Race Report: Savannah Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Stats/Goals

Distance: 13.1 miles
Location: Savannah, GA
Current PR: 1:38:26 (11/28/2014, Atlanta Half marathon)
90% Goal: 1:40:00
50% Goal: 1:35:00
10% Goal: 1:32:30 (Peachtree Subseed Qualifier)

Result: 1:47:18 (http://tinyurl.com/p58xzfz)

Mile Splits:
7:15
7:12
7:11
5k: 21:59 (7:05 pace)
7:20
7:39
7:32
10k: 45:09 (7:16 pace) => 1:08 off PR 10k
8:12
8:42
8:55
9:05
10m: 1:18:13 (7:50 pace) => 5 mins faster than my time at the Atlanta 10miler
9:09
8:28
10:20

Summary

I had very high hopes for my performance heading into this race.  I came out very strong (too strong?) for the first 10k, and petered out over the last half of the race.  I was really down on myself initially, but, after seeing how the rest of the day went for everyone, I'm content with how the day went down.  As with the Alien Half earlier this season, it was an important lesson in mental strength.

Race Prep

Savannah was a bit of a last second race.  I didn't sign up for it until the weekend before.  We wanted to wait to see if Angelina was feeling well enough to travel and if she was could get around Savannah on her own.  It was going to be her training partner's (Brandi) first marathon, Angelina wanted to be there to cheer and hold signs for her.

Travel there was uneventful.  Getting to the expo by 4:00 was one of the best decisions we made.  While parking took us 10-15 minutes (which was irritating at the time), the line was backed up across most of the Talmadge Bridge (read: very very far).  I don't really understand while R&R Savannah continues to have their expo at such an inaccessible location while not offering any kind of bib-via-mail pickup.

We got up at 4:00, out of the hotel by 4:30, and had zero issues with parking.  I checked my bag of post-race snacks/gear because I was going to have to fend for myself after the race.

It was a little warmer  than we had anticipated.  Forecasts said the start was supposed to be in the low 70s, getting up to the 80s later with very high humidity.  I had hoped the cloud cover would mitigate the heat.

ATC Fall Distance Training Group Shot Thing Place People WOO

Race

I filed into my corral about 20 minutes before race start.  There wasn't much running room, so I had to settle for bouncing around to get loose.  There was a guy from the 2013 marathon training group who recognized me and we talked for a while ("Hey, you're the guy that broke his foot!").  Then Courtney, one of the other Riverside runners, made her way in and we talked a bit.  The race ended up starting about 15 minutes late with no real explanation.

I started off fast, but I felt comfortable.  The first 5k was only 1:30 off my 5k PR, which meant it was probably way too fast.  After the first 3 miles, I bounced between a 7:30 and 7:15 pace where I'd feel comfortable then realize I was pushing too hard.

Mile 6.  Before the Crash.

I saw Angelina at the 6 mile mark and she was smiling and supportive as always.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hold my pace much past the 10k mark.  The heat was getting to me (thought I didn't really consider it much at the time).

I ended up run/walking the rest of the race with no particular pattern.  Telling myself "I'll make it to the next mile mark" and usually falling short.  I let a LOT of negative thinking into my head when the 3:15 marathon pace group (1:37:30 half marathon) went by around mile 9.

Around 10, Courtney caught up to me.  She was a bit behind her target pace, but ahead of her PR pace.  Seeing her made me pick up my pace just to stay with her.  We were counting down the quarters.  I managed to hang with her until mile 12 when my legs felt like they were loaded with lead.

I saw Angelina for the second time while I was walking around 12.5.  She was on her way out to cheer on Brandi at the half/full split.  She yelled out, "I'm still proud of you!" (she knew I was way off pace)  For some reason, when I was getting down on myself, the first thought had been: "Angelina is going to be disappointed in you."  Now, thinking with a non-running-addled mind, I know that that she would never say or feel that, but it was in my head and it made me feel awful.  Just that little bit of a cheer form her made me feel much better (but not faster).

I felt as good as I look.  Perhaps worse.

I wasn't able to power down the last half mile, but I was content.  I was going to finish.  I got to run with a friend for a mile and a half of her new PR race.

Post Race

It wasn't until I staggered through the finish that I realized how much it had warmed up during the day.  I had cloud cover for most of my run, but standing in the park afterwards was awful.  I sought shade and waited for everyone to start coming in.  Angelina ended up missing Brandi at the split (Brandi passed by too fast) and the back half of the course was pretty inaccessible.  So she just headed to the finish.

Shortly after she got back to the park, we saw a post from one of our marathon friends that he got redirected on course and that the race was shutting down due to the heat.  Medical resources were being pushed to the limit and most of the marathoners were still on course.

Everyone in our group eventually made it in.  The marathoners ran anywhere from 17 miles up to 25ish.  I ran with Brandi for a mile and a half, to make sure she actually made the full distance.  The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she "didn't run a marathon".

MARATHONER!

Afterwards, we got an awesome burger and watched football for the rest of the evening.

 Conclusion

In the moment, I was really hard on myself.  A lot harder than I was after the Alien Half.  In that race, I didn't have a lot of prep work, the course was a lot hillier than I expected, and the weather was a lot hotter.

I had a similar amount of prep time for Savannah (I registered only a week in advance), but I kind of knew it was always a possibility.  The terrain of the course was a lot easier.  The starting conditions were close to ideal (if a little warm).

Seeing the aftermath of people getting fluid IVs and two runners tragically passing, I'm a lot more willing to cut myself some slack.  I know I left some time on the course just from mentally beating myself up on course, but, despite the flat course, conditions were not in favor for running.

One of my goals for 2015 had been to hit a new PR at the major distances.  I narrowly made 5k and 10k PRs earlier in the year, but neither of the halfs I ran were anywhere near PR material this year.  It's a bit of a disappointment, but more fuel for the fire next year.

Potato was a champ walking around Savannah all day

Race Report: Atlanta 10 Miler

Stats/Goals

Distance: 10 miles (1 mile Conquer Cardiac Challenge)
Location: Atlantic Station, Atlanta, GA
Current PR: 1:23:54 (10/26/2014, Atlanta 10 Miler)  7:02 (10/26/2014, Cardiac Split)
90% Goal: 7:00 on Cardiac Challenge (beat last year's time)
50% Goal: Get in Top 100 again
10% Goal: 6:30 on Cardiac Challenge

Result: 1:23:51 (http://tinyurl.com/q3qkcwz)
Mile Splits:
8:46
8:51
8:33
8:37
8:47
8:41
7:05
9:14
7:58
[Missed last mile, watch only clocked 9.95]

Cardiac Split:
6:29

Summary

The Atlanta 10 Miler may be giving Run Around the Park a run for its money on the title of "Favorite Race in Atlanta".  I had a blast running with a small group of friends at a relaxed pace for 6 miles, focusing up and powering up Cardiac Hill as fast as possible, and then cruising in to finish.

Race Prep

Last year, the 10 Miler started a "Cardiac Challenge" where, within the race, they timed participants up the iconic hill going up Peachtree Road (also featured on the Peachtree Road Race).  The catch is this is one of the hilliest courses they could think of and the Challenge doesn't come until about 6.5 miles in.

Instead of racing the 10 Miler last year, I started off easy with Angelina and one of her friends and ran my guts out on Cardiac hill.  For finishing in the top 100, I was rewarded an awesome beer mug:

#carbup

I wanted to do something similar again this year.  I polled the Run Leads and assembled a little band of "engines-that-could".  We would meet up at the training tent, line up at the front of Wave C, and run at a high 8/low 9 minute pace until we got to the hill and then fly up as fast as we could.

C is for CARDIAC CHALLENGE

Race

We had zero pre-race issues.  We got there super early, so parking wasn't an issue.  The training tent was super easy to find and everyone showed up.

Meanwhile, Operation Cardiac was in full swing.  We went out a little faster than our initial plan, but not a whole lot (we were closer to 8:30 than the 8:45 I was shooting for).

For the most part during races, I'm used to hearing labored breathing and footfalls with the occasional cheer from a spectator or volunteer directing me to water or Powerade.  This was not one of those races.  The seven of us spent the whole first hour cutting up, making awful jokes, innuendos about Ikea's meatballs, and discussing the proper pronunciation of root beer (seriously, does "root" rhyme with "shoot" or "shut"?  The answer seems pretty easy to me...)  Some even had the audacity to question the dominance of Clemson Football.

Around the 4 mile mark, there's a very steep downhill and I absolutely love running down steep hills as fast as I can.  Unfortunately, this one left me with a couple flat tires at the bottom.  The upper on both shoes tore on the outside near my pinkie toes.  They were still serviceable for the rest of the race, but they're probably ready to be retired now.

Does anyone have AAA?

I picked up my pace about a half mile out from the actual hill, which separated me from the group for the challenge.  Some of them had struck up a conversation with some others from Minnesota, and I knew I needed a few minutes at a medium pace before pushing a mile uphill.

It would have been fun crossing the start at the same time and having a true race up the hill.  I probably would have been able to push a little harder with them right around me, but it would have also caused some logistical issues with having to weave around those taking the hill at a more reasonable pace.

The first few hundred yards of the hill were flat, so it's a good spot to bank a little time.  This year, they had markers at all of the quarters going up the hill, so it was easier to keep track of my progress.  They also had cheering groups all along Peachtree up that hill.  The only thing I'd change about the course is they had a water stop about 100 yards before the end of the hill.  I'd much rather put that 100 yards AFTER the hill so you didn't have to backtrack to get to it.

The group caught up and we exchanged time estimates.  I had hit my lap timer a little late at the start (missed 15-20 seconds) and had timed 6:07 up the rest of the hill.  Everyone else was in the same general range, so we weren't sure at all who had won.

After the hill, the group broke up a bit.  I decided that, just in case I hadn't won the race up the hill, I would at least win the race to the finish line, so I pumped back up to a 7ish pace for the last couple miles.

Post Race

Angelina finished with her "Bump Support Group."  As she crossed the finish line, she finished her 1000th mile run since getting pregnant this past March.  So proud of her.

Bump the jams bump it up, while your feet is runnin'

Eventually, we figured out how to access the race results on our phones.  Three of us managed to finish within ONE SECOND of each other (I had edged them out 6:29 to 6:30).  The top 100 cutoff last year was 7:22, and I had assumed it would get faster, but it got pushed all the way down to 6:48.  The group did great, five finishing in the top 100 and the other two missing by seconds.

Brad, below, DOES get a good amount of bragging rights for having just come off of a half marathon the week before and Ragnar Tennessee the night before.  Bradley Bling, fo' sho'.

Agony of Defeat

Thrill of Victory

 Conclusion

If we keep doing this, the 10 Miler will easily replace Run Around the Park as my favorite ATC event.  I had a great time running with my friends enjoying the city and still got to be hyper-competitive with them, if only for a fleeting 7 minutes.

Race Report: AJC Peachtree Road Race

Stats/Goals
Distance: 10 km
Location: Lenox Mall to Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA
Current PR: 44:05, (7/4/2014, AJC PRR, Atlanta GA)
90% Goal: 44:04
50% Goal: 43:00 (top 1000)
10% Goal: 42:00 (subseed qualifier)

Result: 44:01 (http://tinyurl.com/nstny3m)
Mile Splits: 
7:03
6:45
6:33
7:23
7:29
7:15

Summary
Rainy day, but a fun race.  I was a little disappointed in my performance, but it pointed out a hole in my training that I certainly knew about, but didn't do anything to change.

Expo
The day before the race, I woke up and did a normal, short/fast pre-race run.  I warmed up with an easy half mile, mile at race pace (ended up around 6:55) and a half mile to cool down.

Angelina came home from her morning run and we headed down to the Peachtree Expo.  As soon as we pulled up, it started pouring down rain (this would be the weekend's theme).  Despite my umbrella, my shoes and socks soaked all the way through.  Fortunately, it was the PRR Expo, so I could buy dry socks and just roll with it.

I was there for my first job as an ATC Ambassador.  Our primary job was to get people signed up as members with the track club and talk about the benefits of the organization.  I ended up spending a good bit of my time playing unofficial bouncer/photographer for the American elite team who was there for a meet and greet with people.

Pre-Race
I woke up at 4:30, downed a Clif bar, threw on my gear, and drove down to North Springs MARTA. Since I didn't want to run with my handheld, I took a bottle of Gatorade with me which I nursed the hour before the race.

After getting off at Buckhead station, we got routed a different way from last year, which turned our half mile walk into a mile and a half.  It wasn't too bad, just irritating to listen to a couple people there half freaking out that we were lost and going to be late (despite the start being over an hour away).

Rain rolled in just as we were getting to the corral area, so we took shelter under an awning.  It came down pretty hard for about 20 minutes, but it subsided a bit before 7:00 when I took off to warm up.  I did about a mile total running around the later corrals just varying fast/slow.  Nothing too major.  After saying "hi" to friends in C, I proceeded to A and put myself about 4 deep from the front.

Race
I forced myself to start a little slower than I went out last year.  It was comfortable, but still pushed.  It was the standard PRR start (blowing by a handful of people while a handful of others were blowing by me).  All of that stopped after the first mile or so.

I let my legs go on the early downhills.  I knew I would need to make up time there to make up for the later hills.  If anything, I think I need to take the early downhills faster in the future.

Cardiac wasn't too bad.  I wanted to stop by the time I got to the top, but didn't let myself.  The real slog was climbing up from the interstate overpass.  I ended up having to walk twice through midtown which probably cost me at least 30 seconds.  The rain came back and even got a bit heavy about when I passed 12th street.  I can't really say that it had much of an impact hitting that late.

I was able to gather myself and make a good push after the turn on 10th.  I knew in my head (and on my watch) that it was still a half mile to go at that point, but it always seems like the finish line should be so much closer.  I had a strong finish (last 1/4 was about a 6:00 pace).

Post Race
I must say, ATC *really* stepped its game up this year.  In the past, they had a large area fenced off where they had a photo booth and some food from Waffle House.  Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

This year, they rented out Park Tavern, which is a restaurant right on Piedmont Park. In addition to the standard post-race food, they were handing out beer tickets and had a large tented area which was perfect for the rain.  I got to stand around under cover while all my running friends and trainees streamed in.

Conclusion
I'm not completely sure how it completely dropped off my radar, but I did very little of my own training at speed in hilly conditions.  I ran on hills plenty, but most of my long/hilly runs have been when I'm doing the run-lead thing, so I wasn't running at the pace I needed to prepare myself.

I'm pleased with my performance, but not overly happy.  I thought I could shave a minute off (or at least break a 7:00 pace), but that will have to wait for another race.  I missed top 1000 by about 40 seconds.

Race Report: Braves Country 5k

Stats/Goals
Distance: 5 km
Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, GA
Current PR:  20:42 (February 2013, Preservation 5k, Savannah, GA)
90% Goal: 21:30
50% Goal: 20:42
10% Goal: 20:00

Result: 20:23 (http://tinyurl.com/orn7274)
Mile Splits: 5:55, 6:46, 6:58 (from GPS)

Summary
Getting PRs is always nice.  I'm not sure that I left much time on the course today, but the biggest thing I came away from today is that I know I can run sub-20.  I just need to go out and do it.

Pre-Race
Lots of water last night.  Clif bar when I woke up at 5:00.  Gatorade and banana while waiting for the race to start.  Nutrition was not an issue.

Seeing the other run leads, coaches, and trainees was very energizing.  Only ran about a half mile in my warm-up, but I ran it hard.

Race
The first mile was, in a word, fast.  The course clock said 6.  My watch said 5:55.  Either way, That was about 20-25 seconds too fast and I paid for it in the second half.  I wanted to stop on every uphill for the last half of the course.  I dialed it back some, but pushed through.

The course was a lot hillier than I expected from looking at elevation maps.  No big hills, just your standard Atlanta rolling hills.  Conditions were also very humid.  It didn't get very warm until after the race, but it was still uncomfortably sticky during the race.

Post Race
3-4 of our run leads snagged age group awards.  Not a lot of PRs in that group, but a good time was had.  Lots of PRs from our trainees.  I tried to track down Angelina to run her in, but instead got snagged to do an interview for some local-access show.  She rocked OUT in her run and was able to go a lot faster than she had planned.

Conclusion
I don't think it's possible to be disappointed by a PR, but I think today was close.  I've been knocking on the door of 20 minutes for a while now (3 races under 21 minutes).  Granted, the other two races were both very flat and ideal conditions.  Dropping 19 seconds in a hot and hilly race is awesome.  I'm probably too hard on myself, but if I'm not being my worst critic, then I won't get any better.

Race Report: Ragnar Chicago

Stats/Goals

Distance: 18.5ish miles, split across 3 legs

Location: Between Madison, WI and Chicago, IL

Goals: Don't get hurt, have fun, handle it better than Gulf Coast 2014.  Team goal 

Result: 29:04:17 for the full course.  88th out of 356 teams in the division 

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/i/Chicago/RagnarRelay_Results.pdf

Summary

Team relays create a lot of unique challenges that have nothing to do with the running.  Logistics, digestion, and sleep all play a major factor.  Either way, the primary goal of the weekend was to go out, run (somewhat) hard, and have a blast.

Details

Prep

We assembled all of our things.  The packing lists we made from the last relay served us well.  I don't think we forgot anything major.

Key Items (not an extensive list):

• 3 running outfits (each in a gallon Ziploc bag)
• 2+ pairs of shoes
• Travel pillow (my neck pillow always outperforms expectations)
• Blanket (used more for padding on the sides of the van than as a blanket)
• Clif bars
• "Bum it" clothes - PJ pants/Hoodie
• Baby wipes (post-run "showers")

Things I wanted:

• A cold weather option shirt.  For this race, a single under armor would have sufficed, but it was warm enough on the night leg
• A pair of swishy pants.  Basically, pants that weren't PJ pants in case the wind kicked up

Start

The drives up and back were fun, but super uneventful.  I'll skip to the race.

Ragnar compels each team who has at least one member who lives within 100 miles of the course to provide 3 volunteer shifts lasting 6 hours.  Unfortunately, the people we had lined up in the Chicago area weren't able to get sites close enough, so we were faced with paying $360 or providing those volunteer shifts from our ranks.

So, Brad, Steve, and I headed to the start line at 0300.  I think we ended up at about the best job.  We were working with the MC who was signing in teams at the start line, announcing them, and waving the start flag every 15-30 minutes.  Tons better than trying to hand out free stuff in a bag.

0900 rolled around eventually and our replacements even arrived early, so we took off to hang out with our team who all arrived in one piece.  To my great surprise, we were greeted by our paper mache mascot, Pancakes.  We ended up carrying this large, pink, elephant head around  the whole course.

Jody got started at 0930 and team Pink Elephants on Parade was underway.  Van 2 (my van) headed back to the hotel so Steve and I could get a quick shower and breakfast.  We drove off to exchange 6 where we would be starting our first legs in a few hours.

Leg 1

Going into the race, one of our runners, unfortunately, had to bow out due to sickness.  Because Steve and I had volunteered  pre-race (and we were both at the highest mileage already in the van), we let the three girls from Chicago split the bonus legs how they chose.  The worst part about this was it created a big of a pace disparity between the two vans.  Our slowest runner was the one who stayed home, so her miles were getting replaced with 3-5 min/mile faster.  This meant that Van 1 saw  less downtime than they might have liked.

My first leg was, in a word, fast.  I didn't intend on throwing it all out there, but I felt good (despite the 0230 wakeup) and was going on two days rest.  I maintained about a 7 minute pace through the first 10k.  For the last mile, I backed off to a 7:30.  While I don't have a chip time to prove it, I'm pretty sure that run was a new 10k PR.  Based on my GPS watch, if I ran the last quarter at an even pace, I ran about a 43:56 (vs 44:07 PR).  Boom.

Leaving exchange 12 (van 1's second leg) was a shitfest.  It was a very long/narrow parking lot with 1 entrance/exit and everyone was trying to get out at once.  We ended up taking van 1's second runner to the next exchange for them because they were blocked in.  Unfortunately, this ate into our downtime at exchange 18.  However, I still managed to get some food in me and a little sleep in the quiet area.

Leg 2

This was our night leg.    Unfortunately, we had a bit of a miscommunication with Van 1 and we weren't ready when their runner came across.  That, plus a separate SNAFU Van 1 had all on their own meant we were 35-40 minutes behind where we should have been.  Oh well.

I ended up running leg 2 on full anger mode.  Sleep-deprived Jerry was irritated, so I started super fast (but still slower than my Leg 1 pace) but still got passed by the fastest team.  Seriously, it felt like I was standing still when this guy blew by me at about a 5 min pace.  Crazy.

I had been a little worried about the leg, because the map advertised it as running with traffic (something I'm loathed to do, even in full sunlight).  Fortunately, I didn't have to do that.  Instead, it took us under the highway to a creepy greenway.  I was happy to always have a few other runners' lights in view.

I managed to sleep for much of the last leg in our van as well as the drive to exchange 30.  It was *very* necessary.  I snagged some pancakes and downed a Clif bar while getting another hour or so of rest.

Leg 3

For this leg, I donned Terry's bright pink Superman shirt.  A woman at the start cheered me on as I left "Go Superman! You're super pink!  And super fast!"  It felt great.  I kept a comfortable pace until half way in where I had to stop to walk.  My abs were quite literally tired and exhausted.  I picked it back up for the last mile and a half, but it was still my slowest leg by far.

Takeaway

I was in a lot better shape this year than last and my body felt it.  Mileage was less, but I think I would have been fine on more miles, so long as I paced myself slower.  At Gulf Coast, I think we valued sleep too highly and food not highly enough.  However, that race was longer (260 miles) so it went through two nights.  I think the #1 issue there is that I don't want to do a relay that goes over two nights.  No digestive issues and no issues with being "unable to eat" like I had at Gulf Coast.

The single biggest thing to do at the next relay is each time a runner is about to start, someone should post a picture, start time, and estimated finish time at the start of every leg to the Facebook group.  This is so people remember what to look for (what color shirt was he wearing?) and so the other van is getting regular updates on the group progress and can prepare accordingly.

I wanted to do a few simulated Ragnars at home (Morning/Evening/Morning or Evening/Morning/Evening training) but I never made the time for it .  I don't feel it's really necessary, so long as I'm getting 25-30 miles per week.

Race Report: Atlanta Track Club Grand Prix Mile

Stats/Goals

Distance: 1 mile

Location: Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Current PR: 6:02 (2001, PE Timed mile @ Ocean Lakes High School)

"Recent" PR: 6:09 (2014, ATC Prediction Mile)

90% Goal: 6:10

50% Goal: 6:00

10% Goal: 5:45

Result: 5:55

1/4 Splits: 1:23, 1:24, 1:29, 1:36 (from GPS, so it doesn't add evenly)

Summary

A day at work, a car accident, Atlanta rush hour, and thunderstorms all conspired to thwart my attempt at a new mile PR.  Fortunately, the forces of good triumphed over the forces of evil and created an awesome evening.

Details

Trek to the Track

Yesterday was daunting just to make it to Emory.  The plan was to leave work by 4:00, grab some fast-food dinner, and carpool there.

I ended up having a 3:00 meeting, but I was still able to duck out on time, change, and hop in the car with plenty of time to... until I got rear-ended less than a mile from the office.  Awesome.

We pull to the side and I took a quick inventory of my body.  It was a low-speed collision, so I wasn't overly concerned.  Once I was satisfied that I was uninjured, I furiously messaged people to let them know not to wait on me and called Angelina to let her know I'm in one piece.

I had given the guy a few minutes to be the first to do the polite "are you ok?", but he was still sitting on the phone.  So I got out of my car and asked him (he was fine).  After I walked off to start taking pictures, he sheepishly got out and to ask how I was.  I called Alpharetta PD and a car was already dispatched, but it was another 45 minutes before I'm able to drive out of there.

I dug into what was supposed to be my "hour before race Clif bar" while driving down.  Traffic on 400 and downtown was 45 minutes worse than it should have been, but it wasn't too bad because school is out.  I was a little shaken from the accident, so my mental plan was to get to the track and walk somewhere to get some food.  It's a college, so there HAS to be food nearby...right?

All Comers

Unfortunately, there was no food nearby (2 miles and 30 mins of traffic for Wendy's? ugh...), but a friend spotted me another energy bar and Angelina has a spare half-PB&J, so my hunger was sated at least temporarily.

This is only the second track meet I've ever gone to (the first was earlier this summer).  The Track Club puts on a series of weekly meets at Emory throughout the summer.  They are a mix of activities for young kids, stiff competition for the Middle/High School aged kids, and all levels between the ATC Elites and walkers for the adults.

Angelina had put together a group with one of the other run leaders and two of our trainees for the 4x400 relay.  I ran around taking pictures of them going around the track.  Everyone had a great time and Angelina managed to cut a few seconds off of the 400 from a few weeks ago.

I knew my race would take a long time to get started.  There were 11 heats before mine and the first one didn't get going until around 8:40.  I had no plans to warm up until the first six had finished.

As the first one started, foreboding clouds with occasional lightning strikes started rolling in.  During the second, they announced they would be delaying the meet.  Awesome.

It's Like Raaaaaaaiiiinnnn...

We took shelter, but it never really rained much.  There were a few loud thunderclaps and close strikes, so it was certainly for the best, but no less disappointing.  We had some great conversation with friends and played with an adorable dog.

As the evening had worn on, my right calf and heel had started tightening up.  I'm not exactly sure what was wrong.  It didn't quite feel like PF, but I couldn't get it loose until after I got home and some time with the lacrosse ball.

Time ticked by and we all were starting to get worried that it would get cancelled completely.  I had really no hope of getting any kind of focus together the prepare for the race.  A few of the Track Club people came by to let us know we'd get Grand Prix participation, but that wasn't my goal for the evening anyways.

10:00 rolled around.  Storm had largely died down and people were making their way back onto the track.  We wandered outside and found a significantly diminished crowd.  We had ten minutes to warm up, and then they were going to let us run.  Unfortunately, that meant running everyone in just two heats with no official times or results.

Race

Still a little unsure about my calf, I took two and a half warm-up laps sprinkled with some quick striders.  The leg felt fine while running, so I decided I could still go for my pace.  I didn't have any time for any coordinated pre-race ritual stretching, but, being an evening race, I was pretty well limbered up already.  If anything, I was mostly worried about being out of the game mentally from the long day.

They divided us into two groups (faster/slower than 7:00).  The faster group lined up first.  I was about three deep from the line, which ended up being right about where I should have been.

I went through the first turn much faster than my 6:00 target pace just for positioning concerns.  I eventually settled in and felt a lot more comfortable than I thought I would for clearing the first lap in 1:25.  There were two kids (around 12) around me that were just flying.

I slowed down a bit for the second and third laps (watching the clock, both were around 1:30).  Going into the first turn of lap four, I got passed by a friend who I knew was also aiming for just-under-six.  So, I stayed right behind her.  We came around for the home stretch and I was able to kick a little bit for the last 50m.  When I could see the clcok, I knew all I had to do was keep my legs moving, I was easily going to break 6.

In the end, I think I had another 10 seconds in me that I could have pushed.  Regardless, the mile was the only distance I ever really "ran" in high school, so it was the only timed record I still had.  I've known for a long time that I'm in a lot better shape than I was then, but it's nice to finally supplant that last record.

It was certainly a roundabout journey, but this race was exactly what I wanted.