Onemarathon
... and a good thing the air WAS clean during this race.
We've had a couple of days with smog warnings lately.
it started out as a cloudy morning, clearing a little, but
there was enough sun above the clouds to give us some glare
to deal with (luckily, i brought the ol' sunglasses
*anyway*). the temp was pretty good, hovering somewhere
between 15 and 20 celcius, I'd guess.
not being familiar with this course, i did not realize until
i arrived that it was a bit on the hilly side. i kept
thinking it would be flat here. oh well. this took place in
a protected park, where they keep the trees and shrubs
healthy and don't let you BBQ or go crazy :) a very scenic
run, not at all boring.
there was one short steep hill upwards right at the start,
then it flattened out for a 1k loop, then two loops of an
outer road (think one small loop inside a bigger loop) which
had a long somewhat gentle downhill, then a similar long
steady climb, then back around to the starting area - up
that steep one again.... twice.
i felt good right from the beginning. that first hill kept
my speed in check so that i wouldn't go nuts up front. but
you wouldn't believe how some of those guys charged out of
there! i do believe i've learned to reign in even when those
around me are shooting by.... i just think "i'll catch ya
later". and i did pass a few, but this was a small event
(maybe only 30 or so runners) and those up ahead were either
way faster
(15:xx winner) or just fast enough to maintain a speed
better than mine.
again, as in my last successful race - without km markers to
gauge things by - i planned on upping an already strong pace
at the 12 min. point (2 min. sooner than in my last 5K) and
holding that til the end... with a surge in the last bit, of
course. i wanted a strong performance today but the hills
were to prevent me from beating my recent PB of
15:1. no matter.... it was still a good race as i turned out
a 22:27 and i was just pounding that last km! yes, i
felt it, and for the first time ever, i took advantage
of the onsite massage services (other than for my
marathon, where it's like a given). my calf muscles
were knotted up like last year's dental floss.
i won a draw prize, a big mug and gift certificate for a
Booster Juice Smoothie. oh yeah, food is good. met and
talked to some cool people there.... an older feller who's
just getting back to running after 10 years off, plus a
really nice young woman who i chatted with for far too long
without introducing myself. what was i thinking? DOH!
no chip timing, so i don't have numbers to share. no km
markers. cheap and cheerful. a very fun outing, and i'm
glad i did this - my third race in as many weeks - a
rarity for me.
hope you enjoyed the report. happy training, all,
Cam
We've had a couple of days with smog warnings lately.
it started out as a cloudy morning, clearing a little, but
there was enough sun above the clouds to give us some glare
to deal with (luckily, i brought the ol' sunglasses
*anyway*). the temp was pretty good, hovering somewhere
between 15 and 20 celcius, I'd guess.
not being familiar with this course, i did not realize until
i arrived that it was a bit on the hilly side. i kept
thinking it would be flat here. oh well. this took place in
a protected park, where they keep the trees and shrubs
healthy and don't let you BBQ or go crazy :) a very scenic
run, not at all boring.
there was one short steep hill upwards right at the start,
then it flattened out for a 1k loop, then two loops of an
outer road (think one small loop inside a bigger loop) which
had a long somewhat gentle downhill, then a similar long
steady climb, then back around to the starting area - up
that steep one again.... twice.
i felt good right from the beginning. that first hill kept
my speed in check so that i wouldn't go nuts up front. but
you wouldn't believe how some of those guys charged out of
there! i do believe i've learned to reign in even when those
around me are shooting by.... i just think "i'll catch ya
later". and i did pass a few, but this was a small event
(maybe only 30 or so runners) and those up ahead were either
way faster
(15:xx winner) or just fast enough to maintain a speed
better than mine.
again, as in my last successful race - without km markers to
gauge things by - i planned on upping an already strong pace
at the 12 min. point (2 min. sooner than in my last 5K) and
holding that til the end... with a surge in the last bit, of
course. i wanted a strong performance today but the hills
were to prevent me from beating my recent PB of
15:1. no matter.... it was still a good race as i turned out
a 22:27 and i was just pounding that last km! yes, i
felt it, and for the first time ever, i took advantage
of the onsite massage services (other than for my
marathon, where it's like a given). my calf muscles
were knotted up like last year's dental floss.
i won a draw prize, a big mug and gift certificate for a
Booster Juice Smoothie. oh yeah, food is good. met and
talked to some cool people there.... an older feller who's
just getting back to running after 10 years off, plus a
really nice young woman who i chatted with for far too long
without introducing myself. what was i thinking? DOH!
no chip timing, so i don't have numbers to share. no km
markers. cheap and cheerful. a very fun outing, and i'm
glad i did this - my third race in as many weeks - a
rarity for me.
hope you enjoyed the report. happy training, all,
Cam
