I wrote recently about enjoying my hill running since moving to South Carolina.  Well, if you want to get better at racing on hills, you have to go race some hills.  So I figured I’d start small…notice I said small, and not easy.  Upstate Ultras RD Matt Hammersmith has a knack for creating challenging courses, and this was a great one!  640 feet of elevation change for a 5k, now that’s a good workout! (the half marathon had over 4,000 feet of elevation change, and the marathon over 6,000 feet!)

Yay hills!

The day started bright and early, well not very bright at 6:45am, but definitely early!  This would be the earliest race start I’ve ever had, but luckily I live close by, so the drive was easy.  Even with a short drive, I arrived later than planned and did not get in my normal warmup (20mins w/strides), after only a half mile of easy jogging, it was time to start!

All three races were starting at the same time, but being the inaugural race, it was a small field, so this wasn’t a problem at all.  I lined up towards the front, behind some fast looking younger folks.  A short countdown and we were off!

Mile 1: 6:37

After the first turn, I started to pulled away from the younger group I had lined up behind, had to check my watch to make sure I wasn’t going out way too fast, a bad habit of mine. The pace seemed reasonable, so I kept at it.  It was then that I realized that I was in second place, much too early to know if I’d be able to hold that position, especially given the hills that I knew were coming.  Oh look, there’s the first one.  While I have enjoyed the hills during my training runs, racing on them is a different story.  A properly run 5k has enough pain to begin with, throw in hills and you start to question your sanity.  This first hill was manageable though, but I knew the second hill was worse.  The leader with his police escort was still in view, but pulling away steadily.

Mile 2: 6:36

Mile 2 brought a brief respite from the suckage with a nice downhill portion, quickly followed by the larger of the two hills that dominated the course.  I’ve found during my brief hill training period, that I really enjoy flying downhill, this was no exception, felt great!  As I climbed the second hill, I was passed by a younger runner who definitely seemed more comfortable on the hills than I felt, but he was still close enough that I might be able to catch him on the downhill that made up most of the last mile.  I should mention that while pushing up this hill, I had a fairly strong urge to vomit, good to know that I was pushing myself hard.

Mile 3: 5:57

This last mile, as evidenced by my pace, was entirely downhill, and fantastic!  After fighting through both hills, this mile felt great.  I opened up my stride, cycled my legs a lil faster and felt grateful for gravity’s assistance.  I had closed the gap to a reasonable distance with 2nd place, entering the park for the final portion, I might have a chance to catch him.

Mile .15: 55.70

Upon entering the park for a lap to the finish, I opened it up to see what I had left, turns out, not much!  As both of us started our kick, his was a bit stronger and he pulled away slightly while I pushed with everything I had left.  Once again, I felt the same urge I had while climbing the second hill, good, I’m laying it all out there.

Final time: 20:07, 3rd place overall

I congratulated the 2nd place runner, who I found out will be running Boston next week, good luck Dan!  Always nice when you have some good competition in a race to help you push yourself.  This was a great race, looking forward to it again next year, and more great events from Upstate Ultras!  Also, the hand made medals and awards were outstanding!

Great job D2. I can't imagine what it is like to race a hilly 5K. Major pain I imagine. You got it done, man! Congrats on 3rd place. That is huge.

Nice race and report. And what a fantastic, unique medal!

Wow, those hills look evil.  Great job, D^2!

Thanks sly! The hills were tough, but they're a great challenge, I'm looking forward to doing more.

Thanks cyberic! I was expecting to be more sore from the hills, but I feel fine, I think the hot tub last night helped, great recovery.

Thanks cjones! Gotta love those downhills! My next goal is to run that pace for all three miles.

Thanks brilliant! I love unique and hand made medals. The first place finishers for each race, male and female, got a plate made in the same style with their place and race, next year he's going to do AG awards in the same style.

Thanks Zel! Love the medal, definitely going to be one of my favorites. The RD that put on this race is also doing Boston next week, with a goal of sub-2:30! 

Thanks Jay! They were tough, but I'm gonna have to get used to them, there are some fairly flat races around here (like the half I'm doing in two weeks, only one small hill at the beginning), but most are going to have hills. Speed work in disguise, right?

Thanks PAD!

A few pics from the finish, no photographer out on the 5k course, although someone was taking pictures with their phone at the aid station, I'll have to see if those get posted.

Very nice, D2!!  Yeah, hills suck when racing them at 5K effort.  You probably felt like you were crawling up them.  At least, that's how I usually feel.

 

3RD OA.  Attention South Carolina:  Dave has arrived.  

Thanks! No doubt!  Hills are very different when training vs. a race effort, especially a 5k.  I did feel like I was crawling, even tho it was a mid 6 pace, all those short choppy steps! lol

Had to make a good first showing, being the new kid on the block and all. 

An all out 5K on hills sounds brutal, but it looks like your training paid off.  Fantastic job and great pictures.

Thanks!  It definitely adds another level of pain to a 5k! lol

Congrats D2. I am glad to see that you have settled in nicely after your big move. Hills aren't so bad, are they?    That downhill mile was smokin' fast!