Ryan

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

My second of two race reports from August races.

the Hootie Hustle is a second annual event supporting the scholarship fund at the school district I live in so I feel an obligation to show up. Besides, last year I discovered that it’s a pretty nice course overall and it had better competition than I was expecting. Plus, this year, I’m unable to make it to the Jamie Block Alumni Meet at UW-Stout so it’s the perfectly timed replacement for that as a final Al’s Run tune-up.

As I mentioned, this course is pretty nice overall. I wasn’t expecting so much in Slinger, a pretty hilly town. However, they found a course where you have a long, gradual climb in the first half and a long, gradual descent in the second half. Before the race this year, someone mentioned the middle school, roughly the high point of the course, is 130 feet higher than the start/finish area, roughly the low point. So it’s not like we’re mountain climbing but it’s hardly pancake flat.

As I arrived at the course, I found an open parking space and, as I was pulling in, realized I ended up parking right next to Ed. We had a quick conversation, then I wanted to pick up my packet. Ed decided to join me so we walked together to the packet pick up. It was kind of drizzly/misting but, otherwise, not too bad of a morning. Honestly, I was thinking that precipitation might be a benefit because it was humid. Without the precipitation, it could get downright stuffy. With it, at least there was something to help cool you down.

Ed and I warmed up together, scouting out a bit of the early part of the course and the last mile or so of the course. After some loosening up, strides and scouting out how slippery the field turf football field we’d be turning on to for the finish gets when wet (not very) it was time to line up.

At the start, you pretty quickly hit a U-turn onto the street. Before that, i was out into the lead. Around the turn, I played it a little cautious and someone got past me. I fairly quickly got back in front and then was in the driver’s seat. For some reason, I felt like I was working hard but not going as fast as I would have hoped. As we climbed the hill, I could hear someone on my back. I could tell he was working hard but not giving in. I didn’t want to kill myself up the hill and turn myself into a rabbit so I kept the pressure up but didn’t fully open up. Then we got to the middle school and I knew that, generally speaking, it was all downhill from there. By that time, I felt a little more in sync and began pushing a little harder. Around a hard right that slowed me down, then into some neighborhoods. I pushed through that stretch then, at the 3K mark around a turn I stole a look back. I definitely built a gap but not as big as I had hoped. Knowing I didn’t have a whole lot to go and a great downhill was coming, I raised the effort level a little there.

Around another turn, through the 2 mile mark and into almost the perfect downhill. I leaned into the hill, tried to make the most of it but felt I wasn’t really accelerating much. By the bottom of the hill, I was just pushing with all I could.

You can see how wet it was, not ideal but not as bad as 85 and sunny would have been

Around a left turn, then just before a right I could see the scoreboard clock. 15:03. I pushed the pace thinking I’d be at least in the low 17s and maybe have a shot at sub-17.

I didn’t realize quite how far I still had to go, though. By the time I hit the track, the clock was right around 16 flat. I was pushing as hard as I could but, even in an oxygen deprived state and without trying to do the math, I knew a sub-17 effort would require the kind of sprint I don’t have when I’m rested, much less at the end of a 5K. I still gave it all I had, around the track for about 300 meters, then onto the field and finishing at the 50 yard line.

I saw 17:15 on the scoreboard as I crossed the finish line, then thought Ed should be around. Sure enough, he was on the track. I tore my pull tag off, then got around to cheer him in. I could see he was clearly on track for sub-19, I started telling him he has sub-19, how far under can he go? He seemed to pick up the pace some but not a whole lot. One of the finish line workers said something about me telling him sub-19 and I told him it was his goal and would be a PR for him. I think he was quite impressed when Ed crossed in 18:30.

After a few pictures, Ed and I headed out for a cooldown through a different part of town. All said, I have to rate this as a successful day for Team HillRunner.com at the Hootie Hustle. Sure, I would have liked sub-17 but I scored the win and this tells me I’m well on the path to sub-17 this fall. Ed got a top 3 finish and a huge PR. I’m looking forward to seeing what we both can do at Al’s Run.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

I’m a little behind on race reports. It’s been a hectic summer. So I’m going to be posting two race reports in fairly short order.

First up, the Hank Aaron State Trail 5K. As seems to be the case every year recently, I find myself at some point questioning whether I should run this race. This time, as mentioned, I had a very busy summer. The weekend before this race, I was in Illinois going through an RRCA coaching certification course (which I’ll write about when I get a chance). 2 days, 8-9 hours per day plus driving, then return to work on Monday. Plus I had a 100 question test I had to complete on my own time after the course was completed and I wanted to get that done before going on vacation the weekend after the HAST 5K. So I thought about skipping the race because I thought I’d be pretty drained.

Then I saw an offer for a free entry on the Keep Running MKE blog and figured what the heck, if I can get in free I can show up and at least get the body used to running hard. As it turns out, I ended up winning the free entry so there was no backing out.

On race day, I arrived and claimed my free entry, then relaxed until warmup time. During the warmup, I wasn’t feeling great but I was feeling good enough. What I noticed more than anything was the humidity. It was only around 70 (pretty good for this early August race) but the humidity was just thick. Still, everyone has to race in the same conditions and conditions are never ideal for distance running in early August. So I lined up thinking of what has become my recent usual finish: mid-20s for place with a time in the high 17s. This is a good field but not on a fast course so, while not thrilling, that isn’t a bad performance.

I lined up about 3 deep and, once the race started, quickly found myself first wishing I had lined up in the second row then getting passed by a handful of people. I probably lined up about right.

As the course looped around the Miller Park parking lots for most of the first mile, I worked my way past the fast starters, then settled into position. Around the mile, I passed a few people, then someone with a Hansons singlet passed me I believe just past the mile mark. I wanted to go with but I couldn’t quite match him so my goal became to just hang close and try to get him back later.

As we went up the gradual rise, I stayed as close as I could but he did open up a bit of a gap. As we turned around and went back down, I tried to make the most of the gentle downhill slope to pick up some speed but Hansons guy seemed to be doing the same thing. I was gaining slightly, though.

At the bottom of the slope, there are a couple quick turns, then a turn onto the off road portion of the trail along the river. Around the first turn, I was lining up to pass the Hansons guy. Coming off the turn, he knew I was there and picked it up, almost instantly passing 2 guys who were just ahead of us. I tried to match the move but again couldn’t. So I shifted to focusing on the 2 guys now between us. I fairly quickly passed one, then set to work on the other. Just past 2 miles, I got him and was back looking at Hansons guy.

With a couple quick, sharp turns, we cross the river, then it’s running parallel along the other side of the river upstream until we’re back by the Miller Park parking lots and into the finish line. Not much changed along here. I pushed hard, trying to close on Hansons guy unsuccessfully but also trying to make sure the guys I just passed didn’t come back on me. I don’t remember any position changes through here or into the finish.

In the end, I finished 19th, 1st 35-39 age group, in 18:03. Not quite the time I was hoping for but a better place than I was expecting. Maybe the humidity took more out of me than I expected. I did finish feeling like I had just swum, not run, a race.

Regardless, this race brings me back for another year and I get another good early tune-up for the fall season. Plus a gift certificate to a local running store. Not a bad day.

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

August started out very poorly for training and I was just recovering from a light ankle sprain ten days before race day so I had mixed feelings about my possible race performance. I had a great workout on Tuesday so I did have some confidence.

The weather seemed less than ideal with a mix between a light rain and a heavy mist. The winds were less than ten MPH so that was good.

I did try something new this time and that was eat something about three hours before the race. I, as always drink a lot of water and some Gatorade.

I like to be early to races "just in case," so I got there in plenty of time. I proceeded to pick up my t-shirt and bib and noticed that there was no timing chip. That’s fine – old fashioned scoring and gun time – works for me. As I was pining my bib on the iconic blue Hillrunner Team Shirt Ryan, my friend and coach, pulled up next to my car. We chatted which helped calm my always nervous energy before a race.

We went out for a warm-up of about two miles and Ryan gave me some excellent pointers regarding the course. I stretched some (very little actually) and very lightly and did some easy strides. It was then time to line up at the starting line.

Upon the command of "go" we all took off. After making a tight turn onto the streets I decided to check my Garmin to be sure I wasn’t heading out to fast – especially since I was pretty dang close to Ryan who usually beats me by about two to two and a half minutes in a 5K and holding pretty steady tied for third. "Shoot!" 10.3 MPH and I was hoping to go out at 9.8 for the first 3/4 miles. I dialed it back a bit knowing there was a hill somewhere in the first half of the race but I didn’t want to lose to much ground on third.

I normally check my Garmin every 1/4 mile to see my splits but this time I didn’t check it too often at all. As we hit the hill I decided to make my move on third place so I reeled him in and started to create some space. From there I started to push for what I thought was too hard but wanted to see what I could do. I started to close the gap on second a bit but then he and Ryan pulled away.

I was in no-man’s land. I was losing sight of Ryan and the second place guy and fourth was no-where in sight behind me. This is where the mental battle started. Why should I endure this pain with about 1.25 miles to go when I could ease up and still take third? So I started to back off a hair and then thought – NO!!!!!! I want to come in under 19 minutes and get a solid 20 some second PR.Plus I was coming up on the downhill portion of the race.

The downhill is great! Not too steep at all but just steep enough to lean into it and pick up some extra momentum that didn’t cost that much energy. By the time that I was getting close to the finish line (almost a full loop around the track and then a very tight turn headed to the 50 yard line on the field) I was really hurting and not driving it as hard as I could. Until. Ryan yelled "under 19" "go Ed". That is when I dug in deep and pushed hard for that last 250 yards or so.

Crossed the line looking at the clock and I was elated 18:30. A new PR in the 5K that was almost a minute quicker than last year on a faster course with better weather.

Thank you Coach Hill!!!