miles into the run.  The extra .21 miles would mean shaving 2 minutes and 10 seconds off of my 10 minute miles…which would mean about running nearly 9:30 minute miles.  Once I did the mental math on that I knew it was not going to happen as Runmeter was telling me that I was running just under 10 minute miles.

The wind that chilled me to the bone at the start of the race was a minor factor during the race.  I ended up pocketing my gloves and ear-warmers as well as unzipping my jacket during the race.  Right around the 5.5 mile point there was a prolonged gust of wind that made running into it difficult, but otherwise it wasn’t much of a factor.  I had to keep pulling down my lady pants during the run and the flared cut was a bit unmanly (although the tightness did make my thigh muscles “pop”), otherwise the pants worked out fine.

I saw the 6 mile marker and shortly after that I could see the finish line (and the penguin suited volunteers).  The runners were pretty well spaced out at that point so I could sprint if I chose.  I didn’t have it in me to full out sprint, but I did pick up the pace and picked off a couple of dozen runners.  I decided that I don’t care if this is a dick move or not, I’m running against myself so I’m going to run my race.  I was surprised to see the race clock show just over 1 hour.  Given the few minutes that it took for me to get to the starting line, I might have actually met my goal of finishing in less than an hour.  I stopped Runmeter and it showed that I had finished the race in under an hour.  The GPS was measuring long (which is normal as I don’t/can’t run the tangents and GPS is not accurate as we like to believe).  It turns out I ran a 9:30 pace over 6 miles.  That’s by far my best “long run” performance so far.

After the race there was a brief line to receive our medals.  While all runners got the same medal, the ribbons were different based on the distance (5K, 10K, and Half Marathon).  I picked up a post race food bag (fun size candy bar, string cheese, banana, and chips) and then skipped the water and nabbed a cup of hot chocolate.  Best idea ever!  The hot chocolate kept me warm as I waited for a bus back to the parking lot.  There were tons of buses and the line moved pretty quickly.  This is a good thing as the wind (which didn’t bother me much during the race) was blasting me and threatening to turn me from a sweaty runner into an icicle.

I had a great time and my lucky lady pants delivered a great run.  This was probably the best organized race I’ve ever participated in.  The multiple packet pickup dates, option to have your packet mailed, after race hot chocolate, excellent parking, tons of fast, warm buses, great volunteers (and cool penguin costumes), the course, the website and Facebook pages, the cool medal (and great ribbons)…on and on, it was a great race and very, very well organized.

Polar Dash 10K Course

Since winter has rolled into Minnesota I’ve been running less and less.  My last outdoor run (other than a 5K race on Thanksgiving) was on 15 November.  I woke up this morning and wanted absolutely nothing to do with running.

Lake Harriet Band Shell

I packed some cold weather gear and hit the road at 8 am.  The race was around Lake Harriet and I figured that finding parking would be a special slice of hell.  I ended up parking near Lake Calhoun and walking the half mile or so to the band shell.  There were a lot more people at this race than I had anticipated.  I picked up my bib (no race bag or t shirt, they must be handing them out at the finish) and went for a quick jog (it was about 15 minutes before the 9:30 am race start).  It was 30 degrees, but there was no wind so it didn’t feel that cold.  I was dressed in a tech shirt and a running jacket with running pants.  I had brought a hat but did not need it.  My hands were a bit cold, but I had forgotten to bring gloves.

Lake Calhoun

As I returned from my jog, the race director asked that the runners line up.  I didn’t jump in right away as the RD was leading the runners through some exercises (like marching in place) to “warm them up”.  By the time I wandered to the starting line, I was shocked to see how many runners were lined up.  I ended up at the very back of the pack.

Reindeer Run 5K

The race started…but I didn’t.  I took over 4 minutes to reach the starting line.  It took even longer before I could even approximate something that resembled running.  The route followed the street around Lake Harriet.  A lot of runners were running on the path closer to the lake instead.  So basically you could run on the road, the path, or the grassy area between the two.  The road was completely clogged with runners.  I used the path and the grassy area to pass runners/walkers.

Starting Line Looking Back

There were a lot of runners dressed up in Christmas costumes.  I saw plenty of Santas, elves, and reindeer.  There was a group of Marines running in formation complete with flags and cadence.  There were also a number of runners with dogs.  They were supposed to have waited with the walkers for a 10 minute later start, but many (along with walkers) started with the rest of us.  The dogs were very well behaved, but did pose a unique problem: they tended to run to the side of their owners and their leashes would extend to the side making a runner/dog barrier.

Back Of Pack Looking Forward

At the one mile mark, Runmeter announced that I was running just under a 10.5 minute mile.  So much for any plan to PR (this was NOT the race to PR).  This was by far my slowest first mile ever.  Since a PR was out of the question, I just decided to enjoy the run.  And it was enjoyable.  The course was very flat.  There were maybe two tiny hills.  The lake area is beautiful and I had no issues with the cold.  I even ended up breaking a sweat.  I did have to do a lot of dodging through the whole race so I had to keep my head on a swivel.  I never really hit a comfortable pace either.  I would hit my pace, but then encounter another wall of runners.  This went on for the entire run.  Even with all of the dodging, I felt really good running.  I had been laying tile (not a euphemism unfortunately) the night before and my hamstrings were really tight and my knees hurt a bit, but I felt really good during the run.

Many of the runners were sporting the long-sleeved cotton race t shirts.  This made me believe that they had either run out or I had missed out on the area where they were handed out prior to the race.  Nuts.

I tried to sprint at the end of the run, but this was cut short as it was just too crowed.  I crossed the finish line with the clock showing 34 minutes.  I stopped Runmeter and my actual time (the race was not chip timed) was barely south of 30 minutes.  This was the my slowest (road) 5K time since July.  The good news was that I ran the complete distance with no stops.  I never even considered stopping as the combination of the slow pace and lack of hills meant I was never winded.  This is only the second time I’ve completed a 5K without at least one walk break.  I also managed to achieve negative splits for the first time ever.  Small victories. 

Reindeer Run 5K

I decided to get back to my car as soon as possible to miss out on traffic and before the cold air hit my sweaty body.  I wandered though the tent area and nabbed some hot chocolate.  I didn’t see any other post race offerings although I did see some runners with bottles of water so I assume it was offered.  I saw a small group of runners around a table piled high with race shirts.  After handing me my shirt, the volunteer made a mark on my race bib.  This turned out to be a great system as it meant that you could nab the shirt after the race rather than getting it before the race and then having to find a place to stow it.  There was another area with plastic bags with the usual array of advertisements, samples, and coupons inside.

I jogged back to my car and headed home.  All in all, this was a very enjoyable race.  I actually liked running in the frigid weather.  There were runners commenting that there was a foot of snow at last year’s run.  There was minimal snow on the ground this year and none on the race course.  Of course, the weather gods dropped 3 inches of snow on the area that night just to make us aware that winter had indeed come to Minnesota.

Race Shirt Front

Race Shirt Back

Reindeer Run 5K Course

Today I ran a local Thanksgiving 5K with my family. This was my first race in nearly a month and most of my training runs since that last race have been on the treadmill.  I was running with the my wife and son.  I just wanted to finish the race and possibly take a whack at breaking the 28 minute barrier.

Since the race was so close we arrived shortly before the start and nabbed our event shirts.  It was 39 degrees with a steady wind with some pretty nasty gusts.  I wore a long sleeved tech shirt and running pants.  Although it was warmer than the start of my last race (27 degrees) and I was wearing warmer clothes, I still was freezing my butt off.  I didn’t bother with my normal pre-race warm up jog and stayed in the school building as long as I could.

We lined up for the race and had no idea which way we would start running nor where the course went.  The race director announced that the route would be the same as last year, which told me absolutely nothing.  We were lined up at what we assumed was the back of the pack, but soon realized that we were starting the run in the opposite position so we were actually near the start of the pack.

A horn sounded and we were off.  I watched my son shoot out in front of me and he ended up about 100 yards ahead once the runners started to find their pace and settle into a (mostly) single file line.  This was the first race we let him run at his own pace and not be stuck running with my wife and he was determined to run it fast.  The combination of the cold and the lack of a warm up run made it difficult for me to hit a comfortable pace.  I knew almost instantly that I would not get a PR as I wasn’t feeling strong and for some reason my knees were aching the entire run.

We wound through some residential streets and then down the highway across from the lake.  I kept expecting to see my son either fall back in the pack or start walking, but he maintained his pace.  Although I closed on him a bit, he remained a good distance ahead of me.

At the one mile mark I was running at an 8:51 pace.  This briefly sparked me to consider making a run at my PR.  I still did not feel like I was hitting my pace.  A little over a mile in we made a right turn and the first (and steepest) hill began.  I was definitely not loving this hill.  I broke down and a third of a mile later I took my first walk break so I could crest the hill.

My son was still ahead of me.  He too took a walk break and I did not pass him until the 1.5 mile mark.  He had beaten me for half of the race.  I was simultaneously proud of him and disappointed with myself.  It won’t be long before little Oedipus is beating his old man in races.  He’s ten. 

Another half mile and another walk break.  At that point I was running about a 9:40 pace.  Goodbye PR.  At this point I just wanted to finish the race under 30 minutes and get ready to fuck up some turkey dinner.  One minute and 38 seconds later I took walk break number 3.  WTF?  I finished mile 2 with a 10:07 pace.

I ran the last mile at a better pace (9:30ish) but ended up taking yet another walk break.  Today I just didn’t have it in me.  I still managed to finish in 28:21 which is my second fastest 5K time.  Considering I ended up with four walk breaks totaling 1:48…I could have easily broken the 28 minute mark and set a new PR.  I really need to start doing hill repeats and increasing my stamina.

I finished and waited for my son.  My wife crossed the finish first.  She told me that she passed him only within that last .25 mile.  Soon after we saw him chugging away.  He crossed the finish line right at 32 minutes.  He told me how mad he was that he had to walk so much on the last half of the race.  I told him I had to do the same thing and that his time was better than my first 5K time.  That cheered him up.

All in all, it was great to get out and burn some calories before gorging myself at the dinner table.  I had a good time running with my family even if I felt less than happy with my performance.