Tag Archives: races

Tybee Race Report Part 5–YMCA 1 mile run

Posted on February 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

We had to walk a couple of blocks from the 2.8 mile finish line to the start line of the 1 mile race.  It was a long tough walk.  It was that old familiar feeling of the last mile of a marathon.  Was this mental of physical?  I think probably both.  I watched some of the runners just running the mile race warming up and looked at them in envy.  I remember feeling like that a few hours ago.

We had a delayed start as the hundreds of us waited in the start corral.  The wait was driving me crazy but I think it did me some good. 

Was it the other runners?  Was it the idea we were almost finished?  Was it the thought I would hit my goal?  Was it the energy at the start line?  Was it the AC/DC as the start gun?  It might have been everything.  I was ready to cut it loose. 

It took me about 2/10 of a mile and I was moving.  I was moving good and picking up steam with every step.  The course was flat and the only problem were the turns.  I finally looked up and in the distance could see a finish.

I cut it loose.  I was passing runners left and right but it was not about passing runners, not about time or about pride.  It was just about doing what I said.  I was determined to leave it all on the course.  Hold nothing back.

After 6 minutes and 39 seconds I crossed the finish line.  I felt proud about the finish and knew I did what I set out to do.

I had a lot of highlights.  Great race times, a lot of fun, a few top 3′s, 2nd in the masters overall but one of my biggest highlights came a few hours later.  Two scoops at Leopold’s ice cream!  That is how you complete a great weekend of racing!

Lesson?  Yes, Ice cream is great recovery food.  :)

Happy running….

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Tybee Race Report Part 2–Sundae Cafe 10K

Posted on February 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

For an early morning 10k a nice brisk thorough warmup is usually in order.  After running the 5k the night before and knowing I had 23.1 miles ahead in the next 6 hours I tried to keep it simple and relatively easy.  My legs felt fine, not amazing, but fine.  My warm up went well and I knew I would not know anything until we took off from the start line.

My goal this morning again was pretty simple.  I wanted to finish the 10k in about 45 minutes.  If I kept it below 45 minutes I would be ahead on the 3:10 goal for all 5 races.  I bought myself 2 minutes on Friday night so I already had a little time to play with.  I knew as we got deeper into the weekend buying time would get harder and harder to do, so I knew it had to be early and not late in the races if I was to buy more time.

As we took off the legs felt fine.  It already did not feel like a normal 10k because I just did not have the extra bounce in the step but I felt fresh enough on this morning to make a run at it.  The course itself was familiar to me.  It is almost the final 6 miles of the half marathon course that I did a couple of years ago.  It is mostly residential with a scenic look or two along the way.

I was pleasantly surprised with the number of cheering spectators along the way, that is not what I was expecting.  It was great to have the support on the course.  Again there is nothing that resembles a hill on the course, which made me happy.  I met a runner before the start who said he lives in Atlanta and he does not like hills.  I told him he needs to move!  Atlanta is one big hill!  That is one reason I was not surprised with my fast race times even when I was trying to run conservative, no hills helps with that!

The first mile went well but shock of all shocks, I went out too fast!  Not way too fast, but I did make an effort to slow down the pace the next few miles.  I clicked away mile #1 at a 6:58 pace.  My next three miles were just about perfect.  First the pace is just what I wanted and also the number of runners on the course was great as well.  It thinned out nice but it was also not running by yourself.  The next few miles were 7:11, 7:10, 7:05 and 7:00. 

I had decided I would get to mile 5 and see how I felt.  If I was struggling I would just cruise in to the finish.  The good news is that I already knew I was ahead of pace so I was not worried about my time.  Under 45 minutes looked like a done deal.  I also felt solid with 1.2 miles to go.  I decided to finish strong and pick up the pace, not hammer it but just pick it up. 

I really enjoy the finish on the course.  It is flat and straight until you make a right hand turn to the finish towards the ocean.  You can see it getting closer from a distance and again the crowd support was great.  I made my turn to the finish and collected my total time of 42:50 buying myself 2 more minutes.  My finishing miles were 6:38 and 50 seconds for the last .2 (6:31 pace).

I was more than happy.  The question now is, “how do I feel?”  I have 45 minutes until I run the half marathon.  I felt like I gave a pretty hard effort and my legs agreed.  I also did not dress wisely.  It was cool that morning so I dressed in long sleeves, hat and gloves.  It was way too much and that also took a good bit out of me.  Overall I was pleased with how I felt but I was not sure how my body would respond to 45 minutes off. 

My goal was to hydrate, take in some calories, change clothes and try to stay loose.  Needless to say they would be no warm up before the half marathon for yours truly.

Two races down and three to go.  I bought myself 4 minutes of cushion and I was ahead of pace.  I felt good and was ready for more.

The lesson of the race so far is that annoying word…patience.  I really enjoy running the 5k and 10k because it is usually an all out effort and very little race management or thinking involved.  How do you exercise patience when you have no desire to?  I knew I was ahead of pace but it was not so much where I thought it was a patience thing.  It was a feel thing.  I felt good and ran the pace I felt I could hold on to.  I could have gone faster in that 10k and there were moments where my competitive nature could have come out and almost did.

Not being a real big fan of the whole practicing patience thing I was really pleased.  A 5k and a 10k are not great exercises for me to run in practicing patience but I felt like I have really passed the test so far.  To this point I have done a fine job running by feel and not by the clock.  However I have a half marathon to come so there is no need to get too excited.  I have plenty of time left to make poor decisions!  :)

Critz Half marathon to come…9.3 miles done 16.9 to go and total time (1:01:50)

 Happy running….

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Tybee Race Report-North Beach Bar and Grill 5K

Posted on February 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

It was very unusual to arrive on race day itself.  It is not something I am used to doing for an out of town race.  We got in town on Friday afternoon and picked up my race number and started the waiting game.  I did not have anything else to do except wait.  I came into the weekend with very unknown expectations.  January had been as light of a training month as I have had in some time.

One thing I knew for certain is that it would be quite windy for the 5K.  We had seen a tough breeze the whole trip down.  The temperature was great but as I would warm up the wind was really tough.  The flags were blowing stiff in the wind.  One good thing about the course is much of it would be run between houses on small streets.  This would help in blocking some of the wind.  However, as I would warm up I would turn a corner and be brought to a halt by the stiff wind.

There would also be a lot of turns which is not ideal for most races when running a 5K.  However, I had no real intention of running for a PR and secondly the course is really nice.  It runs you through some nice areas on Tybee Island in my opinion.

My plan was to play this race by ear and see how I felt.  My goal for the weekend was 3:10-3:15 for my overall time.  (Just between you and me, yours truly would have been a little disappointed if I did not hit the 3:10).  I knew for a 3:10 time I needed a 7:15 average pace for the weekend.  I knew the 5k was a race that would give me a nice shot at putting some time in the bank.  I set my goal at 21 minutes and would let me body dictate the pace.

The race would be in the dark which is always tricky for pace and especially with about 1,200 runners.  In order to practice some patience I made sure to line up in the middle of the pack.  That was a mistake.  One funny detail prior to the race was watching the runners trying to stay warm.  I thought they all seemed to feel like it was colder than it really was.  Watching them reminded me of the Disney Marathon a few years ago with cold, snow, sleet and wind.  Watching runners hide from the wind brought back tough memories!  However it was hardly that cold!  Try 30 degrees warmer!  Come on runners!  Toughen up.

As we took off, it felt like most runners thought it was a one mile race.  There was hardly any patience to be found and I was surprised I did not see somebody take a spill in the dark.  I would grade my first mile as a B+.  I might have gone out a tad quick but the legs felt fantastic and it did not feel like I was pushing at all.  I heard someone say to watch out for the speed bump.  Since it was dark and I was in the crowd of runners I was praying not to do a facial!  Thankfullynot.  I finished mile one in 6:11.

Again, the course was fun but the toughest part was coming around a corner and having that wind almost knock you down.  You can’t do anything about the wind so you can’t let that impact your pace.  The great thing about the dark was I could not see my watch so I was running by feal only.  I think this had a real positive impact on my performance.

We made turn after turn and knocked out mile #2.  I think the turns had an impact on the time which was 6:22.  As we started mile #3 I felt great and I wanted to cut it loose as I got closer.  I was passing a good many runners which just fueled the fire.

I have run a few night races and the most challenging thing I have noticed is not as much the dark but the surprise lights.  Your eyes adjust to the dark but each time you get light in the face you can’t see anything at the moment or for a while after that.

My finish was better than I expected.  Since I could not see my watch I could only judge by effort and it just seemed like I was cruising.  Fresh legs treated me well.  Mile 3 was 6:07 and my overall time was 19:05.  It was my second fastest 5K that I have run and I felt great.  I knew I might feel a little bit of that in the morning but figured it would not be too bad.

Race number 1 was in the books.  I managed to place in my age group but I was much more interested in food than sticking around to find out.

I was very pleased about my first race.  The real positives were:

- 2 minutes ahead of my goal

- I ran on feal and felt solid

- I had fun.  I love night racing.  Your times generally are not as good but I just have more fun.  Disney a few years ago was my first night race and I have loved it since then.

The reason I chose Tybee was because I have enjoyed it each time and I wanted a different challenge.  I have to say that the race organizers do an amazing job with  their races.

Race #1 is in the books.  5k at 19:05.  10k in 12 hours and counting.  More to come.

Happy running….

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Tybee Run Down

Posted on February 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

I thought that was a good way to say it, “Run Down”.  I will make sure and give a pretty good account of the races but I thought I would share a quick update from this past weekend. 

“Run Down”

Yes, that is how I felt headed into race number 4 of the 5!  It was a challenge indeed but it also was as much fun as I have ever had in running. 

What worked?

- Mentally running 5 different races that equal 26.2 times is easier.  You don’t have that overwhelming feeling at mile 18 or 20.

- It was just fun.  I heard it was just over 500 doing all 5 races.  The experience itself was just a lot of fun.  By the time the last race got there, we all felt like we were in the same bucket.  Just trying to finish.

- My performance.  I was pretty shocked at how well I did.  I ended with a final total time of 3 hours and 5 minutes.  I ran my 2nd fastest 5k, one of my faster 10k’s, one of my faster half marathons as well.  I was shocked at how well I ran the final mile. 

- Leopold’s.  Ice Cream shop in Savannah for recovery.  I am just listing what worked, and that worked!

- Hotel.  We had a hotel right at the start and finish lines and it made it ideal for the race.

- Weather.  Are you kidding me?!  It felt like April.  It also might make the list of what did not work though.

- Crew.  My crew was my Dad.  Excellent as always.  The encouragement and driver were great to have.

- Hydration.  The races allowed a good amount of time between races and I always had a chance to get rehydrated.

- Format.  I might list under what did not work also but for the most part, the way they had the races done and in which order was great.  5K first, 10k the next morning followed by the half marathon, 2.8 mile beach run and finish with the mile.

What didn’t work?  (This list will be short)

- 2.8 mile beach run.  This was a killer.  I felt like garbage and ran like I felt.  The soft sand to the finish was tough.  This was by far my worst race.

- Weather.  Only during the half marathon did I get really hot.  It got pretty tough about half way through.  I really had to push to keep my pace.

- Physically.  Mentally I think the marathon is tougher, but physically this felt tougher.  Starting with the half marathon the muscles were very hard to get loose and the legs got harder to move each and every race after that.  The constant starting and stopping was tough.

- Race format.  I would have made only one change.  I would prefer the 10k Friday night.  The half marathon would have been a little easier after a 5k and not a 10k that morning.  Other than that I thought it was perfect.

- Nutrition.  I let myself down here.  I think it got me during the half marathon and beach run.  I needed to do more and ignored it.

- Post-Race Ceremony.  For those of us doing all 5 races it was difficult to keep up with.  I found out when I got home that I placed in several of the races including overall. 

 I could not have been happier with the weekend.  The rest and recovery in January really treated me well.  I have made some interesting adjustments to my training this spring with the lack of an ultramarathon on the books.  My goal right now is just New York for the fall with some shorter races in the next 6 months.  More about that in the future but I look forward to sharing some good stories and race reports and even a lesson or two learned along the way.

Happy running….

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It’s race week or races week, or something like that

Posted on January 30, 2012 | 4 Comments

What do you call a race week with 5 races in 2 days?  I call it, “a nice change”.  I have been looking forward to this weekend for a while.  I have run the relay races, I have run many a “two a days”, I have run back to back long runs and of course a few 12 and 24 hour races.  This race is a different type of challenge.

The question is how hard can I push myself for each race and how well can I recover for the next?

The schedule:

Friday at 6:15pm- 5K

Saturday at 7:00am- 10K

Saturday at 8:30am- Half Marathon

Saturday at 12:00 Noon- 2.8 mile beach race

Saturday at 1:00pm- 1 mile race

The one that concerns me the most is the break between the 10K and half marathon.  It is a pretty short break and then I go right into the half marathon distance without much rest.  The biggest question is knowing how to put forth just the right amount of effort in the 10k.

The good news is Tybee Island is flat.  I have run there a couple of times and there are no hills to be found.  I think the racing and the challenge will be a lot of fun.  It is something different that I am looking forward to.  I am not exactly expecting any PR’s to drop this weekend!  :)

I do have a goal though.  This is really an unknown and I am not sure what is possible but I would like to run the entire 5 races in the 3:10-3:15 range.  I know I can normally run each race to hit those times, but can I do it running 5 races in that short amount of time?  It will be fun to find out.

 Happy running….

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Thought for today 1/27

Posted on January 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”  Roy Disney

It is interesting for me to think about that above.  As a new runner or a veteran runner we each know how to make decisions.  We established our values and what is important to us.  The start line and finish line mean something different to us and many times is how we can measure our training.  That is why we debate less than others about using discipline to get out the door and get in the miles.

Happy running….

 

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Changing it up

Posted on January 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is the first time in many years that I have been in January and I don’t have a real goal race on the horizon that I am preparing for.  I do have the Tybee races in two weeks, but after that I really have nothing until this summer.  I will be running the Georgia Marathon but the goal is just to finish and enjoy the run.

My foot has dictated some of this but I will say the rest of my body of taken advantage of it.  This is the first real down time I have taken in quite some time.  The thing I am happy with, is that it has allowed me to do some things differently.  For instance if you take away weight training my cross training the first 5 months of last year was 30 minutes!  30 minutes total!  Seriously.  I could not believe it once I looked back at it.  I was just running, nothing else.

So far this month alone I have just over 8 hours of cross training!  That is called changing it up.  I really feel like it is making a difference.  I am trying to keep mixing up what I am doing to keep it fresh.

This was one of my goals for 2012.  Some of my training has plateaued and not improved by a lot in the past year.  I have proved I can run a lot of miles during the year but what kind of miles are they?  What I wanted to do this year is to become a better athlete to help make myself a faster runner.  Sometimes less is more.

My training since 2007 really has not changed much.  I have used different plans but my yearly mileage and how I run those miles has not changed.  This year will be different. 

This is just one area where I am trying to change things up a bit in my life.  If I truly want something different I have to make different decisions and take different actions.  Have a great weekend!

Happy running….

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It’s a community thing, a family thing, or anything

Posted on January 19, 2012 | 2 Comments

As I have been planning my races in 2012 races and even looking at 2013 there is one thing that has been fun to think about.  Who else is out there with us?  I think that is the one thing that has changed over the years and has changed for the good.  Most of my races I have coming up are races that I am excited about have to do with the who and not the what.

Running is one of those unique experiences that brings people together.  How many things do we do in everyday life that cause separation and not uniting.  I know with the growth of the relay races it has done a lot to create a community of runners.  I still look at those 11 runners with a brotherhood reflection unlike other experiences because of what we went through.  Hills, hill and more hills! 

The Disney race experience for us has turned into a family thing with more family being converted for the 2013 race.  As you toe the line at your next race, whether this weekend or one coming up I would just encourage you to look around.  We are all individuals who have given hours of dedication and miles of training to become something better.

Speaking of something better, I am trying to get my foot to become something better.  I have put myself on the shelf for a bit to make sure I am 100% for this year.  I have still been fighting a bit of foot pain.  It is not debilitating but annoying and I have no desire to make it worse.  Each time it begins to feel better I go out and do a hard training effort and irritate it.  I have nothing huge coming up I am all that concerned about so I am just trying to take it easy for the next couple of weeks heading into the Tybee races.  This is me trying to practice patience…yes, still!

Happy running….

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