...but you're not fast, either!
The concept of "fast" and "slow" has been running through my head a lot, recently.
I've posted in a couple of my blogs about my times getting faster or slower. In some of them I've said that I was "slow" rather than saying "slower." A few people replied saying that my "slow" was faster than their "fast." I've also read a lot of my sister's workout notes and thought "wow, she's fast." I've also happened upon booklet showing some of my old high school times and thought "wow, I used to be fast," while also remembering that while I was in high school I thought I was "slow." After reading some comments and doing some pondering while out on a lot of my runs, I have come to a moment of clarity.
Nothing is "fast" and nothing is "slow."
These two terms are subjective and non-quantifiable because the usage changes based on the location of the observer. They are a relative, not concrete, terminology.
Some days I feel "fast" when I compare my time to my previous times. Some days I feel "slow." For instance. Today, I ran 3.03 miles in 24 minutes and 30 seconds. I've only run faster than that on one occasion when I ran 3.1 miles in 24 minutes and 3 seconds.
However, that in and of itself does not make either of my two times "fast" or "slow." Someone who has a 3.1 mile PR of 29 minutes might say that I'm "fast." However, they might think that someone who runs it is 18 minutes is "fast" and still considers anything over 21 minutes as "slow." As you can see, "fast" and "slow" is all dependent on the subjective opinion of the observer.
This is similar to discussions of the temperature. Two people can be in a room that is 72 degrees and one may consider it "hot" while the other considers it "cold..." and they would both be right. That is because "hot" and "cold" are subjective terms. So, the one who feels it is too cold is right. So is the one who feels it is too hot.
However, what they could NOT say is that it is hot-ter or cold-er. 72 degrees is equal to 72 degrees. It is not colder or hotter than itself.
On the other hand, if one person is in a room that is 72 degrees and the other is in a room that is 74 degrees, strictly based on temperature alone, Both would have to agree that the room that is 72 degrees is "colder" than the room that is 74 degrees. And by reverse, the room that is 74 degrees is "hotter."
So, have you ever said you were slow? Well, you were correct. Have you ever said you were fast? You were also correct. You being either "slow" or "fast" was all based on your own subjective opinion.
However, your time all by itself is neither fast or slow. Your time can be faster or slower than another time, but that requires a comparison between your time and another time. Compared to a cheetah, we are all slow. Compared to a snail, we are all fast. But, that is still only an opinion. If we are faster than a snail, slower than a cheetah, and way slower than a race car, does that make us fast or does that make us slow?
The answer is "neither." It only makes us slower than one and faster than the other. We are all not either fast or slow. We are faster than snails and slower than cheetahs... and way slower the race cars. Faster and slower are quantifiable. You can measure exactly how much faster a cheetah is than a snail. You can measure the difference in speed between a cheetah and a race car. You can't measure "fast", but you can measure "faster."
So, are you running "faster" than you were when you first began your fitness or Spark Journey? That is quantifiable. And chances are that you are.
Being "slow" or being "fast" is only a label in your own mind. You are what you want to be, regardless of your actual measured time. Paula Radcliffe's bad day may seem "slow" to her, but that's just her opinion. Her opinion of "slow" is most likely faster than my opinion of "fast," but maybe not. Either way, it's subjective and correct to her and correct to me, but it's not measurable. However, it really is measurably "slower" than one of her "faster" days and definitely "faster" than my "faster" days.
So, take heart. You are not "slow," if you don't want to be. All it takes to change "slow" to "fast" is to change your mind. And if you want to be "faster," that takes real work, but it is within your control.
You, too, can be "faster." All it takes is a second.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Time For a Change
...but you're not fast, either!
The concept of "fast" and "slow" has been running through my head a lot, recently.
I've posted in a couple of my blogs about my times getting faster or slower. In some of them I've said that I was "slow" rather than saying "slower." A few people replied saying that my "slow" was faster than their "fast." I've also read a lot of my sister's workout notes and thought "wow, she's fast." I've also happened upon booklet showing some of my old high school times and thought "wow, I used to be fast," while also remembering that while I was in high school I thought I was "slow." After reading some comments and doing some pondering while out on a lot of my runs, I have come to a moment of clarity.
Nothing is "fast" and nothing is "slow."
These two terms are subjective and non-quantifiable because the usage changes based on the location of the observer. They are a relative, not concrete, terminology.
Some days I feel "fast" when I compare my time to my previous times. Some days I feel "slow." For instance. Today, I ran 3.03 miles in 24 minutes and 30 seconds. I've only run faster than that on one occasion when I ran 3.1 miles in 24 minutes and 3 seconds.
However, that in and of itself does not make either of my two times "fast" or "slow." Someone who has a 3.1 mile PR of 29 minutes might say that I'm "fast." However, they might think that someone who runs it is 18 minutes is "fast" and still considers anything over 21 minutes as "slow." As you can see, "fast" and "slow" is all dependent on the subjective opinion of the observer.
This is similar to discussions of the temperature. Two people can be in a room that is 72 degrees and one may consider it "hot" while the other considers it "cold..." and they would both be right. That is because "hot" and "cold" are subjective terms. So, the one who feels it is too cold is right. So is the one who feels it is too hot.
However, what they could NOT say is that it is hot-ter or cold-er. 72 degrees is equal to 72 degrees. It is not colder or hotter than itself.
On the other hand, if one person is in a room that is 72 degrees and the other is in a room that is 74 degrees, strictly based on temperature alone, Both would have to agree that the room that is 72 degrees is "colder" than the room that is 74 degrees. And by reverse, the room that is 74 degrees is "hotter."
So, have you ever said you were slow? Well, you were correct. Have you ever said you were fast? You were also correct. You being either "slow" or "fast" was all based on your own subjective opinion.
However, your time all by itself is neither fast or slow. Your time can be faster or slower than another time, but that requires a comparison between your time and another time. Compared to a cheetah, we are all slow. Compared to a snail, we are all fast. But, that is still only an opinion. If we are faster than a snail, slower than a cheetah, and way slower than a race car, does that make us fast or does that make us slow?
The answer is "neither." It only makes us slower than one and faster than the other. We are all not either fast or slow. We are faster than snails and slower than cheetahs... and way slower the race cars. Faster and slower are quantifiable. You can measure exactly how much faster a cheetah is than a snail. You can measure the difference in speed between a cheetah and a race car. You can't measure "fast", but you can measure "faster."
So, are you running "faster" than you were when you first began your fitness or Spark Journey? That is quantifiable. And chances are that you are.
Being "slow" or being "fast" is only a label in your own mind. You are what you want to be, regardless of your actual measured time. Paula Radcliffe's bad day may seem "slow" to her, but that's just her opinion. Her opinion of "slow" is most likely faster than my opinion of "fast," but maybe not. Either way, it's subjective and correct to her and correct to me, but it's not measurable. However, it really is measurably "slower" than one of her "faster" days and definitely "faster" than my "faster" days.
So, take heart. You are not "slow," if you don't want to be. All it takes to change "slow" to "fast" is to change your mind. And if you want to be "faster," that takes real work, but it is within your control.
You, too, can be "faster." All it takes is a second.
The concept of "fast" and "slow" has been running through my head a lot, recently.
I've posted in a couple of my blogs about my times getting faster or slower. In some of them I've said that I was "slow" rather than saying "slower." A few people replied saying that my "slow" was faster than their "fast." I've also read a lot of my sister's workout notes and thought "wow, she's fast." I've also happened upon booklet showing some of my old high school times and thought "wow, I used to be fast," while also remembering that while I was in high school I thought I was "slow." After reading some comments and doing some pondering while out on a lot of my runs, I have come to a moment of clarity.
Nothing is "fast" and nothing is "slow."
These two terms are subjective and non-quantifiable because the usage changes based on the location of the observer. They are a relative, not concrete, terminology.
Some days I feel "fast" when I compare my time to my previous times. Some days I feel "slow." For instance. Today, I ran 3.03 miles in 24 minutes and 30 seconds. I've only run faster than that on one occasion when I ran 3.1 miles in 24 minutes and 3 seconds.
However, that in and of itself does not make either of my two times "fast" or "slow." Someone who has a 3.1 mile PR of 29 minutes might say that I'm "fast." However, they might think that someone who runs it is 18 minutes is "fast" and still considers anything over 21 minutes as "slow." As you can see, "fast" and "slow" is all dependent on the subjective opinion of the observer.
This is similar to discussions of the temperature. Two people can be in a room that is 72 degrees and one may consider it "hot" while the other considers it "cold..." and they would both be right. That is because "hot" and "cold" are subjective terms. So, the one who feels it is too cold is right. So is the one who feels it is too hot.
However, what they could NOT say is that it is hot-ter or cold-er. 72 degrees is equal to 72 degrees. It is not colder or hotter than itself.
On the other hand, if one person is in a room that is 72 degrees and the other is in a room that is 74 degrees, strictly based on temperature alone, Both would have to agree that the room that is 72 degrees is "colder" than the room that is 74 degrees. And by reverse, the room that is 74 degrees is "hotter."
So, have you ever said you were slow? Well, you were correct. Have you ever said you were fast? You were also correct. You being either "slow" or "fast" was all based on your own subjective opinion.
However, your time all by itself is neither fast or slow. Your time can be faster or slower than another time, but that requires a comparison between your time and another time. Compared to a cheetah, we are all slow. Compared to a snail, we are all fast. But, that is still only an opinion. If we are faster than a snail, slower than a cheetah, and way slower than a race car, does that make us fast or does that make us slow?
The answer is "neither." It only makes us slower than one and faster than the other. We are all not either fast or slow. We are faster than snails and slower than cheetahs... and way slower the race cars. Faster and slower are quantifiable. You can measure exactly how much faster a cheetah is than a snail. You can measure the difference in speed between a cheetah and a race car. You can't measure "fast", but you can measure "faster."
So, are you running "faster" than you were when you first began your fitness or Spark Journey? That is quantifiable. And chances are that you are.
Being "slow" or being "fast" is only a label in your own mind. You are what you want to be, regardless of your actual measured time. Paula Radcliffe's bad day may seem "slow" to her, but that's just her opinion. Her opinion of "slow" is most likely faster than my opinion of "fast," but maybe not. Either way, it's subjective and correct to her and correct to me, but it's not measurable. However, it really is measurably "slower" than one of her "faster" days and definitely "faster" than my "faster" days.
So, take heart. You are not "slow," if you don't want to be. All it takes to change "slow" to "fast" is to change your mind. And if you want to be "faster," that takes real work, but it is within your control.
You, too, can be "faster." All it takes is a second.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Gone Missing
Well, hello. It's been a while. Yes, I know, I do this to all my blogs. I post, then I disappear, then I reappear, then I disappear... Well, it's time to reappear, again.
It's not like I haven't been running. Oh, I've been running. I ran the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay in October and ran faster and better than I ever expected. I also ran a few long runs with my wife while she trained for the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon - which she killed, btw (killed in italics a good thing).
So, what am I up to, lately? Well, I'm glad you asked because that's what I'm going to tell you about.
Right now I am training for 3 half marathons.
1. Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam Half Marathon - March 17
2. Labor of Love Half Marathon - April 21
3. Labor of Love Half Marathon - April 22
I'm running the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam with my friend from Oklahoma who decided that since my wife and I both ran half marathons that it meant it was a challenge for him to run one, too. So, he's coming out to run one with me. Well, I say "with me" loosely because he's made sure that I know he will be racing me.
The two Labor of Love races are not a typo. These two races are on back-to-back days. I will be beefing up my running schedule in Feb, March, and the beginning of April so that I will be running 5 days a week and at least 30 miles a week.
These races will then qualify me to be a 4 moon (Jupiter level) Half Fanatic.
What happens after that? Well... we will see. Maybe this one? Or this one? Or maybe I'll work on that 5 minute mile I've been dreaming of.
Or maybe I will work on keeping this blog up-to-date.... nahhh.
It's not like I haven't been running. Oh, I've been running. I ran the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay in October and ran faster and better than I ever expected. I also ran a few long runs with my wife while she trained for the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon - which she killed, btw (killed in italics a good thing).
So, what am I up to, lately? Well, I'm glad you asked because that's what I'm going to tell you about.
Right now I am training for 3 half marathons.
1. Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam Half Marathon - March 17
2. Labor of Love Half Marathon - April 21
3. Labor of Love Half Marathon - April 22
I'm running the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam with my friend from Oklahoma who decided that since my wife and I both ran half marathons that it meant it was a challenge for him to run one, too. So, he's coming out to run one with me. Well, I say "with me" loosely because he's made sure that I know he will be racing me.
The two Labor of Love races are not a typo. These two races are on back-to-back days. I will be beefing up my running schedule in Feb, March, and the beginning of April so that I will be running 5 days a week and at least 30 miles a week.
These races will then qualify me to be a 4 moon (Jupiter level) Half Fanatic.
What happens after that? Well... we will see. Maybe this one? Or this one? Or maybe I'll work on that 5 minute mile I've been dreaming of.
Or maybe I will work on keeping this blog up-to-date.... nahhh.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Race Report: E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 51k, Half Marathon, 10k (Pictures!)
Date: 8/12/11 - 8/13/11
Location: Rachel, NV near Area 51 - NV SR 375 the "Extraterrestrial Highway"
Race Coordinator: Calico Racing
Event: E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 51k, Half Marathon, 10k
Start Time: 12:30am
My Distance: Half Marathon
Weather: 60-70°F; dry (15% RH)
To quote Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: "Hold on to your hats and glasses because this here is the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
I've been putting off writing this race report because there is just so much to tell! Well, here goes.
Friday night and Saturday morning before the race were a more chaotic than I would have liked, but life happens. I won't go into detail, here, other than to say I was very tired and more than a little anxious about my lack of sleep affecting my race.
After the hectic morning I was hoping for a relaxing afternoon, but it turned into a whirlwind. I really wanted to try to get a nap or two in during the day on Saturday. I was able to eat breakfast around 10am and then get some work done before finally getting in a 30 minute nap just after noon. My wife was going to leave for a birthday party at 4:30pm and I was going to have an hour or so to get ready before heading to the Hard Rock Hotel to pick up my race packet and then hop on one of the buses for the two hour bus ride up to the race course.
My sister-in-law was borrowing the truck and had planned to come by the house at 3:30 to get ready and ride to the party with my wife, but she baked the birthday cake and needed to deliver the cake to the party, so she needed the truck. I ended up riding with my wife to the party to get the truck when my SIL arrived with the cake. She was deliberately driving cautiously with the cake, so I didn't end up back to the house until 5:15. That gave me 45 minute less to get showered, packed, grab dinner, and get to the hotel. It was a little frantic, even with the "to bring" checklist I had made, but I managed to make it out the door by 6:15 and dropped by Subway for a foot-long roast beef sub and a bottle of water and ate it on the drive to the Hard Rock.
The one thing I had worried about was filling my Camelbak and keeping it cold. I didn't want to leave it in my truck for two hours and have it get hot. I filled it at the house with 16 oz of Powerade and 50 ounces of water (didn't quite fill up the full 70 ounces) and a bunch of ice cubes. I then put the pack in an insulated cooler with a couple blocks of blue ice and brought that along with me. I brought a couple of granola bars for the bus ride and put them in the cooler as well along with the remaining 16 ounces of Powerade.
I made it in to the pre-race expo at 7pm and there were no lines at the packet pick-up table which was awesome. After running around all day, I suddenly had over an hour to kill before the buses loaded at 8:30pm. A lot of runners were congregating in the halls of the Hard Rock. I bought a couple packs of m&m's for the race in the hotel's sundries shop. Since I had my truck, I took the opportunity to relax in my truck by myself.
At about 7:45 I changed into my racing clothes and packed my dry-clothes bag and made sure my camelbak was all set. At 8:15 I headed down and got in line for the buses.
At 8:30 the pack of runners surged into the parking lot and it was mass chaos getting on the buses with some people at the end frantically trying to find a bus with empty seats. Fortunately I made it towards the front of the pack and got on the bus of my choice. The buses were supposed to be marked as "chatty" or "quiet" and in front of two buses there was a volunteer yelling out that they were "chatty" buses, but none of the other buses had signs or volunteers. In the end it didn't really matter. There were people talking on our bus, and I talked with my seat mate for a while, but then I still managed to get a decent nap in.
Now, there are only two highways that leave Las Vegas, so it should've been pretty easy for the bus drivers to get on the right one, yet half of the buses - mine included - took the wrong one and got lost. Our bus went about 5 miles up the wrong freeway before turning around and making it back on the right one. On top of that, our drive was very tentative and nervous and making that same mistake again, so every time there was a highway sign, the bus would noticeably slow for the drive to check the directions and compare it to the sign before speeding up until we hit the next sign.
The buses should have all reached the marathon/51k start line by 11pm, but ours didn't end up arriving until 11:30, and at least one other bus didn't arrive until at least 10 or so minutes later.
I was planning on napping for most of the two hour bus ride, but the bus ride made me nervous, even tho I knew that since they were organized by the race director that the races wouldn't start without us. Nonetheless, it took me at least 30-45 minutes before I was able to shake it off and actually nap. I ate one of my granola bars and then dozed for a little less than an hour. I was a little groggy when I woke up and didn't want to be groggy for the race, so even tho we were still a little ways from the marathon/51k start line, i decided to stop napping and try to get myself fully awake. To that, I ate my other granola bar and then one of my packs of m&m's and washed them down with some of my leftover Powerade.
When we got to the marathon/51k start line (approx 20 miles east of the finish line and the tiny town of Rachel, NV), there was already a ton of people already milling about. They handed everyone a green glow necklace when they got off the bus which they "encouraged" everyone to wear during the race (I ended up seeing a lot of them strewn about the race course).
The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the bus was the cool air! It was definitely right around or just under 70 degrees! I could definitely feel the chill in the air and almost felt cold! It had been 104 in Las Vegas when we left and it was warm on the bus the whole trip up, despite the a/c being on full blast.
The only lights were from the buses and cars dropping off runners and the halogen lights at the start line. There, in the dark, there were portapotties and tables with Heed and water and hundreds of runners lined up all wearing headlamps and glow necklaces and costumes and various glowing objects. It was a sight to see! I skipped the portapottie and used the desert under the cover of darkness (a common sight, actually), grabbed a couple cups of water and Heed to get myself re-hydrated, and got a few faint pictures of the crowd with my cellphone camera.
Then, just before midnight, they herded all the 10kers and half marathoners back onto the buses. The 10kers were bused to town for an out-and-back run. At 12:10 am (Yes, A.M.!) they started the marathon and 51k. About 5 minutes later, the half marathon buses pulled out and slowly passed the line of marathon/51k runners before leaving them behind and dropping us off at the half marathon start line approx 7 miles west of the marathon start line. On the way I finished off my Powerade. It didn't feel quite as cold when we stepped off the bus this time. We milled about for 15 minutes (using the darkness for a final pre-race nervous pee - was funny looking at the line of glow necklaces of the runners along the berm along the highway all relieving themselves before the race) before they gathered everybody together for a race photo before the countdown to the start time began...
I was wearing my white racing shirt, silver shorts, my sweatband, a headlamp (required!), my glow necklace (strongly encouraged!), and my Camelbak which was packed with extra batteries, chapstick, my id, and pack of m&m's. My shorts didn't have pockets, and the pocket on the camelbak is on the very back, so I wasn't sure how I was going to reach the m&m's without stopping to walk and taking my Camelbak off. I decided I would wait and see if I needed them since I didn't want to carry them the whole way!
Then the countdown hit zero at 12:40pm... and we were off! A few seconds before the zero I started the GPS and imapmyrun on my cellphone (which got GPS reception, but no cell reception - after all, we were in the middle of nowhere) and then hit my watch as the race director shouted, "go!" It took me approx 20 seconds to reach the start line. The race was chip timed at the finish, but not at the start line, and the start line was not well marked, so I wasn't completely sure when I crossed the start line. I just guessed and hit the split button on my watch.
I ended up starting in the middle of the pack and it was much too slow for my liking. At first, everyone ran all over the road before the race director drove by and announced over their loudspeaker for everyone to stay on the south side of the road facing oncoming traffic. There was maybe 6 inches of pavement between the painted stripe on and the edge of the pavement, so it was next to impossible to not run on the highway without running in the dirt/gravel on the shoulder. I tried to pass people on the highway, but it was a mish-mash of speeds and people running together, so I ended up on the dirt shoulder for quite a ways until I got past most of the slower runners and the line started to stretch and thin out.
The first 6 miles of the race was an 800 foot climb. There was a poster with an FAQ inside the room during pre-race expo and one of the questions was "Are there any hills?" The answer was "Yes, just ONE! ;)" Gotta love running humor. Anyway, leading up to the race, I wasn't sure exactly how that hill would look, but being there I was VERY happy to see that it was a VERY gradually climb. I was ecstatic! The first couple miles seemed nearly flat with just a slight uphill. It was almost exactly the same grade as the slight uphills I run on near my house for most of my training runs. I thought to myself "I've got this!" I knew that hill gradually increased in grade closer to the summit, but since I could see the top of the hill off in the distance (it was a full moon, after all), I knew it couldn't get too much worse.
There had been storms that through during the day, so the mile markers for the first three miles had been blown down. I wasn't sure if they were for our race or the marathon/51k, so I didn't hit my watch for the first mile, but still glanced to see what my time was. It showed 10:26 which was a minute slower than what I wanted to be running, but with the slow runners at the beginning of the race, I wasn't really the surprised or concerned. I tried to speed up a little, but I knew I had sped up while passing the slower running, so I didn't want to speed up too much.
One of the hired ambulances drove along side the lead runners for the race and as I passed runners and continued on to the second mile I could see that it wasn't getting that far ahead of me. Many thoughts ran through my head. I couldn't be running THAT fast, could I? Maybe the best runners in this race just aren't all that fast? I took a chance and hit my watch at the first blown over sign at what I figured was the second mile mark. It said 19 minutes and something seconds, so I knew I had sped up from mile 1, so I was happy. I kept focusing on the next runner ahead of me, reeling them in, and then doing the same with the next runner and the next runner.
Not many runners were passing me and most of the ones that did, I caught further up the road either when they slowed down, or walked, or at the aid stations. I never had to stop at the aid stations since I had my Camelback. I felt REALLY good. In fact, I felt so good that I was nearly giddy. Could I run a PR in this race? Would I shatter my race PR? I was positively optimistic and already counting my chickens, so-to-speak.
Well, I wasn't feeling THAT great. The back of my right knee was a little sore from the uphill, but it never got that bad and I managed to ignore it. I was trying to drink from my Camelbak at every mile marker as I did during my training. However, I got a little too nervous about my hydration (since I didn't drink anything from 8pm until 11pm to make sure I didn't have to pee on the bus so I could nap) and drank a little too much and started to get a cramp a little after mile 3. I did some deep rhythmic double-breathing up most of the rest of the hill and I helped keep the cramp and bay and helped give me a good tempo to run with. I think it may actually have helped me regulate my oxygen intake better than usual, too.
Miles 4 through 6 were supposed to be the steepest of the hill and they were, but they weren't as steep as some highway overpasses I've run over. I kept pushing myself to try and keep or increase my speed. Starting at mile 4, the mile posts were all upright and thankfully I saw that the first post in the next group of signs was the one for the half marathon. I dutifully kept hitting the split button on my watch, but I didn't look down to see what my splits were. I didn't want to see them because I knew I would be running slower on the uphill and would then pick up speed for the 7 mile downhill.
When we neared the top of the hill, I looked back down and saw the line of headlamps and glow necklaces down the highway which was an AWESOME sight. I tried to take a couple photos with my cellphone camera, but they didn't turn out very well. Still, it was awesome to look at. I used the last mile to increase my speed with the motivation that the last stretch was the last hill before the finish.
There was an aid station at the top of the hill and after I passed it I wondered where the 6 mile marker was since it was supposed to be at the top. I never saw it and looked at my watch and it said 12:26 (or something there-about) and went ahead and hit the split button. That was annoying. I hoped I hadn't really been running that slow, but figured it was because I missed the mile sign.
As I hit the downhill, I lengthened my stride and told myself that it was all downhill from here. It was a great feeling. As I progressed down the hill, the weather was definitely a little cooler on this side. After all that work going uphill, the cooler air was a nice change. I had topped the hill with plenty of energy left and was running what I felt was a good pace. But that's when things went weird.
People started to pass me on the down hill. I knew I was running faster than I had been on the uphill. I wasn't sure why people were passing me and why they were passing me so fast! Surely they were all running too fast and would burn out since there were still SEVEN miles left to the finish. I still caught up to and passed a few runners, but it was the opposite of the uphill. More people were passing me than the number of people I was passing.
I hit my watch at the 7 mile mark, but when I looked at my time, it over 20 minutes. I was really confused. Did I hit stop instead of split the last time? I wasn't sure. When I hit it again at mile 8 it was still in the 20's. This time I KNEW hit the right button. Was my watch malfunctioning? Great, now I will have no idea what my time is. I decided it didn't matter. I told myself there was only 5 miles left and that was essential just one of my usual tempo training runs. I've got this.
Finally, when I hit the 9 mile mark, my watch showed an accurate time. However, it was 9:49! Crap! No wonder I'm being passed! I should be running no slower than 9:30 for my downhill miles - preferably closer to 9 flat. Ugh! And I only have 4 miles left to make up that time! That also would explain why I felt so great. I figured from experience that I should be starting to get tired and also getting sore knees around the 9-10 mile markers, but instead I felt like I still had plenty of energy and no soreness.
Well, right at that point I was bound and determined to make up for lost time. Over and over in my head all I could think of was a motivational phrase I had see; "Finish. Leave Nothing!" Anytime I felt the least bit tired or slow, I replayed it over and over again in my head as I picked up the pace and pushed myself faster.
I finished mile 10 in 8:55 and thought to myself, "that's more like it." I told myself there was only a 5k left. I can do this.
I finished mile 11 in 8:44. Very nice. Just 2 miles left. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
Halfway through mile 12 the road hit a rise and a slight uphill. Nothing significant, but definitely different from the slight downhill I had been running. That was painful, but I pushed myself to catch up to the runner in front of me to try to keep my pace from dropping. I had to look at my watch to see just how far I was from the mile marker. I finally finished mile 12 and I had slowed to 9:26. But, this was the last mile, so it was time finish. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
I could see the lights from the tiny town of Rachel, NV off in the distance. It was hard to tell just how far away it was in the darkness. I checked my watch and saw "4:30", so I knew it couldn't be too far way.
Finally, I saw a glorious sight. I saw runners up ahead turning left which I knew was the finishing straight and the last 200ft of the race! I kept slowing picking up the pace to try and catch the runners ahead of me. I was nervous they would try to sprint with me to the finish line and I was running out of energy, but that was the point. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
Just before the left turn I turned on the jets and used every last bit of energy and blew past all 5 runners ahead of me. None of them even flinched as I blew past. I love that feeling of sprinting to the finish line at such a pace that the other runners can't even react before I'm gone.
As I came up (rather quickly) to the finish line, I saw the finishing clock showing the time for the 10k. It read "1:34:.." I was afraid this meant that I hadn't broken 2 hours, but I couldn't really process it all in that short amount of time. I was focused on finishing. As I crossed the line, the automatic camera went off, taking my picture which momentarily surprised me. Then I slowed, stopped my watch, and then stopped to get my timing chip taken off. Then the race volunteer put the medal over my head and around my neck instead of handing it to me which I thought was awesome and I thanked him.
I checked my watch and it said "1:57:..." I thought there was no way that I ran that fast, especially after the times I saw that I was running at mile 9. I HOPED that it was right, but I was pretty certain that my watch time was messed up. I knew that the 3 races were supposed to be started at 30 minute intervals, so that would mean that I would have finished my race in approximately 2 hours 4 minutes. That would beat my fastest race time by 2 minutes for a PR, however, it would still be almost 2 minutes slower than the time I ran in the gym two weeks before my race - granted, the run in the gym was perfectly flat with no watch malfunctions and the ability to super micromanage my pace with 5.5 laps per mile. But, I just wasn't sure. I would have to wait until the official times were posted to see, and wow, that was super frustrating. But, I didn't want that to affect my race experience. After all, I was here for the experience, not to PR. That would just be a side benefit. If anything, I knew that I had finished before any of the marathoners had finished and that was really one of my biggest goals.
As an interesting side note, this was the first race that I actually ran the entire way. During the Las Vegas RNR Half I had to stop to walk at almost every water station whether I wanted to or not. During the Summerlin half, I stopped to walk every time I grabbed a drink at an aid station since it's difficult to run and drink at the same time. Since I wore my Camelbak, this time, I never needed to stop, so I actually ran the entire race. Even when I looked back and tried to take a picture, I kept running backwards.
Anyway, at this point it was 2:45am and I had just finished my race. I finished off everything I had left in my Camelbak and then had a couple of Heed and a cup of water. I wasn't sure I was hungry, but I didn't care. I got in line at the Little A'Le'Inn (Alien) for the race breakfast buffet. I was at least going to see if I could eat. There was still a two hour plus drive back to town ahead of me, so I really needed to eat, regardless of how I felt. I grabbed three small pancakes and some syrup, 2 pieces of sausage, an apple, and a cup of orange juice.
When I went back outside, I was cold. I grabbed the jacket I had strategically placed in my pick-up bag and then sat down to eat. I was very happy I had thought ahead to bring my jacket and I ended up wearing it all the back into town and even back to the house!
The food wasn't spectacular, but it was still good and it definitely hit the spot. Once I finished eating, I wandered around for a bit and took a few pictures and sent my wife some text messages before deciding to get on the next bus and head back home. I got on the bus around 3:30-ish and after the bus filled up we headed back to Las Vegas. As we pulled away and headed back the way we came, we passed the rest of the runners on the road and it was a cool sight to see row of headlamps coming down the hill into town.
Once we passed all the runners, we sped up and I leaned back and fell asleep and napped on/off until we were just entering town. I was groggy and tried to wake myself up knowing that I was going to need to drive home from the hotel once they dropped us off.
On a final note, the guy sitting next to me on the bus must've either been a serious triathlete, or a little different from me, since he had his legs shaved. But hey, I'm not judging. Just commenting...
When I finally got home, my wife met me outside and gave me a big hug and told me how proud of me she was. That was a great ending to an amazing experience. I would like to say I then went inside and slept like a baby, but... My wife needed to get in her training run, so I watched our baby while she ran her 5 miles. Finally, at 10:45, I got in a nice 2 hour nap. I would've slept longer, but there were things to do as there always is...
Sunday night I checked the race website and our times were up. My official time was 2:04:22, gun time and chip time (since there was not starting mat at the start line). If I subtract the time my watch said it took for me to get to the start line (20 seconds), then I really ran approximately 2:04:02. That definitely beats my official previous half marathon race PR (2:06:37) by 2:25. Even without subtracting those 20 seconds, I still had a race PR by over 2 minutes.
So, I'm excited that I beat my race PR, but disappointed that I ran slower than I did in my fastest 13.1 mile training run (2:02:40), even though - as I said before - it was done inside the gym on a short track that was perfectly flat and allowed me to micromanage my time. It's funny how our minds work, some times.
The best part of this race, though, was being so close to the front runners for so long. It took the better part of 4 miles for the lead ambulance to finally turn the corner and out of sight. With a little better watch maintenance, I could've kept up a faster pace down the hill and then who knows what my final time would've been!
My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours. I know I can do it. During my fast training run I felt like I had enough speed and energy to do it. I just need to put it all together during a race. I know it will happen one of these days!
Final Result
Official Gun Time: 2:04:22
Unofficial Adjusted Time: 2:04:02
Official Pace: 9:30/mile
Overall Place: 75/344
Age Group (30-39): 18/45
Lining up in the dark
Is that a ufo?
Some of the "wild life"
Line of buses
Finishers medal!
Finishing Line
Little A'Le'Inn
This way to food! And a UFO
Location: Rachel, NV near Area 51 - NV SR 375 the "Extraterrestrial Highway"
Race Coordinator: Calico Racing
Event: E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 51k, Half Marathon, 10k
Start Time: 12:30am
My Distance: Half Marathon
Weather: 60-70°F; dry (15% RH)
To quote Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: "Hold on to your hats and glasses because this here is the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
I've been putting off writing this race report because there is just so much to tell! Well, here goes.
Friday night and Saturday morning before the race were a more chaotic than I would have liked, but life happens. I won't go into detail, here, other than to say I was very tired and more than a little anxious about my lack of sleep affecting my race.
After the hectic morning I was hoping for a relaxing afternoon, but it turned into a whirlwind. I really wanted to try to get a nap or two in during the day on Saturday. I was able to eat breakfast around 10am and then get some work done before finally getting in a 30 minute nap just after noon. My wife was going to leave for a birthday party at 4:30pm and I was going to have an hour or so to get ready before heading to the Hard Rock Hotel to pick up my race packet and then hop on one of the buses for the two hour bus ride up to the race course.
My sister-in-law was borrowing the truck and had planned to come by the house at 3:30 to get ready and ride to the party with my wife, but she baked the birthday cake and needed to deliver the cake to the party, so she needed the truck. I ended up riding with my wife to the party to get the truck when my SIL arrived with the cake. She was deliberately driving cautiously with the cake, so I didn't end up back to the house until 5:15. That gave me 45 minute less to get showered, packed, grab dinner, and get to the hotel. It was a little frantic, even with the "to bring" checklist I had made, but I managed to make it out the door by 6:15 and dropped by Subway for a foot-long roast beef sub and a bottle of water and ate it on the drive to the Hard Rock.
The one thing I had worried about was filling my Camelbak and keeping it cold. I didn't want to leave it in my truck for two hours and have it get hot. I filled it at the house with 16 oz of Powerade and 50 ounces of water (didn't quite fill up the full 70 ounces) and a bunch of ice cubes. I then put the pack in an insulated cooler with a couple blocks of blue ice and brought that along with me. I brought a couple of granola bars for the bus ride and put them in the cooler as well along with the remaining 16 ounces of Powerade.
I made it in to the pre-race expo at 7pm and there were no lines at the packet pick-up table which was awesome. After running around all day, I suddenly had over an hour to kill before the buses loaded at 8:30pm. A lot of runners were congregating in the halls of the Hard Rock. I bought a couple packs of m&m's for the race in the hotel's sundries shop. Since I had my truck, I took the opportunity to relax in my truck by myself.
At about 7:45 I changed into my racing clothes and packed my dry-clothes bag and made sure my camelbak was all set. At 8:15 I headed down and got in line for the buses.
At 8:30 the pack of runners surged into the parking lot and it was mass chaos getting on the buses with some people at the end frantically trying to find a bus with empty seats. Fortunately I made it towards the front of the pack and got on the bus of my choice. The buses were supposed to be marked as "chatty" or "quiet" and in front of two buses there was a volunteer yelling out that they were "chatty" buses, but none of the other buses had signs or volunteers. In the end it didn't really matter. There were people talking on our bus, and I talked with my seat mate for a while, but then I still managed to get a decent nap in.
Now, there are only two highways that leave Las Vegas, so it should've been pretty easy for the bus drivers to get on the right one, yet half of the buses - mine included - took the wrong one and got lost. Our bus went about 5 miles up the wrong freeway before turning around and making it back on the right one. On top of that, our drive was very tentative and nervous and making that same mistake again, so every time there was a highway sign, the bus would noticeably slow for the drive to check the directions and compare it to the sign before speeding up until we hit the next sign.
The buses should have all reached the marathon/51k start line by 11pm, but ours didn't end up arriving until 11:30, and at least one other bus didn't arrive until at least 10 or so minutes later.
I was planning on napping for most of the two hour bus ride, but the bus ride made me nervous, even tho I knew that since they were organized by the race director that the races wouldn't start without us. Nonetheless, it took me at least 30-45 minutes before I was able to shake it off and actually nap. I ate one of my granola bars and then dozed for a little less than an hour. I was a little groggy when I woke up and didn't want to be groggy for the race, so even tho we were still a little ways from the marathon/51k start line, i decided to stop napping and try to get myself fully awake. To that, I ate my other granola bar and then one of my packs of m&m's and washed them down with some of my leftover Powerade.
When we got to the marathon/51k start line (approx 20 miles east of the finish line and the tiny town of Rachel, NV), there was already a ton of people already milling about. They handed everyone a green glow necklace when they got off the bus which they "encouraged" everyone to wear during the race (I ended up seeing a lot of them strewn about the race course).
The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the bus was the cool air! It was definitely right around or just under 70 degrees! I could definitely feel the chill in the air and almost felt cold! It had been 104 in Las Vegas when we left and it was warm on the bus the whole trip up, despite the a/c being on full blast.
The only lights were from the buses and cars dropping off runners and the halogen lights at the start line. There, in the dark, there were portapotties and tables with Heed and water and hundreds of runners lined up all wearing headlamps and glow necklaces and costumes and various glowing objects. It was a sight to see! I skipped the portapottie and used the desert under the cover of darkness (a common sight, actually), grabbed a couple cups of water and Heed to get myself re-hydrated, and got a few faint pictures of the crowd with my cellphone camera.
Then, just before midnight, they herded all the 10kers and half marathoners back onto the buses. The 10kers were bused to town for an out-and-back run. At 12:10 am (Yes, A.M.!) they started the marathon and 51k. About 5 minutes later, the half marathon buses pulled out and slowly passed the line of marathon/51k runners before leaving them behind and dropping us off at the half marathon start line approx 7 miles west of the marathon start line. On the way I finished off my Powerade. It didn't feel quite as cold when we stepped off the bus this time. We milled about for 15 minutes (using the darkness for a final pre-race nervous pee - was funny looking at the line of glow necklaces of the runners along the berm along the highway all relieving themselves before the race) before they gathered everybody together for a race photo before the countdown to the start time began...
I was wearing my white racing shirt, silver shorts, my sweatband, a headlamp (required!), my glow necklace (strongly encouraged!), and my Camelbak which was packed with extra batteries, chapstick, my id, and pack of m&m's. My shorts didn't have pockets, and the pocket on the camelbak is on the very back, so I wasn't sure how I was going to reach the m&m's without stopping to walk and taking my Camelbak off. I decided I would wait and see if I needed them since I didn't want to carry them the whole way!
Then the countdown hit zero at 12:40pm... and we were off! A few seconds before the zero I started the GPS and imapmyrun on my cellphone (which got GPS reception, but no cell reception - after all, we were in the middle of nowhere) and then hit my watch as the race director shouted, "go!" It took me approx 20 seconds to reach the start line. The race was chip timed at the finish, but not at the start line, and the start line was not well marked, so I wasn't completely sure when I crossed the start line. I just guessed and hit the split button on my watch.
I ended up starting in the middle of the pack and it was much too slow for my liking. At first, everyone ran all over the road before the race director drove by and announced over their loudspeaker for everyone to stay on the south side of the road facing oncoming traffic. There was maybe 6 inches of pavement between the painted stripe on and the edge of the pavement, so it was next to impossible to not run on the highway without running in the dirt/gravel on the shoulder. I tried to pass people on the highway, but it was a mish-mash of speeds and people running together, so I ended up on the dirt shoulder for quite a ways until I got past most of the slower runners and the line started to stretch and thin out.
The first 6 miles of the race was an 800 foot climb. There was a poster with an FAQ inside the room during pre-race expo and one of the questions was "Are there any hills?" The answer was "Yes, just ONE! ;)" Gotta love running humor. Anyway, leading up to the race, I wasn't sure exactly how that hill would look, but being there I was VERY happy to see that it was a VERY gradually climb. I was ecstatic! The first couple miles seemed nearly flat with just a slight uphill. It was almost exactly the same grade as the slight uphills I run on near my house for most of my training runs. I thought to myself "I've got this!" I knew that hill gradually increased in grade closer to the summit, but since I could see the top of the hill off in the distance (it was a full moon, after all), I knew it couldn't get too much worse.
There had been storms that through during the day, so the mile markers for the first three miles had been blown down. I wasn't sure if they were for our race or the marathon/51k, so I didn't hit my watch for the first mile, but still glanced to see what my time was. It showed 10:26 which was a minute slower than what I wanted to be running, but with the slow runners at the beginning of the race, I wasn't really the surprised or concerned. I tried to speed up a little, but I knew I had sped up while passing the slower running, so I didn't want to speed up too much.
One of the hired ambulances drove along side the lead runners for the race and as I passed runners and continued on to the second mile I could see that it wasn't getting that far ahead of me. Many thoughts ran through my head. I couldn't be running THAT fast, could I? Maybe the best runners in this race just aren't all that fast? I took a chance and hit my watch at the first blown over sign at what I figured was the second mile mark. It said 19 minutes and something seconds, so I knew I had sped up from mile 1, so I was happy. I kept focusing on the next runner ahead of me, reeling them in, and then doing the same with the next runner and the next runner.
Not many runners were passing me and most of the ones that did, I caught further up the road either when they slowed down, or walked, or at the aid stations. I never had to stop at the aid stations since I had my Camelback. I felt REALLY good. In fact, I felt so good that I was nearly giddy. Could I run a PR in this race? Would I shatter my race PR? I was positively optimistic and already counting my chickens, so-to-speak.
Well, I wasn't feeling THAT great. The back of my right knee was a little sore from the uphill, but it never got that bad and I managed to ignore it. I was trying to drink from my Camelbak at every mile marker as I did during my training. However, I got a little too nervous about my hydration (since I didn't drink anything from 8pm until 11pm to make sure I didn't have to pee on the bus so I could nap) and drank a little too much and started to get a cramp a little after mile 3. I did some deep rhythmic double-breathing up most of the rest of the hill and I helped keep the cramp and bay and helped give me a good tempo to run with. I think it may actually have helped me regulate my oxygen intake better than usual, too.
Miles 4 through 6 were supposed to be the steepest of the hill and they were, but they weren't as steep as some highway overpasses I've run over. I kept pushing myself to try and keep or increase my speed. Starting at mile 4, the mile posts were all upright and thankfully I saw that the first post in the next group of signs was the one for the half marathon. I dutifully kept hitting the split button on my watch, but I didn't look down to see what my splits were. I didn't want to see them because I knew I would be running slower on the uphill and would then pick up speed for the 7 mile downhill.
When we neared the top of the hill, I looked back down and saw the line of headlamps and glow necklaces down the highway which was an AWESOME sight. I tried to take a couple photos with my cellphone camera, but they didn't turn out very well. Still, it was awesome to look at. I used the last mile to increase my speed with the motivation that the last stretch was the last hill before the finish.
There was an aid station at the top of the hill and after I passed it I wondered where the 6 mile marker was since it was supposed to be at the top. I never saw it and looked at my watch and it said 12:26 (or something there-about) and went ahead and hit the split button. That was annoying. I hoped I hadn't really been running that slow, but figured it was because I missed the mile sign.
As I hit the downhill, I lengthened my stride and told myself that it was all downhill from here. It was a great feeling. As I progressed down the hill, the weather was definitely a little cooler on this side. After all that work going uphill, the cooler air was a nice change. I had topped the hill with plenty of energy left and was running what I felt was a good pace. But that's when things went weird.
People started to pass me on the down hill. I knew I was running faster than I had been on the uphill. I wasn't sure why people were passing me and why they were passing me so fast! Surely they were all running too fast and would burn out since there were still SEVEN miles left to the finish. I still caught up to and passed a few runners, but it was the opposite of the uphill. More people were passing me than the number of people I was passing.
I hit my watch at the 7 mile mark, but when I looked at my time, it over 20 minutes. I was really confused. Did I hit stop instead of split the last time? I wasn't sure. When I hit it again at mile 8 it was still in the 20's. This time I KNEW hit the right button. Was my watch malfunctioning? Great, now I will have no idea what my time is. I decided it didn't matter. I told myself there was only 5 miles left and that was essential just one of my usual tempo training runs. I've got this.
Finally, when I hit the 9 mile mark, my watch showed an accurate time. However, it was 9:49! Crap! No wonder I'm being passed! I should be running no slower than 9:30 for my downhill miles - preferably closer to 9 flat. Ugh! And I only have 4 miles left to make up that time! That also would explain why I felt so great. I figured from experience that I should be starting to get tired and also getting sore knees around the 9-10 mile markers, but instead I felt like I still had plenty of energy and no soreness.
Well, right at that point I was bound and determined to make up for lost time. Over and over in my head all I could think of was a motivational phrase I had see; "Finish. Leave Nothing!" Anytime I felt the least bit tired or slow, I replayed it over and over again in my head as I picked up the pace and pushed myself faster.
I finished mile 10 in 8:55 and thought to myself, "that's more like it." I told myself there was only a 5k left. I can do this.
I finished mile 11 in 8:44. Very nice. Just 2 miles left. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
Halfway through mile 12 the road hit a rise and a slight uphill. Nothing significant, but definitely different from the slight downhill I had been running. That was painful, but I pushed myself to catch up to the runner in front of me to try to keep my pace from dropping. I had to look at my watch to see just how far I was from the mile marker. I finally finished mile 12 and I had slowed to 9:26. But, this was the last mile, so it was time finish. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
I could see the lights from the tiny town of Rachel, NV off in the distance. It was hard to tell just how far away it was in the darkness. I checked my watch and saw "4:30", so I knew it couldn't be too far way.
Finally, I saw a glorious sight. I saw runners up ahead turning left which I knew was the finishing straight and the last 200ft of the race! I kept slowing picking up the pace to try and catch the runners ahead of me. I was nervous they would try to sprint with me to the finish line and I was running out of energy, but that was the point. "Finish. Leave Nothing!"
Just before the left turn I turned on the jets and used every last bit of energy and blew past all 5 runners ahead of me. None of them even flinched as I blew past. I love that feeling of sprinting to the finish line at such a pace that the other runners can't even react before I'm gone.
As I came up (rather quickly) to the finish line, I saw the finishing clock showing the time for the 10k. It read "1:34:.." I was afraid this meant that I hadn't broken 2 hours, but I couldn't really process it all in that short amount of time. I was focused on finishing. As I crossed the line, the automatic camera went off, taking my picture which momentarily surprised me. Then I slowed, stopped my watch, and then stopped to get my timing chip taken off. Then the race volunteer put the medal over my head and around my neck instead of handing it to me which I thought was awesome and I thanked him.
I checked my watch and it said "1:57:..." I thought there was no way that I ran that fast, especially after the times I saw that I was running at mile 9. I HOPED that it was right, but I was pretty certain that my watch time was messed up. I knew that the 3 races were supposed to be started at 30 minute intervals, so that would mean that I would have finished my race in approximately 2 hours 4 minutes. That would beat my fastest race time by 2 minutes for a PR, however, it would still be almost 2 minutes slower than the time I ran in the gym two weeks before my race - granted, the run in the gym was perfectly flat with no watch malfunctions and the ability to super micromanage my pace with 5.5 laps per mile. But, I just wasn't sure. I would have to wait until the official times were posted to see, and wow, that was super frustrating. But, I didn't want that to affect my race experience. After all, I was here for the experience, not to PR. That would just be a side benefit. If anything, I knew that I had finished before any of the marathoners had finished and that was really one of my biggest goals.
As an interesting side note, this was the first race that I actually ran the entire way. During the Las Vegas RNR Half I had to stop to walk at almost every water station whether I wanted to or not. During the Summerlin half, I stopped to walk every time I grabbed a drink at an aid station since it's difficult to run and drink at the same time. Since I wore my Camelbak, this time, I never needed to stop, so I actually ran the entire race. Even when I looked back and tried to take a picture, I kept running backwards.
Anyway, at this point it was 2:45am and I had just finished my race. I finished off everything I had left in my Camelbak and then had a couple of Heed and a cup of water. I wasn't sure I was hungry, but I didn't care. I got in line at the Little A'Le'Inn (Alien) for the race breakfast buffet. I was at least going to see if I could eat. There was still a two hour plus drive back to town ahead of me, so I really needed to eat, regardless of how I felt. I grabbed three small pancakes and some syrup, 2 pieces of sausage, an apple, and a cup of orange juice.
When I went back outside, I was cold. I grabbed the jacket I had strategically placed in my pick-up bag and then sat down to eat. I was very happy I had thought ahead to bring my jacket and I ended up wearing it all the back into town and even back to the house!
The food wasn't spectacular, but it was still good and it definitely hit the spot. Once I finished eating, I wandered around for a bit and took a few pictures and sent my wife some text messages before deciding to get on the next bus and head back home. I got on the bus around 3:30-ish and after the bus filled up we headed back to Las Vegas. As we pulled away and headed back the way we came, we passed the rest of the runners on the road and it was a cool sight to see row of headlamps coming down the hill into town.
Once we passed all the runners, we sped up and I leaned back and fell asleep and napped on/off until we were just entering town. I was groggy and tried to wake myself up knowing that I was going to need to drive home from the hotel once they dropped us off.
On a final note, the guy sitting next to me on the bus must've either been a serious triathlete, or a little different from me, since he had his legs shaved. But hey, I'm not judging. Just commenting...
When I finally got home, my wife met me outside and gave me a big hug and told me how proud of me she was. That was a great ending to an amazing experience. I would like to say I then went inside and slept like a baby, but... My wife needed to get in her training run, so I watched our baby while she ran her 5 miles. Finally, at 10:45, I got in a nice 2 hour nap. I would've slept longer, but there were things to do as there always is...
Sunday night I checked the race website and our times were up. My official time was 2:04:22, gun time and chip time (since there was not starting mat at the start line). If I subtract the time my watch said it took for me to get to the start line (20 seconds), then I really ran approximately 2:04:02. That definitely beats my official previous half marathon race PR (2:06:37) by 2:25. Even without subtracting those 20 seconds, I still had a race PR by over 2 minutes.
So, I'm excited that I beat my race PR, but disappointed that I ran slower than I did in my fastest 13.1 mile training run (2:02:40), even though - as I said before - it was done inside the gym on a short track that was perfectly flat and allowed me to micromanage my time. It's funny how our minds work, some times.
The best part of this race, though, was being so close to the front runners for so long. It took the better part of 4 miles for the lead ambulance to finally turn the corner and out of sight. With a little better watch maintenance, I could've kept up a faster pace down the hill and then who knows what my final time would've been!
My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours. I know I can do it. During my fast training run I felt like I had enough speed and energy to do it. I just need to put it all together during a race. I know it will happen one of these days!
Final Result
Official Gun Time: 2:04:22
Unofficial Adjusted Time: 2:04:02
Official Pace: 9:30/mile
Overall Place: 75/344
Age Group (30-39): 18/45
Lining up in the dark
Is that a ufo?
Some of the "wild life"
Line of buses
Finishers medal!
Finishing Line
Little A'Le'Inn
This way to food! And a UFO
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Running With the Devil Results
After spending all of Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning refreshing the Calico Racing website for race results, I finally gave up for the day, but decided to check back one more time before bed... and they are finally up!
My official time is 57:32 which they calculate out to a 9:15/mile pace. I finished 37th overall out of 125 finishers (149 entries counting the DNF's) and 8 out of 18 in my age group. I may not have felt that great, but I fared relatively well compared to my competition.
Based on the conditions, I am happy with a 9:15/mile pace. In the gym the Saturday before, I was able to easily keep up a 9:30-9:45/mile pace for 9 miles, but that was flat, windless and air conditioned. So, I will happily accept my 9:15/mile pace in the sun, with the wind, and the dead legs.
I've learned my lesson. I will make sure to take into account my hiking as well as my running to make sure I include enough of rest. I'm hoping to do a hike to the top of Mt. Charleston (the tallest local peak at just a hair under 12,000 feet) which is somewhere between a 12-16 mile round trip and a 4,500 foot elevation gain, so I may need to plan that for some point after my half in August. I definitely don't want dead legs ruining THAT race!
My official time is 57:32 which they calculate out to a 9:15/mile pace. I finished 37th overall out of 125 finishers (149 entries counting the DNF's) and 8 out of 18 in my age group. I may not have felt that great, but I fared relatively well compared to my competition.
Based on the conditions, I am happy with a 9:15/mile pace. In the gym the Saturday before, I was able to easily keep up a 9:30-9:45/mile pace for 9 miles, but that was flat, windless and air conditioned. So, I will happily accept my 9:15/mile pace in the sun, with the wind, and the dead legs.
I've learned my lesson. I will make sure to take into account my hiking as well as my running to make sure I include enough of rest. I'm hoping to do a hike to the top of Mt. Charleston (the tallest local peak at just a hair under 12,000 feet) which is somewhere between a 12-16 mile round trip and a 4,500 foot elevation gain, so I may need to plan that for some point after my half in August. I definitely don't want dead legs ruining THAT race!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Race Report: Running With the Devil 10k
Since my previous half, I've been slowly increasing my mileage with the hopes of improving my speed. As part of that, I was also trying to add in more speed work and also signed up for a 10k. I also switched my running schedule, last week, from Sun, T, W, Th to M, W, Th, Sat to even out my rest days.
Flash forward to Father's Day weekend. I ran my scheduled 9 miles on Saturday, but instead of resting on Sunday, I hiked to the top of Cathedral Rock and back with my daughter (23lbs) in her new baby backpack to try it out. Then I began my new running schedule with a 5 mile tempo run on Monday. With my only rest day coming on Tuesday - and not enough sleep during the week - my legs felt sluggish and heavy on Thursday. That was not good since I had my 10k coming up just two days later. I had my rest day on Friday and then prayed my legs would be feeling better by Saturday.
Saturday's race was the "Running With the Devil" 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, marathon, and 50 miler. The concept behind this race is to hold it at the end of June at Lake Mead when it is really hot. Today's forecast high was 104. The longest races started at 6am and the 10k was the last to start at 6:50am. Temps at sunrise were 80 degrees and approximately 85 at start time and over 90 degrees by the time we finished. The course is rolling hills on the highway around Lake Mead. Very little flat with mostly either uphill or downhill. I knew the course was going to be challenging, but I knew it could be much worse! I felt like I was ready for the challenge.
But, that was before I came down with the dreaded dead legs.
My original goal for this race was to try to run under and average of 9 minutes/mile, or 54 minutes - preferably under 53 minutes since that was how fast I started on the downhill portion of the Summerlin half. However, with the hills and the hotter weather, I at least wanted to finish around 55 minutes, and no slower than 60 minutes.
I woke up at 3:55am, got ready, filled my camelbak with 2/3 water, 1/3 gatorade, and added a bunch of ice to keep it cold at least until race time. I picked up my sister-in-law at 4:30, and we got to the course at 5:15 to pick up our packets and wait for our race to start. We watched the 50 milers and marathoners weigh in before their race. Boy was I glad I was only running a 10k, today.
5 minutes after watching my SIL take off in the 5k, my race began and off we went. The first 1/4 mile of the race being uphill. Nice. Thanks, guys. Well, at least that kept me from starting off too fast. I tried to start in the middle of the pack, but the race photographer had everyone squeeze together for a photo at the start line, so I ended up starting towards the front. Turns out it didn't really matter that much. There's wasn't too many racers and I didn't get passed by too many people and I did pass a number of runners during the race, but mostly I just passed the slower runners from the 5k race that started only 5 minutes before us.
After the uphill ended, my legs still felt tired and heavy, like I was still running uphill. That is not good. That is the dreaded dead legs! I knew right there that this was going to be a run, not a race. My only competition was going to be myself. It was going to be a mental slog. I just hoped I wouldn't end up walking at some point.
After the first 1/4 mile uphill, we turned right onto the main highway (which was NOT closed for the race) and ran on the paved shoulder between the solid white line and then edge of the pavement. All runners were *supposed* to had a nice downhill and I took advantage of that and tried to coast downhill to hopefully stretch my legs out and to pick up some time I could spare during the hills later in the race.
I was racing with my Camelbak for the first time to see how it would work out during my half marathon in August. It worked great for the most part. My back started to hurt around mile 2. Not sure if it was the hills and the headwind, a projection of my dead legs, or the backpack being heavy. When I felt good I didn't really notice the pack, but when I was laboring it was a pain. Also, when I was tired and breathing hard, it was tough to drink, run, and breathe. When I drank, I had to breathe thru my nose which let in a lot less air and was not comfortable. I will have to take my pack out for some more test runs during my next month's training.
After I hit the first mile mark, I remembered to hit my watch to time my first mile split which was 8:34. A little fast. Faster than I was expecting with my legs feeling heavy, but not fast enough to endanger my race plans. I also knew I would slow down pretty quickly with the next hills coming up.
I forgot to hit my watch at the 2 and 3 mile markers. From marker 2 to 3.1 was a long, gradual uphill ascent with an aid station at the top which was also the turn-around point. I grabbed a cold, wet towel from one of the aid station workers and then turned around and headed back the way I came.
I had been really looking forward to running back down the big hill I had just ascended. However, when I turned around and took a few steps I was unceremoniously met by a nasty headwind. Ugh! I tried to descend by coasting with a long stride, but the wind was keeping me from being able to do it with any descent speed. Even worse, this headwind was going to be there all the way to the turn-off for the last 1/4 mile of the race!
As I thought about it, the ascent up the hill had seemed to have been easier than I expected and I had attributed it to being more gradual of an incline than I expected. Turns out it was because we were running with a tailwind.
So, now, me and dead legs are running into a wind and have a little less than 3 miles remaining. I pushed on, but as the downhill ended I hit the 4 mile mark and remembered this time to hit my watch. I was hurting and tired and I really was not happy that I still had 2 miles left. I managed to straighten out my form for the photographer that was sitting just inside the 5 mile mark. He cheered me on and gave me a high five as I passed.
My legs were so dead that over the last 2 miles I battled with myself over the idea of stopping to walk. I soooo wanted to stop and walk and just give up. But, something deep down inside of me just kept saying "No! You are NOT a quitter!" That battle started slowly during the very first mile and increased to a crescendo during the last two miles. The headwind was brutal and I just wanted it to end. It felt like I was dragging and gradually slowing down - like I was barely moving. I never had to battle myself even 1/4 of this much in any of my races, so far. On the plus side, I definitely was not the only one suffering from the heat, hills, and headwind. I was passed by only maybe 3 or 4 people over the last 3 miles, and only one person over the last 2 miles. I slowly reeled in one guy ahead of me who was alternating running and walking and it was obvious that it wasn't on purpose. Towards the end I caught another couple runners who were walking and laboring with their running.
With less than a mile less I could see people walking up the final incline before the turn for the finish including a guy with no shirt and arms and shoulders covered in a gigantic tribal tattoo who I recognized as having been approximately in 5th place after the turnaround! Boy had he had a bad race! He was at least mile ahead of me with less than half of his race to go and I caught up to him with 1/4 mile left!
As I came up the final incline towards the finish, I picked up the pace and passed the tattoo guy and another guy who was also laboring. The rest of the race was downhill and I wanted to finish, so I stretched out my stride as much as I could without falling over and left those two in the dust. No matter my time, there's no reason to leave anything on the course. Time to use all the energy I have left.
I flew down the hill, listened to the cheers of my fellow runners and I approached the finish line all by myself, and hoped I was at least close to finishing around 55 minutes. I was severely disappointed to see the clock reading the upper 62's as I crossed the line. I knew I was going to be within just a few seconds of the clock time because I started towards the front and there were only maybe 100 or so runners in the race. My sister-in-law had run the 5k before me and she met me at the finish line and lead me to find water and a banana. I was drained and tired and disappointed and ready to go home.
After i recuperated for 15 minutes, I was ready to head home and take a nap. As we got in my car and got ready to head out, I took a quick look at the splits I had taken on my watch. I had missed the 2 and 3 mile marks, remembered to get my splits at miles 4 and 5, but then forgot to stop my watch at the end of the race.
After all the time spend resting, getting water, and then getting back to the car, taking of my number, etc, etc, when I checked my watch, it was still only just under 1 hour 18 minutes. That didn't make sense if I had run my race in almost an hour and 3 minutes. We hadn't quite left THAT quickly.
I looked thru my splits and this is what I saw:
Mile 1: 8:34
Mile 4: 27:27 (36:02)
Mile 5: 9:45 (45:47)
So, what would my final time have been? Well, based on my sprint finish, I would hope that my final split would be close to my 5 mile split or faster. So, maybe I finished between 55 and 56 minutes? I can only hope! I know I definitely did NOT finish in 62 minutes. Perhaps that was still the clock from the 5k race that started just 5 minutes before us? Waiting for the results to post on the website is killing me! Hopefully they will be up, soon. Considering how bad I felt, how nasty the headwind was, and how slow it felt like I was running, I managed to run almost exactly a 9 minute/mile pace for the first 4 miles. I obviously slowed down during mile 5, but kept a pace faster than a 10 minute mile. The wild card is now my last 1.2 miles. 62:50 - 5 minutes = 57:50? That would be disappointing, but at least faster than my 60 minute drop-dead goal. And with my dead legs and all that, it's certainly much faster than it felt like I was running.
So, chalk up this race as a victory for perseverance. Monday I run a recovery run and then I am taking a week off. My legs need it and totally deserve it.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Race Report: Summerlin Half Marathon
The race course was going to be interesting, to say the least. 6.5 miles downhill to begin the race with an elevation loss of 515 feet, then 6.5 miles of mostly uphill to regain those 515 feet in elevation back to the finish line - with a plateau and short downhill between miles 11 and 12.5. I knew I needed to conserve some energy in the first half of the race to make sure I would be able to finish. With all my training issues and the crazy course, I told my wife that I was just hoping to be able to finish under 2:30 and I knew there was no way I was going to run a PR with this race. I just hoped I could run under 2:15 if I was lucky!
The weather was schizophrenic from 10 days before the race all the way through the afternoon after the race. Leading up the race, the weather forecast slowly changed from an expected high of 72 and sunny down to an expected high of 53 and rainy. The morning of the race, the probability of rain in the morning was removed. When I arrived at the race, it was 39 degrees and overcast. When I finished the race, it had warmed up to 50 and mostly sunny. An hour after I finished the race, the clouds came back and it sprinkled on me on my drive home before the temperature dropped down to 40 and became a mix of light rain and snow before the sun came out again in the afternoon and warmed back up to 55!
Anyway, back to the race. Twenty minutes before the race, I got out of my truck and into the cold wearing my shorts, Zensah fresh legs (aka leg warmers), running shirt, arm sleeves, and a zip-up running jacket over the top. I made sure I pinned my number to the leg of my shorts so I could remove my jacket during the race. I jogged in place to stay warm as I waited in line for the porta-jane.
There were approximately 600 runners and since part of the course involved some narrow walking trails, they did a wave start in groups of 100 (1-100, 101-200, etc); and since they never asked us for our expected finishing times, they assigned out our race numbers alphabetically and used our numbers to group us into waves. I was #269, so I was in the third corral (201-300). They waited only about a minute between waves, so at approximately 7:02am, I was off.
The beginning of the race was straight down a wide street and downhill for about about a half mile. It was cloudy and cold (39) and my toes were numb for most of the first two miles. Throw in the mixed up wave start and it was darn near impossible to figure out and settle into my pace. As we turned the corner after the first half mile I looked back because I knew that was the hill we were going to have to climb at the end of the race to get back to the finish line.
The race was chip timed, but I never expect to get splits tracked, so I was keeping track of my splits on my watch. As I passed the first mile marker I couldn't feel the tips of my fingers, so it took a few extra seconds to roll up my sleeves to be able to press the button on my watch. I thought it said 8:45, which was a little faster than I wanted to run, considering I never ran faster than a 9:30 mile during my first half marathon where I ended up with an average pace of 9:40/mile. I knew this was probably way too fast, especially considering what was coming up in the second half of the race, so I tried to slow down a bit. When I checked my watch at the end of the race, it turned out the split was actually 8:28, not 8:45; and that included a few extra seconds as i fumbled to hit the button with my numb fingers.
Just past the first mile marker, we left the streets and turned onto a winding downhill walking path which initially meant a few switchbacks and a little bit of crowding. My right quad felt tight and the back of my right knee was also a little painful and tight. I hoped it would go away and tried to lengthen my stride when I could to stretch it out, some.
The path quickly changed to a less meandering, curved path and I was surprised how quickly I came upon the second mile marker. When I hit my watch, I swore it said 8:00 for my second mile split. I thought that was crazy fast and knew I really needed to slow down. I also knew, tho, that if I kept this pace up I was going to set a new 5k PR! That would be absolutely nuts to set a 5k PR during a half marathon, even if it was downhill. Made me wish I could run a pure 5k downhill! At the end of the race it turned out my watch recorded this split in 8:07, not 8:00; and it was actually closer to 8:13 once I adjusted my first two splits for the extra time I spent fumbling for the button back at the first mile marker.
In the middle of our third mile we had to climb a 50 foot ramp to leave the walking path and head back up to the road, so this effectively fixed my pace; plus the road we transitioned onto was a little flatter at that particular section. My third mile split was 8:54. This put my three mile split at 25:26. Tack on my usual 30 second last tenth of a mile 5k sprint finish and I would probably have tied my 5k PR. I first took some water just past the third mile marker and couldn't drink it while running, so I walked a few seconds until I was done.
At the fourth mile marker my pace had slowed some more down to 9:10. I was still worried that I was burning too much energy in the first half of the race, but the downhill running just felt so effortless that I didn't even feel like I was trying that hard. I decided around this point to just keep whatever pace still felt comfortable and then hopefully I could use all the extra time from the first half of the race as a buffer during the hilly second half and maybe, just maybe, I might actually get close to a PR, even on this crazy course!
Around the four and a half mile mark I decided I was getting warm and thought about pulling off my arm sleeves. However, they were on under my jacket, so once I unzipped my jacket to pull of my sleeves, I decided it wasn't too cold and I would just wear my jacket around my waist for the rest of the race - which I did. I was worried it would bother me, but after a couple miles I completely forgot about it.
The fifth mile was just a bit slower at 9:14, but then my sixth mile went by at 8:56. I knew I had a lot of time in the bank for the long uphill that was coming up just around the corner and I was still feeling fresh, but I wasn't sure just how steep or how long the uphill was really going to be.
A half mile down the street, we turned left and lo and behold here was the start of the uphill portion of the course. I checked my watch and I hit the corner and started uphill at 59:15.
The first half mile uphill wasn't too bad and my seventh mile matched my sixth mile at 8:56. I knew I needed to start slowing down to conserve my energy, so my times began to lengthen. I kept my strides short and quick. Suddenly, however, the mile markers didn't seem so close together, anymore. When I hit mile 8 I didn't look at my split time. I ignored it again at mile markers 9 and 10. I just didn't want to see how slow I was going. I stopped for water and a short walk to drink it at mile 9 and then got back to running. It seemed like it took an eternity to get to mile marker 10, but it turned out I was still running almost a flat 10 minutes per mile for both.
Mile 11 was the killer mile of the whole race. Turns out it was also the steepest part of the whole course as a category 5 climb. It was the last part of the hill that started way back at the 6.5 mile mark and every turn that seemed to promise a short stretch of flat, was really just a tease. A guy I had passed a mile earlier was now passing me back and as he passed he said "this [part of the course] looks way too familiar." I replied, "I can't tell, I have my eyes closed." I was only half kidding because when I really need to bear down and dig deep, I tend to close my eyes. I had them open for the most part up to that point, but I was really getting tired. If I thought it took forever to get from mile marker 9 to 10, marker 11 felt like it was misplaced and either it had been put out there way too far, or I had either passed it without noticing. Sadly, neither was the case. When I finally hit marker 11 I looked at my watch and saw an ugly 11:30. I wasn't out of breath, but my legs were burning. I wanted to walk, but I didn't want to give in and I knew that if I walked it would take that much longer to finish, so I pressed on.
Finally, the hill eased up shortly before 11.5 miles and was a slight downhill past the 12 mile marker. I tried to speed up some, but I was gassed and wanted to make sure I would still be able to make it up the last hill to the finish. A number of runners that I had passed on the long uphill were now passing me, even though I was picking up my own pace. Mile 12 was faster at 10:30 as I tried to lengthen my stride to stretch my legs for the last uphill climb to the finish. I stopped for my last cup of water at mile 12 to get myself steeled for the last climb.
Around 12.5 miles, the course made a right-hand turn and lo and behold we were on the last stretch to the finish. We had to cross a bridge over the highway to get to the 13 mile marker and then to the finish. I tried to pace myself with short, quick strides up the hill. My legs were burning and I was exhausted. I always love a strong push to the finish, but I wasn't sure I had it in me with this nasty uphill climb. A few more people I had previously passed were now passing me slowly. Two guys passed my slowly with one yelling loudly at his buddy like a drill sergeant (only with nicer language) and urging him on to the finish. I told them they "were looking good" and he said thank you.
It seemed to take too long before we crossed over the highway bridge and the road bent to the right and I finally saw the 13 mile marker. It was now gut check time. I asked myself if I had any energy left, and if I had any, I told myself I was going to use it to get to the finish line as fast as I could as soon as I could see the finish line.
I looked up and caught a glimpse of what was probably the finish line. A few more steps after I passed the 13 mile marker I strained my eyes and I was certain that what I could see was the finish line and decided it was time to fly. I quickly accelerated up the hill and I actually surprised myself with just how quickly I was able to move. A girl had just passed me not more than 15 seconds before and she exclaimed, "Holy crap!" as I blew by her. I passed scores of runners that had just passed me included the guy urging his buddy on.
Then the pain hit me. There was still an intersection and another stretch of road between me and the finish line and it felt like I had no more fuel left to even run, let alone sprint to the finish. I stopped at the intersection and walked for only the fifth time during the whole race and the only time I walked that didn't involve a water stop. I took about 5 steps and threw back my head and yelled "No!!!" (or maybe something more foul) I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to run at any speed up the last 50 yards to the finish line! I couldn't see the clock, so I had no idea what my time was, but I knew that there was a slim possibility that I was still close to my PR. If I walked, I would take forever to get to the finish line and I just wanted to finish! Plus, I would be passed and embarrassed by all the people I had just blown by. On top of that, my wife and daughter were planning to be at the finish line and I could not let them see me finish walking, or even running slowly.
I knew I couldn't let any of those thing happen. I told myself that the pain is only temporary. With just a few more moments of pain I would reach the finish line and it would be over and would all be worth it, and so I began to run again, slowly and cautiously. I wanted to get the race over and I wanted to get as good of a time as possible and I wanted to push myself to the end. After a few steps I knew that I had to sprint again and this time I had to make it all the way to the finish line. I mustered up all the energy left in my legs and the rest of my body and willed myself past a few more runners and propelled my body towards the finish line. I saw my wife and my daughter. My wife was yelling "Go, daddy, go!" with a camera in her hand and our daughter in the stroller in front of her watching me finish.
And then mercifully, I crossed the finish line! I stopped my watch and glanced at my time. 2:07:36. I wanted to scream, but my emotions were so completely jumbled and I was too exhausted. I had missed my PR by only a minute! I was so overjoyed that I had managed to run SO much faster than I had expected, yet, despite all of my expectations of a slow race and not making a PR, I was now suddenly hit by the disappointment of just missing my PR by only a minute. I was so conflicted. And tired!
I slowed to a stop and accepted my finisher's medal and then I had to stop to let the volunteers clip to the timing chip off my shoe. I wobbled and swayed and wondered if I would be able to stand, let alone stand still long enough for them to clip it off, but thankfully they were well practiced with their scissors. I gingerly and carefully made my way over to grab some water, a muffin, a banana, and some chocolate milk.
My wife and I found each other and she gave me a hug and a kiss and told me how proud of me she was. I kissed my daughter and then told my wife my time. She was so happy for me because I finished, and I had run so much better than I had expected.
In retrospect, I am completely pleased with my time, but I am still just a little disappointed that I missed my PR (2:06:35) by just over a minute. But, that was on a flat course. This was anything but a flat course and that makes me much happier with my time. I never expected to PR, and to be able to come that close when for the past month I had worried about being sick, my conditioning, not training on hills and missing 2 important training runs is really incredible and I could really not be much more pleased with my effort. I could really only be happier if only I hadn't of had to stop to walk on the final ascent on the final stretch to the finish line.
Now I am taking a couple weeks off before I train for a 10k in June and then the race that I am *really* excited for in August. The E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 1/2, 10K, & 51K! I plan to run the half marathon and it will be the *opposite* of this race. 700 foot elevation gain to *start* the race, then all downhill to the finish. I can't wait!
My official half marathon time: 2:07:36.1
My splits according to my watch:
Mile 1 - 8:20 downhill
Mile 2 - 8:13 downhill
Mile 3 - 8:54 downhill
Mile 4 - 9:10 downhill
Mile 5 - 9:14 downhill
Mile 6 - 8:56 downhill
Mile 7 - 8:56 downhill/uphill
Mile 8 - 9:41 uphill
Mile 9 - 10:06 uphill
Mile 10 - 10:00 uphill
Mile 11 - 11:25 uphill
Mile 12 - 10:31 downhill
Mile 13 - 11:06 downhill/uphill
Mile 13.1 - 2:57 uphill
The course profile
Finishing!
Done!
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