So Near ... So Far

Well, I ran another no-so-glory-day best, but I was just off my goal time of coming in under 21 min. Of the three mistakes from last time at The Woodlands (arrival time, preparation and course knowledge) I only really benefited from one - the one that was automatic. I got there late again which prevented race preparation but I still managed to get 21:06. Here's the story:

Wake up @ 6:10 to be out the door by 6:30. Marci is not in bed but spent the night with Ella because she was feverish with teeth coming (we think). She tells me it's not a good idea for them to go and, being the morning person that I am, decide not to run because I'm tired too and I don't really want to go alone. After 15 more minutes in bed I realize I do want to race so I start getting ready. After some mis-haps I'm out the door by 6:50.

Arrive via new, less confusing and more direct route I found online (this route actually involves a turn by the gas station we stopped at last time for directions!) I went to the restroom and was at the course by 7:50. A large number of people (much more than last time) were already congregating at the finish line. I don't fret because I know the race won't start for 10 more minutes; can't warm-up, but I know I'll be able to run. I open my car door and race officials are yelling to people already checked in that the race is beginning and they need to run. I run to check in, pay my dollar in quarters and dash to the starting line.

At this point they inform us that two club teams are competing against each other which, 1) explains the large turnout and 2) tells me competition will be tougher than last time (so much for my secondary goal of placing in the top 10). They explain the course, hoist up the trophy that is at stake for the winning club and blow the horn probably 3 or 4 minutes early.

Mile 1: We're off. I'm initially somewhere in the top 25-30 runners. My watch is synchronized with the start (unlike last time) so I am using that, along with a keen eye for the mile markers, to take advantage of my course knowledge. Last time I started off too fast so I made a conscious effort to not do that. I hit the first mile in 6:48 and felt really good. The competition had thinned and spaced itself out a bit by now but I really hadn't jostled position. I told myself to keep pace and finish strong and that should be just enough to meet the goal.

Mile 2: It would have been enough to meet the goal but for some reason mile 2 was slow. It ended up being my downfall. I don't remember the exact time but it was probably 10-15s off pace (I stopped looking at my watch once I realized I should be at mile 2 and it wasn't in sight). I decided to start running and not be so concerned with my time and pacing. I also happened to pass 4 or 5 people during mile 2 so perhaps that gave me a false sense of time.

Mile 3: Familiarity with the course really helped with making it not seem so long; the 5k-race-this-way sign seemed to come up very quickly. I felt good and noticed I was 15 minutes into the race so I knew I only had 5 or 6 minutes left. I decided to just go. I consequently passed a lot of people on this stretch and by the time I got back to the parking lot was practically running on my toes. I finished about 2 strides short of a guy who was out of sight at the time I started my increase in pace.

Overall it felt great to finish that strong and lower my time, I'm only mildly disappointed that I missed the goal of sub 21. I had it in me to do it today but tactically I went out a little slow and to some degree let others dictate my pace. The main factor, however, in my opinion is training. Over the past three weeks I've only run 8 or 9 times and only a couple of those were hard workouts. I really can't expect much after training like that.

I guess that's good for now. I'll post links and pics from the race when they become available. Oh yeah, I placed 16th overall which I'm fairly proud of considering the turnout and the fact that there was an actual team competition going on.

Mike