I had a lot of fun running my first virtual race two weeks ago. I decided to do it again for the AWARE Night Owl 5K. This race was scheduled at Panola State Park, at 6 pm in the evening. Nathan Gaffney, one of the trainees in Coach Carl's Tuesday night track workouts, had advertised the race a month ago, and I had put it down on my calendar.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. In my work, I've quickly adapted my courses to remote learning, and I've grown more comfortable with the technology. I've maintained Friday afternoon group meetings with my laboratory, and weekly one-on-one meetings on the phone with each member following the same schedule that we had established earlier in the semester.
Bonnie and I, and all members of our family appear to be fine. Everyone in my research group is currently healthy. Hopefully Emory and metro Atlanta shut down in time to minimize the number of new infections, but only time will tell. Having passed the two-week mark since I last went to work, I feel that I've made it, now I just need to continue to stay safe.
The world hasn't seen a pandemic like this since the 1918 influenza epidemic, which all four of my grandparents survived. More than a million people have been diagnosed to date, and over 60,000 people have already died from COVID-19.
And then there are thousands of others who have taken ill with milder cases of COVID-19 - mild in that they weren't hospitalized. Many of them weren't tested, so they don't show up in the official statistics. I work with two people in my department who are recovering from likely cases of COVID-19. The symptoms matched, it was a pretty bad experience, and different from influenza, but the severity of their illnesses wasn't at the level that landed them in the hospital. They weren't tested.
Bonnie and I, and all members of our family appear to be fine. Everyone in my research group is currently healthy. Hopefully Emory and metro Atlanta shut down in time to minimize the number of new infections, but only time will tell. Having passed the two-week mark since I last went to work, I feel that I've made it, now I just need to continue to stay safe.
The world hasn't seen a pandemic like this since the 1918 influenza epidemic, which all four of my grandparents survived. More than a million people have been diagnosed to date, and over 60,000 people have already died from COVID-19.
And then there are thousands of others who have taken ill with milder cases of COVID-19 - mild in that they weren't hospitalized. Many of them weren't tested, so they don't show up in the official statistics. I work with two people in my department who are recovering from likely cases of COVID-19. The symptoms matched, it was a pretty bad experience, and different from influenza, but the severity of their illnesses wasn't at the level that landed them in the hospital. They weren't tested.
For running, I'll continue with virtual races for causes and events that I want to support, until it's safe to run races again, whenever that may be. I registered for the Night Owl 5K a couple of weeks ago, knowing that it would only be a virtual race for me. Before I registered, I was excited to learn that the AWARE Wildlife foundation had established a formal program for the virtual race. A few days ago, the organization posted a YouTube video. I encourage you to watch, all the way to the end!
I decided to run the same route that I had run at Lucky Shoals Park a couple of weeks ago, except counterclockwise, which I consider is the tougher direction. Bonnie and I showed about around 5:30 pm, filmed a finish line photo - since I didn't know exactly where my 5K finish line would be once I began running - and then did an easy warmup lap, thinking over my race plan.
At 5:55 pm, I walked up and down the parking lot to ensure that I was relaxed and ready to go. At 5:59 pm, I toed a line at a stop sign, activated my watch to find a celltower signal, and counted to 60. Assuming that it was now officially 6:00 pm, I said "Ready --- set --- go!" Clicked the watch button and took off - much too fast, but slowed to a reasonable pace as soon as I was on the asphalt path.
The first kilometer was mostly uphill for the first four minutes. There was a set of switchbacks on the way up, then it leveled out briefly. The elevation chart showed a little dip, but it wasn't apparent in this direction, then a hundred meters or so uphill to the highest elevation of the park. 4:10 elapsed. The path leveled out again, even though the elevation chart showed that was downhill, it didn't feel much like it. First kilometer finished in 5:41, 45 feet elevation gain, 26 loss. Felt like 71 feet up, 0 down.
But the second kilometer began with a nice long downhill. In fact I was very careful to make sure that I bent my knees running downhill, to take advantage of the favorable slope without injuring myself. I definitely picked up the pace below 5 minutes per kilometer (sub 8 minute per mile) past the bottom. After a bit of level running, the hills began again, but I knew that meant that I was close to the end of the first loop. Oh, there was another hill. Then, the parking lot, followed by another hill. Now I had completed the first loop! Strava indicated that I set a personal record on the 1.08 mile loop in 9:39, out of 23 efforts since joining Strava late in 2016.
I was doing well to this stage, but hoping to pick up the pace a tad on the second loop. The second kilometer sounded, 5:30, 11:11 elapsed, 22 feet elevation gain, 37 feet loss. That felt about right. Then it was time for the switchbacks again. Up, up, up, at times winding around a few walkers on the trail. There were probably no more than a dozen people total on the 1.08 mile loop, but I passed them multiple times, trying to maintain a safe 6-foot distance, or more, making sure that I turned my head away from people, not to breathe on them. My legs were beginning to burn. Maybe I should have taken more time after my warm-up run before beginning the race. When I reached the top of the course, I glanced at my watch, 14:00 elapsed exactly. That means that the loop from top-to-top was 9:50, pretty good! But my pace per kilometer for the third kilometer was slower than 6 minute / kilometer. I wanted to drive down that number into the 5's. Leveling out (or actually downhill), and then heading down the real hill, I picked up more speed, finishing the third kilometer at the lowest point of the course in 5:47, 17 minutes total, 42 feet elevation gain, 59 feet loss.
Only two kilometers to go, but ... I was getting thirsty. It was warm, in the mid-70's. I was doing OK with the rolling hills heading to the starting area near the entrance to the park, but it was a struggle to maintain the pace under 6 minute / kilometer. Near the entrance, I drew close to a couple walking together, and another walker was coming the other way. If I didn't stop, there would be four abreast on an 8-foot wide path. I slowed to a walk, until the walker coming the other way had passed me, and then picked up the pace again taking a wide turn past the couple. Actually I think that the momentary break, even just 5 seconds, may have helped my heart rate. When I checked Strava afterwards, that lap was my third fastest, surpassed by four seconds in a one-lap race prep two evening ago. Back to running, beginning the third and final lap. This was going to be uphill the rest of the way for the fourth kilometer. Running up the switchback this time was really tough. I wanted to take a walk break so badly. But I found the mental strength to keep running, even though I knew that I wasn't going too fast. 6:12, 23:10 total elapsed, 50 feet elevation gain, only 5 feet loss. Given the elevation profile, that was pretty good.
Could I finish in less than 29 minutes? I still needed to go up one more hill to reach the highest point of the course, and pushed myself as hard as I could. Actually it sort of felt good! Turning the corner at the top of the hill, I saw 24:15 on the watch, 10:15 for the second loop from top-to-top, and my pace so far in that segment was just below 6 minutes per kilometer. Now to cruise downhill to the finish. I passed Bonnie coming the other way, said "one more klick" as I passed, and picked up the pace for a moment. But even though the path was level, or slightly downhill, I lost concentration for a moment, and ended up slowing down. Then the long downhill appeared, here was my chance to gain back some time, and started running faster again. All the way downhill, to the bottom of the course. 27 minutes and change, how close am I to the 5K mark? Run, run, run, 28 minutes elapsed, I switched the readout on my watch to show total distance, hoping to see 4.99 kilometers. No, only 4.91 kilometers. And up ahead there was a hill. Not a big hill, but not easy either. I kept pushing myself, 4.97 kilometers, run, run, run, and mercifully, the 5 kilometer alert sounded, 28:42 elapsed! I kept running another 10 seconds before stopping my watch.
Phew, I was totally gassed. But on a warm evening, I had run only 9 seconds slower than I did two weeks ago when the temperature was 15 degrees cooler at 8 am. And tonight, I ran in the direction that certainly feels tougher! I'll call that a win.
 |
| Toeing the line |
 |
| Ready to start |
 |
| First step |
 |
| Onto the trail just ahead of a walker |
The first kilometer was mostly uphill for the first four minutes. There was a set of switchbacks on the way up, then it leveled out briefly. The elevation chart showed a little dip, but it wasn't apparent in this direction, then a hundred meters or so uphill to the highest elevation of the park. 4:10 elapsed. The path leveled out again, even though the elevation chart showed that was downhill, it didn't feel much like it. First kilometer finished in 5:41, 45 feet elevation gain, 26 loss. Felt like 71 feet up, 0 down.
But the second kilometer began with a nice long downhill. In fact I was very careful to make sure that I bent my knees running downhill, to take advantage of the favorable slope without injuring myself. I definitely picked up the pace below 5 minutes per kilometer (sub 8 minute per mile) past the bottom. After a bit of level running, the hills began again, but I knew that meant that I was close to the end of the first loop. Oh, there was another hill. Then, the parking lot, followed by another hill. Now I had completed the first loop! Strava indicated that I set a personal record on the 1.08 mile loop in 9:39, out of 23 efforts since joining Strava late in 2016.
I was doing well to this stage, but hoping to pick up the pace a tad on the second loop. The second kilometer sounded, 5:30, 11:11 elapsed, 22 feet elevation gain, 37 feet loss. That felt about right. Then it was time for the switchbacks again. Up, up, up, at times winding around a few walkers on the trail. There were probably no more than a dozen people total on the 1.08 mile loop, but I passed them multiple times, trying to maintain a safe 6-foot distance, or more, making sure that I turned my head away from people, not to breathe on them. My legs were beginning to burn. Maybe I should have taken more time after my warm-up run before beginning the race. When I reached the top of the course, I glanced at my watch, 14:00 elapsed exactly. That means that the loop from top-to-top was 9:50, pretty good! But my pace per kilometer for the third kilometer was slower than 6 minute / kilometer. I wanted to drive down that number into the 5's. Leveling out (or actually downhill), and then heading down the real hill, I picked up more speed, finishing the third kilometer at the lowest point of the course in 5:47, 17 minutes total, 42 feet elevation gain, 59 feet loss.
 |
| Going uphill at the beginning of the fourth kilometer. Thanks Bonnie for the photos! |
Could I finish in less than 29 minutes? I still needed to go up one more hill to reach the highest point of the course, and pushed myself as hard as I could. Actually it sort of felt good! Turning the corner at the top of the hill, I saw 24:15 on the watch, 10:15 for the second loop from top-to-top, and my pace so far in that segment was just below 6 minutes per kilometer. Now to cruise downhill to the finish. I passed Bonnie coming the other way, said "one more klick" as I passed, and picked up the pace for a moment. But even though the path was level, or slightly downhill, I lost concentration for a moment, and ended up slowing down. Then the long downhill appeared, here was my chance to gain back some time, and started running faster again. All the way downhill, to the bottom of the course. 27 minutes and change, how close am I to the 5K mark? Run, run, run, 28 minutes elapsed, I switched the readout on my watch to show total distance, hoping to see 4.99 kilometers. No, only 4.91 kilometers. And up ahead there was a hill. Not a big hill, but not easy either. I kept pushing myself, 4.97 kilometers, run, run, run, and mercifully, the 5 kilometer alert sounded, 28:42 elapsed! I kept running another 10 seconds before stopping my watch.
Phew, I was totally gassed. But on a warm evening, I had run only 9 seconds slower than I did two weeks ago when the temperature was 15 degrees cooler at 8 am. And tonight, I ran in the direction that certainly feels tougher! I'll call that a win.
 |
| We created a faux finish line before I began the virtual race. I've never broken the tape, before this evening! |
 |
| I'm fortunate to have a beautiful park to run, within walking distance of my home. During a sunrise run last summer, I saw a deer at this place on the trail. And the regular hill training has undoubtably helped my running! |
No comments:
Post a Comment