Good morning! Hope that Labor Day is treating you well. I kicked of my Labor Day with a 2:00:58 run for about 17 miles. Not too bad of a run after racing last night.
Speaking of last night, I appreciate all of the well wishes before the race. I got back around 9p last night and did not have time to blog (since I was getting up early to run). So...here's a race update. Last night I ran the Ripple Effect 4 Mile run in Broadripple. Believe it or not, it's only the third race I've run in the past year (Ripple Effect 2010, Outrun the Sun June 2011, and last night). I've been running a lot and training for the Monumental Marathon, but have not run many races. So...there were 526 of us lined up for the start at 7p. I ran about 3.5 miles before the race to warm up and to calm my nerves. Not sure why, but I was kind of nervous. Anyway, I lined up behind a few folks, which is a trick I use so I don't get out to fast. The starter issued his command and we were off. Now...in any race I've ever run there are always about 15-20 people who just start off like gangbusters and run much faster than they can handle. The key for me was to not go with them and just be patient. When we approached the half-mile mark I was about in 20th place, but I could hear everyone in front of me breathing pretty hard. I got settled into what I thought was a good pace and went through the first mile in 5:28 and in about 13th place. I really wanted to hit 5:40 and was scared I was going to have a repeat of Outrun the Sun, when I got out too fast and then tanked it. As I got into the second mile, I found my stride and just slowly started moving up and running strong. At mile two I was 11:18 (5:50 second mile) and had moved into 10th place. I could see positions 4-9 in front of me and my legs were feeling strong and I knew if I could concentrate then I could possible finish in the top five. My pace stayed about the same during mile three and I kept moving up. At the third mile I was 17:08 (5:50 third mile) and in 8th place. I very quickly took 7th place in the first quarter of the fourth mile and was chasing down the guy in 6th and thought I may even have a shot at 5th. At the 3.5 mile mark I moved into 6th position and was only about 5 seconds back from 5th place. The guy in 5th was closing on the guy in 4th and the guy in 3rd was very close. I started to give chase and cut into the gap a little, but as I hit the last turn it was clear I was not going to take him. Still, I was going to be pleased. And then...I got caught sleeping. As I was finishing and was probably at 3.98 miles, someone flew past me--and that really bothered me. There is a rule in running that you don't let folks pass you back. This guy tracked me down. Funny thing is that he was doing what I was doing--just slowling picking people off. He was not one of the guys I had been passing and he sort of snuck up on me. So...I finished the race in 22:51 (5:43 last mile) and landed in 7th place (NOTE: For some reason the results on the Tuxbro page are off--not sure why but I know what the clock said at the finish).
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| Myles & I's Face of Frustration |
Overall, I was happy with the race and for 3.98 miles I really ran smart and ran tough. That last .02 really left a bad taste in my mouth. It's rare that I get passed like that and I was none too pleased with myself. None to pleased at all! I spent a good part of my 17 mile run this morning thinking about it. You have to finish and I talk to my staff about finishing strong all the time. And here...I got caught celebrating a great finish before I was done. It was a great a lesson on not losing concentration. And...if I'd paid more attention to getting the guy in 5th place instead of enjoying 6th place then it would not have mattered. Ahhh...frustration. After the race, though, I did the runnerly thing and went up to the guy who passed me and told him good job and congratulated him. He did a great job and I will learn a lesson from it. I know it probably seems ridiculous, but I'm Competitive with a capitol C. And...I'd never be upset getting passed if I knew that I had not made a mental error. Last night I just made a mental error.
As I head into this week I'm very excited to be heading to Atlanta to see Sarah and Sarah's family. Myles is ready to see his Momma as I make a poor substitute. Myles loves his Dad, but he LOVES his Momma--and I totally get that! ;-)
Have a great Labor Day, don't forget to finish, and happy running to you!
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