Going Back to Frederick

If you are around me for more than 5 minutes I will probably mention that I was born in Frederick. If you're a running friend I will will probably tell you I was born with running shoes on and did my first fun run shortly after said birth. This is an exaggeration, I was the advanced age of 4 when I 'ran' my first race. I think I still have the finisher ribbon somewhere. It was a Steeplechasers race (Steeplechasers.org) and for the next 14 years I ran just about every local even they put on. We were regulars at the Thursday fun relays night (and would put one at least one ourselves every year). After high school I dropped off and moved a hour or so away (except for the Rockville year). And, more importantly, I did not run a formal race between the years of 2001 and 2008.

Since I've been back training again I've had the urge to go back and do a Steeplechasers event. I circled the Market Street Mile last fall, but in the end I couldn't make it. Half was because I wasn't sure about driving an hour for a race that I had not preregistered for, the other half was for other reasons... I also wanted to run the Goodloe Byron 15k which was another race I did in my youth, but it turned out to be the same weekend as White Rock. Obviously that one was out. I settled on the John Lewis 10 miler early this year as it was a nice 10 mile distance and good training for Club Challenge. Furthermore, I used to run with John Lewis when I was a running fetus so it only seems right to run his memorial race.

Originally scheduled for a chilly day in mid January, an ice storm postponed the race a week and messed with my schedule. It was moved another week until February 4 due to clubhouse availability. I bumped up my expectations and maybe that wasn't a great idea. The Lewis race is an always-interesting prediction time run and I put down 1:12. I thought I was adding a couple of minutes for hills, but that was probably my level of fitness on a flat course right now.

Training since the 26.2 has been rather schizophrenic. I spent most of December taking it easy during the week and racing on the weekends. I did a nice time for a 15k (1:07 and change) and probably my best result of the year in the Celtic Solstice at 34:34 (and that's a legit 5 miler unlike some other races). I then ended the year on a 35 mile week because I wanted to hit 1000 for the year (really a few miles more than that, I started tracking my mileage on March 30). First couple of weeks of the year were lower mileage (23 and 21 respectively) as I tried to shake a lingering heel pain. But I went back to last year's training levels and jumped over 30, and then 40 to close out the month. So I felt like I could race a 10 miler and do reasonably well. I was aware of the hills in the area, having grown up on Braddock Mountain.

Not willing to properly taper I ran a full week except for an off day Friday. I woke up in plenty of time but somehow I was leaving the City only about 1:15 before the scheduled start. Every cop and his mother was out on route 70 and I was not able to do some crazy speeds the whole way, just part. But I arrived with a solid 15 minutes to spare. I waiting in line to register and this cut into precious warm-up time. I think I managed about 5 minutes of jog time and then stood at the start for probably 15 minutes (not complaining, just how these things go). Being fairly competitive I charged up the moderate hill at the start and didn't look back. I think I was in 5th at one point (it's a club run, but part of the Grand Prix series so there is some competition).

The rolling hills for the first 2.5 or 3 miles were tough and I felt myself settling in and letting the folks in the top 10 go. Since this was prediction run, watches were not allowed and it's probably for the best and there were no mile markers so it's moot anyway. The only flat section was down to the first water stop and back and then you began to climb. I was already feeling a bit fatigued. I walked a bit (there was someone in front of me that walked as well, this is a bit of mental thing when that happens) on a steep little hill and then I was back on the horse and past the next water stop. It was another out-and-back section and when I saw the leader come back the other way, it was bit demoralizing. But I knew from logic that I was past 6 and that kept me going a bit.

I was not prepared for 7 to the finish. It was all uphill. I joked that it was a course by MC Esher and all directions were uphill. I would rank it second behind the Quadzilla 15k last July in terms of total climb (mapmyrun is somewhat unreliable in this regard but it puts it second with 466 feet of climb, I would think maybe closer to 700 or 800). A few people came past and I fell to 15th as I started down the last mile. A bit mentally defeated I came home in 16th and the time was at first glance 1:16.something. The result I saw today was a bit better, 1:15.47, and I think maybe 4 minutes slower than possible due to the hills.

I gave myself a bit of a scare, I didn't pick the right turn around for the the second out-and-back section of the course when mapping it for the record. If the race was .4 or .5 short of 10 then I was really off the pace. But I realized my mistake today and it mapped to a near-perfect 9.99. Well done Steeplechasers.

For the week:
Aiming for over 40 this week as I'm 19 weeks out from the next 26.2. If I was following a 18 week plan it would begin next week and I wanted to be over 40 for the start. But I'm still not sure if I'm going to follow a plan. It seemed to work to build miles and hit track on Tuesdays, combined with strategic races along the way. Next up is Club Challenge, making this the spring of the 10 mile race. Bring it...