Lacamas Lake 5K and 10 Mile Walk & Run - RunOther


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Camas, Washington
United States
Fit Right Northwest
50F / 10C
Precipitation
 		Total Time = 1h 17m 29s
Overall Rank = 39/245
Age Group = 40 - 49
Age Group Rank = 6/27
Pre-race routine:

Got there early to watch my wife take off 1 1/2 hours ahead of us, with the walkers. Went back to the car to stay warm
Event warmup:

Light stretching followed by a lap around the track.
Run
  • 1h 17m 29s
  • 10 miles
  • 07m 45s  min/mile
What would you do differently?:

Not catch a cold a week or two before.
Post race
Warm down:

Get out of the rain and in to dry clothes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Headcold and chest congestion/cough

Event comments:

This is consistently one of the best run, best organized races around. They have events for all abilities and even include the kids run. Great vendors, good sponsors (well targeted), nice venue and fun atmosphere.




Last updated: 2007-05-19 12:00 AM
Running
01:17:29 | 10 miles | 07m 45s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/27
Overall: 39/245
Performance: Good
My first mile was a 6:20! That gives you some idea just how fast the downhills are to that mark. Second mile came at 7:25 and I knew I wasn't going to run the entire distance at that pace. My goal was to increase my pace enough to run an 8:00 min average and improve on last years' pace of 8:32. I was also feeling the effects of the lingering head cold and the associated chest congestion and cough. Breathing deep breaths and trying to control where those breathes ended up, was difficult to say the least. It was hard to establish a non-labored rhythm. I pulled back on the throttle a bit and saw the next two miles just seconds below the 8:00 mark. The next section was the autopilot section to mile five and I clocked in at 7:30. This is where I finally got my breathing back and things were starting to feel much better. I turned on to the trail and looked forward to the lushness of the surroundings. A guy about my age came up alongside me and said "Nice pace! You were really hard to catch." I said, "Thanks, I'm just trying to keep it around 8." He says, "Well you're doing better than that!" I must've been, because the next mile was a 7:25, followed by a 7:42 and a 7:48. I knew the hill was coming and I wanted something left for that. I let him run ahead as I was passed by a woman who seemed as though she was on a mission. Where'd she come from?? I saw her get out ahead then slow slightly to stay about 40 yards in front of me. I hit the 9 mile mark at an 8:00 minute pace. As we made the turn toward the hill climb, she really starts to slow. I came up on her and said, "Come on, come on!" With a slight smirk she says, "Someone told me there'd be a hill on this course." I didn't have the heart to tell her that when she makes it to the top of this one, there's more waiting for her. My last mile was a 9:20. That's what the hill took out of me. Hey, I'm 3 minutes faster going the opposite direction.
Course: The race starts with a steep downhill - from Camas High School - that affords you a view of the lake and the landscape towards the west. For most of the first four miles, you are running along the lake, through tall trees lining the road or amongst pastures lit by the morning sun. As you head towards mile five, you are on a gradual decent where the body just seems to want to switch to autopilot. It's a good section to lower the heart rate, control your breathing and appreciate the beauty around you. Just past mile five, the course takes a hard left to enter the on-trail section of the route. Packed dirt and gravel makes the trail very comfortable, and the glimpses of the lake and it's inhabitants - both animal and human - are spread throughout the estimated 4.25 miles of trail. The last mile and a half brings you around the east end of the lake, then back to the bottom of a hill that climbs up through the neighborhood adjacent to the high school and the finish line on the track around the football field. Everyone loathes this hill, as just when you get to the top and think it's over, you make a hard left back toward the street we started on and have to climb some more. It feels really good to see the entrance to the high school and hear the crowd at the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5