30:21:00 Finishing Time
Saturday July 14th, 2012
Location: Lake Hodges, Escondido, Ca
Distance: 4 miles with markers every 1/4 miles
Weather: Warm
Start Time: 7:30
Terrain: Out and back on rolling hills over dirt and rocks with a creek crossing near the turnaround
Size: 65 Runners
I have came to realize that if I get four hours of sleep the night before a race I should feel happy. I woke up at 5 and skipped the food, made some tea and stopped by a coffee shop for a small coffee before driving to the Lake. I arrived well ahead of time and had a hard time finding the race but, realized I had to drive to a small far off parking lot. Once there I greeted the RD and asked when it would start and then went off and did my own thing for an hour.
I passed by the lakeside and admired Great Blue Herons, immature Greenbacked Night Herons and many American Grebes.
When it was closer to the race start I changed into my running clothes and warmed up for 15 minutes until I broke a sweat and felt poppy in the legs. This was my first race where I felt great walking towards the start line.
I lined up right behind the fast looking runners and planned to try to stay with “the pack” for as long as I could, going out fast.
I maintained what felt like a 6:30 minute pace for the first mile, running the gradual uphill. The pack lost me so I sat with a guy who also wanted to run at a 7+ minute pace and we talked back and forth in short breaths and we kept on our constant steady pace.
There was a small aid station at the turnaround after a creek crossing and I downed a lil water and kept at it. On the way back I told the guy I wanted to run faster and I lead the way and eventually he was left on some of the small hills and off I went back on the course over rolling terrain with an eventual downhill finish.
Somewhere around here a fast lady passed me and I made it my point to try to stay on her and keep pumping my arms.
I made it to the finish near her in 29 something minutes on my watch and went in the shade and cooled down and then changed and was stoked at the small awards ceremony on my 2nd place finish in my age group (30-34 year old) and smiled on the drive home.
The race was part of my speed/strength training for the Death Valley Trail Marathon in December which, will have a downhill finish so this short race was perfect for my training for executing emphasis on running downhill. This also marked the end of my four week, “general strength” training. I will now go into six weeks of, “running specific strength training”: more leg and leg balance work with nightly core.
In addition I’m looking forward to my next short race, a local hilly 10K XC next month, and possibly a flat 5K XC a week before that put on by the same guy who put on this here 4 mile XC.
I’m having fun with my summer, lower mileage and higher intensity.
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.
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.
