Notes
Humid morning. Find out talking with JW the course online is actually the ‘old’ course and the current course is a certified 5K that uses the Gobble Wobble out-and-back so out toward Arena Park and back. The Road Runners changed the course two years ago but haven’t updated the race course online. No problem as it just gives us more shade to race in than the other direction with a slightly easier course, IMO.
On the starting line with 3 members of SEMO running team in their singlets and Marcus LeGrand. I am wearing the DorsaVi singlet and my Hitogami’s and feeling pretty good overall. Another young kid looks familiar but can’t place him. At least I wont have to lead this race.
Go out and in 5th place turning onto the Osage trail. Marcus is leading the pack. Am quickly passed by a teenage-youngster who is about 6’2” and might weigh a buck-thirty. I check pace at a quarter in and we are running at just a couple ticks over 6 flat. I am behind the top 5 by about 5 meters. Stay where I am until we are coming up to the mile mark as the front pack begins to slow down. Pull behind and let them cut some wind; One mile at 6:06 for us.
I hang back for about another .2 miles but they all start to slow down to around 6:20 pace. I have been mulling since seeing/projecting our first mile pace how many of these guys are likely to run a sub 19:00 based off first mile; guessing 1 and maybe 2 so I go around the entire pack and make them chase me at 6:10 pace; Hear them begin dropping back almost immediately. Look to the L just before we reach the turnaround and it is just me and Abdi. I turn around the cone with him right behind me. He is asking me if we are running the right way. (?). WTF. I tell him it is an out and back course so just run back to the starting line. We stay next to each other through 2 miles then I feel my lack of serious training pulling on me. Mile 2 in 6:14.
We are slowing down but we are the only two up front as the original 6 have blown up. At the Hopper bridge I look back and am surprised to see the person about 20 sec back is a woman. Abdi maintains a 3-4 second lead on me and I am just focusing on keeping my cadence up and making sure we dont get run down by the woman. I take the easy way out and don’t push hard/sprint the final 200m as would rather get 2nd and not get hurt than take a chance on pulling/tearing something and, in all probability still getting outkicked by the youngster. He beats me to the finish line by 4-5 seconds. Third mile is 6:22; I knew we were slowing down. 3 mile elapsed = 18:42; Final .13 mile takes 50 seconds so not pushing hard at all as coming home in 6:24 pace.
Shoulda-coulda-woulda: If in the shape I was in June would have finished it off stronger but not enough tempo/LT training or biking to finish the final 1000m strong. Plus, just getting slower so second place it is.
Plug the numbers into the WMA Road age-grading calculator for 2015:
19:32 equates to an age-grade time of 16:24 and an age-performance% of 79.1. I will take it and move on.
Long live CBEGM and good physiological principles of distance running. Plus, I found 29 cents while warming up in the Osage lot.