2:06:36 Finishing Time
View from the Peak of the Course
Sunday June 10th, 2012
Location: San Pasqual Battlefield area near San Diego
Distance: Out and back 13.1-14 miles depending on who’s GPS you looked at :P
Weather: Fair
Start Time: 7:40 (Race started late due to the gate to the lot being locked and everyone had to wait in their cars in a big line until it opened)
Terrain: Single track, lightly rolling with one bigger hill near the out and back which, made it a 700+ ft gain race.
Size: 300 Runners
I felt better on race day than the previous days before the race but, I had an inclination that I was going to have tired legs. This might had slowed me down just negatively thinking before the gun? Since it started so late I actually warmed up twice! The warm ups maybe equaled to 1.5 miles. The race start was split into two waves that were chosen upon registering and you couldn’t switch. I went out in the middle with the first wave (faster runners) and I thought it was an extremely slow for a start. I wouldn’t had warmed up if I knew we’d be doing 10 minute miles for the first couple miles or should have started further up. :) Fast forward to that hill near mile 5 and we all in this pack go up it leisurely but, then at the crest people were going down it leisurely as well so this guy and I asked politely for people to let way and then we bombed the backside. Flash forward to maybe mile 11? (after the hill [casual up, bomb down] and flat again) and I am beat! I start slowing down considerably and someone I was pacing with went ahead a half mile. I dragged me ass in and finished running but, slow. Finish 2:06:XX. (well enough for dead center in my age group)
I belive some training mistakes and warming up too much and going out too slow in the beginning did me in. Anyways, it was FUN. During the last couple miles I thought damn these legs but, at least they are not sore, just heavy. Today they feel fine. Next time I’ll try to time my peak fitness with race day, etc. instead of the week or two before.
Thursday, June 7th, 2012
My 13.1 is this Sunday and I am bummed that I have resorted to wrapping my left calf up. I’m not quite certain if it’s mental sh*t making me think I really hurt it or if Monday’s track workout where I ran my 400’s at the wrong speed (too fast) really did leave my leg jacked. The day after the workout I managed a 3 mile recovery run but, Wednesday was like a run Fail and today I didn’t even try. What doesn’t help all this is my car broke down Monday night and I had to walk home a couple miles, blah blah in sandals blah with a blister blah and then ride my bike tues and wed all over the place. Finally got my car this morning so now I can really rest. Maybe I’ll do something running quick Saturday, might just have to wait and not run at all until race day and suck up the slowness. When I get home tonight I’m going to massage the sh*t out of my calf either way.
Monday May 28, 2012
Today was a peak run for this past 6 week training period. I combined a 22 minute trail 100 ft gain 5k effort and a 57 minute road/trail 600 ft gain 10k effort together in one run, so it equated to 9+miles 700 ft gain @ 8:40 pace.
The upcoming cross country half marathon race on June 10 has the same gain of 700 ft but, broken into two 350 ft gain sections since it is an out and back. The training run today was 20 seconds per mile slower than planned race pace but, with a proper rest and taking in that the two hills can be ran in the race instead of walked, I should be able to hit sub 1:50 which, would be 8:20 pace per or at least sub 2:00 if I don’t run peak. TMI? Probably.
I’ll patiently wait and see, whatever happens it’ll be fun and thrilling. (I think I’ll run with out a HR monitor since I haven’t used it much in training lately after I accidentally left it at a friends house and haven’t grabbed it back yet.)
02:12:48 Finishing Time
January 29th, 2012
Dirt Devil Racing trail half marathon around Lake Otay, Chula Vista, San Diego. This was the first of four in the series… Finished near the back of the middle of the pack out of 300+ runners. Haven’t been running much in January do to little injuries. I approached this race with a fast finish mindset to make sure I could get through it without blowing something. Went out with the slower of the two waves at the start. The length ended up being 13.7 miles, heard some runners took short cuts to make it 13.1, pretty funny. Four men in my age group finished in front of me who went out in the same slow group… gotta find something to make me feel better for running soft!
The finishers bling (medal) is nice and the race schwag was even better, black hoody and black beanie.
