I hadn’t planned to run this race
until Bill Allen (Geetah), a friend from the Marathons Forum, nudged me into it. I’ve run only 100.8 miles all year
before this week and have slipped into my worst condition and heaviest weight in years. I decided to try cranking it up again
this week. So, I ran 25 miles Tues-Fri, then took Sat off before the race this morning.
This race is a bit unusual for me....it’s
a cross country race. I’ve never run a cross country. So, I thought it would be a good experience. Also, I didn’t
plan to race it hard, but do it as an easy run. I’m really very far from being ready to race.
The course winds around the campus of
a local community college. No more than a mile total is on pavement. The rest is split between running on grass around athletic/open
fields and through wooded trails. One section includes a serpentine route that switches back and forth six times through an
open field. It’s kind of weird seeing 7 rows of runners going in alternate directions next to each other.
The weather was tough. Well into
the 70s at race time. Humidity about 400%. J It was hard to breathe without running!
I usually set three goals for my races.
However, since I haven’t been running this year, I had no basis for setting reasonable time goals, except that I knew
I would be very slow....I figured somewhere around an hour. So the three goals I set for this race were: realistic goal -
finish; floor goal - don’t finish last; ceiling goal - don’t be the last male finisher.
The race field was about 200-300. I started
right at the back of the pack. Only one guy was behind me. Since I didn’t plan to race hard, I didn’t warmup but
intended for the first mile to be my warmup. The race started and the entire field promptly moved away from me during the
first mile, except for 3 women and 1 man who were behind me. That’s the way it stayed throughout the race until I finally
passed another woman at the beginning of the last mile.
I worked hard in this race, but didn’t
push hard. I eased up when it got really tough instead of pushing through it. I walked up the tough hills, which mostly were
in miles 3 and 4. There were a few other runners, including a couple of guys, a couple of hundred yards ahead of me throughout
the race. I thought about going after them a few times, but reminded myself that this was a workout for me, not a race.
I met the modest goals I set for myself.
I didn’t finish last and I wasn’t the last male finisher, although the guy who finished behind me walked a lot
more than I did. I think he might be nursing an injury. Also, I was close to the time I thought I might run....just under
an hour.
My splits are so pathetic, I’m
embarrassed to share them with you guys. But I will. Mile 1 - 11:19, mile 2 - 10:41, mile 3 - 12:59, mile 4 - 13:12, the last
.97 mile - 10:43. Overall time - 59:06 official clock, 58:53 net watch. That’s 19 minutes slower than my second running
life PR and 26 minutes slower than my first running life best. Pathetic, eh? I would have had a more decent run if not for
the hills in miles 3-4, which were mostly on dirt trails through wooded areas with lots of roots to avoid. A few of them were
tough. And I’m not ready for tough hills yet. L Heck, I couldn’t even take full
advantage of the downhills because of the roots.
At least it was nice to get out
with other runners for a change. I didn’t see Bill Allen before the race, but found him afterwards. After the awards
ceremony, we went to my house (only 5 miles away) to collect Sue, then went to breakfast at the Double T Diner. I have to
hand it to Bill. He handled the huge Double T special breakfast (2 eggs, 2 huge sausages, 2 bacon strips, 2 ham slices, hash
browns, toast) and finished every bite! J
Jim2
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