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Hot Chocolate 15k - Phoenix - Run15k


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Phoenix, Arizona
United States
Ram Racing
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 58m 17s
Overall Rank = 15/2423
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 2/103
Pre-race routine:

I figured to make this race really a fun challenge I would not only do no speed specific run training leading into it, make sure I have become sufficiently winter tubby, and would go to my office Christmas party the night before and get properly drunk on red wine. :) Jamie drove us home, I don't recall much else except that dread of knowing I would be waking up at 5am so I could go suffer. Fun. ;)

I actually felt...ok when I did arise. I knew I was likely very dehydrated but I would have to make do. Oh, I actually did make quit a bit of doo, what the hell did I eat last night?! Don't tell me, it's better that way. Jamie and I left around 6:30am to pick up my friend Eric and his sister and headed down to the Talking Sticks Spring Training facility where the 5 and 15K race was being held. This is apparently a race series and this was the first time in Phoenix. It was all of 20min from my home, very near where my office is but the traffic was HORRIBLE. Jamie wasn't racing so we knew we could bail and let her park if we got tight to the 8am start. But all was well and we were all set and there with plenty of time to spare.
Run
  • 58m 17s
  • 9.32 miles
  • 06m 15s  min/mile
Comments:

So my plan was to try and stay with Eric for as long as possible. Well that lasted about 1.5 miles. We started off a little fast but seemed to settle into a good initial pace but he had more to give then me and opened up a gap that would grow larger the rest of the race. I was feeling ok, I had planned on keeping my HR in the low 160's as that was likely the best effort I could hold. I went through the first 5K in 19:07, 6:07 pace. I figured a solid race for me would be right in the 6:05 range right now with my decent run volume fitness but no real intensity or race specific fitness. And my hangover wasn't helping.

The next 5K was mostly through the office park and I was kind of isolated. I was kind of catching a guy ahead but I was also being caught by another runner from behind. He actually caught me then I slowly pulled ahead and never saw him again. 10K came up in 38:30, so my second 5K split was 19:27, 6:13 pace. At this point I was struggling to hold on and not let my HR fade. At this point I was passed by two more runners, one of whom iI knew and was an IMSG 2012 Survivor. I tried to go with him but I just didn't have that extra gear.

So now with less then 2 miles to go I was really in no man's land when all at once the 2nd and 3rd place gals came by. They were separated by maybe 10 yards. I tried to encourage the gal in 3rd to try and catch her but she was on the rivet and ran maybe 10 feet in front of me the rest of the way in. I made the last turn for the finish and Jamie was there to cheer me in. After I finished I checked the split for the last 5K and it told me what I already knew, that I was falling apart a bit, 19:49, 6:20 pace. But it wasn't really terrible pacing as my middle 5K was spot on to what I averaged for the entire race. So as much as I went too hard at the start I paid the same amount at the back end.
What would you do differently?:

Just keep working on my race pacing and improve my top end fitness before getting back to triathlon specific work in Feb.
Post race
Event comments:

I had heard that the Hot Chocolate Race series in other cities has had a lot of issues with organization but this event here was run very well with no hitches at all.




Last updated: 2012-11-04 12:00 AM
Running
00:58:17 | 9.32 miles | 06m 15s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/103
Overall: 15/2423
Performance: Average
Average HR 160
Course: The course was all on secondary roads in the area surrounding the baseball fields, partially through the office parks just to the north.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-12-09 2:40 PM

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Champion
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Fountain Hills, AZ
Subject: Hot Chocolate 15k - Phoenix


2012-12-10 8:10 AM
in reply to: #4528204

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Not a Coach
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Media, PA
Subject: RE: Hot Chocolate 15k - Phoenix
Nice race, Bryan.  Not a bad job of holding things together even if you did struggle more than you'd have hoped.  And, at least, you can cross out 'heavily imbibing red wine' from possible pre-race rituals. 
2012-12-10 8:37 AM
in reply to: #4528204

Expert
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Subject: RE: Hot Chocolate 15k - Phoenix
Nice race/report. Good to "see you."
Its a hangover, of course its effing hard.lol
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