What an exciting racing weekend for the RA Master family.
We wish speedy and fun race to you all...
Take a lot of pictures, create a lot of memories during your run and then...
come back here to give us your race report!!!!
10/28 Catwhoorg - Silver Comet Half Marathon (Goal being sub 1:35)
10/28 pfriese - Tulsa Run 15K, Tulsa OK
10/28 TammyinGP - Grants Pass HM, Grants Pass, OR
10/28 Quickadder - Spooky Trail Run, 10M, Lake Charles, LA
10/28 Opie - International 10k, El Paso, TX/Juarez, MX
10/29 Coastwalker - White Mountain Milers Half Marathon, N. Conway, NH
10/29 metalmancpa - Cape Cod Marathon, Cape Cod MA
"Champions are everywhere; all you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard
Spooky Trail 10 mile RR 10/28/17
Day dawned cold and clear after a cold front brought storms yesterday. 45F at start was at least 30 degrees cooler than last Saturday. The trails were very dry last week and had absorbed pretty much all the moisture that fell yesterday. I had run this race last year much faster than I had expected and I knew my time of 1:46:46 then would be difficult to beat. I also knew the course was long - I showed 11.1 miles last year.
Passed 3 runners in the first mile. MapMyRun gave me 8:52 and 9:06 for miles 1 & 2. Caught and passed one more runner in mile 3 and then was passed in mile 4 by two of those I’d passed in mile 1. Miles 3 & 4 were both 9:07. From this point onwards I did not see another runner! Miles 5-7 were around 9:30 each and mile 8 was my slowest at 9:46, though that did include a short lay down on the trail courtesy of one of the many tree roots.
A flatter mile 9 resulted in a 9:15 and mile 10 mainly on roads at 8:58. Mile 11 (of a 10 mile race) was another 9:07. Today my MapMyRun recorded 11.3 miles and I crossed the finish line at 1:44:44. Very happy with an improvement of 2:02 from last year.
DD, who is old enough to post in the Masters Forum, also ran this race. After her excellent performance last week in the 25K on the same trails, I was predicting low 2:30s for her this week. She surprised me again with a 2:16 finish.
This was a small race put on by the local running club and only had awards (of Halloween decorations) for top 5 overall. I’ll update with my position when they circulate the results.
Started running at age 60.
AG 60-64 PR - 5K 25:45, 10K 53:28, HM 1:57:39, Marathon 4:32:09
AG 65-69 PR - 5K 26:11, HM 2:02:39, Marathon 5:04:47
Upcoming race: Contraband 5 miler 5/4/24
I ran the Tulsa Run 15K this morning in near ideal running weather; sunny, 35 degrees, 3-5mph north breeze!
Result: 1:16:14 I had no real goal for this race, but was hoping for getting near last year's result of 1:15. The race occurred in the middle of a mileage base building phase for me. I've been building back steadily to >50 mpw since returning from a summer off due to PF. I made it last week to 55 miles & having no real goal in this race I continued on with shooting for 60 miles this week.
The course is fairly hilly by Oklahoma standards with a nice start downhill for the 1st mile so a little fast here. Mile 2 was pretty much uphill so a little slow here. Afterwards, I was able to maintain a nice even pace until the big hill up to the finish at the end. Thankfully being a bit of a Halloween themed race, I had Supergirl running on my right & the Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man (along with 2 ghostbusters) running on my left to inspire me. I ended up beating all 4 of them with a 1:16:14. Not quite as good as last year's 1:15:03 but I'm pleased with my result. Today's run puts me over 50 miles so far for the week. I have a planned 10 mile run tomorrow so I should make my 60 mile goal.
Paul
Mta: Adding race picture.
Paul's blog
Labrat
2017 Silver Comet RR
Training summary going in to the Taper
2017 start to taper start
Average Miles per week 37.3
Average time per week (all exercise) 445 min
Started with a focus on the 5K and speedwork, then switched to a more Tempo oriented HM block
HM block (Since Jun 26th)
Average Miles 41.4
Average time (all exercise) 524 min
Long run 18.4 miles
Highest week 65.2 Miles
Thats a over a hundred miles further than last year at this point, and with much better adherence to the quality workouts on my plan. Set an aggressive goal of 1:33:00 based on my recent 5Ks.
Weather was not optimal, with rain in the forecast and quite humid to start. Got to see a few friends beforehand and chatted with the RD, who had a brief moment of panic when a large group of volunteers dropped out at short notice. The local running community rallied round and there were enough people on the day (though a few more would have helped I am equally sure).
Start was run by the DJ, and he did it in a odd way, it wasn't actually clear that the race was off for a few seconds. (if you check the results even the front row of racers have a 5-6 second offset from gun to chip).
The first mile and a half or so is on a main road an is downhill. Settled into a good pace and was going just fine. As soon as we turned onto the trail and I lost the advantage of the slight downhill it was obvious that my legs just weren’t turning over the way they were supposed to. I was keeping pace but it was more effort than I expected. There was no mile marker for mile #1 so the first interval is 2 miles.
I manually ran the splits by the mile markers.
Type
Distance
Duration
Elapsed Time
Pace
Notes
1
Interval
2.02 mi
13:44
6:48
2
1.02 mi
6:55
20:39
6:47
3
1.05 mi
7:13
27:52
6:53
4
0.98 mi
7:16
35:08
7:25
5
1.03 mi
7:11
42:19
6:59
6
1.01 mi
7:52
50:11
7:48
7
1.09 mi
7:51
58:02
8
7:30
1:05:32
7:09
9
1:12:48
10
0.93 mi
7:14
1:20:02
7:47
11
1.07 mi
8:31
1:28:33
7:58
12
1.13 mi
8:35
1:37:08
7:36
Mile 5 was the first time I fell significantly below goal pace Recovered a bit for the next mile, but then it was survival mode and I never hit goal pace the rest of the race. Speed really fell off for the last 3 miles, but despite that I was closing on the guys in front of me. Just not quite fast enough it turned out.
Made the turn on the out and back in 12th place overall, got passed by two runners on the return leg as I faded, but nearly caught a couple of others who faded a bit faster.
Final time was 1:37:06, 14th place overall, but annoyingly 10 seconds off getting an AG award. (hence the not closing quite fast enough).
In the end I probably could have done better with a slightly less aggressive goal, I clearly ran out of steam on the day, but I don’t think the goal was a bad one, maybe I should have adjusted for the conditions.
In the end though it was a PR, by over 5 seconds/mile so I shouldn’t be too disappointed but I am.
Chickamauga in a couple of weeks, and normally I run that one a little faster than the Silver Comet, 2012 I actually managed a 5 min improvement and that was a warmer year at SC and a cool one at Chickamauga.
But hell for leather I will try again for that 1:33:00 I feel that I have it in my legs.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
Grants Pass Half Marathon. 2:17 and something. I was unprepared going into this race and haven't really done much as far as double digits run - a couple 10-11 milers in august but that was it. but since I had no aspirations of actually "racing" this and was just looking at it like a long run, I was fine with whatever I ended up with as far as time and didn't care much about any sort of placement. (but results show I was 4/6 in my AG) Although looking at all the results, I would have placed in either the 5K or 10K races easily since there were only between 1-3 people in each age category and based on times, there were alot of casual runners out there yesterday. I surprised myself by running the whole thing w/o walk breaks. I didn't think I could do that. but all my miles - from mile 1 to mile 12 were in the 10's. some low 10's, some high 10's depending on hills. Last mile though was a 9:46. I was surprised to see that. This is a super low key race and not so sure I would even do it again. a local running store used to organize/sponsor this and the swag and post race party was awesome. Hot soup, choc milk, lots of snacks, music, random door prizes galore and you got more than your $45 dollars worth of attire and other swag in the goodie bag - everything from thick hoodies, to running gloves and hats, to reflective running vests, jackets. etc. It used to be a high energy atmosphere with folks hanging around and socializing long after the racing was over. The GPHM was revived this year by a local race timing group, still a $45 early reg fee which is decent but other than the tshirt, there was nothing else really. a few bags of pretzels were opened up on a food table, along with bananas. nothing to drink, a glass mug for 1st AG's only. oh, and some leftover headbands from another race he organized called the Lake of the Woods triathlon - so these headbands actually say "Lake of the Woods triathlon" on them. that went in the garbage. that was a bit disappointing. But like I said, I just wanted the distance and to make some gain on my pace bunny. Johnny was there running the 5K with a young guy that works for him. former drug user trying to live a healthy life now so running this 5K was a big deal to him. I think he came in 5th overall and John won his AG with a time of 27 something. Saw one of my XC kids running the 10K and he won it easily. Good to see him out there leading the 10K race by a couple minutes when I don't know that he's ever raced that kind of distance before. so all in all it was a good morning for a long run. I got in my long run. exceeded mileage goal for the week for the virtual race group I'm in and proved I can run 13 miles w/o walking. score! A few pics I snagged off FB from a friend doing photography:very foggy morning: eta: just noticed that #11 there is one of my XC kids that ran in this and won the 10K.
I didn't make it into any pics but here's one of Johnny for those that know him:
yep, a wee bit foggy. everyone pretty much looked like they'd been running in the rain when they finished, but it was just the thick fog that never lifted til after the race was over.
Tammy
Nice running, Cat! It's time to update your PRs in your signature line though. You probably do have that 1:33 in you, you've certainly been putting in the work for it. Not sure if you're used to it or not, but the warm humid conditions can really take it out of you (memories of a drippy humid Steamtown marathon still fresh for me!). Hope your next one is cooler and you can try again!
Tammy! You snuck in while I was posting. Nice job on your supported long run! And yeah, it's always kind of a bummer when a race "experience" declines like that. I mean, maybe the luxe swag was unsustainable, but just pretzels and bananas at the finish? For a half? That's a little light. Glad you had a good run though, and so cool to see Johnny! I was sorry we missed him at Newport a few years back. Tell him hi for me if you see him again soon, k?
CAPE COD MARATHON - 2017 (Oct 29th)
The unofficial results - 4:19:48. 532 finished, I came in 229th. More importantly, in the M5059 age group, 58 finished, I came in 14th.
Pre-Race - I had a strange night of multiple wakeups and constant dreaming. Got up at 5AM, had a bagel at 5:30AM. Took a shower, got dressed in my running outfit, through the running bag into the truck packed last night with fuel belt, armband for phone, The Hoka Clifton 3's, a long sleeved shirt, new 100% waterproof running jacket etc., and drove the hour to my office in Falmouth. I got in a nice and timely poop at the office around 1 hour before the start (8:30). At 7:55AM I headed to the starting line in Falmouth Center in a light jog for 3/4-mile. I had 2-12oz water bottles with water/recovery powder(lime), 2 gels and 2 beans. Since there was no rule against buds, I took mine along. When it's time to start, I just hang out in the middle of the pack. Unlike shorter races and more crowded, I didn't think starting positioning mattered that much, and it didn't.
The Race - The race started through Falmouth Center and turned to hook up with the last 2-miles of the Falmouth Road Race course into East Falmouth Heights. With the initial crowd, I was still able to get in an 8:50. I was thinking/hoping that I would lock into an 8:45 pace for the entire race. 3 miles in, I found myself along two pre-18 teenagers. We started chatting, and ran together past the HM split. It was fun as I had never done that before in a race, hooking up with and talking with other runners in a pack. Other than some stiff breezes at time, the first HM split was not only uneventful physically, it was a refreshing pleasure to run with these kids. Miles 2-14 splits (8:34, 8:44, 8:40, 8:49, 8:53, 8:42, 8:34, 8:49, 8:30, 8:28, 8:35, 8:28, 8:38). I ate a bag of beans around mile 8. Into Mile 15 I felt heaviness in the legs. I honestly had not experienced this in running before. My tachycardia does its thing and I have to walk sometimes, but that's the only thing that has ever shut down a run on me. I struggled up a few hills but through the heaviness still got in an 8:36. I started to take a gel but I just couldn't stomach it all, and barely had any. And that was the last food I took until the end. I questioned myself on that mile wondering how I did that feeling the legs. I actually hoped I could keep pace, but I started to fade. Mile 16 was 9:24 and it was a rough mile. Then I tried one last time for push and Mile 17 was 8:48 but that was almost painful, and still eked out a 9:00 in Mile 18. Then the cement started to harden, and the 19th Mile was 9:53, and then double digits from that point to the end. I still had some liquid in my pouch, but decided to take water and walk through the stations. That coupled with the beginning of walking, but only in segments, Mile 20 clocked in at 10:20. More walking, and Mile 21 was 11:20. More walking and the running was becoming almost useless, so 12:51. I was done. I couldn't make myself run, so I walked. MIles 23 & 24 were full walks, 15:08 & 15:41. At that point I said I just needed to try to fight, and also wanted to give myself some pride by running into the home stretch with the crowds. It was probably the hardest 2+ miles I had ever run, and they only came in at 11:15 and 11:19. Kept pace the last .2 to the finish. I had known at Mile 15 my sub-4 was out the door, so I reset the goal to 4:30, which is also why I ran those last 2-miles. It was my own personal incentive.
Post Race - I really felt so good taking the corner onto Main St to the finish line. I had run best I could those last 2+ miles, and when I crossed the finish line I pointed up to Mom. I was given a bottle of water, the medal was draped over my neck, I was given a foil wrap to keep the heat in which I really liked, and then I made a bee-line to the Clam CHowder and had a small bowl. It was so good. THe walk back to the office was absolutely brutal. Only 3/4 of a mile, but it looked like one of those hallways on TV which keep on extending and it takes forever to get to the end. I talked with my daughter who had texted me right after the race (guess she was following me) and said I just joined an elite group of .5% of the U.S. population who race in a marathon. We chatted on the walk back, and then got to my office. Sat down at the computer for 15-minutes while keeping my legs moving, and then hopped in the car for the hour drive home. And now here I am typing this.
My Observations - I could create a list of excuses/reasons for how I performed in the race. But a positive was my tachycardia decided to be dormant. And the fact that I didn't have to stop once for a bathroom break was huge for me, as it was something I tried hard to achieve, and I did.
Final Thoughts -
Well done, Metalmancpa. You are right that a 4:19 is a good finish, even if you hadn't been dealing with everything you have lately. Running marathons is largely a mental game, and you were right to place Mom first. Sorry about your loss, that's really tough. Keeping up your training in that case is difficult and you did well. And you're right: racing isn't for everyone. Somewhere along the line it seems like running races, and frequently marathons, has come to be the reason to run for so many. Sometimes though, it's just running. Good for you on your priorities. Recover well.
agreed - a race can't sustain the swag that this one started out with at only $45/pp. plus, attendance has declined since it's been absent the last 2 yrs. The other race sponsor could do what they did because they were our local running store, so had easy and inexpensive access to the running gear we got in our bags. I thought it was in pretty poor taste to offer leftover items though from other races as in our race goody bags. Those should have just been some freebies on a table for anyone to grab if they had excess inventory they wanted to get rid of.
Tuneup with no time goal, just to give it everything while letting the race come to me, to focus on the moment or at least the mile I was running. Achieved all that and more. My fastest 10k at altitude (but only about 3700 ft.), 54:38. My house in Las Cruces, NM is at 4,200 ft. and the start in El Paso is just under an hour away so it's like a local race. Perfect weather!
Loved running into another country and crossing back over after the race! They said it was the biggest turnout ever, about 1,200 runners and I think that shows the spirit of cooperation we have here on the border.
I placed 277 overall so that puts me in the top 25% and I'm happy about that. 10th in my AG so in a bigger race around here I'm also happy about that. Negative splits with a nice progression, starting at 8:54 and mile 6 at 8:27.
"I didn’t run a race until I was 41 and that was a marathon! Let that sink in for a minute." -me
Love all these race reports. Outstanding each of you!
MTA: Hi Johnny!!!!
Trails Rock!
White Mountain Miler's Half Marathon, N. Conway, NH
I left at 5:30AM for the 2-hr drive to N. Conway. I hit some random light drizzle until I got to within about 15 miles of the race. Then it became a steady light rain. I brought a bunch of clothes A) because I wasn't sure what I wanted to race in and, B) with the rainy forecast, I wanted dry clothes for after the race. With temps in the low 50s and rain, I chose to race in my black/orange compression shorts, maroon l/s shirt, orange cap and yellow Topo ST2s.
I warmed up a little bit before the race, and had a chat with the RD who told me the weather was supposed to dry out for the race. I liked hearing that, but was skeptical. The walkers and the runners who needed extra time started at 8:30 in a steady but light drizzle. I did my first mile in 10:13 which, of course, was way to fast. But I just decided to take it mile by mile and try to keep each one below 11:00. The rest of the walkers were behind me, so I wound up playing leap-frog with some of the early runners, which helped me stay on track.
The bulk of the runners start after the walkers at this race, so one game is to see how far I can get before the lead runner in the main pack catches up to me. They started 40 min later today, and I was at about 7.25+/- miles before I got caught. I was almost at 10 miles before the first woman runner caught up to me!
By mid-race, the light drizzle evolved into a steady rain. Nothing was even close to dry, but I was OK. There was a relatively short but steep uphill in mile 8, and that was my first mile at over 11:00 pace (11:01). I knew I was starting to fade, and was having a hard time maintaining my turnover rate. But I still took each mile as a new race, and gave it what I had. In mile 12, there is a cruel, short, but very steep hill, and I had to back way off to make it to the top. That was my slowest mile at 11:29.
I finished in 2:23:59 for a 10:59 average pace. This was, by about 9 seconds, the fastest time I'd recorded for this race in the 6 times I've racewalked it. There is no excuse, at my age, for setting course PRs. I finished 1st in the walking division, beating the first woman by 4+ minutes, and the next male by a ridiculous 17 minutes.
1) I was never so glad to be able to change into a dry shirt, socks and shoes, and put on a dry jacket after a race - it was like heaven. I was OK with the rain during the race, but as soon as I stopped, I started to chill, and not in a good way. 2) I had nothing left after the race, which I've heard and read is how it should be. But I was so spent that it was a little scary. I scarfed down 5 slices of pizza and 3 bottles of water, and just kept walking for about half an hour, and only felt a little better. The 2-hr drive home was not fun. 3) I have another half in December and, once I recover, will have to get in some more and better long training walks if I want to survive that race. 4) I'm beginning to wonder how I can keep this pace up for this distance. I like the distance, and I don't want to just 'stroll' it, but it sure does take it's toll on me.
Thanks,
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.
Jay - great race and great write-up. Wasn't your last race in rain also (not as RD)?
lots of great racing this w/e - congrats to all of you, Paul, Tammy, metal, quick,johnny, opie & quick (hope i didn't leave anyone out!)
Good job MetalMan! Way to stick it out despite falling off pace. Thanks for the race report and observations. We're in the same boat in many ways, but I think I'll skip over the marathon and do a 50k as my first race in about 25 years, and possibly the last.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Jay, you had a most excellent race! To set a race/course PR is no small feat! I'm just amazed at your pace racewalking... Good job, and I hear feeling like you have nothing left at the end is the way to do it! I'm always a little ticked off at myself the next day if I'm not a little bit sore and tired.
Opie! So great to see you! Good job on the 10k... I take it no one needed passports? I think Stumpy did for his marathon that crossed into Canada.
So many great race reports this week, you guys (and gals) all rock!