Running the NFAR 5k March 28, 2010
Posted by pinchaque in Running.Tags: 5k, race, Running
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A blurry sun-drenched start line
As part of my marathon training, one of my goals this year was to run a 5k (3.11 mi) race in under 24 minutes. I figured that pushing myself to go faster would also make my marathon more pleasant, since I’d be spending less time on each of the training runs (they are prescribed by distance rather than time).
The San Diego Race for Autism was the first 5k that I ran, back in 2008. I like it because it is close to home, at a cool time of the year, and not too crowded. Last year was a disaster for me because I got sick the week before. I still finished it and ended with a time of 29 minutes. This year I was aiming higher.
I started training for it back in January using the FIRST training program. This is the same plan I used for the half marathon, but is adapted for the 5k distance based on advice in the book. Most of the tempo runs were ~4 miles and the long runs between 6 and 8, although for the last few weeks my marathon training also got underway so I was running 10-15 miles as a long run.
After turning in some 7 minute mile times late last year, I decided to train to run the 5k in 23 minutes instead. This would be a good stretch goal for me. The first few weeks of training were rather difficult, and I was unable to complete the interval training exactly as I was supposed to. However, things got easier as the training went on. Part of this was due to improved conditioning, and part due to losing weight (10 lbs since the beginning of the year). Going in to race day I was confident I’d be able to get close to 23 minutes.
Rounding the corner around 1.5mi
The weather was OK for race day: a little cold (50 deg) and sunny (I’d rather be running when it’s overcast). The course had changed slightly this year: starting further down balboa bridge and making a longer loop through the park. I reached the start line early so I could be close to the front: avoiding the crowds and the time delay until I actually reached the starting line. I knew that to hit 23 minutes I’d need to keep up a 7:23/mi pace.
When the race begin, I felt good about the pace I was keeping. Not having one of those GPS watches I have to rely on my perceived exertion level to judge this. When I hit the 1mi marker the time was 7:11. It was on the way to mile marker 2 that I realized my mistake.
At 2.3 miles and still chugging along
I was getting splitting side stitch around 1.5 miles. This seems to happen to me if I drink too much, and sure enough I had chugged 6oz of energy drink right before starting. For longer races you want to start off properly hydrated so your stomach is processing the energy drink. For a 5k, apparently, this is not as good of idea because you are running at a harder pace.
Working through the side cramps, I finished mile 2 at 14:10 (yes, faster than mile 1 for some reason) and then started to slow. I remember at that time just trying to keep up with this 10-year-old who was repeatedly sprinting ahead of me, then stopping and walking 10 feet. I was also trying to stay ahead of a 60-year-old man. It was depressing.
A few more strides to the finish
The course goes downhill slightly before a vicious little uphill right before the finish. I slowed a lot for the uphill and they didn’t have a time check at mile 3, so I didn’t know how close I was. Soon after, I saw the finish line and the timer that read 22:45, so I knew I had to hustle. I elevated the pace as much as I could and finished in 23:07.
The Final Race Standings
Looking at the final race results, I was pleasantly surprised at how I did:
- Overall: 108 out of 1808 (94th percentile)
- Age division (M 30-34): 10 out of 104 (90th percentile)
Overall I would count this as a success. Just in November I was happy to be in the 50th percentile of my half marathon, and now I was in the 90th. I think my age group was a little bit wimpy for this one, but also I know my training is paying off. Finishing well also has me inspired to run some more 5k races after my marathon training is complete.
Silver Strand Half Marathon November 15, 2009
Posted by pinchaque in 101 Things, Running.Tags: coronado, half marathon, performance nutrition, Running, silver strand
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Silver Strand Half Marathon Route
Earlier this year I got inspired by watching the San Diego and Vancouver marathons and decided I needed to run the San Diego Rock & Roll marathon next year. As a first step I ran the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10k on July 4, 2009. The next big step was to complete the Silver Strand Half Marathon, a course that takes runners from Coronado, down the silver strand, through a loop on a military base, and finally to Imperial Beach.
Training Plan
After having good results at the 10k, I knew I wanted to train reasonably hard for the half marathon. I felt like with all this running I should definitely be in the top half of my sex and age division. Looking at previous results that meant finishing in around 2 hours (9:00 per mile pace), which is also conveniently a nice round number.
Completed half-marathon training plan
I looked at a number of different training plans online to see how I wanted to approach this. I liked the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) plan because it would have me running only 3 days per week. My knees were hurting when I was training for the 10k so I definitely didn’t want to run more frequently than that. The thing I didn’t like about the FIRST plan was that it lasts 18 weeks and I thought it might be overkill for what I wanted to achieve. So I combined the 3x-per-week aspect with the distances and schedule of Ryan Hall’s plan that I found at RunnersWorld.com. That left me with about 15 weeks of training starting at the beginning of August, including 2 weeks of drinking beer in Belgium (always great for training).
Start line craziness
Eating Right
The other part of training that I wanted to get right was nutrition. Early on I read Performance Nutrition for Runners, which I found to be packed with great information and an excellent reference over the course of my training. Among the most useful parts of the book were helping me to understand what I needed to be consuming during and after my runs as well as what supplements I should take. It also coached me through how to time your eating and bathrooming before the race. It’s impossible to know what it would have been like without following the advice in the book, but I can definitely say the Accelerade kept my hydration and energy at good levels during the run and the Endurox R4 helped me recover afterward–I only experienced mild soreness the day after my long runs.
Loved the line for the bathroom
Training, Training, Training
Overall the training went according to plan with the exception of my long runs. For the first several weeks I was having trouble keeping them at my target 9:20 mile pace and slowed to 9:40 or so in order to complete them. Part of this was because I was wearing a running belt with water and its motion and weight slowed me down. For the last 2 weeks of training I went without the belt and instead brought energy gels and stopped at water fountains by the harbor. This got my long runs back on pace and gave me the confidence I needed for race day.
A little cold at the start line
Over the course of my 13 weeks I ran nearly 220 miles with long runs between 7 and 14 miles. I hit another milestone along the way of running 100 miles in 30 days. I even joined a gym along the way so I could do my interval workouts more effectively.
Final hydration before the start
Race Day
The race was scheduled to begin at 7:30am at Sunset Park in Coronado on 11/15/2009. Amanda was my official designated race chauffeur and got us there about 6:50am. That was a good thing, because the line for the bathrooms was hundreds strong and took 20+ minutes to get through. At 5 minutes to start time I got in place fairly close to the line and chugged some sports drink. Soon enough, we were off!
Race start, complete with shirtless men
There were a few things that made the race particularly difficult.
- It was very sunny. Even though the temperature was in the mid-60′s, the sun was beating down on me nearly the whole time from beautiful clear blue skies. I had done nearly all of my training runs either in the dark early morning or on overcast days.
- The water stations were unpredictable. They were supposed to be 1.5 miles apart, but some were closer to 2 miles. I ate an energy gel shortly after mile 4 (thinking there would be water at mile 4.5) and had to wait another mile to get water to wash it down.
- There was an unexpected surprise mini-hill in mile 11 on this “flat and fast” course. I had to slow way down once I got to the top of that.
Amanda waiting for me at mile 9
Amanda was waiting for me at mile 9 in Imperial Beach with a welcome dosage of sports drink and encouragement. I made it there in 80 minutes (just slightly under 9:00/mi pace), but things progressed more slowly from that point onwards.
Me approaching the mile 9 marker
I passed mile 11 (after the mini-hill) right at 1:39 (9:00/mi pace). I was able to pick up the pace going downhill but by mile 12 my legs were pretty shot and I was just shuffling along.
Finish line craziness
The water stand at 12.5 miles was most welcome, and seeing the finishing line ahead on the final 1/4 mile on Seacoast Drive gave me the motivation to pick up the pace a bit and finish in 1:58:24 (9:02/mi pace). This is just a bit slower than the pace for which I was training (8:50/mi) but I did (barely) accomplish the goal of being in the upper half of my age division. In the final results I placed 86 out of 173 males age 30-34 (50.3%); 855 out of 2631 overall (67.5%).
Me approaching the finish line
Every finisher gets a cool medal and gets to select from a variety of healthy post-race snacks.
Testing to make sure the medal is real
After donning my medal I headed for Amanda who had Endurox R4 standing by. I then hobbled back to the car and am currently looking forward to a steak dinner paired with Belgian beer as I write this.
Enjoying some post-race nutrition
Marathon, Anyone?
Would I have wanted to turn back around and run back to Coronado? Probably not today, but I feel great about setting the goal of the half marathon and hitting it. I now believe that I could do the same with the Rock and Roll Marathon next June. Obviously the training would be different (longer) but I’m confident and enthusiastic about hitting that goal. Overall the half marathon took a lot of training time but was an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Hooray! (I made it back to the car)
Running the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10k July 4, 2009
Posted by pinchaque in 101 Things, Running.Tags: 101things, 10k, race, Running
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Scripps Ranch 10k Race Course
One of my original 101 Things List goals was to run a 10k race. I had started running in late 2007 in an effort to keep up with Amanda and her goal of running a 5k. By the time we finished the NFAR 5k in March 2008 I had developed an affinity for running that was previously unknown to me. I really like the process of pushing myself physically and mentally to achieve things I have not previously done.
Middle School Terrors
Part of my motivation comes from my youth. As a seventh grader in P.E. class I was forced to run 1/4 mile each day and 1 mile once per week. I absolutely hated it. I was mildly overweight, moderately nerdy, and severely awkward. I can remember my best mile time ever was just under 9 minutes. This has stuck with me as something left unfinished, where I really thought I should be doing better than I was.
Why Stop at Mile 1?
Scripps Ranch Old Pro's 10k Race Bib & T-Shirt
Fast forward 20 years (i.e. to the present) and I’m watching The Biggest Loser on TV. This past season the final four contestants got a surprise that they were running a marathon and had only 30 days to train for it. They were probably in the best shape of their lives after having been on the show for a while, but certainly they were not in world-class athlete shape. Each one of them finished the marathon, the best in just under 5 hours. Well if they can do that, why can’t I? I feel like I’m in equivalent physical shape and age, so it’s got to be down to the mental aspects. And certainly I believe I’m mentally strong enough to run a marathon. The only thing left is to prove it.
After watching the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon pass by my condo two years in a row, I’ve decided that I’m going to be in the next one in May 2010. I set up a couple of interim races to help get me there: the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10k on July 4, 2009; and the Silver Strand Half Marathon on November 15, 2009.
Following the Training Schedule
To help me get ready for the 10k I decided to do a real training schedule, using RunnersWorld.com to set up a week-by-week schedule to get me there.
Weekly Race Training Schedule
I was able to follow the schedule fairly closely, only skipping a couple runs near the end (replacing them with bike rides!) because my knees were starting to hurt. Because I was running four days a week my legs were not getting the chance to fully recover. The training schedule was awesome for two reasons. The obvious one is that it kept me on track to reach my goal. The less obvious one is that it gave me days off without guilt. I could thoroughly enjoy my rest days without wondering in the back of my head if I should have gone running instead of going for $2 margaritas at Ortega’s.
Following the training schedule I ran 112 miles between May 9 and July 4, including five runs of at least 10k in length
Race Day
I was fortunate that June Gloom has decided to stay on for a few days in July this year. The Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10k race began at 7am on a delightfully overcast day near Lake Miramar. I showed up early to pick up my race bib and timing chip. I also gorged on gatorade and water not being sure if there was going to be refreshments along the course (there were).
Fancy Timing Chip
There were over 1,500 people start the race and make their way towards the lake on city streets. Mile 1 held a fairly sharp uphill segment near the lake entrance, and then the road narrowed to more of a bike path. There were some tight squeeze moments on the path but overall it was a scenic jaunt near the water with some gentle hills. The organizers had markers at each mile, with water on miles 2, 4, and 6. I had a moderate stitch in my side for the middle 3 miles but I tried to prevent that from slowing me down.
I held a fairly solid sub-9 minute pace for most of the race, hitting the mile 5 checkpoint at 44:40. Fortunately the race ends with a significant downhill stretch and my side cramp was gone, so I picked up the pace and flew down the hill, covering the last mile in 7:50 and achieving an overall time of 53:51. This is ahead of my goal of 55 minutes, so I’m quite pleased! It’s depressing to note in the race results however that I was 59th out of the 94 people in my age/gender group (that’s right, 37th precentile). Median time for my age group was just over 51 minutes. Overall I was 636th out of 1,522 (58th percentile).
The Next Step (Pun Intended)
I thought the training schedule worked out really well, so I’m working on putting one together for the half marathon I’m running in November. I have a month or two before that starts most likely, so I want to get in some good bike riding and hiking, including San Gorgonio.
