Masters Running

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Run for the Ranch Marathon - Not as Boring (Read 131 times)

TomD


    This one I ran three times before. It is a 5k course, that you repeat 8 times and a final short loop. Years before you had two turnarounds around and two cones on each loop. This year the course was changed, so there are not any turnarounds. You do not have runners running against each other either. There are no hills just a few inclines and declines on each loop. The new course is a lot better and did not bother me as it did before. Now to get rid of the 2:30pm start and running in the dark. It is also run on residental streets without traffic control. You need to be continually on the lookout for traffic. I have never broken 4:30 here before. The dark just gets to me and having runners continually coming from the other direction has been so distracting. With the new course I expect to break 4:15. If everything goes well I may break 4:00. Taking a wrong turn in the dark is always a possibility. It is 49 degrees at the start and near 35 at the finish. My running partner, John Dietrich, was to come here with me, but got sick. We ran this one together last year. My goal is to keep the first 4 loops under 28 minutes and the next two under 30 minutes. Hopefully, the final two full loops are under 35 minutes, which may be a real challenged for they will be in the dark. I am certain that the final 1.4 mile loop will take care of itself. The start seems slow, but I just run my pace. Their are a lot of 5k and 10k runners, so there are a lot of runners ahead of me. There are no mile marks to go by only the loops. I feel like I could go a little faster, but I do not. I am very surprised with the first 5k time of 24:23. I cut back a little and run with a halfmarathoner this next loop. I am shocked that this loop was a little faster at 24:20. After about half a mile into the 3rd loop I fall back. I run the rest of the course by myself. I feel good, but I do not want to burn myself out. This loop is a 25:58 still a little fast, but I feel great. I decide to stay here. I know that the dark may make me run slower. Keeping a close watch on traffic always slows me down. I am not used to running around cars and trucks either. The fourth loop goes well and I feel great. I can hardly believe my time was actually a little faster this lap, 25:38. The fifth loop is going well. I hope to keep up this pace a couple more laps. It will be dark my finall two laps. I am very happy to run a 26:06 on this lap. About 3/4 of a mile into my sixth loop I miss a turn, but another runner behind me yells at me. I only loss about 30 seconds. It turned out to me one of the front runners lapping me. I felt very luckly. I would hate to be running so well and loss a couple of minutes or more. My time for this loop was 26:50 I am still doing well and very great as I start the 7th loop in the dark. Now I am running in the dark. Although I am still feeling great, I have the dark, traffic, and the fear of getting loss on my mind now even more. About a mile into this one I miss a turn and I go about 1/4 of a mile before noticing it. At this stage of the marathon there are not a lot of runners any more either. I lost a good 4 minutes maybe another minute yelling at myself for having to run extra mileage, when I am doing so well. My time for lap number 7 was 32:40. Not really that bad for getting lost. Now on my last full loop and seeing that I still have a chance to better my best marathon this year of 3:52:30. There is one problem now. I am getting tired. I keep telling myself to not worry about the time just get through this one at a steady pace and break 4:00. I need to keep a close eye out and not miss another turn. The time on this one was a disappointing 33:15 without getting lost. My overall time is 3:39:10. I need to better 13:20 to beat my 3:52:30 at Omaha, which was a much more difficult course. Going into this loop I am so very tired, that I cannot see how I will even break 15:00 on this one. I am going pretty slow. I am going as well as I feel that I can. As I see the lights of the finish about 1/2 mile away I try to quicken my pace. How very tired I feel. As I see the finish in the distance. I am hoping to beat my 3:54:00 at Wynne, AR, last month. It will be close. As I see the time on the clock, 3:52:40, I am very surprised. I am running as fast as I can. My final time is 3:52:50. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. I am very happy with breaking 4:00. When I called home, I ask Donna what she thought I ran this one in. As positive as always she guessed 3:20 and then asks if I am all right. Those days of breaking 3:30 are gone for me. She is never to concerned about my time anyway. She only cares that I am all right. Next is Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS, next Saturday. TomD
    huskydon


      Tom, It is good to hear from you again. That certainly is an "interesting" course they have. I have to admit, though, that it sounds not as far when you break it up into 5K loops. Starting at 2:30? That doesn't make any sense to me at all. When I run at night, I have some difficulty with my eyes after I encounter bright headlights. You ran really well. You started strong and kept it going as long as you could. Had you not gotten lost, you would have done much better. Take care, and rest up for the next one. huskydon
      Tramps


        What an odd race, Tom. The short loops, the start time, no course marshals, etc. That must be very mentally demanding. Yet you knocked off those loops like clockwork and got a very nice sub-4:00 race. Great job! Good luck in MS!

        Be safe. Be kind.

          Nice race, Tom. You sure were running well and were only 20 seconds off your best of the year in spite of getting off course twice. You really beat your previous course record and easily beat your goal. Congratulations on another great one. TomS