OBJECTIVE
original - 10 mi. b/w 8:08-38/mi. w/last 2 mi.@7:38
revised - 10 mi. race 1:11 - 12 (7:08-12/mi.)
ACHIEVED
10.07 mi.@ 6:59/mi. (official time = 1:10:14)
overall = 59; age group = 6
Stephanie sent out an email that the group was running 22 miles this morning in preparation for the Sunmart 50K in a few weeks. That was much farther than the 10 miles I had scheduled and the course didn't seem to lend itself to good bailout options. However, Shellie and Michele each responded to Steph's email saying they were going to run the 10 for Texas in The Woodlands. BINGO! That's what I'm going to try doing, I thought.
I picked up Aaron and we made our way to The Woodlands and registered. It was a windy, cold morning. I had looked up the equivalent 10-mile race time for a 3:20 marathon. Mcmillanrunning.com had it at 1:11:24 and attackpoint.org had 1:12:01. I decided to see if I could hold the necessary pace of 7:08 - 7:12 per mile necessary to hit these times. I was unsure of myself given that I had not planned on running this race until about 20 hours before the starting gun. I figured I'd go out at that pace and if I faded that would be fine ... at least it could serve as a gauge. I surprised myself and ended up with the following splits:
7:14 started with the 7 min. group; surprising how light the traffic was
7:13 staying focused on running first couple miles slower than overall goal
7:14 still holding back; head wind is gusting
7:12 feeling pretty good; good turnover and running easy
7:07 got a little overzealous upon seeing the turn in the distance
6:58 picked up too early but feeling good and started "racing" rather than clock-watching
6:53 picking off "victims" one by one and liking it; worried about pushing too early
7:00 feeling the early push; pulled back a bit to catch breath for final 2-mile push
6:39 realize that no one has passed me since about Mile 2; not feeling as strong as I would like but can tell I'm stronger than those I'm passing; this is fun!
6:20 this mile flew by; pushing hard I was surprised how fast the finish came up; had a very strong 0.4 mi. kick
0:21 (0.07 mi. on Garmin)
This was a strong effort. I pushed hard and didn't let myself get lazy or coast. I focused on racing and running tactically over the second half of the race. This helped occupy my mind and focus my objectives. I'm very happy with my time. It suggests that a 3:20 marathon is well within reach from a vdot (performance-based VO2Max index for runners) standpoint. I just need to keep building endurance by putting in the miles and 3:20 is mine!
The race was really well done. The refreshments, band, and finish area were all very good. I'd like to do this one again.
While walking around I saw and chatted with Shellie for a bit. I have to say she's one of the nicest people I know. Later, while walking to the car, I saw Michele. It was good to talk with her. It sounded like each of them had good races.
Aaron came in around 1:15. This is a great time for his inconsistent training. He's using this race as a baseline for his training for the Austin marathon in February.
PRE RUN
FRS
Earlier, water & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk
POST RUN
water & smoothie
Later, bagel w/peanut butter; breakfast burrito; Powerade; & turkey sandwich
4 comments:
Okay, you make it look easy. I have to know one thing- when you race like this, how hard does it get effort-wise? Use a scale of 1 to 10. :) And what about when you first started running? Honestly, I can't imagine having to hold back the reins in the middle of a 10 mile race. I guess I haven't ever been that conditioned. :) Every race I've ever done has been a 10 in pain and effort. It only ever feels good afterwards. I can't believe I just admitted that. :)
Hey Mandy. Thanks for the comment! You don't need to worry about admitting things on my blog. I don't think it gets read by others much because it's kinda just boring running stuff. ha!
I'd say this race was a solid 8 for effort. I'm still learning how to pace myself properly given my level of conditioning. This is tricky because my conditioning is changing. There's also the variables of rest, nutrition, stress, etc. that come into the equation. For me, it's tricky business. I'm not smart enough to have it figured out so I really don't know how things are going to go until I'm actually doing it.
A somewhat-funny story, I had a coach tell me last year that if you don't vomit at the end of a 5K you aren't trying hard enough. That's always stuck in my head. I've never vomited so, if he's right, I've never tried hard enough.
Effort-wise, I was probably giving about the same last year when I started as I am now. I just wasn't smart about pacing and I didn't know what certain things "felt like". Now I know what I'm experiencing and can push through some of it better than before. For me, a lot of it is mental. I have to trick myself with little mental games to occupy my mind. I'm also getting better at this. :)
About holding back the reins during a 10-miler, I'm much better at choosing a target pace based on my conditioning and training than I was before. I'm always telling anyone who will listen that it's better to pass people at the end of a race than at the beginning. (I have to remind myself of this often!) About a half mile into the 10-miler, I looked at my watch and saw I was on a 7:07/mile pace. That was too fast so I immediately eased up. It killed me to let people stream by but I believe I passed almost all of them over the next few miles. If I can run a race at even or negative splits, it ends up being best for me. I feel stronger at the end and usually recover better too.
One of the things I really enjoy about running is that it allows me to tune in to my body in ways that I can't while doing other things. I knew I couldn't run a 54:00 10-miler so I didn't put myself on that pace to start. Having run a few races and knowing how I've felt during training gave me the idea I could maybe get 1:10 if I pushed it and it was a good day. This aligned with the fact that an equivalent 10-miler for a 3:20 marathon (my Boston qualifying time that I'm training for) is around 1:11-12. That allowed me to set my goal time and pace and focus on sticking to it. I have to go through all this mental exercise before the race or else I'll do something stupid during the race (usually go out way too fast!). Some people I know are really good about running on "feel". I'm not one of those people. I've got to have a plan and stick to it.
Bet you didn't know you'd get this much "information" (???), did you? You made the mistake of allowing me to talk about myself and running. Most people around me know that's opening themselves up to a long, boring conversation! :) Once I get going, I don't stop. Hopefully, I can run the same way!
Take care and all the best in your running.
Strong work. Keep it up!
Thanks, Jonathan. Hope your rehab is going well. I'll curious about the UT Medical Rehab Center (?) where you're getting your work in. Where is it? Where you able to just "buy" a membership?
cnb
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