Notes
National Club XC championships is the culmination of a long XC season that started in August, each race its own challenge. From a hot day in Derryfield, to the NE XC Champs in Franklin Park.
We went for a course preview on Friday. It had been raining the day before, so there was some mud and slick areas, that combined with only a few crossings of pavement, meant spikes were the footwear of choice. Course was fairly flat with only a few small hills, and a short section of single track, this plays to my strengths. Areas where I can open up and lengthen my stride without lots of turns are where I make up ground, sharp turns and lots of short up and down are where I tend to lose ground. It is basically a two loop course, so you know what to expect
Race day was going to be long, 6 total races starting at 9am and ending at 2pm. We had to be prepared to be outside all day, fortunately the weather was mild in the mid 50's and no rain. Unexpectedly the ground was covered in dew, and we hadn't brought anything to sit on, oops. First race at 9am was Women's Masters, There is nothing more exciting in racing than seeing a XC start with 300 athletes elbow to elbow when the gun goes off and there is a stampede for the first turn.
I knew this 10k race would play with my emotions, the excitement of competition against the huge field of great master's runners would entice me to run over my head, and pay for it later. I planned to try to stay as relaxed and in control as possible early on, and wait until mile 3 before starting my push. Most mistakes are made early in races, and waiting until the half way point would force me to stay in control early, where emotional highs are the most dangerous.
The gun went off, and I kept trying to get myself to back off, slow down, run easier, wait. The first mile passed in 6:06, faster than I wanted, but not so fast that I had a crash coming. As expected my emotions were so high that it felt easy. Mile 2 passed in 6:27. I was tempted to push between 2 and 3, there were lots of people to catch, but I reminded myself "stick with your plan" wait till mile 3, be patient, all these people will be slowing down then. Mile 3 was 6:35, but contained the single track and hills. At mile 3 I started a long sustained push, I noticed most runners moving left and right to avoid puddles and muddy areas. I used this to my advantage and ran right through them which gave me more space to pass. I began to pass runners in bunches, moving from one group to another, never pausing long enough to get connected to anyone.
Mile 3-5 I reminded myself, don't leave here thinking you didn't give everything. Stay focused, keep pushing, everyone is slowing down...relax...focus...fly. There were so many people to catch that it was easier than normal to not get distracted or stuck in a no mans land. I didn't count, but think I caught somewhere between 20-30 people in here.
The last 1.2 contains a long open finish where you can see a long way. During our course preview I thought, it could be easy to kick too early, and fall short. With this in mind, I wanted to keep a little something in reserve till late. 1k to go I went to my next gear, and looked ahead at some Greater Lowell runners, I secretly targeted them. I told myself you've got two more gears. I passed them with about 500 to go and pushed again..one more gear...wait...wait....go. I gave everything I had and passed 6 runners in the last 200m. I crossed the finish line with an exhausted elation that only comes when you know you've given your all in both preparation and execution, and it has come together on a single day.
Final time 39:37 (6:23)
First half 19:53
Second half 19:44
What I did well:
Running negative splits. Amazing that with only a 10 second negative split, so many people are slowing down that I was able to catch and pass numerous runners. Even among very experienced runners, it is very difficult to control your emotions early on.
Preparation - losing 16 pounds, spending many weeks watching what I ate and drank. I felt lighter on my feet.
Consistent Mileage, the last 4 months have all been over 200 miles, which for me is a good number to improve my fitness.
What I did poorly:
For once I'm going to say...nothing. Other than not bringing a plastic bag to sit on the wet grass..I was satisfied with all aspects of my race and preparation.