Run: Race Previous Next

12/3/2016

8 mi

42:03

5:16 mi

Notes

Sycamore 8 Trail Race. Nutmeg and I had assumed no studs would be at this race and I wasn't really planning on anything too hard because of that. However, as I got to the line I saw Austin O'Brien and Devin Allbaugh in the race and new I would be in for a much more difficult race than expected. Those two led the way onto the trails and I did a pretty good job to get into 5th. I passed the guy in 4th pretty quickly and finally got around the guy in 3rd after a mile or so. At that point I was feeling pretty comfortable behind the two leaders and figured I would see how long I could hold on since we had already created a decent gap.

I started to lose a step or two around ~3-4 miles. This is a race that having a GPS watch may have actually helped. I kind of wanted to know how long I would have to fight yet. At the same time, maybe I would have let up sooner if I realized I had a long way to go. I let the gap get to 5-10 meters before deciding that I really didn't want to run the rest of the race on my own. So I pushed a little more and got back on their heels as we hit the paved section of the race.

And this is where things got strange. I started out drafting behind the two of them for the first part of the pavement and then Allbaugh was breathing hard and kind of dropped behind us. Without really changing the pace I was all of the sudden in control of the race. I don't think this was tactical either since wind wasn't a factor. Those two were apparently hurting a little more that I had realized though and I started to think about possibly winning for the first time. O'Brien must have found a second wind after a few minutes of that though, and as he picked it up I felt good going with him but I also think it was with the assumption that we had to be getting close to the end. I knew we would have more trails but hoped digging into this reserve early wouldn't cost me.

As we hit the trails I realized I had developed blisters on both feet and the twisting and turning was causing more and more discomfort. I also lost motivation very quickly. I didn't know how much we had left and just couldn't keep the mental discipline to stay with them. So a short way into the trails I finally let them go. I tried to make sure I didn't completely fall apart after that but with 3rd easily secure I didn't have much left to race for, other than to keep it close. I didn't really do that and lost by 40 seconds (not terrible, but not great since that was all lost in the last 1.5-2 miles). I wish I would have fought a little harder to hand on and wonder if I could of if I knew the course and how close we were to the finish. But like I said before, maybe I would have let them go at 4 miles if I knew the course better. Blisters also played a small part although I don't want that to sound like an excuse. I had lost the edge to stay with them before blisters really got bad. The last couple miles alone just got a lot harder than expected due to the blisters.

Overall I'm actually really happy with 3rd. After pretty average training this summer and fall, I've run 2 solid races and kept some of the best runners in Iowa within my reach on minimal miles. Both races have given me the feeling that I could still beat (or at least run with) these guys if I could put in some more miles. So I think that has to be the takeaway. My toe continues to be mildly sore but I think it is time for another attempt to push through it toward higher miles. That may mean finding a more consistent training group since I don't think I have the motivation to do it on my own right now, but I think finding more guys to train with is possible.

The only disappointing part of the last two races is the fact that I lost ground to people on trails in both races. In this race, that may have just been the point of the race that their overall fitness won, but either way it seems odd when I've always thought of myself as a strong trail runner. The positive spin on it is that I apparently felt better than them on the road section. That has me pretty excited for track and road races next year.

Comments

RedCholo

Nice racing! That's a fantastic time especially on trails! I am also excited for track this spring!