First 15k Race (Read 550 times)

What could have been my worst nightmare went well. If the weather we had been predicted when I signed up I would have just done the 5k. But I stuck with it and finished better than I had hoped I could do in the heat, humidity and lack of breeze. Finished in 2:08, 13:41 pace and wasn't the last to finish as I thought I would be based on last years results. Fort Worth Runners Club Labor Day Races: http://www.fwrunners.org/LaborDay.html

I had been training myself to drink every two miles or 20-30 minutes so I ran without a bottle. It worked out ok and I feel better about it. Might still buy a more hi-tech bottle belt than I have, but no hurry. My nutrition plan worked out well too. I had two Gu's in the 45 min before the race. Plan was to walk thru each water stop, taking two glasses of water or gatorade - the full strength which I don't normally drink. I did notice folks re-filling bottles at the water breaks. Not a bad idea. Anyway, I had a gu at the second water break, then the 4th and 5th, washed down with gatorade. Taking two gatorades except foe one stop that lacked it kept me from getting really hungry during the race. I did get hungry before the second water stop, but that got covered by the gu and gatorade.

As to the race. I felt I started two fast again, as always. Had to keep restraining myself. I did start in the right location, near the end of the pack and had no problem with bumping into people etc. Was able to run the "race line" as a result, e.g. the shortest line around and between curves. GPS had me finishing in 9.32 mi so that worked out well. I did stick to run 1min, walk 1 min because of the heat, and that worked. I was able to increase pace and hr in the last 40 min and actually pushed HR to 134 which is above where they stopped the July stress test (132), and close to last years measured max of 137. I ran the last .34 mi @ 11:11 pace with hr at 130-134 and didn't feel like I was maxed out when I crossed the finish line. I could have kept that pace up for a bit more.

The only time it felt burdensome was from mi 7-8.5 or so. It was all in the sun. The iced rag they gave us at the turn water stop had lost its effectiveness and it was all guts at that point. I ran at an easy pace mostly in the low 12's for 1-1:30 min and walked for 1 min thru that area and while I could feel it, I wasn't struggling to get thru it. No wall to push thru. The only time I had any problems was one very steep, short hill after mi 5. E and I had done a spin class yesterday and I think my knee didn't like it to much. On that hill I got some pains in it and limped a bit while walking up the hill. Got a twinge when I re-started running for the next few intervals, then it went away on the beyonf mi 7 or so.

Overall, I feel great about it and am encouraged about running a half with a 13:30 pace goal. Certainly sub 14:00 in the cooler early Nov weather. Even today, I think I could have kept the 14:00 pace going another 3.8 mi.

Why I am excited - well I am post blessed heart attack on 3/15/08 (induced in ER). Started running July 08, to overcome family history which requires us to have very low LDL & Triglycerides and high HDL cholesterol levels. Ran 1st 5k on 62nd bday, a 10K 50 weeks after the heart attack, got cleared to run a half as the result of a July 09 stress test. This was next step on the way to an 11/8 half! Maybe next year I can convince my cardiologist (and family) to let me run a full marathon - albeit a slow one, but a full one! Cardiologist was adamant about never letting me run one when I got the ok for a 10k.