Half A Good Race Doesn't Cut It
I met Steve Schroeder and Brian King this morning at 6:30 AM to head down to the Bayou City Classic 10K. I have been running fairly well in training recently, particularly in speedwork so I had reason to be cautiously optimistic. Brian and Steve, on the other hand, had reason to not expect their best this morning. Steve is recovering from the flu earlier this week and Brian has had a foot injury for two weeks now. My 10K PR is 38:26 and I thought it might be within reach, or at the very least sub 39 would be.
The temperature was perfect. I was freezin' my as* off before the start so it must have been just right. Around 40, little wind, and sunshine. One thing I like about this race is that there is a 1/2 mile marker in the first mile - very beneficial to ensure not going out to fast. I hit it at about 2:55 so I throttled back just a hair but felt fine. First mile came in at 6:04. I couldn't have gone much faster but wasn't really redlining yet. Second mile came in at 6:10 and I was starting to realize that I probably wouldn't be able to maintain that pace. By mile three I was starting to realize that I probably should have stayed home in bed. Mile three was a nice 6:07, for a three mile total of 18:21, but I was gassed. I knew mile four was going to be slower, and it was - 6:33! At this point I just wanted to hang on as best I could, and started doing the math to determine if I could just come in under 39. Mile five posted at 6:28, but after a 6:44 mile six (good gosh!) I realized sadly that sub 39 wasn't going to happen, even though I felt like I really picked up the pace in the last quarter mile of mile six. It was time to hit the jets for the final .2. I covered it in 1:05 for a chip time of 39:11. I'll bet I could go out tomorrow night and run a 10K training run at least 30 seconds faster. I'd give anything to determine why I can't seem to get it done at shorter distance races. It's not mental and it's not a matter of just gutting it out. I leave everything out there but it rarely comes together. Probably goes back to me not being a morning runner. I'll try to do some morning runs before my next race.
I'm thinking of passing up some of the shorter stuff on the calendar and focus on that 1/2 marathon in Clear Lake on April 6. We'll see. I'm sick of underperforming at 10Ks, which I used to think was my distance.
The temperature was perfect. I was freezin' my as* off before the start so it must have been just right. Around 40, little wind, and sunshine. One thing I like about this race is that there is a 1/2 mile marker in the first mile - very beneficial to ensure not going out to fast. I hit it at about 2:55 so I throttled back just a hair but felt fine. First mile came in at 6:04. I couldn't have gone much faster but wasn't really redlining yet. Second mile came in at 6:10 and I was starting to realize that I probably wouldn't be able to maintain that pace. By mile three I was starting to realize that I probably should have stayed home in bed. Mile three was a nice 6:07, for a three mile total of 18:21, but I was gassed. I knew mile four was going to be slower, and it was - 6:33! At this point I just wanted to hang on as best I could, and started doing the math to determine if I could just come in under 39. Mile five posted at 6:28, but after a 6:44 mile six (good gosh!) I realized sadly that sub 39 wasn't going to happen, even though I felt like I really picked up the pace in the last quarter mile of mile six. It was time to hit the jets for the final .2. I covered it in 1:05 for a chip time of 39:11. I'll bet I could go out tomorrow night and run a 10K training run at least 30 seconds faster. I'd give anything to determine why I can't seem to get it done at shorter distance races. It's not mental and it's not a matter of just gutting it out. I leave everything out there but it rarely comes together. Probably goes back to me not being a morning runner. I'll try to do some morning runs before my next race.
I'm thinking of passing up some of the shorter stuff on the calendar and focus on that 1/2 marathon in Clear Lake on April 6. We'll see. I'm sick of underperforming at 10Ks, which I used to think was my distance.
posted by Lance Collins at 9:35 AM
2 Comments:
Well your hug was a PR this morning!!! I was hoping for your PR and a good 10K as well.
And on the note about the 1/2 m marker i was PLEASED to see that as it gave me the same idea...had i gone out too fast as I normally do. I was at 5 min but i was fine with that even though i was shooting for 10:30's...
Good to see you Lance!!
Lance,
Nice running out there tonight! You looked really good when you flew by me!
You know, if your circadian rythmns ar such that you run better in the evening, you may want to circle May 8 on your calendar and run the Houston Young Lawyers 5km in the evening...
Also, if it is anything like last year, you will gets loads of beer, tons of pizza, and a really good chance of winning door prizes. Heck, I might even fly back for this one!
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