Hansons 5K - 18:53

Hansons 5K
Originally uploaded by Auberon.

Pros: Fast and flat, great weather, excellent field of runners
Cons: 15 90 degree turns

First I'll start off by posting my times from 2005 and 2006: 23:05 and 22:12 respectively. Each of these races were within the first two weeks of starting the running season. Generally speaking I stopped running the second the marathon was done the previous fall.

Today was different. I came into this race having already run 4 other road races this year, and only had two weeks where I considered them "downtime".

From the start of the race, I knew it was going to be fast. I was with Laura Murphy at the first half. That's not usually the case. 20 seconds later Danielle Hobbs cruised past me. Both of these athletes are usually far far ahead of me from the get go. Paul Ballinger and I were pretty much running side by side getting into a comfortable groove. If I'm running with this group of guys/girls, I know I'm going to run a great time (for me).

Mile 1 split: 6:04 (felt like 6:35 effort)

From the first mile there were a lot of breaks in the pack, and you either settle in to your own pace, or you keep pushing and hope to catch the next guy...that's what this day was going to be about. For the next mile, Paul and I worked together to drawn the next guy in, take him down, and keep moving on.

Mile 2 split 6:06

Paul would get tired, I would push the pace. I would slack off, Paul would push. We switched back and forth probably 6 times. I was getting really tired just before the 3 mile mark, where Chris Giannetti and Paul surged past me and started to break away. Was I going to fall apart? I had to dig deep. My arms started to get tight, and my breathing was getting rough. I only had a little more to go, I couldn't give up and coast in....

3 mile split 6:10 (faded, but not too much)

You hit the 3 mile mark, and there's one corner to take and then you're about 90 meters from the finish line. I wasn't going to let Christ and Paul toast me with less than a 1/4...I turned that corner, took a deep breathe, and dropped the hammer, sort of. I turned in a 29 second last .1............ the picture above shows Paul in the yellow shirt just behind me and Chris in the long sleeve black shirt to the right of me.

18:53.... I don't know what has happened, but I'm started to make some great progress this year towards realizing a true return to running. If I can keep up this pace of improvement, I'd say that some time next year running in the 17s would be quite possible.

Chicago sub 3hr???????

Shamrock Shuffle

Shamrock Shuffle
Originally uploaded by Auberon.

11:00 AM Saturday morning, I'm fooling around trying to get my daughter to say goodbye to me before my flight out to Chicago. She shuts me down...Wonder Pets is on, the rest of the world is tuned out.

11:15 AM I'm walking around CVS looking for nothing in particular, find my way to the counter with some gum and some rasberry-flavored water.

12:30 PM I arrive at Detroit Metro (DTW), park in the Big Blue, and wait for the parking shuttle to take me over to the Mac terminal.

12:59 PM Walk to the Smith Terminal (about 600 yards), find that the shuttle bus is parked, running, and no one is around. Find other shuttle buses that keep pointing me to the empty shuttle...explain to the last guy that I've been waiting far too long, he offers his assistance...I'm off to the Mac thanks to George. Thank God I checked in at home for my 1:40 flight.

1:15 PM Get through the strip search without issue, walk to Gate A 53, only to find that there's a "Delayed" displayed under my flight number. Apparently there's some fog in Minneapolis, and the pilots can't see well enough to take off.

3:45 PM I'm watching the last few bags get packed on to the plane...the luggage guy is smashing these things as hard as he can. I'm so glad I didn't bring the fine china.

4:00 PM (time zone change) I'm on the blue line, it's going A LOT slower than what I'm used to. I've got 19 stops to sit through...this better not take too long.

5:30 PM Finally reach Monroe...I've got 30 minutes to check in, dump the bag, and haul ass over to Navy Pier for my race packet.

5:40 PM Oh good...free upgrade to executive suite, but that means instead of 8th floor, I'm on 22...and I have 20 minutes to get upstairs, get back down, and over to the Pier.

5:45 PM Back out on the street, the free transport over to Navy Pier has stopped. I've got less than 15 to get from State and Lake to NP.
I'm now in running mode. I'd guess I was going at an 8min/mile pace. I was beating the traffic. Apparently people in Chicago can't drive when the fog rolls in. (They can't drive in Detroit either, so shut up...see my other blog concerning that topic)

6:02 PM They're starting to wrap everything up, the carpet is being rolled up, and the doors are starting to close. I'm pissed off, I'm sweating my ass off, and I'm getting my race packet.

6:20 PM I'm sitting inside Morton's Steakhouse (near Wacker and Wabash). Eventually I'm downing Cajun Prime Rib, roughly 20 OZ.

Blah Blah Blah

6:00 AM Sunday Morning
I'm up and getting ready. Every runner goes through his little routine. Mine is to get up and stretch, walk around shaking my legs, stretch some more, pretend I'm not going to do anything later that day, stretch, take a shower, stretch, etc....

8:00 AM Convince my friends it's time to go, that I need to be down on the streets getting myself ready physically and mentally.

8:30 AM 2.5 mile warm-up, I don't know why so much, but it felt good, and I needed to relax.

9:00 AM I've got Corral A assignment, and I'm wearing Hansons Gear, more than 5 people somehow confuse me for the real deal.
THEY haven't actually arrived to the front line yet. Click Here for their results

9:15 AM No matter how ready you think you are, whatever you're doing, you're jammed in like a sardine, make sure you're facing the right way.

9:30 AM The President and CEO of my company gives us the horn, and we're off....

I'm floating nice and slow, but I'm finding it hard to breathe...my sinus cavities are packed to the brim, and I'm fighting off a terrible cough...I'm not wussing out...I just won't accept being sick today

I think I'm out slow, based on how it feels, but when we start coming down that hill before the left turn on Grand, I can see the clock for the first time. I slow down and make it through Mile 1 @ 6:11

The next mile I'm basically trying to find a decent pace, still push myself, and breathe. I know my friends are going to be around here somewhere...so I better not punk out and look like a little girl. Mile 2 comes through 6:33 for the split. To my friends, they think at this point that I've hit my splits the way that I had intended (6:22 and 12:44 for the 2)...they don't realize that I'm fighting off the urge to go superfast, while trying to figure out how to breathe properly.

Mile 3 I'm still slowing down...what the hell is going on... the split is 6:44

If you're still with me, we're crossing the 5K in 20:13ish, which is technically faster than any 5K I ran last year, in terms of official times.

I'm not doing so well at this point. Everything in my sinus cavity (left side) is starting to pour out into my throat and nose. This is the first time that I'm starting to not like what's going on. I purposely stay focused on someone who seems to be running a perfect pace, let them draw me towards the 4 mile mark.

This is the first of many times that I heard someone yell in my general direction "Cocaine!" I had no idea what they were talking about.

Mile 4 I come through in 6:43...there is no way in hell I'm going to hit the 6:22 pace that I was hoping for. I still managed to pick up the pace and start picking off the people that were dying.

Myself and about 6 other people are working as a group going after the people in front of us, dropping off the people who can't handle the pace for the complete 8K. We turn for the stupid hill that is Roosevelt. I decide to surge just a little to give myself some space from the people I was with, and to get in front of the slow people gasping for air. The idea is that I'll be in recovery near the top of the hill, and have enough to blast home should the need arise. Having put in some 47 sec 400s in college I still have the delusion that I have some speed in my 30s.

I've reached the top of the hill, and a few of the guys that I passed on the way up are starting to sprint already...DUMBASS, see you in a few seconds. It's about 400 meters to the finish, or at least it looks like it from the turn onto Columbus. I'm trying to recover and recharge the batteries before I start giving some sort of effort... I'm not going out like a punk this time.

300m out, a few are starting to pick it up, I open my stride just a little, just to keep some of these guys in check.

200m out, one guy seems hellbent on beating everything in his path, so I figure it's time to tag along for the ride, and see what this guy is made of.

100m out, Every time you want to go, you never know if you have enough, or if you're going to gas out moments before the finish line. I have so much adrenaline at this point that I have enough to run up to Jackson at 80%, or 90% and have a heart attack. Now it's on, there's a race between me and "Cocaine". We take off and are tearing it up, weaving in and out of traffic when we split up. I wasn't really watching where he went, but I really thought he was stuck behind a lot of runners...All I had to do was continue on with my 90% effort and I would "win". I've never lost a sprint-in ever, except that one workout where Darnell Hall (Olympic Gold Medalist from my area) made me his bitch. I certainly wasn't going to let some "cocaine" get in my way. Little did I know this guy also had some wheels.

As with all sprinters, you look over to where you think you're comp will finish. In my world, the chest breaks the plane and you win...but unfortunately in the real world, it's the chip that counts...If I had put that chip on my left shoe my time would have read .04 faster...whatever...he won, I'm glad...but I'll be back next year, and unless he's running under 30:00 minutes, there won't be a rematch.

That of course is all dependent on my ability to keep up my speed, continue to drop my times, while training for the Marathon, raising two kids, taking 3 classes towards the JD/MBA...invent a way to eat healthy quickly....

But seriously, Bib #1268 is an awesome sprinter who officially took me on, and beat me with a better overall time. The challenge is on Mike, I'll be waiting at the corner of Roosevelt and Columbus near the end of March 2008, at about 9:27AM...care to make it a race??

Spring Thaw 5K

Spring Thaw 5K
Originally uploaded by Auberon.

Pros: Nice and flat, out and back with a constant on on the "competition".
Cons: Cold, windy, right on the water

The intention was to get in a nice run with some speed the weekend before the Shamrock Shuffle. I had hoped that I would be right around 6:30 per mile pace. As the race was in Canada, and they don't know how to use the superior system of inches-feet-yards-miles, I knew that the course was not going to be set up with mile markers. That played into my favor, because I would have to force myself to go off of feel and compare that with the ending result. I do have to admit that I have a course set up from my house (out and back) with 1K splits along the way. The Tuesday night Dodge Park group introduced me to that workout, and since then I've tried to know where I'm at, at each 1K split.

As the event was chip timed without a start mat, I knew I'd have to get to the front of the line to ensure I don't give away time due to the lag in reaction time. Even though I was at the front of the line for the start, and even though I felt I had a strong first 50 meters, I'd have to say that I was in 50th place by the first right hand turn onto Riverside Drive. I was already in a comfortable stride by the turn, and was getting passed by and endless number of runners. I've finally been able to control the urge to press harder in the first mile (1.6K) and settle into the proper pace. I didn't know what pace I was at, but I knew that it felt relaxed and easy. I had hoped that I'd be between 4:00 and 4:10 for the first 1K split. This hope was based solely on how I felt effort-wise. Coming through the first marker I checked the watch, 3:54 (rounded up) and I felt like I could have gone about 10 seconds faster at that point. I knew I felt fine, but just to be sure I backed off just a bit. The second split was 4:00 going into the wind, but still felt great.

To give you an idea of how cold it was, the little gatorade cups filled with water were frozen. The water was set up less than one hour before the race, as it was in the middle of the street and couldn't be closed off until the last possible moment.

At this point I could see that the leader was already making his way back towards me. I'm not sure where we crossed, but he had a commanding lead of about 100-200 meters. This is where Nikki Nolte (University of Windsor) passed me. Normally I would have just settled for someone passing me, and having no guts to stay with them, just sort of fade back. Not this time. I stayed with her as we drew in more and more people. At one point, I swear she looked down at her watch and hit another gear, just for a short burst to get away from me. I wasn't going to play the game of never ending windsprints. I knew I had a strong sprint for the finish if it came to it. She was about 30 meters in front of me before she settled back to the same pace, and we went after more people. I hit the next split in 3:55, and the split right after that. No fade, no aggressiveness. Just smart running while teaching my body proper pacing. The last 1K there were about 4 people between myself and Nikki (the only reason I know her name is that so many people were cheering for her). I knew that all of these people were fading hard, so I just settled in and knew I'd take down most of them.
The last stretch I sort of slowed down just to watch a kid spew out his breakfast all over someone's car, and then took off for the finish. A strong finish, but even-paced. The split was 4:01, but the last mile was probably the fastest of the day. I had successfully picked off the people between myself and Nikki, and knew that I could have gone after her and the guys she was pulling in, but saw no reason, so let things finish with a strong stride, not a sprint.

All in all I felt strong and steady. I didn't have any muscular fatigue, and I found a great breathing pattern that seemed to work perfectly.

Finishing time: 19:46 (2004-2007 PR, so far)
Pace: 6:22 per mile, 3:58 per kilometer
Prediction for Shamrock Shuffle: 31:45

To all reading these little running thoughts, good luck on your next race.

Corktown 4 Mile Road Race

Corktown 4 Mile Road Race
Originally uploaded by Auberon.

Great Weather, 45 degrees at the start, 50 near the finish.

Pros: 1608 runners, many of high quality (at least 64 of them)
Cons: Pre-Parade, far too many smokers/drinkers lining the sidewalks.

My overall race strategy this time around was to go out relatively slow and try to gradually pick up my pace within my own limitations. The first mile felt GREAT! 6:24 By this time we're down far enough on Michigan Avenue that we're in the shade of the tall buildings, it got cold right there...head through campus maritius, head north on Woodward and wrap around the front of CoPa, turn back towards HockeyTown/Fox...you're at the two mile mark...if you're with me we've just crossed with a 6:24 split. Even paced, things are feeling great, nice and relaxed, just a slight bronchial cough (haven't been able to shake this thing for two months now), shake out the arms, relax and realize that the race is more than half done. LESS THAN TWO MILES TO GO......but I think I'm dropping my pace. It probably has something to do with the fact that my "pack" thinned out a lot. Quite a few people dropped off the pace, and some of them flew ahead as if to say "Sorry, you guys are far too slow for me". At this point in time I could still see Laura Murphy. She's a great local runner, who I'm sure posted a great time today. I know there was at least one more girl that seemed to be gunning after Laura. At about 2.25 miles, this young woman flew past me at what appeared to be 5:30 pace. I don't know if she ever caught her, as it seemed Laura hit the 3 mile mark and poured it on. I caught myself falling into a false sense of complacency. I apparently backed off for about 6 seconds, coming through the 3 mile mark with a split of 6:30. Normally I would have accepted 6:30 as an overall pace, but not today. I could have fallen back onto that pace and then found a way to rationalize why I did it afterwards, but today I said no, opened my stride and proceeded to finish strong. The other day I had a 4.85 mile run that ended with a 6:10 mile, so I knew that I could pull off something faster than 6:30. Going past Tigers Stadium I knew we would be running towards the old Central Station, I just didn't know how far it would be, so held off from giving it all I had for the last 400 meters. As soon as I turned the corner at 14th I could see how close the finish line was, less than 100 meters, I turned on the gas and tore up the two guys that were with me. The guy in the yellow seen in the accompanying foto had passed me at about 3.1 miles and seemed to be laboring heavily the whole way up Michigan Ave, and the guy in green shorts was running smart, letting someone in front spend all their energy pushing the pace. I've never run this race before, so I had no idea what to do, when to push, and when to let it all out. As soon as he flew past me, I knew we were close, so I caught back up to him, turned the corner, and left them in my proverbial dust. This is the first race that has truly given me confidence that I can make dramatic improvements in race times this year, AND turn in a great marathon performance come October 7th.

The final mile was 6:20....