Who: Jack Klompus

What: Main Street Halloween Run

Why: marathon tune up

Where: La Puente, CA

When: 27 Oct

How: I ran this race as a tune up for my debut marathon on 8 Dec. I am going to start my RR with a whining little rant. I know that Garmins and course distances rarely, if ever match up, but why the heck was my Garmin and the finish line ONE QUARTER OF A MILE off?!?! My Garmin said 6.46 miles and a few other people I talked to had 6.38, 6.47, and 6.45. If the course had ended where Garmin had 6.2 miles I would have had a 41:12, good for a 1:05 PR. However, because of the distance difference, my chip time was 42:45. I was more than bothered by that, still am a bit, but whatever, it happens.

Training: I am in week 11 of the Pfitz 18/55 program and it has been going very well. This was the first time I have run a race without training for the specific distance so it was kind of weird. I have done very little speed work over the last few months, just some strides and long tempo runs, but that really isn't quality "fast" speed work. Only this last Tuesday had I done my first 600m intervals as part of the Pfittz plan. Other than that is has just been a lot of miles at various paces. My legs were tired from just finishing a 55 mile week, but part of marathon training is learning and knowing how to run on tired legs, so I've been told.

Race day: I got up at 5:00 am and had half a bagel and some Gatorade for a snack. I arrived at the race plenty early and had a good warm  up of about two miles and some stretching.

Here are my splits.

You can see that last .46!! Grrrrrr.....

You can see the hill at the start of the race and at mile 3.

Mile 1: Right off the bat there was a pretty good hill. At the top of the hill I was breathing hard and already had some doubt. I was thinking "How can I run 26 miles if I can barely get up that hill?" Even though I had a good warm up my legs still felt a bit heavy and fatigued, but things soon got better. There was a nice downhill after the peak and opened it up a little bit. I was starting to feel better. First mile in 7:06.  A little slower than I wanted but it's all good.

Mile 2: Things picked up here because it was downhill. 6:23!  This was also when I noticed my Garmin was off with the mile markers. Already, they were not even close. Crowd support along the course was non-existent but I didn't mind because I am so used to doing long runs early in the morning in the dark with no one else on the roads. Actually, I have grown to enjoy running alone. I'm a social person, but running is different for me. It's "my" time, I reckon.

Mile 3: Slightly uphill here and the 5k race had a different turn to the finish. I was settled in nicely at this point. I remembered what wcrunner taught me about "perceived effort" so I did not worry about my pace slowing because of the hills. My legs told me I was working hard. I was happy with a 6:39.

Mile 4: This was a 5k course run in two loops and this was the start of loop 2 and that big hill again. It was weird, but this time it was easier than the first! Yes, I was breathing hard, but I zipped right up that sucker and passed quite a of people along the way. I might have been slower, but it felt better, physically and mentally. I was full of positive thoughts now! Even with the downhill bit, my time slowed to 6:53 but it was faster than my first mile of 7:06! Things are looking good at this point.

Mile 5: With two miles and change I wanted to step on it. I felt good.  On this downhill section my mile time was 6:25. There were quite a few aid stations but I never took anything because I didn't think I needed it. I was running hard and did not want to slow down for a cup of water, half of which would be spilled.

Mile 6 (and the .46): Slightly uphill again, but by this point, "perceived effort" was my mantra! I wanted to kick hard the last mile and I was doing it. YES!! But this was when Garmin showed differences with the course. I looked at my watch at 6.2 miles and I had 41:12 but the finish line was still way the heck down there!! I even heard another say "What the hell?" Whatever, it's part of racing, I suppose.  I ran my last .46 at a 6:08 pace and I had a kick! The few people that were at the finish gave me a clap and it felt good. 42:45 was my official chip time, good enough for 1st place in my age group of 45-49. I'll take it!! YEAH, BABY!!!

Post race thoughts:  Yes, I am bothered by the official time. I know the course was off, but I will get over it. I am more than happy that I had a hard, quality run on tired legs. More importantly, I feel good now. Yes, I am tired, but I am not exhausted. I will probably go out and run two or three very easy miles later tonight. I am very excited for my marathon.  I still have six weeks of training and I plan to stick with it. For now, I think my goal is 3:45. Is that realistic? We'll see.

Thanks for reading my RR and sorry for the whining about the course. Also, sorry for no pictures. I didn't have the heart to drag DW out of bed at 5:00 am and my older DD had the homecoming dance last night so she was definitely not getting up. Feel free to comment and offer tips, advice, or suggestions. Any marathon advice would also be welcomed.  Thanks again.

Way to go after it and congrats on the AG win.

Great race, Klompus!  Congrats on the awesome time and the AG win.  It is frustrating when the course measurement is off.  My 5K yesterday was 2.95 miles.  If it was a full 5K, I would have PR'd by a minute.  It sucks, but it doesn't change the fact that you ran a great race.  Nice splits, even with those ugly looking hills.

Get any good swag for the AG win?  

Congrats on the AG award! Sorry to hear the course was way over, but you ran really well.

Congrats, Jack!!  (I meant to PM you last night a "good luck")

So, maybe I can use the extra length as an excuse to feel better I didn't run it??   

That sucks that they went long.  If you ever run La Palma, it runs a little long too. (Learned that after going for a PR & blowing it too)

Sounds like you kicked butt & also had a sub 42 in the bag!!!   So, no matter what......you KNOW you were running a faster pace than your last 10K.  No race can take that away from you!!!

BTW, you are officially one FAST DUDE!!

P.S.  My hopes for a 47 would've been shattered & had I done anything more to my knee because of it, I'd have been PISSED!!  So, I have to say thanks for doing unsolicited recon on that race for the future!!!  

Congrats on the AG win. Did you run the tangents? I've heard they can make a difference, but not sure if a 1/4 mile difference. I can't offer any advice on the full, but I think you can do the 3:45 easily.

I was waiting for this RR. Well done and stay the course for the marathon.

And stop sandbagging for 3:45. You'll do better than that.

Great job, Jack... Fast and consistent.. Congrats on the AG win.