With all that happened on the century in 2011 I decided not to do the ride and just run the 1/2 on Sunday. Having ran the Shinzen 10 mile race a couple weeks prior with a 1:01, I had a good idea of where I might be able to finish in this race. I was going to shoot somewhere between 1:20 and 1:25, I figured somewhere in that range was a safe bet. Considering that the fastest I have ever ran was that 10 mile race, I had it in the back of my mind that maybe I wouldn't be able to repeat that performance, regardless though I was going to push myself in the half and find out if I could.
In preparation for the race I took a couple days off from running and avoided any crappy food. The day before I ate some whole wheat pasta and some salad for dinner, not with intentions of carbo loading but just eating something I was familiar with. My wife was also very thoughtful and told me she would take 100% charge of our 3 week old baby that night, which was more than I would have asked for. I figured I was pushing my luck just going to the race but I suppose I shouldn't doubt her awesomeness.
While I managed to get in a solid 3.5-4 hours sleep I definitely wasn't feeling rested the morning of the race. I went through my normal routine of grabbing some iced coffee, orange juice, half a bagel with nutella and a banana. I headed out and drove to Chuckchansi park with about an hour to spare, just so I would have time to park and use the restroom. I waited around in my car until I had about 15 min to start then made my way to the start line. I lined up right in front since last year I made the mistake of starting in the middle and had to weave in between tons of people in order to get to a place where I was with people running the same speed.
So the race starts and I am thinking to myself that I want to start off a little bit slower but not so slow that I end up trying to make up for it with only a few miles to go. First few miles go by nice and smooth I'm feeling pretty good, legs are a bit tired and I can feel it's starting to warm up outside. By the time I hit the Zoo, which is about half way, the temperature has gone up at least 5 degrees and I am feeling hot. At this point I wanted to either turn up my speed a bit or at least hold a nice solid pace but as I check my Garmin every so often my pace keeps slowing. I'm getting a bit frustrated at this point I can see two people about a minute ahead of me and I'm thinking to myself I can catch them. Every time I feel like I am making a move though my pace has either slowed or is about the same. Mile 11 comes around and I feel like have tons of energy but for some reason I still can't get going so my new plan is to just make sure that no one passes me in the last 2 miles.
The race finishes inside of Chuckchansi park, which is kind of cool for both spectators and runners since your family can see you finish and it's easier to meet up after the race. As I come down onto the stadium field I am still feeling full of energy but with tired legs, yet I find comfort in knowing that I have still met my goal of finishing under 1:25. I crossed the line in 1:24:24 and finished 15th overall and fourth in my age group. Had I finished 3rd I would have won a couple bucks which would have been sweet, maybe next time. As I made my out of the finish chute I saw Oswaldo Lopez who was helping pace the female overall winner, I introduced myself and let him know that I was big fan.
Overall it was an ok race for me I wasn't stoked with my time or with the heat but I'll have plenty of time to get used the heat this summer. I am looking forward to my next run, Shadow of the Giants 50k which is June 2nd up in Fish Camp, Ca near Yosemite. That race is beautiful and is a bit more low key than most other races so it should be a great time.
 |
| Mile splits |
 |
| Race route |
No comments:
Post a Comment