Pre-race thoughts - live in the moment, have fun. Knee issues have relegated me to a run on race days only runner. Thank goodness for spin classes and the Arc machine. Last year, won my division, this year 8th (19 in div and about 750 overall) and 15 minutes slower. But, I will call this a 5 mile PR for running with a bum knee.
Prerace stuff, same anxiety as always before a race start, go figure, slow or fast, anxiety is a good think when you are trying your best. We boarded one of the first buses and arrived at the staging area over an hour early. So, we hiked Negro Bill's Canyon. It was a fun hike along the creek. As we were about 100 yrds away, coming back, we could hear last call for clothes bags. No running warmup, save those precious steps for the race.
The start - Sylvie had us crowd to 6 rows back. I felt guilty considering my likely finish, well, not that guilty. Rather than clog up any runners behind me, ran about as fast as I could for a couple hundred yards and then settled into a pace. Coaching someone while running: as I approached the "hill" maybe 200 yards long, I could hear an older gentlement coaching, I assume, his daughter, shorten you stride, keep up the same pace, you will pass these runners on the downhill. His advice would not work for me, I ran the hill as hard as I could and passed about 40 runners. My pace is slower on the downhill because of the knee.
The next amusement: I am sure everyone, especially back in the packers, have experienced this one. An older lady, about my age and a young girl, I would guess about 15, kept passing and then stopping to walk. Whenever they walked I would pass them back. After about three of these passings, I started to encourgement them not to walk. It did not work, they both kept running and walking, I wondered if Jeff Galloway was in the race. Anyway, both of them ran out of gas at about the 4 miler mark and did not pass me again.
The next amusement: put in a nickle and get a quarter - a lady was wearing a NYC marathon shirt, really laboring, as I went by her I said comeon, this is no way tougher than the NYC marathon. That comment really put fuel in her tank for about a half mile, she stayed with me (huffing and puffing) and told me about her 1992 NYC marathon. I looked for her after the race to give her a high five, could not find her.
Race Goal: I really wanted to break 50 minutes, I know, not much of a goal. At mile 4, 22 seconds behind pace. Ran a 9:27 last mile thanks to the last half mile up hill, goal met.
After thoughts about the race - I am 13 pounds heavier than last year, contributed to the slower pace and have not put in enough training. My next goal is to break 9 minute miles next month at the Odgen Marathon day 5K.
Fun in the sun, we went to Arches both saturday and today hiking to several arches. We chatted with several runners during the hike a got a couple of good high fives.
It was a fun adventure and did not blow up my running ego. Sylvie had a very solid race placing third in her division. Her goal is another St.George rock plaque, being in the top 8 in her divisioin.
Stay Kool, B of BS Rools out
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