Did I get away with something?? Race Report

Saturday's race was at 8:35 in the morning. I'm not sure of any significance of the time, but 7:35 would have been MUCH better. I got there and started warming up, a bit too early - but I don't think that was a problem (probably only if it had been cold). I enjoyed checking out where I used to run as well as all the changes over the past 14 years since I moved away. I had an upset stomach from the start, probably from traveling and eating a bunch of crap. I took a couple Imodiums during the hours before the race. I felt great warming up, but as the race time neared, I felt off.. I was getting too hot. My parents, sister & nephew arrived to cheer me on just before the start and I knelt in the shade trying to not get overheated. Did a couple strides in the grass, then got in the lineup. The gun went off.. was there a gun? It was funny - they had music - fight song, then the da da da da da da CHARGE! and we took off. haha!

The start was easy, not a lot of pushing - saw my sister jumping up and down screaming for me & Mom taking pictures, cracked me up since I'm not used to all this attention. We got onto the gravel and there were a couple adult girls in front of me and a couple young, probably high school age girls. I only worried about my pace, but thought it would be a good idea to count who was in front. About a half mile in, we settled into pace and I caught the two younger girls, then the next adult came to me pretty quick. That left one woman who had a running form similar to a really fast girl out here (not a pretty form, but sure gets it done). We continued along and it seemed like a pretty thin group of people in the race.. I was later surprised to find out there were a little over 500 people at the start - 300+ of them racing (others entered with their dog). About a mile in, I am on closing in on the first female. I pass her pretty strong, then have an uphill that I found easy from my recent hill repeats (besides running up a 16% grade for .2 miles at the dock at Lake Powell, this is nothing!). I easily take over first without any competition. I hit the first mile marker at 6:47.. then hear my Garmin beep about 10 seconds later.. eeek. I try not to think about it and keep on working. I am still passing guys (which I find amusing since some of them were acting pretty cocky prior to the race and now falling off the pace). I keep working it and trying to focus on a rhythm and not the heat. I like that the guys are slowing some, as it gives me people to pick off and push the pace. I'm pushing.. but not really accomplishing much - seems like a tempo, not a race pace... I look at my watch and notice I'm in the 7's. My Garmin beeped for 2 miles and I didn't look to see how slow (7:12). I skip the water stop and just focus on tangents. Somewhere around here, I start thinking about how there is no shame in 2nd female. Remember.. I'm leading while thinking this.. very bad. I think how I'll get more team points if I win.. but I can just do a packet pick-up to get more - WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?! I'm dragging - not my drippy hot (that is humidity) but just beat up, what is odd is that I'm still the one passing others. Finally the girl I passed catches up to me (with my attitude, she should). I told her good job (which often say because I mean it, as well as saying something sounds like I have more in me to them - strategy. Also hearing me say "good job" aloud makes me hear it aloud and think I'm doing a good job). I keep going and we go under an overpass (ahh, shade), we turn a corner and I'm still trying to hang on, we turn another corner and there is a huge puddle of water. I can also see a kayak team lifting their boat over their head and doing some sort of arm workout with their coach all over them... this gets me going. She stutter steps over the water and others are running around it. I have nice flats - but this is a race, screw it - I'm more looking for the least slippery spot and just splash right in. The water drenches my left foot & leg and splashes all over my right leg and ironically cools me off. I pass her as I do this and then realize I have to have my act together. I am tired of the bs... I start going. I really picked it up and started racing again. Thinking she is trying to catch me again. I start passing other guys faster now. I get tired on the bridge and look at my Garmin. 2.78 miles. OK - I've got just over a quarter mile left. I can always pull off a fast quarter after any workout if my coach challenges me. Off I go - holding the pace and trying to decrease it some. I don't know how slow that 3rd mile was because it shows it at 7:13.. but I turned it on during that and SERIOUSLY dropped the pace.. so how slow was I going before to average a 7:13 eeek!!! I come off the bridge, I think I have to make a loop around the park, but we don't - I notice the strait shot in. A tight turn prevented me from a true kick. My family was there cheering and screaming. It was fun. My last .1 was at 6:09 pace... The Garmin shows I was at that pace for a while. Not sure what the heck happened out there, but I was quite a ways in front of 2nd (out of the shoot and talking to my Dad) when she crossed.

I ran a 21:53. Honestly.. should that be an overall female time?? After the race, I went to run one of the JJ100 loops and a guy there who runs 5Ks in the 16's said I should be able to take off about 2 minutes because of the heat - he had been paying attention to the temp at that time. I asked if he was serious or just trying to make me feel better. He said he was serious - 2 minutes. That would be a 19:53.. a PR. That would make sense to win a smaller race with that time. Still seems like I got away with something to win a 5K in 21:53. They also double dipped - they gave me the overall female and the age group winner. I hate when they do that. I tried not to take it, but they told me that was how they did it. If you win overall, you shouldn't be counted in age group awards... you already won something.. that allows another person to get a medal.


*****

JJ100 course.

HOLY COW.. that is NOT typical desert flat. That sucker has hills, sand, gravel, rocks. Bob, I've got lots of pictures for you. My legs were pretty tired from the race. I ran a 15.35 mile loop with a guy in AZ who has run the race 3 times and paced someone on it. He was so nice and waited for me to run his second lap with him. When we finished, another guy showed up & said it was 97 degrees (that is the guy that said I could take off 2 minutes). I am so glad I did this, but my legs were a bit tired. I hope I didn't sound like I was complaing to him - I would note, "wow, I feel my hamstrings working" - I was trying to listen to my body and see what I felt on 1 lap since I knew it would be much more exaggerated when you are doing lap 4 or 5. He pointed out all the places where other trails meet up and how to know which one to be on. We took pictures of the different types of ground. I learned a lot - for example, I need to buy a 40 oz camelback... lugging a 32 oz bottle of Gatorade is not so nice on the shoulders. My legs were tired after - I mostly felt it in the fronts of my legs just above my foot and the bottom of my feet. You ultra runners are crazy tough!!! Running an ultra on the street is one thing, but on these trails... you guys are animals!! He gave me a shot block. With the two imodiums in me (why I mentioned earlier) I thought I'd give it a try again. Black Cherry tastes MUCH better than lemon lime (and I like Lemon Lime for other things like Gatorade, sports beans, etc). I only had one, it still made me VERY burpy, but no restroom issues. That might be the trick Imodium + shot block. HAHA! I had taken a couple sports beans earlier - my fav! Oh - and I have the funniest pictures of my face. I'll have to upload some of them - I had zoomed in on my nose and cheek. I had so much salt on my face it was funny. It was just caked on. In all my AZ years, I don't recall that happening before. He thought I hadn't had enough electrolytes and the water was washing out the salt. I don't know if it was that or just putting in 20 miles in the heat. I have only gone 20 miles strait before (granted, I did have a break from the warm-up, then race then 15 miles - but it was pretty close to continuous). I did 20 in the dark around the track in high school. A fund raiser - each mile, I'd go the other direction.

Anyway that was a brutal 15 miles. I drank OJ and Chocolate milk on the way to my parents house - then hit their swimming pool!!