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2015-03-11 9:15 PM
in reply to: rjchilds8

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
No I wanted more detail. I like reading over the race reports, and enjoy reading about other peoples approach.
Hope you enjoyed some of the nice weather this weekend.
Chris, I am envious of your ride. My wife was saying next spring we should visit Jekyll Island. I remember you did a tri there. Also remember the swim sounding killer.

I'm currently in NH visiting the folks. This is our infants first trip up so we are visiting lots of family. I have been fortunate to get into the Y and do some swimming, and have been running outside. Decided to toss the bike this week due to the time needed to get a good ride in. A nice benefit to NH over Eastern NC, is Hills. I am still lagging in the run, but hope this run focused week without biking will help.

I did a 400 TT this week in the pooland averaged a 1:41/100yd. This is almost at my goal of 1:40, of course the sprint distance will require twice the distance, but its a good start

Of a side note my parents are moving and I had to go thru boxes of my old school stuff. Varsity letters, medals, old bibs, and my track spikes. Glory days. Course I had to show the kids my bling. Hope everyone is having a nice week of training.

Nate


2015-03-11 9:26 PM
in reply to: nrpoulin

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed

Yes, Jekyll Island will be my first race this year.  It's May 16th.  Would be awesome if you could come down next year and do the race! The swim just depends on the currents. Hoping for a favorable directions this year. The bike and run are great though. Flat and secluded.  A great vacation race destination.

 

 

2015-03-12 7:19 AM
in reply to: nrpoulin

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
Originally posted by nrpoulin

No I wanted more detail. I like reading over the race reports, and enjoy reading about other peoples approach.
Hope you enjoyed some of the nice weather this weekend.


Well, don't worry, with me you will always get lots of details. Just ask my wife! LOL I like to map out my race courses on MapMyRun (or MapMyRide) and go over them in detail. I'll look at elevation gains and losses so I know where I'll have to prepare for the steeper hills (up or down). I also like to create some way points so I know how far I am into the course or how much I have left to get to the finish. That helps me break the race into smaller segments so that it doesn't seem as long and allows me to calculate my pace on the fly. I like to do the math in my head rather than looking at my running watch for my pace. That's another trick I use to pass the time and distract myself so I don't think about how tired I am. I estimate my pace to that point in the race and then I estimate the pace I'll need in order to reach or beat my goal time. And, yes, I even do this for a race as short as a 5K.
2015-03-15 9:55 PM
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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
St. Paddy's Five
Five mile run, Spokane, WA

What a day! It poured all night and all day, so everything was absolutely soaked, and probably a couple hundred people were no-shows. But, the 1021 of us who did come were enthusiastic, hard-core runners, and the run started on time. I had driven down with a couple of friends, all of us different pacers, so once the race started, we were each on our own. My goal was to run it in one hour, and I did it! 1:00:14.3! I maintained a pretty steady 12-minute mile pace, slightly faster the first three miles, and slightly slower the last two. I know my pace sounds really slow compared to everyone else, but for me, this is fast and shows significant improvement. I'm pretty happy with that! My first five-mile race, and I ran the entire thing. (Except for one very short portion up a dog poop covered on-ramp.)

Age group place: 31 of 59; Gender place: 347 of 635; All: 620 of 1021.

Everyone was completely soaked by the end of the race. (Actually, by the beginning of the race!) We warmed up with some hot Vietnamese Pho before heading home, and then everything went in the washing machine. Even my new Hokas got a good scrubbing in the kitchen sink!

My next race is in two weeks, the Spokane Superheroes 5K Fun Run. My goal for that race is 35 minutes, which is about 11:15 per mile. I think it's very doable!

Edited by burner2 2015-03-15 10:41 PM
2015-03-16 5:18 AM
in reply to: burner2

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed

Squish, squish, squish, squish

Congrats on making your goal!

2015-03-16 6:57 AM
in reply to: burner2

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
Originally posted by burner2

St. Paddy's Five
Five mile run, Spokane, WA

What a day! It poured all night and all day, so everything was absolutely soaked, and probably a couple hundred people were no-shows. But, the 1021 of us who did come were enthusiastic, hard-core runners, and the run started on time. I had driven down with a couple of friends, all of us different pacers, so once the race started, we were each on our own. My goal was to run it in one hour, and I did it! 1:00:14.3! I maintained a pretty steady 12-minute mile pace, slightly faster the first three miles, and slightly slower the last two. I know my pace sounds really slow compared to everyone else, but for me, this is fast and shows significant improvement. I'm pretty happy with that! My first five-mile race, and I ran the entire thing. (Except for one very short portion up a dog poop covered on-ramp.)

Age group place: 31 of 59; Gender place: 347 of 635; All: 620 of 1021.

Everyone was completely soaked by the end of the race. (Actually, by the beginning of the race!) We warmed up with some hot Vietnamese Pho before heading home, and then everything went in the washing machine. Even my new Hokas got a good scrubbing in the kitchen sink!

My next race is in two weeks, the Spokane Superheroes 5K Fun Run. My goal for that race is 35 minutes, which is about 11:15 per mile. I think it's very doable!

Great job making your goal! That's an automatic PR, too.


2015-03-16 7:52 AM
in reply to: burner2

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
Great job! All that hard work you're putting is really starting to show!

Scott
2015-03-16 8:27 AM
in reply to: scottjjmtri99

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Subject: Irish Double 8k and 5k
Yesterday I ran the second annual Irish double which consists of running an 8k at 9:30 am followed by a 5k at 11:30 am the same day. My plan was to run hard in the 8k and then see what was left in the tank for the 5k.

The 8k started out at a decent clip. I held back some knowing 5 miles requires more work than a 5k. First mile flew by with a 6:47 which is about where I thought I'd be. Glad it wasn't much faster as that would have led to bonk at about 3.5 miles. Mile 2 came in at 7:05 which was a bit slower than I'd like but still ok. Not sure how this happened but mile 3 was back down to 6:50. I'm pretty sure I was chasing some I knew at this point and was trying to keep up. Mile 4 this person must have slowed down too as my split was back down to 7:06. The final stretch my guy pulled away from in the sprint, my tank was about empty but I still had my fastest split at 6:45 and a final time of 34:30. Good for 10th in my AG and 58th overall. I'm very happy with how I ran the race. I don't think I could have executed a much better race plan.

After the 8k I refueled. Took a banana, chomps, and some gatorade. Then I changed clothes completely. Entirely new racing clothes. (lesson learned from last year) Finally, I stretched out a little bit and relaxed as much as possible. The roughly 1.5 hours to recover before the next race flew by, and the next thing I know, I'm toeing the line for the 5k.

The 5k starts and there's alot more runners in this race. I decide to start further back in the pack as I know I'm not gonna be running a sub 20 5k this time. The race starts and my legs let me know that they're tired, but decide to tag along for 3.1 miles The race goes by rather fast. My first mile split is 6:53. Goal is to stay as close to 7:00 as possible for the next 2 miles. Mile 2 clocks in at 7:09. Mile 3 7:03, and the last .1 47.5 seconds for a final time of 21:52. Very happy with my second race effort. An average of 7:02 per mile following an 8k effort of 6:56 per mile is great! This put me in 10 place in my AG again and 114 overall.

Today, I'm sore. But the usual sore from a day of race pace efforts. Taking it easy today. Probably be seeing my foam roller for a few sessions and stretching throughout the day.

Next race is an indoor triathlon in 12 days. Looking forward to seeing where my triathlon fitness is at. I already know my run is in good shape, its the bike I'm more concerned about followed by the swim. Last year I completed this tri in 1:17:08 and I'm looking at cutting at least 5 minutes off of that in the swim alone. Hehe, it will be a good test/learning experience.

Scott
2015-03-16 10:45 AM
in reply to: scottjjmtri99

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Subject: RE: Irish Double 8k and 5k

That is some strong running, Scott, but wow you have some fast Age Grouper's up there! Dropping those kind of times and only getting 10th.  Sounds like a pretty big race though.  Especially impressed by the 5K effort.  Running on those tired legs will help you when the Tri's start.  

It's also good that you were able to respond to race situations and change pace as needed.  That shows a maturity and confidence in your abilities.

And finally it's good that you are sore, that lets you know you went above and beyond your norm...which is what racing is all about!

Great Job all around!

2015-03-16 11:02 AM
in reply to: Dominion

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Subject: RE: Irish Double 8k and 5k
Originally posted by Dominion

That is some strong running, Scott, but wow you have some fast Age Grouper's up there! Dropping those kind of times and only getting 10th.  Sounds like a pretty big race though.  Especially impressed by the 5K effort.  Running on those tired legs will help you when the Tri's start.  

It's also good that you were able to respond to race situations and change pace as needed.  That shows a maturity and confidence in your abilities.

And finally it's good that you are sore, that lets you know you went above and beyond your norm...which is what racing is all about!

Great Job all around!




We have a very strong running community up here. There's also a small group of semi-pros (sponsored athletes) up here too. The 5k had over 3000 runners and the 8k had almost 1000. So, it's the largest 5k and 8k races I participate in. My AG had 64 in the 8k and 164 in the 5k. I also got bumped down to 11th in the 5k AG since yesterday lol. Still very happy with my effort and placement. The Crim is the only other race that I normally do and that's a 10 miler. Not really in my plans for this year though.

Scott
2015-03-16 11:29 AM
in reply to: scottjjmtri99

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Subject: RE: Irish Double 8k and 5k
Originally posted by scottjjmtri99
Yesterday I ran the second annual Irish double which consists of running an 8k at 9:30 am followed by a 5k at 11:30 am the same day.


WOW! Two races in the same day? I'm impressed! Great times, too!


2015-03-16 6:15 PM
in reply to: burner2

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed

Great job of setting a goal and locking into that pace and making it happen.  You can run 35:00 in your 5K, just have to approach it the same.  Find that pace and lock it in for 3 miles, then all you got the last tenth.

2015-03-16 7:26 PM
in reply to: Dominion

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed

Holy cow!  Just got in a hour run and couldn't keep my HR down.  I'm working shift right now so a little tired, maybe dehydrated, and it was 78*F. The warmest day in a while!  The slightest increase in effort drove it up, blah!  Time to switch into summer mode, I guess.

I signed up for the 70.3 Ironman Buffalo Springs on June 28th.  That will be toasty!  The race used to be in mid July but they were having too many 100+ *F races and people getting sick.  A buddy of did it four years ago and said his shoes were sticking to the asphalt during the run.  I don't want any part of that!

Here's a pic from the top of Texas, Chris:

 





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2015-03-16 9:01 PM
in reply to: scottjjmtri99

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Subject: RE: Irish Double 8k and 5k
Originally posted by scottjjmtri99

Yesterday I ran the second annual Irish double which consists of running an 8k at 9:30 am followed by a 5k at 11:30 am the same day. My plan was to run hard in the 8k and then see what was left in the tank for the 5k.

Scott

Sounds like you ran a great race! I'm super jealous of those splits! I've got a long way to go to try to break 24:00, never mind 22:00 ... after an 8K! Way to work.
2015-03-20 8:22 AM
in reply to: rjchilds8

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Subject: Swim sighting
I read an article recently that talked about sighting. In it, they were talking about sighting less. The purported benefits were that you swam in a straight line longer, maintained good form longer by not lifting your head, and actually swam a shorter distance. Along with the article they showed a graphic of two swim paths. One image showed a path for someone that might sight more frequently and their path along the course was in more of a zig-zag pattern. The other image showed the path for someone sighting less, therefore making fewer course corrections, and their path was smoother.

I can't remember where I saw this article. I looked through the last two issues of Triathlete magazine and didn't see it. I know I get a few different e-mail newsletters from various web sites (such as active.com) and I frequently go to triathlon.competitor.com to look for articles. I've searched everywhere I can think of and have also done Google searches and I'm coming up empty on finding the article.

Does anyone know of any articles like this (even if it isn't the same exact one)? Do any of you have any opinions on this topic? My "A" race for this year is an Olympic, which will be my first attempt at that distance. I was considering this approach for that race. I feel like I'll perform better if I relax and not worry about looking for the buoys every 15 seconds. It should also allow me to try to maintain better form since I know I'm not the best at sighting and my head tends to pop up out of the water. Even if I end up swimming a little farther, I feel like that is better than being stressed (which killed my first tri last year) and swimming slower due to the negative effects of frequent sighting on my form. What are your thoughts?
2015-03-20 9:32 AM
in reply to: HelmoAlkou

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Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly/70.3 Group--Closed
Originally posted by HelmoAlkou

Holy cow!  Just got in a hour run and couldn't keep my HR down.  I'm working shift right now so a little tired, maybe dehydrated, and it was 78*F. The warmest day in a while!  The slightest increase in effort drove it up, blah!  Time to switch into summer mode, I guess.

I signed up for the 70.3 Ironman Buffalo Springs on June 28th.  That will be toasty!  The race used to be in mid July but they were having too many 100+ *F races and people getting sick.  A buddy of did it four years ago and said his shoes were sticking to the asphalt during the run.  I don't want any part of that!

Here's a pic from the top of Texas, Chris:

 




Wow, what mountain top is that? Looks pretty damn high!


2015-03-20 10:46 AM
in reply to: rjchilds8

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Subject: RE: Swim sighting
Originally posted by rjchilds8

I read an article recently that talked about sighting. In it, they were talking about sighting less. The purported benefits were that you swam in a straight line longer, maintained good form longer by not lifting your head, and actually swam a shorter distance.
  • ..truncated...
  • Does anyone know of any articles like this (even if it isn't the same exact one)? Do any of you have any opinions on this topic? My "A" race for this year is an Olympic, which will be my first attempt at that distance. I was considering this approach for that race. I feel like I'll perform better if I relax and not worry about looking for the buoys every 15 seconds. It should also allow me to try to maintain better form since I know I'm not the best at sighting and my head tends to pop up out of the water. Even if I end up swimming a little farther, I feel like that is better than being stressed (which killed my first tri last year) and swimming slower due to the negative effects of frequent sighting on my form. What are your thoughts?


    My thoughts on this--and this is purely from my own personal experience--if I don't sight regularly, I end up off course , veering off to the right. I'm fortunate in that I have a place to practice open water swimming in the summer, so I'm pretty good at sighting without it throwing me off or slowing me down. However, if you're good at swimming a straight line (unlike me!), and you're more comfortable sighting less, then by all means, do what's more comfortable for you.

    Also, this being an Olympic--which I haven't done yet--I would think you would have to sight less because the distances are greater, so even if you do get a little off course, a course correction wouldn't have as dramatic an impact as it would during a Sprint. Just my thoughts.
    2015-03-20 12:24 PM
    in reply to: burner2

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting
    Originally posted by burner2

    My thoughts on this--and this is purely from my own personal experience--if I don't sight regularly, I end up off course , veering off to the right. I'm fortunate in that I have a place to practice open water swimming in the summer, so I'm pretty good at sighting without it throwing me off or slowing me down. However, if you're good at swimming a straight line (unlike me!), and you're more comfortable sighting less, then by all means, do what's more comfortable for you.

    Also, this being an Olympic--which I haven't done yet--I would think you would have to sight less because the distances are greater, so even if you do get a little off course, a course correction wouldn't have as dramatic an impact as it would during a Sprint. Just my thoughts.

    Sorry, I don't think I understand your rationale for thinking that there would be more sighting during a shorter swim. Would you please elaborate so I can understand where you are coming from? I would think less time in the water on a shorter swim would mean less sighting, but I want to make sure I understand your point.

    I think I swim in a fairly straight line. For my two sprints last year, I felt like I did a lot of unnecessary sighting. I say that because I sighted a lot, but was essentially right on the line I needed to be and never really had to change direction much. I think I spent more time/energy worrying about being off course than I should have. My first sprint had a total of 3 turns at buoys and the second one only had two turns. I think in part I didn't have a good feel for my pace in the water and wasn't sure how quickly I would reach the buoy to turn, so I sighted a lot to make sure I didn't go completely off course. But other than at the buoys, I feel like I could have sighted less on the longer, straighter stretches.

    I'm including the map of the swim course for my Olympic, which is the same event at which I did my sprint last year. Essentially, I will have to do 3 "laps" along the length of the buoys. That will probably make up about 80% or more of the swim. So for most of the race I should just be going in a straight line. My thinking was that I would just use the shoreline to sight. As long as I was staying a relatively consistent distance away from shore, then I would be on a straight line down the course. At least, in theory.



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    2015-03-20 3:12 PM
    in reply to: rjchilds8

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting
    Originally posted by rjchilds8
    Sorry, I don't think I understand your rationale for thinking that there would be more sighting during a shorter swim. Would you please elaborate so I can understand where you are coming from? I would think less time in the water on a shorter swim would mean less sighting, but I want to make sure I understand your point.


    I should probably rephrase that. Rather than needing to sight less, I was thinking you'd need to sight less often, so maybe the same number of times, but with with longer distances between them. However, I was also thinking of the courses with which I am familiar, which are triangle shaped with three long legs, rather than several loops around buoys. If you're swimming a long leg of perhaps 500m and get off by a couple of degrees, it wouldn't take much to adjust your course over that distance if you sight, say, every 20 strokes instead of six. But, swimming laps around buoys as you will be doing is different.

    You could always try not sighting as much for your first lap, and if it works out well for you, continue with that method. What you're describing is kind of like the method I use when racing in rivers where we swim downstream, rather than around buoys in a lake. I just use the shoreline to sight and then occasionally sight for buoys to make sure I'm not too close (or far) from the shore or overshoot the final buoy. Is there a possibility of practicing at the site before the race? That might be the best way to see if it would work for you.
    2015-03-20 5:39 PM
    in reply to: burner2

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting
    Originally posted by burner2

    I should probably rephrase that. Rather than needing to sight less, I was thinking you'd need to sight less often, so maybe the same number of times, but with with longer distances between them. However, I was also thinking of the courses with which I am familiar, which are triangle shaped with three long legs, rather than several loops around buoys. If you're swimming a long leg of perhaps 500m and get off by a couple of degrees, it wouldn't take much to adjust your course over that distance if you sight, say, every 20 strokes instead of six. But, swimming laps around buoys as you will be doing is different.

    You could always try not sighting as much for your first lap, and if it works out well for you, continue with that method. What you're describing is kind of like the method I use when racing in rivers where we swim downstream, rather than around buoys in a lake. I just use the shoreline to sight and then occasionally sight for buoys to make sure I'm not too close (or far) from the shore or overshoot the final buoy. Is there a possibility of practicing at the site before the race? That might be the best way to see if it would work for you.

    The race course is at a state park. I know I could go there and have access to the lake. Of course, the buoys wouldn't be there on a typical weekend, so it would be a little hard to tell just how straight I was swimming other than trying to judge how close I was to shore. The buoys are in a long line and I'd end up doing 3 lengths along the buoys. I'd guess that means each length would probably be 1/4 mile in length, so I'll be swimming straight for quite a while without having to worry about turning. I would have some time before the race to warm up and I could practice a little before the race. But I think I like your suggestion of trying it for a lap during the race and seeing how that works. If I find that I'm doing alright by sighting less on the first lap, then I'll just keep doing that. But if I find that I'm veering too far off course or swim too far beyond the end of the buoys, then I'll know that it was a bad idea. Thanks for your thoughts.
    2015-03-20 9:31 PM
    in reply to: rjchilds8

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting
    Great job everyone on their races. Sounds like people have been training (and racing) hard.


    2015-03-20 9:32 PM
    in reply to: nrpoulin

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting
    Not sure what to tell you about sighting. I kinda do it when I feel like it. I can't keep track of strokes while swimming.

    Nate
    2015-03-21 7:40 AM
    in reply to: rjchilds8

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting

    I'm not sure if I agree with sighting less causes you to swim a straighter line and sighting more causes you to zig-zag.  When done correctly the purpose of sighting is to keep you on a straight course.  Some people are good at swimming a straight line and some are not, so the need is somewhat subjective.  It sounds simple but I am pretty much in agreement with Nate, sight when you feel the need to.  The rule of thumb is every 6 strokes.  Often I'll go many more than that if it's a straight line course with buoys only as markers and not turns.

    Much of it depends on the type of course and how many people are around you.  That doesn't mean blindly follow other people but often you can sight less if traveling in a pack, trusting that the leaders are generally heading in the right direction.  Olympic swims do tend to spread out more than a typical sprint but your multi-lap course probably lends itself to your being around other swimmers most of the time.

    Now let's talk about how to sight.  We're not talking about lifting your head up and taking multiple strokes or breaking your stroke to doggie-paddle.  All you need to do instead of turning your face back down to exhale into the water is to turn forward and take a quick glance within the flow of your regular motion.  The head then goes back to the side for the inhale portion and back into the water for the exhale.  You never break stride (stroke).  If you see what you wanted to see, then go another 6 to 8 or 10 strokes depending on the course and what you are comfortable with.  If you did not see what you wanted to see, then repeat the process until you do. This should slow you down only a very little bit and should not  cause you to zig-zag as stated in your article. The only time you should break stroke and "pop-up" is if you realize you are way off course or have a major issue with not knowing where you are or are supposed to be.  Then you may have to stop, look around, and figure out where you need to go, but hopefully if you are sighing properly and regularly then that won't happen.

    2015-03-21 8:54 AM
    in reply to: Dominion

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    Subject: RE: Swim sighting

    Well said.  

    It's good to practice sighting, or at least the mechanics of the stroke, in the pool.  Actually sighting outside is different, waves, distance to buoys, size of buoys, still dark outside, yikes a race, etc., but the stroke should be the same.

    2015-03-21 2:30 PM
    in reply to: HelmoAlkou

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    Subject: On a roll
    I had the 3rd leg of the Tour de Patrick this morning down in Providence, RI. Perfect day for running, temp was somewhere around 30 degrees and it was snowing! I texted one of my buddies from my football team and told him I love this kind of weather for football, not running, so I was going to approach the race with a football mentality. When I play, I play fierce and strong and I don't back down from anything or anyone. I decided to lay it on the line for this race. I had some pain in my ankle from the first 2 races, so I only had limited training in the 2 weeks since.

    Per usual, I had analyzed the course and had a rough game plan going in. Minutes before the race, they announced that they had to change the race course due to the bad weather. Great, there goes my plan! Actually, most of the course was the same, it only affected about a half mile of the race. Still, I like to know what to expect.

    Apparently, it didn't bother me too much since I set another PR with a time of 24:52! My first time under 25:00! And I got there despite wasting at least 10 seconds to retie my shoe. It came loose at about mile 2. I thought I'd just deal with it, but all I could envision was me trying to sprint the finish and tripping. I made the executive decision to stop and tie my shoe. So disappointing, especially when I saw all of those runners going by me.

    OK, Nate, this part is for you! For everyone else that likes a shorter race report, sorry.

    Mile 1: Most of the first 0.75 was either flat or a little downhill. I knew there was a relatively long (for a 5K) stretch uphill after that, so I planned to push my pace to start the race in anticipation of having to slow down on that hill. Something was going on with Garmin's servers, so I don't have my splits from that watch, but if memory serves me I hit the mile mark at 7:57. My Nike+ says 8:07.

    Mile 2: Another 0.25-0.3 miles of uphill and then I was in uncharted territory. From memory, after cresting the hill, the course had a short flat stretch and then was downhill to the turn around point. On the uphill, I just tried to keep my head down and concentrate on keeping an even effort level and tried to avoid paying attention to how long the hill was. Again, the plan was to push it on the downhill. I know I passed some of the people that passed me going up. From there, I knew I had about a 1/4 mile up to the top of the hill and then I'd have that long downhill where I would once again crank up the pace. I can't remember what time was on the Garmin, but my Nike+ says 8:28. That number is a little suspect, especially since that watch said the race was only 2.97 miles.

    Mile 3: Started with me still on the downhill, unfortunately I had the untied shoe problem. I knew most of the last mile was relatively flat with only a small uphill anywhere in sight. This was crunch time and I just tried to bear down and push through it. I could see the Rhode Island State House (the finish line) off in the distance and it looked so far away! Again, it was put my head down, don't look up and think about it and just keep plugging. When I crossed one of my last landmarks, I knew there was only about 0.15 left so I kicked it up a notch. When I could see the race clock and it was approaching 24:50 I found my next gear. There was no way I was going to miss going under 25:00 this time! Exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time, but I made it!
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