Notes
Temp 80 Winds Calm. Humidity 92% Dew Point 72 degrees.
Clouds have burned off and its a steamer. Nearly 50 pre-registered, only 31 have the guts to show. 27 in the 7-miler. 4 in the 5K. Roy & Billy are here with a few other HS kids. College runner TJ-Matt. 24-year old Shawn B. from Ste. Gen. 38-year old Jim A. from Farmington (a distance guy). Masters Division includes myself, Joe W., and now 50-year old Capt. Paul. I'm warmed up, a little warm, but feeling OK. Also a couple pounds heavy...maybe water?
Off and its a crowded first mile. Sharing the narrow trail with Sunday walkers, joggers, and bikers. Some of the 5K runners mix with 7-milers for first 800-1200 meters. I'm jockeying around for room to find my stride. Keep getting boxed in. Joe W. (JW) and Capt. Paul (CP) are out fast and just in front of me. Shakes out to them side-by-side. I'm wanting to go just a little quicker, so wiggle my way between them and take lead on the pace. No sooner done than I'm boxed again by HS kid in front and JW on my left. JW and CP both go by on my left and by the time I get around the HS kid, they have about 10-20 meters on me. Long race, so just settle in where I'm at. First split is 6:15. Fast, but not too out of line.
Garmin is set to two fields. Time Last Lap and Average Pace. Knock out the second mile in a more reasonable 6:25. Have kept JW and CP within about 20-30 meters, and they have picked up a younger runner to work with. They continue through remainder of second mile and all of mile three trading off taking the pack lead. I stay back, but start to feel the heat and humidity mid-way through third mile.
Water stop at three mile split. Kid drops out of the race. I've planned on making the turnaround at 3.5 miles, then taking on water on way back at 4 mile split. Did not hear my mile alert at third mile split. Think I may have lost the connection when running through the tunnel under Bloomfield Road. Check and see 6:25 for Time Last Lap. Know I'm past the split, Garmin is out of play rest of race. (Hey dumbass, did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, your 2nd and 3rd mile splits were even???).
Leaders coming back. Shawn B. looks in control with Roy, TJ, and Billy a ways back.
JW and CP take horrible tangents at the turnaround. I close to less than 10 meters. We head back towards water stop. Jim A. passes me and JW, then moves up with CP. I check Garmin one more time...6:25...switch screens to Total Time. As we approach the water stop, three runners coming in other direction get there first and stop. Instead of getting opened bottle, me and JW end up running by and grabbing bottle off table. I fumble to get mine open, then stop to take swig. Continue running and pour some down my neck. Plan was to swig several ounces, pour large amount down my neck, then drink several more ounces. Not good at running and drinking, so stop briefly to take final swig. Toss bottle down and see it was almost full. Crap, no way I took in enough.
Move on and pass JW just past four mile split, which had slowed to 6:43 with water fiasco. Come to foot bridge just before Kingshighway underpass. Don't hear foot steps. He must not be trying to stay with me. Meet his wife and three other women runners coming the other way. Listen for him to say something to them. Nothing. He may be done.
CP up ahead. Jim A. has moved on ahead of him. Continue on with 6:38 fifth mile. Starting to hurt, but run down and pass CP early in mile six. I have no doubts I can beat him today. Never have in the past; however, passed him twice in 8K CC race in February, then ran off course twice and lost both leads. He asked my age as I went by. We're in different AGs, so is he going to let me go? Taking no chances, wanting now to open up. Approaching last water stop which would mean about 1.5 miles to go. Too late for water to do any good. Got about 100 meters down the trail and start to feel the effects of the surge. Feel body temperature elevating. Also feeling last of the juice leaving my legs. Nearing or at max HR.
Setting sights on 1st OA Masters. Game plan going in was no matter how tired or how hot it got in first 10K, get to the woods and the shade, relax, and finish it out. See foot bridge ahead. Hurting and overheating, but know that just over that bridge is the shade for about half a mile. Approach the bridge, look, and see sunlight in open field? Where am I? Cross and see driving range to my right. I've been down this trail a 100x. Know this is the driving range, know its on the trail, but where on the trail? Where are the woods? Disorientation and legs go numb. I slow to a walk. Remember walking and remember CP passing me and asking if I'm OK. Said yeah. Few seconds to get my bearings. Baseball fields, bridge, driving range, THEN shade. OK, know where I am now. Decide to start again slowly and try to get back up to speed. (Looking at Garmin graph, I walked for almost exactly 30 seconds.) 6th mile split was 7:16 even with the walk.
Coming back around, legs are spent, in O2 debt, but finding a spot just under max that I can function at. Run down CP again. Pass him knowing that if he surges I cannot go with him. Attempt to put him away right now with a little over half a mile to go. Remainder of race is series of surges, blow ups, and slow downs. Pace in last 0.5 miles as fast as 4:38 (little downhill coming off foot-bridge). As slow as 8:52. CP passed me for good somewhere in the last 400-500 meters. I cross in 46:36. CP in ahead of me at 46:32.
A 3:46 PR @ 7-miles. 7th OA. 1st in 40-49 AG. Bottom line, was not tough enough to be Masters Champion. 30 second walk...4 second loss...easy math. Pissed at myself. Have only walked in two races. This one...BOTH TIMES.
Roy L. comes back for OA. Shawn B., banged up Billy (one hand, one hip flexor), then TJ. Captain Paul wins Masters. D'bert announces at awards ceremony that CP is newest (and first Grand Master) member of SM Masters Team. JW in after me at 47:20 for 8th OA and 2nd 40-49. Chellie as good as she has ever been winning female OA. Nice plaque for award. D'bert and Brooke have stepped it up the last couple of weeks in this area. Set-up was A-1 again. This race has potential, hope he keeps it. Only 10 year one, nearly 5x that in 2010.