I had such a great time running the South River 15K last month, I've decided that I'd like to focus on that distance for awhile. If I can reliably negative split the 15K distance, then can confidently work back toward running a quality-paced half-marathon.
I waited until last week to register for the Memorial Day race in Marietta, after following the long-term forecast for several days. In fact, this morning's forecast was great running weather, sunrise temperature 57 deg F range. That is definitely out of character for the end of May in metro Atlanta.
Other than the start and finish, most of the South River route last month was relatively flat, where I set a 15K race personal best of 1:27:00, average pace 9:20 min / mile. Today's course was more representative of metro Atlanta road races, meaning continuously rolling hills. I've run this 10K race four times, the first in 2014 and the most recent in 2019, and the 5K in 2022. At that time, I wasn't interested in racing any further than the 5K distance. For today's race, I decided to target the 1:27 finish time, but focus acutely on pace per mile, keeping the average pace number in my mind (over/under). The strategy was to go for another negative split, now with the challenge of hills. I planned to take 30-second walk breaks every 14 - 15 minutes, about every 2.5 kilometers, and carry my own Nuun / water, since I wasn't 100% confident about the water stations in this race. I never decided on the time interval to program my watch, but I figured that I would get an initial cue at the turnaround point for the 5K runners. Then I realized that since the entire out-and-back route was only 5K long, with the 15K racers making a second loop of the outer 5K, I would get a visual cue every 2.5 K. 14:30 was the average goal for each 2.5 kilometer leg.
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| It looks like a larger number of runners this year! |
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| Three races started together: 5K, 10K, 15K |
Before the race, I had seen Dave Bloomquist, a regular in this race, and a loyal follower of this blog, at least when he knows that he may be mentioned in the blog post! Dave was warming up while I was stretching. We chatted long enough to establish before the race that he was running the 10K and I was doing 15K. I ran a couple of loops in the parking lot, then went to the street to run the last couple of minutes of the race route. It was good to remind myself of just how far away the finish line would appear when I would make the final turn in the parking lot in today's race. In the last few minutes before the race began, I took a position about midway in the pack. I didn't see Dave anywhere, but we hadn't planned to start together. Meanwhile I overheard a group of men talking about their 15K race experiences, two of whom stood out for their shirts: one a bright orange shirt, the other a bright blue shirt. I thought that I might use them as pacers, but of course it would depend on how they ran.
After playing a recording of the National Anthem, the race director counted down from 3 - 2 - 1 - <<< airhorn >>> !
We were spread out fairly well, as we began to go up the first hill. I felt good, didn't worry that my pace slowed slightly going uphill, as I knew from past years that I would go back downhill. After cresting the hill, I let momentum carry me forward. The men in orange and blue shirts were slowing down, I caught up with them and passed without effort. Midway through the second mile, the turnaround point for the 5K runners was ahead. I stayed on the right of the lane, raised my hand and took my first walk break, taking a couple of swigs of Nuun. My watch showed 15:45 elapsed when I took the walk break, but distance elapsed was 1.70 miles, so I was probably OK with pacing. The men in orange and blue shirts, and several others passed while I counted patiently to 30, then resumed running, almost immediately catching up to and passing the men in orange and blue shirts.
Although earlier I didn't think that I had really "needed" the walk break or the water, I was grateful that I had followed the plan, because we were now running up to the highest elevation of the race route. I felt fresh, my pace dipped only a little as I climbed the hill. I caught up to a runner in a white shirt, didn't feel like I was going to easily pass him strongly, and decided to settle in with him for a moment.
"Which race are you doing?" I asked. "15K. And you?" he responded.
"15K." I think to myself, Compadres!
"I'm Eric." "I'm Frank."
"Good to meet you. How old are you?"
For anyone that isn't a runner that is reading this: a person's age is relevant, but there is no value judgment, so it's not an inappropriate second question amongst runners.
"60" I responded. "Wow, that's great. I'm 30."
Mile 2 in 9:41 (over). I had slowed a little with the hill, but I knew that I would later enjoy running downhill in the other direction.
Anyway Eric and I chatted back and forth for a while. Eric doesn't run that many races, but ran this Memorial Day 15K last year and enjoyed it. I mentioned that I was running this race to improve my pacing, in preparation to return to the "half-marathon" distance sometime soon. I learned that the 15K is the longest distance that Eric has run, but he prefers this over the 5K, and will probably do a half-marathon later this year. We agreed, "You're not really getting your money's worth if you just do the 5K." Definitely it seems true for this race, as the 5K regular price is $40, then the 10K and 15K races cost only $45 and $50, respectively. We've both recently moved up in age group, and have the common experience of comparing our current age group placements and our times, checking what place that time might have earned in the age group that we just departed.
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| Photo with Eric, taken after the race |
From behind, Dave Bloomquist joined us. Dave introduced me to another runner in the 10K race named Ashley. I commented "Dave, it's a good thing we're not doing the same distance, otherwise we would be racing!" Right now, Dave and I are in the same age group, so it would have really meant something! And he would have probably won. Anyway ..... while running with Dave, I had left Eric behind. Mile 3 in 9:41 (over). Again. Thank goodness I was trying to make up time by relaxing and gliding on the downhills. Or had that been a mistake? I looked at my watch as the turnaround drew near: 29:30. I was alloting 29 minutes for each 5K loop, so I was a little behind. Or, maybe I was right on plan, as long as I banked enough energy to run a little faster in the second half. At 5K elapsed, as we made the turnaround, with 10K to go, it wasn't yet time to start running faster. Just don't slow down.
I was running behind Ashley and Dave, closer to Dave, so that one time he looked over his shoulder at me. I said "I should draft off of you!" and Dave replied "I'm big enough for it!" Not really true, I thought to myself, I need someone both taller and wider. About a minute later, a man wearing a Marines T-shirt caught up to me. He was both taller and a little wider than Dave, or anyone else that I could see around us on the course. But the Marine was also moving more quickly that I dared. So I stayed with Dave.
Somehow in the fourth mile, my right knee twisted a bit, almost gave out from under me. Perhaps it was a combination of the crown of the road and running downhill, but I'm not sure. Fortunately I caught myself, wondered if anyone behind me (Eric?) had noticed my momentary limp. Then I put aside pride, to ask myself the more important question, "Am I injured?" The initial tweak had been sharp but very short-duration sensation. I felt a little soreness but was probably lucky that I could still run, and at the same pace.
Then I realized that I had completely forgotten about the 5K walk break! At the bottom of a hill, I raised my hand, walked and took water. Dave moved ahead for good as I counted to 30 before resuming running. I was glad that I waited to take the walk break at the bottom of the hill, as I was refreshed for running uphill, and gave me a chance to focus on how my right knee felt, but in truth I hadn't been paying attention to the plan. Walk break at 35 minutes elapsed, hopefully I wouldn't regret the delay later on. Even with the walk break, I covered mile 4 in 9:22 (a tiny bit over). So I might be getting back on track, with 9:33 min / mile average pace. More important than my time goal, I'm hoping that the knee doesn't cause trouble, with more than half the race to go.
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Wise words from Coach Carl Leivers |
The first part of mile 5 was gently downhill. I tried to make good progress, but reminding myself to "relax and glide". I may have been looking too eagerly for the turnaround, what I estimated would be the 7.5 kilometer mark, but I needed 45 minutes to get there. Only later did I realize that the distance elapsed on the course at that point was 4.75 miles, enough distance to account for an extra minute. Approaching the turnaround, I took the walk break and a couple of swigs of Nuun, counting to 30, then resuming running as we returned south for the second loop. Mile 5 in 9:11 (under), that was nice. I knew that it was net downhill, so at least I was making up time as I had planned / hoped.
The knee had a little soreness, but it didn't seem that running was causing any damage or that the knee was slowing me down. But running up the long hill, again, was tough: the same hill that had slowed me down in the later part of mile 2 and early in mile 3. I took off my cap, tucked it into my water belt, hoping I wouldn't lose it. Despite the pleasantly cool temperature, I was sweating quite a bit, and it felt good to have a bare head. It had been easier climbing this hill with Eric 30 minutes earlier. Finally cresting the hill, I let off the brakes and floated downhill, which seemed to go on for awhile. Mile 6 in 9:16 (under), definitely an improvement over mile 3. By now I had tested out the knee for more than a mile, and my form was still fine.
But now I was beginning to feel fatigue. At least I reached the turnaround at 59:30 elapsed, having taken a planned walk break immediately before the turn. 10K completed: could I run the last 5K in 27:30? The hills weren't all that large in this sector, but the struggle had begun. I had seen that Eric wasn't far behind me at the turnaround. I wondered if he would catch up to me with those young legs. I was passing 10K walkers, every once in awhile would pass a runner who was probably also running the 15K. On a few occasions when I checked, my heart rate was in the 160's, a little above my lactate threshold, but then it dropped into the 150's when I was gliding downhill.
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| Note that my heart rate closely tracked the change in elevation (until the last mile of the race, when I was pushing hard). |
Elapsed time was 1:06:11. Could I run 2.33 miles in less than 21 minutes? I needed to quicken my pace to 9:00 min / mile. But the wind was blowing from the north, a little cool, not that I wanted to complain about the temperature, but I was definitely fighting the wind. Then my right shoulder was hurting (not doing enough core strength work) followed by getting a side stitch in my right side! Fortunately the side stitch wasn't serious, and I was able to rub it out fairly quickly. Those momentary pains made me forget about the right knee pain.
The voice in my right ear asked "1:27 - Will he make it?"
The response in the left ear was "Bet he won't."
Arrghh - enough with the negative thinking. I take over the conversation: "It's not impossible, it will be difficult, but ..... I can do this!" And the wind blew away the demons. Mile 8 in 9:32 (over), my watch showed total elapsed time 1:15:45.
Now the question was, "1.33 miles in 11 minutes?" After a moment, "I ran a sub-8 minute mile earlier this month. So, yes! Yes, I can!" And the route ahead was a long, gentle downhill. Did I mention that I wore the Adidas Adizero 'Supershoes' today? In that moment I remembered that I was carrying a UCan packet, but I hadn't planned on when I would take it. Now it seemed almost too late, the time lost in digging the gel out of the race belt pocket, working open the package, sipping it down, washing down with Nuun. Nope, not taking it. But I suppose it was a good insurance plan that I just didn't need to use today.
I was running well, the knee was hardly noticeable. My focus was totally on my eyes: can I see the turn into the parking lot that will get me to the finish line? After a couple of minutes, I saw police lights in the distance in the opposite lane. That must be where we're turning ---- oh no, the police lights were moving this way, passing me, gone. It was a few more minutes before I clearly saw the goal intersection, and a policeman (no car, no lights) protecting the intersection. The mile 9 alert sounded: 9:10 (under). Fastest mile of the day, but at 1:25:00 elapsed, could I cover the last 0.33 miles in 2 minutes?
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| The route for the final minutes, from lower right through the hairpin turn and then blazing red into the finish line! |
1:25:40, I made the turn off Piedmont Road, heading downhill, running a direct tangent to the turn into the parking lot.
1:26:06, into the parking lot.
1:26:22, the final turn. Now I can see the finish line. It's far away, but I'm not surprised, thanks to my pre-race reconnaissance of the finish line.
1:26:40, is what I see when I glance at my watch. Maybe the finish line is only 20 seconds away?
I'm counting 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - halfway there. I throw in a stride (thanks Coach Carl!!) and I'm moving faster - and - and - and over the finish line! (way under for the final stretch, average pace 8:15)
Stop the watch: 1:27:01! And subtracting a second before the race and a second after crossing the line, might I have just run a personal best for the 15K race distance, by a second or two?!
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| A two-second new personal best (rounding off to the nearest second)! And I nailed my goal time! |
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| That was tough. But I finished, and finished strongly! |
I waited by the finish line until Eric came through, about a minute after I had finished. The official results were available as soon as I checked. Not only had I technically broken the 1:27:00 goal, but what's this - "Male Overall Senior Master 1 of 3"?! The only disappointment was that my Garmin watch measured only 9.26 miles, not 9.33 miles = 10.00 kilometers. But maybe Garmin didn't measure accurately enough. Yeah, let's go with that!
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| A lot of data here, but I definitely sped up at the end. My two slowest miles were in the first half, so perfect race for me! |
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| Happy to see that I was in the maximum zone for only the last few minutes. |
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| I've come to admire the simplicity of the Strava "Splits" presentation. Only the essentials, but everything that I really need to know. |
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| I like the relative consistency over the hills, and that I banked enough energy to run my fastest after mile 8. |
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| I don't have many medals that say "1st" anything! |
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