Masters Running

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Mercer Island Half Marathon, IRC & a PR finally! (Read 383 times)

    Mercer Island Half Marathon, March 9, 2008 My goals were: 1. Run a smart race. 2. Run a smart race, you idiot. 3. Please, please, run a smart race. 4. If the hills are larger than you expect, don’t curse them. 5. PR, but no real time goal. This was a target race for me. My training for the Eugene Marathon in 8 weeks has been going along pretty smoothly, and recently I felt some ease and speed coming into my legs on some runs. I felt that a PR was in order. Actually, I have been underperforming on the HM distance since May of last year. I ran, count em, 3 half marathons since last May, finishing ALL of them with a 2:11Tight lippedx time. How frustrating is that? The first one, in May of 2007, was Kirkland, WA, a great 6 minute PR of 2:11:07 (on a slightly short course), the second one in July was Bellevue (Seafair) 2:11:38, and the third was Seattle in November at 2:11:57. In the July race, I went out too fast, running with a friend from the gym, and paid for it later, especially when the thermometer started to climb. I could have PR’d if I had started slower. In November, I lined up too far back (last minute potty detour) and got stuck behind 3,000 slower runners. I tried to weave around them, whenever I could weave around them, but gave up out of frustration after a few miles. So I decided to chill out and do a training run that day, even though I knew my fitness had increased. Frustrating. Today I HAD to PR, or else crawl under a rock. My fastest 10K (on a flat course) predicts a HM pace of 9:38, not the 10:00 plus paces those 2:11’s represent. I wasn’t sure I could do 9:38 on a rolly course, so I designed a conservative strategy to ensure a PR, even if tiny. Mercer Island is a mostly residential community. The Island is smack dab in the middle of Lake Washington, about equal distance between Seattle to the west and Bellevue to the east. It is about 10 minutes from my house. I got there early and got a great parking spot. This year the race course had changed slightly to allow for use of the community centre as the start and finish location. It was nice to sit inside the building and stay warm. This year the weather was perfect, 41F at the start, and it warmed up a bit during the race, and almost no wind, and high thin clouds. The sun peaked through a few times. I wore my black compression shorts, 1 short sleeve T covered by a black long sleeve REI tech-T, and black gloves. I figured since Soundie looks so good in her race photos all decked out in black, I ought to try that too! I wore my Asics 2130’s, 300 miles on them and I am just starting to feel it. Ugly neon green fanny pack, but I needed to carry some gu (no Gatorade on course) and my keys, and I could stuff my gloves in there after a few miles. I was worried that I might be a little too lightly dressed, but it turned out just perfect. No dorky running jackets to be tied around my waist! (just a dorky fanny pack!) The community centre was a mob scene. So many people, over 2000 in the half marathon alone and also many in the 10K and 5K runs. I couldn’t find anyone I knew, and I was looking hard. Oh, except I spotted srlopez. In his pink shirt, he kind of sticks out. I am still too shy to go up and introduce myself to him. I guess that is a form of flattery. 3 minutes to gun time, I went down to the mass of people waiting at the line, and was quite enthralled to see our local hero, Uli Steidl lined up at the front. I had to cross the front line to get around to the side to walk to the back of the pack, but there was a shear drop off here, and brambles and I wacked my shin on a rock as someone behind me was pushing me up the embankment. It was a bit ungraceful. But at least for my troubles I got to see Uli (swoon) up close. He had a relaxed happy smile on his face. Of we go. So my plan was, run a 9:50 pace for the first 7 miles, then maybe go down to 9:40’s for miles 8 to 10 (although there is a significant climb from mile 9 to 10), and maybe down to 9:30’s for the final 3.1. Under no circumstance, no matter how great I felt, was I to go below a 9:45 pace during these first 7. I wanted these miles to be relaxed and enjoyable and then I would let the remaining 6 be whatever felt right, reserving some energy for the hills in the last few miles, as well as reserving some energy to crank it up for the final 3.1. The course follows a road around the perimeter of the island, conveniently a perfect 13.1 miles long. Interestingly, the shape of the island looks like a right footprint, minus the toes. It makes for a great logo on the race shirt! http://www.mercerislandhalf.com/ The road zigzags left and right and left and right over and over ad nauseum for the first 9 miles as you travel south down the island. These bends in the road are also quite steeply banked, I suppose to let all the Audis and Mercedes peel around at top notch speed on their way into work from this affluent little enclave. It was hard to decide what line to pick, because going to the inside also meant going down a pitch and back up. So I only did that when it was flat, and stayed kind of in the middle when it wasn’t. I watched my Garmin obsessively! What a crutch that thing has become to me. I stayed as close to 9:50 as I could, whether going slightly uphill or down. Gloves came off around mile 4. Sometime after here, without my gloves on to wipe my constantly running nose, I employed my patented SnotFlingTM maneuver. Sure enough, two women behind me started a conversation about how gross spitting and flinging is, “gotta watch where you are running”, then the one woman said “I just swallow it”, and the other said “When on my bike, I just wipe it under my seat”. Ok… I see…that is much better, Roll eyes, now I’m the one totally grossed out! Ok, this course is a bit boring, zigzag, zigzag, it would be nice to do on a motorcycle. A few glimpses of the lake. Sun peaking out a bit. I imagine this would be absolute heaven for East Coast Folks at this time of year. Gentle up and downs, no real hills until the one just after the mile 11 marker. This hill was a little steeper and longer than I expected, but I didn’t curse it, mainly because the other hills so far weren’t bad at all. So here are the Garmin mile splits: 1 9:48 2 9:54 3 9:47 4 9:51 5 9:46 6 9:53 (80 ft climb?) 7 9:49 8 9:52 (average so far, 9:50, exactly as planned!!) Now I let myself run by feel. 9 9:38 (flat) 10 9:55 (50 ft hill) 11 9:02 (mostly downhill) 12 9:18 (monster 100 ft or more climb plus down on other side) Around here I caught up to my friend from the gym, who has beaten me in the past two half marathons. One of my secret goals is to beat her. I was gaining on her fast. I said hi, and briefly thought about running the last mile in with her, but came to my senses quickly enough. I told her I was going to really push the last mile and I invited her to keep up with me, but I think she was fading. With about half a mile to go, I could finally feel the effort. My legs suddenly felt completely drained of energy. 13 8:59 (down 50 ft, up 50 ft) Last 0.23 2:09 (9:15 pace) (up 20 ft, down 20 ft) Unofficial time 2:07:49 A 3 minute, 21 second PR. I was very shocked to go under 2:08. I was expecting my watch to say 2:10 or something like that when I crossed the line. This was a most enjoyable run for me. The first seven were easy, I never had to push it. I often would look down at my Garmin expecting to be only about 1/3 into the new mile, just to discover I was past the half way mark of the mile. It was a bit surreal, time was actually passing faster than I thought. I met up with Soundrunner after the race. She gave me the lowdown on some Arizona relay racers from last weekend. Wink Never did see Tetsujin. All 5 goals achieved!! (even if 3 of them were the same!) Thanks for reading.

    "During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."

    seemomgo


      You really did run a super smart race!! Good for you! I think we all become too reliant on our garmins to keep us on pace. For me it often times backfires! You met all of your goals including beating your friend - feels good huh? Congratulations on executing a great plan!


      King of PhotoShop

        Impressive! And now you see what you can do, even on a tough course, when you are in shape and you plan well. Long distances like the half do require this kind of planning and you executed it beautifully after thinking it through. Great report and very well done. Spareribs
        btb1490


          Wow, what a great race you ran! You had a plan, stuck to it, and it really payed off. Look at those splits the last few miles, awesome! And this is coming off of a 50+ mile week no less. I'm really looking forward to seeing how your marathon goes. Your training has been going so well, keep doing what you're doing. Oh, and the course map... my first impression was that it looked like something other than a foot... Blush Hey, whatever works! Congrats on your breakthrough race!
            Mercer Island Half Marathon, March 9, 2008 My goals were: 1. Run a smart race. 2. Run a smart race, you idiot. 3. Please, please, run a smart race. 4. If the hills are larger than you expect, don’t curse them. 5. PR, but no real time goal.
            Enke, you crack me up! So very thrilled for you! You had a plan, stuck to it, and it worked! I told you this already, but I thought this course was a b**ch because of the zillion turns and camber even before the hills. You running so strongly and consistently on this kind of course bodes very, very well for you not only for Eugene but for your next race if there's another before then. You looked fantastic when I saw you. Shining and proud, as well you should be. Congrats!!
            huskydon


              Enke, You had a flawless plan and executed it perfectly. The final results tell the story. Gotta love that sub 9 minute on mile 13. Congratulations! Fantastic report, too. You are so funny! I enjoyed every detail about my old stomping grounds (I grew up and went to school in Seattle). huskydon


              GreenMan

                Fantastic run Enke! Those were mouth watering splits. That's gotta be a confidence builder for Eugene. You Rawk Gyrl! jjj
                Iron Mt. Trail Runners blogsite .... JJJessee blogsite ....Spring is here. Go outside and play.
                TammyinGP


                  congratulations on a huge PR!!! Over 3 min is very very good - especially on a course like Mercer Island. It sounds to me like you achieved your goals and ran a very smart race!

                  Tammy

                  Franc59


                  Half Fanatic #36

                    Enke, Nice RR and PR! You really captured the scene of this morning in Mercer Island! I was there too and was hoping to get to meet you and Krista together with Jon. I saw him for just a minute, of course he's the only face I know so far! I might have been standing there next to you without knowing it, it was indeed very crowded and that Community Centre impressive! I hope to meet you soon at another event in the area, I might run the Half in Kirkland in May. Francesca
                      Great job! Congratulations on snaring the PR and running a smart race. You write a great report and bring the details very much to life. I laughed when I read the bit about the snot rockets----your method gives you far more street cred as a runner. So there! I am so happy for you and the results clearly show that your hard work is paying off. High five for sending that old PR into history. CNYrunner
                        Mercer Island Half Marathon, March 9, 2008 I wore my black compression shorts, 1 short sleeve T covered by a black long sleeve REI tech-T, and black gloves. I figured since Soundie looks so good in her race photos all decked out in black, I ought to try that too!
                        All black rocks! Big grin Nice RR and great race...congrats on the PR!
                        Quit being so damn serious! When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. "Ya just gotta let it go." OM
                        coastwalker


                          Good training, a good race plan, and a positive attitude makes all the difference! What a fantastic race, and a most enjoyable RR. Congratulations on a superb effort, and on achieving all 5 of your goals! Jay

                          Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

                            Well, that certainly was a "smart race," Enke. I'm glad to see that your goals were met and I can tell that you feel really good about it. Is it time to start thinking about that sub-2-hour milestone?

                            Doug, runnin' cycling in Rochester, MI

                            "Think blue, count two, and look for a red shoe"


                            Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo

                              All righty then!! Sounds like a very smart racer running a very smart race - Congratulations on a 3+ minute PR Enke!! You are my hero. Smile ~Mary

                              ~Mary

                              "My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,
                              It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."

                              ~unknown

                              http:www.rawleypointkennel.com

                              SteveP


                                enkephalin, Your time rocks!!!! Your RR is enjoyable. Thanks

                                SteveP

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