Quick summary: great weather, hugh PR, good time with forum friends

Last year broke my streak of what would have been 10 straight Crim 10-milers, but that was just one loss in an entire year of barely being able to run. At the start of 2009, when things started getting better, I promised myself that I’d accept that my strong running years were finally over and I’d just run for fitness and enjoyment. Well, we all know how promises like that work out.

I’ve been running less this year than my pre-2008 days, but overall have improved my fitness by doing a lot more cycling. So far it had paid off and I felt really ready to smoke one at this year’s event. My usual habit is to never voice my intentions in advance and let my better times “just happen,” but when I saw the previous weekend that the Crim might have unusually cool weather this year, I announced in the forums here that I was going to try for a PR.

Well, I was immediately contacted by our erstwhile CoachinAA, who asked for my target time and then gave me suggested pacing based on my usual slow warmup and negative splits. He even allowed for a slow mile in the middle where the worst hills are. My PR, set in 2007, was 1:28:15 and my pace chart targeted a 1:27:30 (8:45 average).

The day started ominously with a light rain when I got up a oh-dark-thirty and headed for Flint. I had expected cool, but when I pulled into my parking spot an hour later it was still just in the mid-50s – a good 20 degrees cooler than typical for the Crim. At least the rain had stopped for good.

Flint has absorbed several body blows in recent years, with GM’s bankruptcy just the latest axe to fall. In past years, major Crim sponsorship has come with names like AC-Delco, Buick, and Chevrolet. This year, without a big-bucks sponsor, I could see some cost savings that had been employed, but they still know how to put on a big event. The downtown, virtually empty most of the year, hosts 12,000 runners for a full slate of races in addition to family, support people, and so on. And many local citizens turn out to cheer everyone on at all points along the course.

Before the race we had our usual meetup near the big clock, with Dave, Mark and Tom being the other regulars. We even had a surprise fly-by from marathonderrick. The newcomer was Amie (runningsmarter) who had driven all the way up from Dayton for this one. She is a real delight and one heck of a runner, even if she’s cheating slightly by hanging out with the Masters group.

When the race started at 8AM, it was barely into the 60s,which promised good results provided the humidity wasn’t a factor. I started nearer the front than usual, but also as usual I was surprised at how many walkers and slow runners started even farther up. This is always a Crim problem, but the worst was when we had just barely crossed the starting mat and a young woman in front of me broke stride and half turned around to wait for a friend to catch up. With 6000 people on our heels in full stride, there wasn’t much I could do except unleash my inner Econo, put out a hand, and shove her off to the side. I did this a few more times in the first two miles as people without warning slowed down or cut across in front of me.

I wanted to “bank some time” over the coach’s plan to allow for the chance of a slowdown, and by the 3^rd mile I was about 20 seconds ahead of plan. This was the first time where I really spent all my time during the race paying attention to pace, the way I was feeling, where the hills were, etc. I shortened my stride on uphills and took advantage of the downhills.

The last two miles are particularly tough, as you come off of shady residential streets onto some main streets into town, heading east into the rising sun that’s starting to heat things up, and with a couple of long rolling hills. But at least the final quarter mile is downhill on the bricks, making it easy to look good for the finish-line crowd. I don’t know if it was an omen or not, but I heard the announcer call my name as I crossed the mat with a 1:25:17 – a PR by three full minutes and 45/225 in the 60-64 AG!

My first thought of course was if I could have broken 1:25, but looking back on it I couldn’t think of anywhere on the course where I felt I was running more slowly than I should have. Here are my splits in case you’re interested:

1 8:47

2 8:35

3 8:37

4 8:30

5 8:17

6 8:42 (Bradley hills)

7 8:16

8 8:13

9 8:18

10 8:11

Afterward, we all met up again under the big tent for an analysis of our runs and other such runner talk. I think we were all pleased with our performances, but I’ll let the others speak for themselves. And so ended another Crim weekend. As for next year, I’m not making any predictions except that the weather cannot possibly be more ideal.

Some camera-phone shots. Amie, Dave, Tom:

CoachinAA, Tom, Doug (me):

Doug, it was nice seeing you again.  Congratations again on your great race and new PR.

TomS

Very nice Doug!  The key for you was keeping the conditioning up with the cycling.  There's more than one way to keep/get into great shape.

Maybe I'll make it up for that one some year (if I can time it with a trip to see DD2 and family).

Bill

Roch

Great report.....great pictures.

Wow, Not just Flint but Michigan in general.

The part about the self seeding, slower people moving up front.......This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If people would actually seed themselves accordingly you wouldn't have such an accordion effect at the start. And in todays age with chip timing it really shouldn't be an issue at all. I really wish RD'd would put mor emphasis on this. Sorry for getting off track.

A very nice race Roch !

no Crim RR can be too long and, the way you're running, no finish time too short it seems.

Plowing through the walkers is probably better than corrals based on past performance though.

.

However, PR'ing in a tenth doing of anything sounds like a Boomer, if not Guinness, PR.

wow!!  great splits and awesome race report - great to see the pics!!

congrats on the PR!!