Beginners and Beyond

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jjs22's Garden of the Gods 10 Miler RR (Read 60 times)


Will run for scenery.

    Edit : see my post below for an update on my time.

     

    The Short and Sweet :

    The Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs) is a beautiful place. I ran 10 miles there at a very-good-for-me pace : 9:30. A PR. Fantastic day.

     

    The Rest of the Story, with DETAILS, big SUCCESSES, bitter DISAPPOINTMENTS, and PICS (at the end) !


    This race is my 1-year runniversary.  And that's with most of the winter/spring off. Mostly what I do is long trail runs in the Rockies with (many) thousands of feet of elevation gain. In reality, what this means is that I jog slowly and walk a lot.  But the GOG10M, by comparison, is flat. And this year I was in good enough shape to actually run. Every event I've done before today was about just hangin' in there and finishing; today, however, was going to be a RACE. My biggest worry going in : I don't know how to race.


    I woke up painfully early and had bananas, Gatorade, coffee, and a bagel. Parked 3/4 mile away (oops !) and jog-walked in. Potty stop (#2) at SBUX. Potty stop (#1) at the starting line. Gun went off while I was still inside the PortaPotty. Thank goodness for Buffalo Chip Timing!

     

     

    Mile 1 : 8:48. I let the crowd thin out before starting. Ran the (flat/downhill) first mile with a fair amount of weaving to pass people, but no serious obstacles. Legs felt nice and loose, body relaxed, warm-up was a success. Holy Crap ! 8:48 is fast ! Too fast ?

     

    Miles 2&3 : 9:14. Hit the hills and reigned it in. Still passing tons of people. Legs feel springy. I'm burning fuel, but pace feels good. I'm loving the uphills - this is what I came here for. Never saw mile marker 2.  At mile marker 3 I see my pace. 9:14 seems just right.

     

    Mile 4 : 9:05. Nice flat, uneventful. Good time.

     

    Mile 5: 9:34. This is the big climb, up & over the high point of the race. I train on this hill and know it well. I slowed for the hill, but I can also feel that I'm getting tired, not bounding up like on a training run. Grabbed a water, ate a GU. At mile 4.6, there is an awesome steep downhill. Even though I'm tired, I expend a bit of extra energy to lift off the ground and extend my stride. I am flying ! Screaming past people in an exhilarating blur. I'm actually tasting what some of you bad-asses call "recovery pace" !

     

    Mile 6 : 9:17. Still passing lots of people. This is where I realize that I've already passed most of them a few times. Guess I've found my place in the pack. And I also realize that I'm not gonna finish this race with too much gas in the tank. Now it's all about managing resources. But there's a sweet downhill stretch and I decide to fly down.

     

    Mile 7 : 10:07. Not such a great mile, TBH. Uphills are my strength, downhills sweet payback. And this mile is kinda flat, with just enough climb to suck the life out of ya. Ain't no springy goin' on. I know I'm slowing down, even more than I chose too. It's not just my body; my mind is actually forgetting to keep the pace.

     

    Mile 8 : 9:08. This mile has a short, steep uphill which really takes its toll. But just after, another glorious downhill really saves the day. When I see my time, I am surprised; I thought it would be slower.

     

    Mile 9 : 10:30. Another mile with some decent descent. But I'm seriously flagging. Even running downhill takes energy, and I just don't have it. It's obvious I'm not gonna break that magical 9:00 pace (my better-than-A goal) and I'm starting to wonder just how bad things might get before the finish line. On the second uphill, I realize that I'm going so slow I might as well walk; so I walked a hundred yards or so (and actually sped up).

     

    Mile 10 : 10:00. This is that "flat mile" that just kills ya, b/c it ain't flat ! I dig deep and find whatever drops of go I have left. As I cross the finish line I don't even speed up : I'm already at full speed.

     

    The big SUCCESSES :

     

    1) I ran the whole race (minus 100 yards.) My splits were pretty decent for a rookie.

    2) I set a PR for the 10-miler, at a pace (9:30) which is a PR for any event ever. In training, I still think of anything faster than 10:00 as speed work !

     

    The bitter DISAPPOINTMENTS :

     

    1) I checked for my official time, but it wasn't there. They said the detector probably missed my chip, but they have 2 levels of backup they will check, including video if it comes to that. No biggie, really, but WTF ?

     

    2) I was harshly confronted with a sad, sad fact of which I was heretofore oblivious : There ain't no bars open at 10:00 AM on Sunday !

     

    The PICS :

     

    I finally found a pizzeria that was willing to let me in early for a beer.  Hooray !

     

     

     

     

    Next I went back to this place for my favorite summery cocktail : Gin, Campari, blood orange juice, champagne.  I'm feeling a bit out of focus as well.

     

     

    No pics of the race.  Sorry, I didn't carry a camera !  But for scenery, you might try :

     

    http://www.pbase.com/rianhouston/gardenofthegods

    Stupid feet!

    Stupid elbow!

    NC runner


    Cyber-bro

      Garden of the Gods looks awesome.10 mile races are sweet. Nice job!

      DON'T BRO ME IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME

      scottydawg


      Barking Mad To Run

        Nice race for you, congrats!  Glad the pizza place accommodated you and let you enjoy your beer!

         

        Wow, nice photos of Garden of the Gods!  I need to come to Colorado one day and do some kind of Pike's Peak event...Zebulon Pike is one of my ancestors..and my middle name is Pike.

        "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt

        Docket_Rocket


          Nice race.  Congratulations!  Love the pics.

          Damaris

           

          As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

          Fundraising Page

            Great job on the runniversary and on your PR pace!

             

            Glad someone let you in for a beer, you earned it regardless of what time of day it was.


            Will run for scenery.

              Just checked online and they posted my results : 57/86 for my age group 759/1460 OA.

               

              But it turns out they used my gun time, starting when I was back in the porta-potty.  That was a full 2 minutes before I actually started.  If my chip time had been recorded, I would have been 725/1460 OA,  just into the top half.

               

              Too bad it didn't get recorded officially, but it's cool to come out in the top half for once !

              Stupid feet!

              Stupid elbow!

              MrNamtor


                jj, congrats on your race! That's a well deserved beer!

                redrum


                Caretaker/Overlook Hotel

                  BEER.........it's what's for breakfast!!

                   

                  Big grin Wink

                   Randy


                  delicate flower

                    Heh...nice race!  Sounds like you had a blast.  What's with the camels on the elevation profile?

                    <3

                    LRB


                      What's with the camels on the elevation profile?

                       

                      I asked a similar question in the dailies ha-ha!

                       

                      Congrats J!  That pic of you sitting in an empty restaurant is hilarious!

                       

                      Runners gotta run and drinkers who run gotta drink!  Don't ask me how I know.  8- P

                        Well done, nice race!

                        Congrats on the top 50% finish - I bet that feels good!

                        Dave


                        SheCan

                          Ohhh, a RR by my new friend!   Great job on your race, your PR, and your 1 year runniversary!   The race looks a bit more difficult then you make it out to be though, but then again, when the Rockies are your playground you're probably used to serious climbs sometimes.  Great job, and I'm glad you found someplace to give you a drink! Joking

                          Cherie

                          "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson


                          Hip Redux

                            Dude, I hiked at 6000' elevation once and I thought I was going to die!  I can't imagine racing at that elevation, but I guess you are used to it. Smile

                            Now why aren't bars open on Sunday! lol

                             

                            Great job!!

                             

                            pae


                              My office is just about a mile up the road from GotG, so I know it well.  I did quite a few hill training runs there in the winter.

                               

                              I had thought about doing the 10 yesterday, but I've been completely unable to get myself up that early lately.  Perhaps next year I'll do it.

                              pae


                                What's with the camels on the elevation profile?

                                 

                                Probably a reference to the Kissing Camels rock formation in Garden of the Gods

                                 

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