July 4th LL Bean 10K race report with some pictures and long boring text (Read 893 times)

Here’s quick race report with a few general pictures (because I have no idea how folks get “in-race” photos while they are running) for the 32^nd July 4^th LL Bean 10K in Freeport, Maine.

This race gives NB running shoes to the first 400 entrants (not me), which creates a very un-smooth packet pick-up process when you add in all the churn of get-the-right-size and the pair for their friend’s friend, etc, etc.  Tried to avoid that by heading to packet the day before, but failed and spent 20 minutes in line being enlightened in the ways of calling out an ex by the two younger women behind me – from what I can gather one of them was wronged by some ex who had the nerve to show at LL Bean in person with the new girlfriend, AS IF….!  The guy in front of me was completely exasperated by his two young kids, the girl (about 8) was able to light up the boy (5-ish) at will, getting him to punch her and he’d get chewed out by Dad, followed by crying.  Finally Dad whips out cell phone and calls Mom to say he can’t stand it, one of the kids has been puking all day (the boy?) and all plans for fun are now officially OFF.   Just another entertaining line, got my packet and tech t-shirt (good shirt, crappy graphics), headed off for dinner and out of the rain.

Although there is always weather in each race day, there is no way to leave the weather out of this – not because it was bad, but because it wasn’t raining.  Folks in New England area know all too well it has done nothing but rain for June (something like 24 days of rain in my area for June).  Went to bed on Friday July 3^rd to heavy rain and thunderstorms and fully expected to run in heavy rain the next morning.  Ok, on to the report….

Race starts at 0730 to have the runners out of the way for the parade which follows the kids fun run which follows the 10K.  Parade starts runners or no runners, either way, no one wants that to happen. So up at some unworldly early hour, and munch on something and head out the door for a quick 3 mile warm-up.  What’s outside is not rain (yeah!), but heavy, heavy fog.  The air is thick and chilly – this is going to be a sweat-fest, there will be no evaporation or breezes today.

Quick 10 minute drive to Freeport, which is easily navigated...just go past the BFI and keep going...

Parked (easy, the town is now one big honking parking lot), tied the shoes, pulled on race shirt and at about 0720 gathered in the start.  Something is mumbled on the speakers, can't really hear.  Then the Star Spangled Banner is well done, with lots of the runners joining in.  The gun fires and we're off into the fog:

(mens winner is on far right in red singlet, womens winner center in blue top immediately to left of guy in blue top)

First mile and change is primarily downhill and I try to just settle into a fast pace to take advantage, but still look for something that isnt' bonzai fast. This is a hard course to not go out really fast, at about 0.9 mile a guy next to me says to his buddy "300 people are just about to set their 1 mile PR..". I wouldn't bet against him.  Here's the elevation map:

We bottom out at Potter's Landing in South Freeport right after the first mile and start the climb. The ocean is on our left, and if you're familar with the northern coast, running parallel to the ocean is like a pleated cloth as each stream, river or tidal area is a down-up hill as you cross it.

I settle in behind a women who is easy to see in the fog -- her shoes have the brightest yellow soles I've ever seen.  Through mile 3, I'm just staying with Yellow-Soles, 4 or 5 strides back as we work through all the start-really-fast-now-paying-for-it folks.  I'm ok with the pace, its where I want to be, but the effort is higher than I'd want.

After a bit of time in unision with Yellow-Soles, I realize that the young guy next to me is running in street clothes -- cargo shorts, complete with change, keys and wallet in back pocket, carrying shirt in hand.  I'm thinking this is a case of woke-up-after-partying at 5AM and what-the-hell, puke and run.  He pulls ahead. I learn that he really is pretty ripe and odorific.  I don't want to draft in that.  What's worse -- what if Yellow-Soles thinks that's me!  I put on a little more pace as we climb to leave Yellow--Soles and Drunk-kid-running-Smelly behind.

At 3.5 miles, I'm ok with the pace, close enough to goal and we start the climb to the hill-of-death on Pine St at mile 4.5. We pass a water stop with very enthusiastic kids passing cups.  No real need for water, but the kids are earnest and eager, so I pick one out and take a cup from her.  As I slosh it down, she screams out "...Mommy, he didn't spill it on me...!" -- little did I know that her goal was for me to soak her.  I was impressed with my smooth cup grab, not so much a thrill for her, she was in it for the splash.

I think I have enough time banked to give back the pace and stay for even effort up the hill-of-death (refer to elev chart, see mile 4.5). However, hill-of-death kicks my ass and I'm really backing down.  I'm out of legs. Guy with stroller blows by near top  and flaunts it. Ugghh, I'm dying here.  I tell myself its all mental, and maybe my mind could go to a happy place, but the legs are shot and no turnover comes back on the downslope from hill-of-death.  I'm done. Settle into to holding onto pace and holding off the young kid now next to me. 

Garmin beeps with the auto-lap and tells me that mile 4 to 5 had a wicked fall-off and my plans for fairly even splits are shot. Now its a matter of holding on for goal time.  I wanted to go out faster to take advantage of the downhill, but that may have done me in.

Mile 5 to 6 is rolly-polly as we've turned back onto the main road into downtown and have a straight shot to the finish.  Pass my local brew pub at about mile 5.5, and I notice that the fresh-beer-brewing smell that seems so good in the evening isn't so good in the morning, when oxygen depleted, with jelly legs, trying not to hurl.

Work on pace and stride for the last section, just hold on and bring it home, no more pace decay, but no finish "sprint", sprint-like, or even sprint-ish things will happen.  The engine room is on break. Scotty hasn't got any more. 

No photos of me at the finish, so I'll give you Olympic champion Joan Benoit Samualson emerging out of the fog into the finish chute.  We ran by her house early on the course, so maybe she just stepped out her front door and bandited it? (nah...just kidding)

(I hear that #176 had shut it down and was walking it in from the hill-of-death when Joanie made it her run it in in tandem....I wouldn't know because these two were home having pancakes before I got anywhere near the finish)

Bonus photo...here's Yellow-Sole lady (#104), but you can't see the yellow soles:

Extra bonus photo, here's what the finish area would look like without the fog:

(finish chute is where the turn arrows are on the road. LL Bean is too your right, don't know where the jeep is heading...sorry)

For me, this was my first of three prep races for a goal 10K in early August. Goals were:

- Faster split on mile 1 to take advantage of the downhill, then settle in to even splits the rest of the way.

- Finish 47.xx   (I hate posting times, so many folks here are damn fast and this is 'sack race' pace for them)

- Test the left leg which has now been a problem for over a year.

Results:  Finished in 47.xx. 

Splits: 

7:05
7:35
7:39
7:46
7:55 (wheels really came off, this should be down in the 7:40 range even with the uphill)
7:28

This is a really nice race, usually about 900 +/- runners on what is, for me, a tough course that is hard to get into a rythm. Highly recommended.

Whatever Joanie is doing with her stride, its working and I wish I had some of it.  She's fast, 6:04 pace for this 10K at age 52, 3rd female finisher (tied with 2nd finisher). 

I think the odd foot thing is more the photo angle, timing and just that particular step, and all that type of thing.

Whatever Joanie is doing with her stride, its working and I wish I had some of it.  She's fast, 6:04 pace for this 10K at age 52, 3rd female finisher (tied with 2nd finisher).

I really wasn't suggesting she's not fast -- who could argue with the results. I just thought her right foot looked odd and I don't recall seeing that watching her run so many times in the past. 

MilkTruck, awesome race report! It brought back memories. I ran this race 2 years ago while on vacation in New England. And yes, I set a 1-mile PR that day (and a 10k PR as well)!

I hear you about the hill-of-death! When I was running up that hill during the race, a huge dump truck was slowly grinding up the hill in front of me, spewing out noxious diesel fumes. Yuck! He stayed right in front of me all the way up the hill, too!

And BTW, don't worry about your race times. No matter what pace you run, you will be fast compared to many folks, and the same speed as others. I like reading race reports from people at all parts of the pack, front to back. Everyone has an interesting story to tell.