Race Report- Great Pumpkin Run 10K

Executive Summary: 53:32, started easy and finished strong.

I was not really sure how to approach today’s race.  It’s my 3^rd race in 4 weeks, and also the hilliest of the 3.  Also, my main priority has been building my mileage to prepare for the half marathon I’m running in November.  Since this race was really just for fun, I went ahead and ran my 13 mile long run on Friday.  I figured if nothing else, I could take it easy today and run this at HMP as a good workout.

But after I got my LR done, I realized that I didn’t have anything coming up on the schedule that would be affected by really racing today, if I got there and felt like I had the legs for it.  So I figured I’d show up and just run how I felt like running.

Prerace: It was a cold 46 degrees at the start.  I ran my 2 mile warmup with 4 strides, which was enough that I was comfortable starting in short sleeves without a jacket or gloves.  I intentionally started my warmup later, so I finished within 5 minutes of the start.  There was also a 5K that started 10 minutes after the 10K.

Start: The start was pretty narrow.  We started off dodging horse poop at the fairgrounds and then headed onto a sidewalk, so it took about half a mile to really get clear.  I just focused on running evenly and easing my way into race pace.

Mile 1- 8:52

Now we’re onto the bike path and there’s more room.  Everybody ahead of me must have gone out too fast, because I’m breezing by everyone.  One guy in black tights and a hat passes me around mile 1.5.  I start to get a side stitch.  Clearly I have some work to do.  I breathe all the way out, that makes it worse.  I switch my breathing to the other leg.  It’s not terrible, and I’m otherwise running really easily.

Mile 2 – 8:43

We head out onto the road to a part I’m not familiar with.  This whole mile is uphill but not very steep.  I catch black tights guy and say “leapfrog”.  I can hear him behind me and realize that he’s probably using me to pull him up the hill.

Mile 3- 8:52

Black tights guy passes me and I try to keep him in sight.  There’s nobody else to race because we are just breezing past everyone else.  There was a girl off to the side trying to work out a cramp or something, and a guy started clapping when she got back on the road.  I thought that seemed like a good idea and start clapping too, and then I realize he’s just the volunteer dude clapping for everyone.  We hit the turnaround midway through the mile since the course is a loop with an extra out and back for the 10K.  Somewhere in here my side stitch disappeared.  I count from a telephone pole and black tights guy now has 30 seconds on me.

Mile 4- 8:35

Finally heading downhill.  I am feeling good and decide I want to get into the 8:20s.  I get there and still feel good, so decide to try for the teens.

Mile 5- 8:19

OK, I’m feeling great.  I think about that 5K that I ran a month ago at what was probably on 8:08 pace, and decide that it would be fun to have my last mile of my 10K be at my 5K pace.  But I get there and am still feeling good.  7:59 was my goal pace for that 5K.  Maybe I can use this mile to redeem myself!  I aim for 7:59 and it feels really, really good.  I know we’re running downhill, but I’m still thrilled.  I keep waiting to feel tired, or pukey, or something, but it doesn’t happen.  No side stitch, either.  I just feel strong, like I am finally actually running.

What does happen is that I hit the back of the 5K.  Lots of people to run around.  But I’m passing 10Kers very handily too.  Black tights guy is out of sight.  He must be hauling.

Mile 6- 7:58. My first actual sub-8 mile in any race ever.

After that mile, I stop looking at my watch and just keep running.  I am feeling great.  I give a thumbs-up to the photographer, turn the corner, and sprint to the finish.  I am passing everyone, even the 10Kers, the whole way.  Except for the random dude who made a point of going around me in the chute after the finish line. 

Last 0.3- 7:38 pace.

Final: 53:32, for about the same pace as my apparently slightly shorter and flatter 10K two weeks ago.

Black tights guy still beat me by 40 seconds.  He says his strategy was to attack on the uphills and recover on the downhills, but his splits might have a different tale to tell. 

As a training run, this feels really good.  I felt like I had more distance at that pace at the end.  So maybe when I’m feeling tired in a future race, I should just run faster, because running faster is fun!  In reality, I do well easing into my race pace and picking it up as I go, I think.

Official results aren't up yet and apparently were a bit of a mess because it was tear tag timing instead of chips, they had way more runners than last year, and once both 5K and 10K finishers were coming in at the same time, all hell apparently broke loose.

UCP Life Without Limits Half Marathon

Florence, Alabama

10-26-2013

My 5th Half

Short story

Time:  2:03:37

Pace: 9:26

13/19 AG

174/377 OA

Pre race

Longer story with a few pics;

First and foremost, this run was dedicated to our friend TJ Norby. Robert and Angie, I hope you don’t mind me mentioning you guys. As most of you know from following their posts on FB, he suffers from Cerebral Palsy. All the race proceeds go to United Cerebral Palsy of NW Alabama to help children and their families. Here is their website http://www.ucpshoals.org/  , and here is the website of the race www.ucprun.com . The organization had a goal to reach $30,000, and they exceeded that despite the cold weather for the start of the race. It was 32 degrees at 8:00 am with no wind, and called for 46 degrees by 10:00 am with full sun. It was a beautiful day for a run.

I was planning to start around a 9:00 mm pace, and maybe pick it up if I felt okay through the race, hoping for an 8:48-8:58 overall pace, with a 1:55-1:57 finish time. I had been trying to follow a plan, but the quality runs just weren’t there due to dealing with PF all summer. I have been “racing” too much, my work schedule is rotating shifts, have worked 60 hours/week for the last 2 months. My ultimate goal has been to survive these races, treating them as a form of speed work, all in preparation for my Dec 14 first full marathon.  The last 2 races I would call a success, with a 15K time of 1:20:37 for an 8:40 pace, and a 5K time of 23:50 for a 7:36 pace. This HM is a different story. I wouldn’t call it a failure, but it was very tough and I think I’ve learned a lesson or two.

The course is absolutely gorgeous! This is a relatively flat course and crosses the Tennessee River twice. It has a few very small short rolling hills, but none of them were of any measure, at least to me. A lot of the course is run on paved trails of the local power company called TVA that manages the dams along the river. Here is a YouTube video of the course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fyrXeV6SFk .  If you have trouble with the link, go to You Tube and search Life Without Limits Half Course. This will be your fastest half marathon ever! Another really touching point of this race, is that at every mile marker, there is a picture of a child that has CP. How can you not be motivated to keep going when you see all these sweet kids.

I had met a coworker there, and we sort of talked about running together, but that didn’t last long. I did a 2 mile WU, with the last ½ mile with my friend. Once we took off, he jetted out in front of me, and I never seen him again until the finish. He run a huge PR of 1:41 something, with his last half being 1:58. I started out way, way too fast as you can see from my splits. Somewhere around mile 7-8, my R foot started going numb (11:08 mile). I had to stop twice to adjust my sock and laces. This has happened to me before, and it’s just a something I deal with. I usually turn my socks inside out, or switch them to the other foot, and loosen the laces even more than they already are. By mile 10-11, my foot was fine. I almost think I need a wider shoe sometimes, but meh, it doesn’t happen all that often.

Once I recovered from the shoe problem, I started getting what felt like a side stitch. I did the opposite foot exhale thing, but it didn’t change much. This was odd because I don’t usually get side stitches, and from reading about those that do, I think mine was something different because of the location. It was on my left side, front of my stomach, just below my ribs. I am almost inclined to think it is Crohn’s related. The reason I say this, is today, during church, and even while writing this report, this pain is hitting me again. It is the type of double over pain that I’ve experienced in the past. Don’t worry; I have a doctor’s appointment on Thursday with my GI doctor, so I will let him know. During the last 2 miles, I had to walk a little to see is this pain in my side would ease up. At any rate, I finished the race running with a 7:37 clip at the end.

Here are my splits;

Mile 1 – 8:03 (way too fast)

Mile 2 – 8:09 (still too fast)

Mile 3 – 8:30

Mile 4 – 8:40 (still trying to pull back)

Mile 5 – 9:07

Mile 6 – 9:05 (much better)

Mile 7 – 9:35

Mile 8 – 11:08 (foot, sock, shoe problem, 2 stops)

Mile 9 – 9:53

Mile 10 – 9:27

Mile 11 – 9:44 (settling in for the finish)

Mile 12 – 10:40 (side started hurting, walking a little)

Mile 13 – 10:27

Point 1 – 7:27

Lessons learned

1. Don’t go out too fast(I have a chance to redeem this on Nov 9^th , with another half)
2. I am burning the candles at both ends, and therefore, shouldn't expect as much as I do. I can’t help this though, due to me being competitive, and wanting to push myself.
3. This course will be my PR attempt next year.

There is one more thing that I want to talk about here; I couldn’t leave this out, because it touched my heart. I had this little “bib” made of TJ that I wore on my back. I had 2 different runners come up behind me and asked what the story was behind my bib. I told them how Robert31320 and I met on the forums, and that we have become FB friends, and their only son has Cerebral Palsy, and that I asked Robert if I could run in honor of TJ. One guy even God blessed me, for being so nice. And after I told him my colon cancer story, he was even more amazed. This same guy is running the marathon that I am, and I hope I run into him again. I had another couple behind me for a bit and I kind of heard them talking about it, although they didn’t say anything to me.

When I crossed the finish line and got my medal, I just couldn’t help but to think about sending it to TJ. I went back to the area where the medals were being handed out, and as I talked to this wonderful lady, I asked her if it was possible to get another medal so I could send one to TJ. I told her the story, showed her my bib of TJ, and she almost started crying. She was so overwhelmed and touched by the story, that she graciously gave me an additional medal. This is the care package that will be mailed to TJ. I didn’t get her name at that time, so I went to the website, found a name, and sent an email hoping it was her. Her name is Julie, and here is her response.

Here is the medal that TJ will be getting

Robert, I sure hope you guys can make it for the 2014 Life Without Limits Half, it sounds like Julie wants your story.

Julie,

 I am not sure if you are the person I spoke to today, but someone gave me an additional medal to mail to my friend in Savanna GA, and I would like to know if that was you. I feel really bad for not getting your name, because I wanted to send a personal thank you. I had a little "bib" made with pictures of TJ on my back. That was such a kind gesture of you, and it will mean so much to his family. I surely hope they can make the trip next year. He made a statement to me once, that there were not enough people that "do" for Cerebral Palsy, and it really meant a lot that I run in honor for his son. If this was not you, could you direct me?

Thank you,

Mitch

Her response;

It was me. I would've given you 5 of those medals, sir. 

This is why we do this event. Our teachers and therapists do what we do because we LOVE these kiddos and support these families. 

I sincerely hope this family comes next year. It would be our pleasure if he wanted to be our feature runner/team. They usually get a 2-3 minute head start. 

You just let me know and I will make the accommodations. 

Thank you, thank you, for running today!  I wish I had taken a picture of your 'bib'. Do you mind if I send your email on and possibly put it on our site? 

Just want people to be reminded of 'why' we 'run'. 

Thank you so much for reaching out!  Don't you dare send me a written note. Your email is more than enough. 

Blessings to you,

Julie

This RR has the most meaning by far, of any that I’ve done. It wasn’t about any PR, or about how well I run my splits, or what pain I endured, or if it was too hot, or too cold. It was about people reaching out to others that sometimes need a lift in life. Parents of children with special needs are some of the strongest people we know. I could list at least a dozen people here on the forums and IRL that fit this category, but this story is for TJ.

Thanks for reading,

Mitch

Barb, that is so cool. Glad you had a good race. I need to do the no watch sometime.

What an amazing effort on your part Mitch, that's way beyond running a race...a reflection on you to go that far in your tribute. That's way beyond running a road race on your part. Very nice. Humbling.

25^th Annual Huntsville Half Marathon

Nov 9, 2013

Huntsville, AL

Short;

Time - 1:56:05

Pace - 8:52

OA – 227/842

AG – 17/63

Longer;

The Huntsville Half(HH), was my debut half back in 2011. This is a fairly flat, fast, out and back course that runs through some neighborhoods, with an out and back section on a greenway (see pic below). I had been running for a few years, did a few 5ks, 10k’s, and a 15k, and thought I was ready to move up to the longer distances. I didn’t know much back then, and still don't, but found a runner’s forum and started reading. I was very intimidated at first, because everyone was running way more than I could phantom. At any rate, I did this race coming off a very weak training plan, along with some injuries, but still wanted a sub 2, and I finished in 2:08:20.

This Half was my 6^th race at this distance, and the 2^nd in 2 weeks time. The race from 2 weeks ago sucked, I had some foot/shoe/sock issues, PF nags, started way too fast, accompanied with some stomach cramps. My goal for today’s race, which was a loose one, was to do better than 2 weeks ago of 2:03:38, definitely beat my time from 2 years ago, complete 20 miles for the day if possible, but this all depended how my foot felt. I am also training for my first marathon in December, and today's plan called for 20 miles, hence the goal of 20. I really wanted to target about a 9:10-9:20 pace, which would be just a little faster than my MP of 9:33 m/m (more on this later). I did a 3.1 mile WU at a 9:45 pace, my foot felt well, so I knew that I would at least end up with 16 miles for the day.

I have a friend that was also running this race(and the Dec marathon), and his goals are fairly close to mine. We started the race together, and stayed together through 9.5 miles. The entire 9.5 miles we kept talking about how fast we started, and that we should slow it down, Well, you know how that goes! This is one discipline that I am trying very hard to work on. Here are my splits

Mile 1 – 8:40 (need to slow it down)

Mile 2 – 8:29  ( that’s faster, not slower!)

Mile 3 – 8:28 ( are you kidding?)

Mile 4 – 8:44 ( dat betta )

Mile 5 – 8:35

Mile 6 – 8:32 (what the hell, slow down)

Mile 7 – 8:44

Mile 8 – 8:51

Mile 9 – 8:57 (looky here, this is good)

Mile 10 – 9:07 (my friend faded here)

Mile 11 – 9:01

Mile 12 – 9:39 (feeling like I got control here, but slowed a little too much)

Mile 13 – 8:49 (might as well push to the finish)

Final .1 – 7:17 (passed a bunch of folks in the last ½ mile)

Epilogue

1. Once again, I started too fast. I’m glad the marathon will have pacers!
2. Any opinions on my marathon pace of 9:33 for a 4:10 finish are welcomed . McMillian has me anywhere between 3:55 using my 1:51 half PR, and 4:20 using my half time of 2:03 from 2 weeks ago.
3. I did another 3.1 miles after the race at a 12:39 pace. This was a bit slower because I walked some, when I made it to my turn around, there was a lady sitting down, so I went to check on her. She was feeling sick and dizzy, so I walked with her for a bit to make sure she was ok.
4.  I think I put too many races into this marathon cycle, I’m not sure if it helped or hurt, but there will be no more races, except for maybe a Thanksgiving day Turkey Trot. And this will be mostly to help my running club.
5.  First place winner had a time of 1:06:36 for some sort of state record, and the second place finisher was 1:14:59. Small gap, hehe!
6. Here’s a pic or 2

I am #901

Thanks for reading,

Mitch

Thanks for the race reports, it's nice to see how everyone is doing.

hog4, I forgot what your goal was, so tell us how you did against your goal?

Very good lesson you keep learning over and over again about not going out too fast, but you keep doing it.  Can i ask you a question?  Do you do pre-race run to warm up?

vinodrinker, great run, got any tips for hog4 on keeping pace down at the beginning?

Okay so I ran a 5k before the Toronto Santa Claus parade. It's apparently the biggest parade in North America? I dunno but man oh man were there a LOT of people on the route.

I cannot type out what I wore because that will not do it justice. Instead, here you go:

Like I said, once I realized I'd be running in front of 500,000+ people (seriously!) I hit up friends on fb and coworkers to donate money to the parade. The more they donated, the more I'd dress up. They all gave more than $350 in the end AND I wasn't even close to being the most decked out. Man oh man do I have some good ideas for next year!

Anyway, the plan was to still try and PR - cool weather (about 50-55f I think), overcast, threat of rain (it stopped raining before the race and didn't start again at all), windy. My PR pace was 6:51 min/km (about 10.5 min/mile I think). So I tried to aim for 6:45 min/km and to not walk at all.

I made it to 10 minutes before I walked for about 30 seconds and had some water. Then I stopped again at 16 and 24 - again for 30 seconds at most. It was pretty easy to keep running when lots of little kids were cheering and waving and the cops were cracking jokes as you passed by and stuff.

Anyway, at the very end you pass right by the finish marker on the wrong side of the road, run another two blocks, then a hairpin turn to go back on the same road to the finish. Does that make sense? I saw my parents and Q at the intersection on the first time past and they were cheering and stuff and it was lovely to see Q on my way by the second time (although he got pissed I didn't stop). Wore my watch on my belt so I was looking up and smiling when I finished as my right hand pressed the stop button. Garmin said 32:51 and 5.19 km. But it's in downtown Toronto with a bazillion buildings to interfere with so I knew I had to wait for the official results.

I didn't realise it was gun time only - as always I lined up near the back and I ended up passing a lot of people on the way out. But even so - gun time was 33:06  (so a PR of 1 minute and 5 seconds) and, while I didn't come in last, man do I suck compared to others

206th overall (of a field of 289)

19 of 24 in my 40-44 F group

136th female overall (of 211)

I said to my dad afterwards, he asked how I felt, and I said "like I should have gone faster." My mom said "yea, you looked like you were cruising along." Anyway, I said to my dad after, "I think I'm not going to run 'fast' until I risk not being able to finish. Which I wasn't going to do knowing you were gonna be there with Q and there was a chance I'd have to hang out for THREE and A HALF more hours for the damn parade." I mean I always run "just a bit" faster than last time 'cause I'm worried of collapsing at 4.5km. I think I have to do that though. Risk collapsing at 4.5km. Maybe then I'll actually crack 30? I dunno. I usually only do the one fundraising run for my mom in June so maybe I'll worry about it next year

red, thanks for sharing the RR, and congrats on the PR. Your outfit is really cute, it makes me want to do a run dressed up.