RACE REPORT: 2011 Sunrise Run 8K

 

Feeling good right now.  

At 6:30am, I ran the Sunrise Run 8K (sunrise was at 6:15).  It was "feels like 69ish" and decent at the start, since the sun wasn't shining and making it feel a lot hotter.  I woke up at 4:30, drank decaf+cocoa+vanilla extract + stevia, took my warmup shower, and had soymilk and cereal.  The fuel was good for providing energy, but 1hr before the race is too late to be drinking.  Although I did use the bathroom 30 min pre-race, I would've liked to go again right before the start but logistically couldn't, so I had to wait it out for 5 miles.  

This was the first time I've raced an 8K, so I wasn't too sure what to expect.  I didn't check McMillan, but I figured that if I could do a 6:45 for a 5K and a 7:22 for a half marathon, the sweet spot would be somewhere in between, assuming ideal conditions.  Let's see... McMillan (I should've checked this before)... says 6:52/mi = 34:22.  Anyway, without checking that, I figured that a 7:00/mi pace would be good, and it would give me a nice, even 35:00.  Since paces reported by my bulky Garmin would've been skewed by hills, satellite signal, and turns in the road, I opt not to race with it.  I went  by feel.  So... I ended up gong out at 5K pace, slowed down a little (not necessarily intentionally), and then crashed at about the 4 mile mark.  I was slipping before then, but that's where it hit.  Poor pacing.

In the last quarter mile, I was about to be passed by someone else.  I was just going to let her go and hang on.  That last mile was tough.  It was getting hotter, and I was just spent from going too fast earlier.  I decided to turn it on anyway and see what would happen.  The other girl, who had run side-by-side with me for a while and mentally helped me a lot  by pulling me along (thanks, whoever you are!), didn't chase.   So I finished strong and went faster for mile 5 than for mile 4. 

Splits> 6:48, 7:02, 7:07, 7:29, 7:14.  

It was a course with rolling hills.  The first part went through downtown Simpsonville, which was nice to see.  The second half went through residential areas.  One house created a sprinkler for us with their hose, and it felt great.  I'm certainly weak on hills compared to others.  I get passed on hills.  Rather save my energy for the downhills and go for even effort.  I think that's most efficient, but who knows.

I went with my Saucony Fastwitch, since it has a small medial post, giving extra support for this slightly extra-distance run.  I decided not to bother with shades or a visor, since there wouldn't be much sun.  Good choices. I normally run with my Corporate Shield company singlet at these races, but I forgot today.  I prefer to run without a singlet.  But this was a dual open and corporate shield race anyway.

At mile 4.2, I got passed by a girl I quickly recognized as Lindsay from chasingthekenyans.com.  Finally got to meet up with her in a race!  Even after having some cardio issues and being in an ER earlier this week, she still ran an amazing race (although she can do even better), beat me, and won her age group!  Guts.  This is the last year we'll be in separate age groups.  I won mine, but it will be trickier next year, since running gets a lot more competitive in the 25-40ish age group.  I don't know why 20-24 isn't faster.  I guess competitive college athletes aren't allowed to run (or at least win stuff) due to NCAA rules?   I'd think that being single, people would want to or have more time to run than as a married people.  I dunno.  I guess for longer distances, it takes a while to mature and get the endurance built up.  But for 5Ks?  HSers can beat me, I'm sure.  Maybe after competitive college runners finish, they need a break, then they get back into it later when they realize how much they miss it.  Oh well.  In any case, it'll be tougher starting next year. 

Went on a nice cool-down run w/ LD afterwards where we got to talk about running and life.  Running buddies = instant friends.  It was fun chatting, and I bet the cool-down was good for me.  I never do cool-down runs, but today, I was able to run a second 5 miler a few hours later (to get in more miles for the week - I only had 1 run this week prior to the race), so it must've helped. 

Summary:

Poor pacing, since I went by feel.  Not sure what to do next time.  I guess 6:48 is close to 6:52, the ideal-condition time.  So maybe that'd be okay it was cooler.  Good run, though.  And glad I got to finally meet Lindsay. 

Race:

5.0 in 35:40, 7:10/mi. 

Post-race run:

I debated whether I should run or bike.  The bike would save my body from a bit of pounding, and I would've enjoyed just reading Runner's World while cycling.  But I felt decent enough for a run, and I had only banked 10 miles for the week.  So I ran.  It turned out pretty well.

Splits> 8:29, 8:19, 8:14, (25:50 5k), 7:56, 7:35.  My right knee was a bit twingy during the last half-mile, but I felt like if I was careful and kept good form (even if it required extra energy), that I'd be okay, so I kept it up.  I wanted to hit 5.0 so that I'd have three 5.0 runs for the week.  I was also curious whether the calorie counter on the treadmill took into account pace, since going at a faster pace would burn more calories.  It was about the same (405 Cal) this time and last time.  I went 40s slower this time.  So I guess it doesn't adjust for pace.

5.0 in 40:33, 8:07 ave.