Charles Harris 10K Run For Lukemia Race Results

Final result: 36:58!

So damn close to 36:30 it hurt. I could see the line at 36:10 but couldn't make it
there in time. I'll get it next year. 36:30 is the cutoff for the Peachtree Road
Race Top-Seeded category... running with the big boys... or the skinny world class
Kenyan boys, as the case may be. Currently I'm in
the Sub-Seeded category, one back from the top seeds.

I screwed up the start... not through a running problem but through idiocy. I didn't
know the race started at 7:45AM. Luckily Heather pulled me out of the car and toward
the line but I was still in the back for the start. Not ten seconds before the start
I
told Ball "Naw, they've got time... they're just doing the pre-race safety stuff."

Bang (the starting pistol fires).

"Xxxk," I say under my breath.

I haul ass around some folks, barreling through some peds watching the race. I was
off to an unexpected start.

Mile 1: My split at mile 1 was 5:27. A little faster than I wanted but I felt good.
Ambient temperature was great... about 41 degrees.

Mile 2: My split was 11:28. Good... had slowed to a 6:00 pace by design. Didn't want
to burn out too soon.

Mile 3: My split was 17:26. Interesting, I thought. I started to realize that I had
a shot at
36:30 which I did not plan on having today. I tried to relax and maintain focus.
Last week I was a full minute slower at this
point.

Mile 4: My split was 23:36. There was some hill action so I had slowed but I was
still
in the game.

Mile 5: My split was 29:36. Miles 4-5 were the toughest on the course. I started
getting the expected physiological response
that generally comes at 75% race distance... namely self-doubt. I thought that I had
blown my run. But then I got the split
of 29:36 and realized that I was still in the hunt. I knew that I had to run a fast
last
mile. I started chanting "in the bank" telling myself to put time in the bank now
because I knew there was a hill at the end. Over and over again I told myself "in the
bank" to get myself to add a second here
or a second there. I started passing folks.

Finish time: 36:58. Damn. So close. I had put some time in the bank but the last
couple hills whomped
me. I can say that in the last mile point two I gave it what I had. My form
completely broke down with three tenths to go. I
struggled up the last hill. My heart rate was easily over 185... possibly above 188.
Legs in pain. Now, the question that
always comes to mind is one of pacing. Could I have shaved 30 seconds by going out
slower? What about a fast start, slow
middle and fast end?

There are lots of ways to run a race. I'm still learning.

Overall a good race. The racing flats performed admirably.
For portions of the race I paced off of others. But I found that slowed me down.
When I looked at the road and focused on my
breathing I started pulling away from other people. But as soon as I realized it and
started thinking about it I'd slow down.
Mental focus and clarity of mind is important... something to work on.

Because I screwed up the start time Heather didn't get to warm up. She was running a
mad good race but had a leg cramp at the
fifth mile. She was on pace to meet her goal but I screwed her up. I'm sorry Terpa.
I really feel bad. The good news is
that she now knows that she's capable of a higher pace. I'm sure that she'll be back
with a vengeance.
It always makes me feel good to know that Terp's and Rusty are on the course with me.

Beep and Ball made it out for the race as well. Long drive for them and we truly
appreciate it. We need to have some more
races closer to Villa Rica.

Notes for future reference: Since the race one week ago today here's what I did:
Sunday low-intensity bike ride of about 20
miles. Monday one hour weights, one hour eight mile run, one hour spinning class.
Tuesday, same as Monday. Wednesday 30
minutes high intensity swimming. Thursday and Friday rest. I stretched a little
Friday night. Ate pasta at 7:00PM. Ate
until very full. Didn't poop, despite trying, this morning. Took some all-in-one
vitamin and nutrient powder last night at
7:30PM. Woke up at 6:13AM. Stretched for ten minutes. Ran 1/4 mile on the treadmill
before leaving for the race. At 7:35AM
I ran about 1/2 to 3/4 mile. I didn't expect the race to begin so soon so I didn't
fully warm up. I only did one set of
strides and they were the super-slow ones. Some good stretching but I wouldn't
consider myself as having been fully stretched
at the unexpected start time. About 1/3 of a bottle of water 45 minutes before the
race. One Power Gel 15 minutes before the
race. I wore my sleeveless tight spandex thing, shorts and the cubatos. No heart
rate monitor or stopwatch. All week the
area just below and behind my calf muscles has been hurting. This morning on the
treadmill my left was still sore. It was
tight through the first mile but loosened up quickly.

Until the next one... training time.