Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007

5K PR 24:37 2009

10K PR 52:58 2010

Have run 22 marathons to date.

No injuries, ever.   :)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years.  This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :) 


Long-Term Running Goals:

To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life.   To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs.  To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner.  To enjoy running more and more with every passing year. 

Personal:

Baby boomer generation.  Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's.  Started running seriously in 2002.  Low-carb runner since January 2010. 

I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather.  I don't believe in "junk miles."  I am an optimist.  I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order.  

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."  -- Joan Benoit Samuelson 


Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles: 891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles: 965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles: 198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles: 104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles: 536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles: 16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles: 219.53
Race: Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:52:58, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.610.006.200.009.81

Temps mid 50s to low 60s with partial clouds and NW wind at times, sunny at times.  For August, we got pretty lucky with the weather. At a couple of points we ran with no shade and no cloud cover, really feeling like summer, but were always relieved after a few minutes by a passing cloud or some shade, or the unwelcome (from a racing perspective) wind. 

First, I would like to thank Bonnie for her excellent race strategy notes in the Comments of my last blog post. I'm not sure I followed them well, but I tried. And it certainly gave me something on which to structure the 10K, which is a very uncomfortable and unfamiliar race distance for me.    My time of hair-under-53 minutes was a PR of about 2.5 minutes.  :D 

Warm up - Jogged around the race neighborhood (downtown Snoqualmie) for a while and then added some strides, starting with 20 seconds and going up to about 45 seconds.  The race was late - gr - and also late late: we were told at 9:00 that it would take another 7 minutes because of some issue with the timing system. So I jogged some more, did some butt kicks and a couple of short strides and got back in line.  Actual start time: 9:16.  :(   

Mile 1 8:29  Moral dilemma.  If I start in my "proper place," I am inevitably behind a bunch of ninnies who are walking, or going 12 minute miles or some such.  If I go to the front to avoid the ninnies, then I become one, getting in the way of the fast runners.   I just cannot believe how clueless people are.  First half mile: weave, dodge, weave. Second half mile: one short incline and a huge effort to settle into a good pace. 

Mile 2 8:30 The course has gone west towards the beautiful Salish Lodge (big bucks, lots of celebs, the King of Jordan stayed there a year ago), then turned onto Mill Pond Rd., a lovely shaded country road, and heading east again.  Nice smooth asphalt.  I try to find that perfect pace, try to channel Bonnie. Breathing hard but feeling good. 

Mile 3 8:36  This slowest mile surprised me. I thought it would be worse.  First, there was a short but nasty hill going up and over the bridge (9:30 pace on the Garmin) to get back into  town, then a water stop where I walked maybe a dozen steps to get water down.  In this mile we parted with the 5Kers and the field thinned considerably.  We also had some turns in this mile as we took a lap into and around Centennial Park, where my running club meets on Saturdays.  

One observation a fellow club member made to me after the race was that since the course covered areas where we trained, it seemed to fly past so quickly at the faster race pace.  I really felt that in mile 3. 

Mile 4 8:34  Emotional low point.  I don't want to run fast anymore. I begin to feel a side stitch coming on.  At times I have to breath faster than a 2-2 pattern to keep on my pace. We are running an out-and-back on the worse asphalt imaginable, really broken up with tons of holes and cracks and varying heights.  I think many dark thoughts, like: "No more 10Ks, ever." (A thought which stayed with me for the next hour, until they called my name at the awards ceremony, lol.)  I think how nice a little walking would feel.  I see.... the turnaround!  I rally. 

Mile 5 8:25  Now I have the wind in my face, but if I keep tucking in behind people I can minimize it.  I get out of the bad asphalt section. I see someone ahead who looks like she could be in my age group and tuck in behind some people who are running 8:00s.  I stick to them as long as I can (about half mile) and pass the 50-something rival.  The wind-breaker people leave me behind, but I am filled with fear that the rival will catch up so I go back into the hateful oxygen debt range briefly until I'm sure she can't catch me.   

Mile 6 8:27  This part of the course was not the prettiest area of Snoqualmie, a back road of downtown where there are few trees and many trailer homes.  I "chicked" a guy from my running club here and felt a weird mixture of guilt and elation.  I didn't even notice him but as soon as I was ahead of him I heard him mumble my name and "good job."  There was a lot of math going on in my brain in this mile, since I kept wondering whether I was about to fall apart.  "If I can run a 9:00 pace... yes, still a PR."  But I managed to hold on. Amazing.  

Last .2 8:18  At the 6 mile mark I could easily see the finish line, but it looked so far away.  Not much of a kick here, but I was fighting the wind and exhaustion and was completely out of breath.  Oxygen delivery is definitely my weak point in these shorter races.  The legs felt fine, just a bit tired but I think my form was still good.  

After   I had some water and jogged a little to cool down. Went to my car for sun glasses and a fleece jacket for the inevitable cool-off.   The timing company that brought us a late start had some problem with posting results, and 45 minutes later we all were still standing around wondering how we did.  I hung out with some guys from my running club and didn't know I got a 2nd place AG until the ceremony itself.  

I recognized the 1st place lady from my AG. She passed me easily about halfway through the race, and finished a little less than 2 minutes ahead of me, I think.  Looking at her in that moment, I insanely and irrationally wanted to run another 10K.  What the?  I hated running this race! I did not have any fun. It was 100% medicinal and 0% recreational.  But the green monster of jealousy or the natural competitor within, or both,  looked at her and thought "I could beat her. If only I ...." What?  No idea.  Became anorexia-thin?  Miraculously start enjoying speed work?  Grow a new, less hedonist personality?  Those are long odds.  But I am amused by the impulse, so I will add that amusement to my small pile of rewards from this morning.  

With all the delays, I did not get some extra miles after the race as I planned to. And no running tomorrow as I have somewhere to be very early in the morning.  So, a low mileage week, but a high achievement one too!  :) 

Hope this reads ok - I've got to scoot before proofreading!  :)  

ST3-M Miles: 9.81
Comments
From allie on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 16:16:13 from 174.23.182.80

the report reads very well, just like all of your other posts. i love it... especially the inner dialogue.

congrats on the huge PR! your strategy was great(bonnie is so full of wisdom) and you ran the race well. way to overcome the dark thoughts and rally to a successful finish. you are awesome.

From JD on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 16:26:52 from 209.183.51.43

Congratulations! Loved the race report.

From Little Bad Legs on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 16:31:57 from 67.170.153.203

Fantastic! A PR is a great end to the week. Great job!

From Bonnie on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 16:35:36 from 128.196.228.134

PERFECT!!! you did so awesome Sno (I was searching online for your results before I came in today -- since I knew I wouldn't have time to wait for you to post!!). I was thinking about you this morning, and I just KNEW you were you going to rock. 2.5 min PR for a 10K is absolutely incredible!! whoot whoot!

Please tell SnoFlake I think about her every Saturday morning when I feed Big Boy and CoCo (I actually call her coco krispy -- she doesn't seem to mind).

From CookieLegs on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 18:29:34 from 70.56.100.203

WOW! Awesome running today, Sno, and congratulations on the big PR and 2nd in the age group!!!! Especially fun reading how you're planning to beat the number one lady next time!

From SnoFlake on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 20:05:35 from 24.18.192.33

YAY! GREAT JOB!!!!!! You are sooo awesome. Congrats on the PR. HOORAY!!!!!!!!!

From Dale on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 21:01:08 from 69.10.215.11

Very cool! And you know deep down in side that even when you are suffering through the misery of a 10K, that you are in some twisted way having fun. That's why you'll be back! Nice work!

From nicole on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 23:18:38 from 184.193.30.96

Way to go Sno! All your hard work is paying off - look at that amazing PR! Impressed!

From Barb on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 01:27:08 from 68.32.213.30

Congrats Sno! Great race and awesome PR.

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 08:06:56 from 24.16.49.114

I must have missed you by just a bit...Congrats on the hardware and the PR!!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 10:01:07 from 24.8.167.243

Congratulations on a speedy 10K, Sno, with a PR and an AG award to boot! That was a great post. Now I'm going to have to crawl out of my hole and go see what Bonnie's advice was.

From DaveL on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 18:28:20 from 209.206.250.53

Wow, very nice race - nice work! I think I hear Boston calling...

From april27 on Sat, Sep 04, 2010 at 22:27:01 from 99.188.251.180

Hey catching up on blogs--great job on your PR! You amaze me!

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