Broad Street Run

5:30 wake up. Light breakfast, catch the el by 6:45. It's nice that I can ride for free today by flashing my bib. 45 min later I'm checking a bag and in 5 more I get in the restroom line. Relieved that it's early, and after a quick warmup I decide that today should be a good day. Stretch out for awhile and at the last minute my bladder cues me back to the restroom line which has grown into a mob. Make it out alive with 5 min to spare. Took a spot behind the 6 min/mile sign.

The weather seems to have worked out in our favor. No thunderstorms as they predicted all week. Temperature right around 55, overcast.

I think about a strategy. I'm not sure what to expect but I'd heard over and over how "fast" this race is. I decide 6:30 splits are a reasonable goal. That would put me across the finish in 65 flat. I'm thinking I'll shoot for 6:30s for the first 7, then if I have anything left (or, if I'm not limping along at 9:00 pace by then) just run a 5k like my life depends on it. Mentally this is a convenient approach, it's easy to digest. We'll see how it plays out physically.

It takes 20 seconds to cross the starting mat. It's really crowded and I see why race organizers have decided on corrals for next year. Mile 1, 6:46 including the 20 seconds. I'm feeling good, and I'm surging around various groups now trying to find a rhythm. Lots of pep in my legs to my surprise.

There are slight undulations up here on Broad St. but they're barely noticeable. Still, I try to take what I can from the downs. Traffic starts to slow every now and then and I'm wondering if we're really slowing or if the faster folks are just breaking away. Turns out to be the latter, mile 2 is 6:23.

Mile 3 is the last of the "hills," goes by in 6:25. I realize if I keep this up for another mile I'll have made up that 20 seconds from the start. Then if I can hold 6:30s, which I'm pretty confident I can do, I'll finish in 65 clock time, 64:40 chip time.

Traffic is slowing again and I assume that more runners are surging. I stick with a group and it turns out that it's the other way around. We're slowing down a little, mile 4 6:31. This is fine by me at this point. Lingering in the back of my mind though is that voice that wants me to push more. I decide to take the risk and push past the 5 mile mark in 32:28. I'm still feeling in control.

Now I enter unknown territory. A 5 mile tempo split in 32 flat was tough in training. What happens now? Have I gained fitness since then? Here's hoping I have. Mile 6 is another 6:23. I get all cheesy now as the crowd support seems to give me an emotional lift. I really appreciate these folks taking time out of their day, seriously. Mile 7 passes in 6:26. This race is going by fairly quickly. I've got my fingers crossed that this trend continues.

My legs are starting to notice that I've been running so damn hard for 45 min. My feet feel hot, and I notice some blisters beneath my big toes. I try not to dwell on it and focus on maintaining. My 5k surge seems like a big joke now. Mile 8, 6:27.

There is so little distance between me and the finish now that I don't care whether or not I collapse trying to run progressively harder. I try to play with my competitive drive by pulling up next to others. They try to pull away, I respond. This happens 4 or 5 times until I've picked up another group. Mile 9 is 6:23.

The last mile is spent praying that the finish line appears soon. I overheard two guys talking at the start about how the entrance to the naval yard can be deceptive because the finish is actually a 1/2-mile in. I remember this as I pass through the gates. Just two more laps around the track now. It's in this last mile that I see MM, a good friend Matt, and my parents. I'm glad they're here. A few guys start sprinting to the finish and I kick it as well for a fastest final mile, 6:19. 1:04:24 official clock time, 1:04:04 chip.

So, I'm pretty psyched. Went out with what I thought was a challenging goal of 65 minutes and nailed it with almost a minute to spare. I guess this is why folks rave about this race. Afterwards I chatted briefly with a bunch of locals (John, Steve, Seebo, Dierdre) who seemed pretty happy as well. Couldn't stick around for food with Philly Runners as I had my folks with me. I joked with them that I'm putting my running shoes in the closet until June. Might not turn out to be a joke, especially with my blister feet. Seriously, the entire ball of my foot is full of puss. Next time I make an entry it might be about a ridiculously long bike trip.

Bad News is Good News (Run For Clean Air 5k)

I'll start out with the bad news. Apparently chemicals in the bottle I drink water from put me at risk for cancer. I'm downing fluids from that very bottle as I type, and if you know me at all you'd know that this doesn't worry me too much. Interstate 95 runs through my backyard and I'm sure there are plenty more cancer causing agents in the air I breath while I sleep. You know there are more bacterial cells in our body than there are total human cells? I have faith that one of these microbugs will ward off the carcinogens I ingest daily.

This bad news essentially qualifies as good news in the sense that it's the worst thing about this day so far. I can't complain.

Last night around midnight I was finishing up a game of spades and a box of wine (yes, that's right, it was box wine, and no, I didn't drink it alone) and if you'd asked me about what my goals were for this morning's Run for Clean Air I would have shrugged and maybe mentioned something about running under 20 minutes. When I ran into John at the starting line I expressed the same sort of attitude. Put simply, my only real goal was to enjoy the weather. After all, soon the skies will turn grey and and we'll be slogging through 90 degree 99% humidity days, reminiscing about the good ol' days back in April. I knew from a workout I did a couple weeks back that I had a chance to run in the low 19's, but I chose not to focus on this today.

The announcer jumped the gun so to speak on the start, and it caught me off guard. I stuck behind John for as long as I thought reasonable, and then tucked in with some folks closer to my abilities. This course is flat, slightly downhill at the start, and comes to an abrupt turn around at the halfway point. Mile one, 5:48. I knew I was speeding a little bit but I wanted to test the waters. Lost a little bit of momentum at the turn around. Around the two mile mark (6:14) the lamb kebabs from last night started yelling at me. Made me slightly uncomfortable, but it passed (no, not literally). During the last mile I passed a few guys who seemed to be struggling, and I still had no idea about a finish time. Didn't feel like thinking about it. I picked it up a bit when the finish came into sight. I caught a glimpse of the ticker and it read 18:4x:xx and I knew I had a chance to finish under 19. I let it rip. The last stretch was hard, and I crossed the line in 18:56.

I'm trying not to read too much from this. I have to say though that I feel really good about this time, and I'm really relieved that the work I've been doing over the last few months is showing results. And it's ironic that this happened in a race that I didn't really think too much about. After the race I stuck around long enough to watch John pick up an age group award. Congrats to him, as he came pretty close to PRing. The few times I caught a glance at him during the race it looked like he was out for a jog in the park. The rest of the morning was spent lazing in the grass, cooling off on a very nice walk with MM, and ingesting my race's worth of ice cream. Bike rides there and back were lovely. By the way, I've returned to riding my city beater, which is a fixed gear. Going well so far. I warmed up a bit beforehand and for the day I'll conservatively call it 4 miles in some time.

The (Rain-free) Tyler Arboretum 10k

I told my dentist on Friday about my plans to run this race. She told me it was supposed to rain. I believed her, and every weather forecast that I could find forecast showers.

To my surprise this morning the rising sun lit up the city beneath a blue sky. I arrived in Media at the Tyler Arboretum and it was already warming up, close to 55. Perfect. I had some time to kill before the race started so I warmed up on the paved trails through the arboretum and ventured onto the unpaved ones a little too. Apparently still feeling the effects of Wednesday's hill workout, my slightly heavy legs made me apprehensive about the race to come. This would be my first trail race and I didn't really know what to expect. I knew there would be 4 stream crossings, but this was the extent of my knowledge of the course.

I stretched for a good amount of time before lining up with roughly 150 other runners. The announcer explained that the course consisted of numerous loops and out-and-back segments that turned upon themselves, and that the mile markers were approximate. No guns, flags, or cannons. Just a barely audible ready, set, go.

I'm at the tail end of a line of 20 or so runners moving at a pretty good clip. I'm feeling really good, and so far the terrain is manageable. Some mud and tree roots are the only major impediments. Here comes a hill. I bound up, passing a few runners. Wow, that's steep. I catch my breath at the top and realize I've slowed a bit. A runner I passed a moment ago now chugs by me, probably well aware when I passed that he'd see me again. I continue to push, now downhill, I'm flying and mile one passes in 6:08. This is a jackrabbit start, and I'm about to meet the bloodhounds.

Just past the one mile marker the line of runners has thinned to a group of 3 or 4, with 10 yards or so between us. Here comes a stream, SPLASH! Not really thinking about it I step in with my right foot instead of trying to leap over it. Now I've got a 2-pound ankle weight on. This feels weird, my shoe is all squishy.

The stream is in a valley, now it's time to climb the other side. I'm huffing and puffing, and this hill is long. Man, why is this so hard? I feel like I did a few days ago during my hill workout. Halfway up this one I'm forced to slow down even more. Just keep moving, you'll catch your breath. No, don't stop, don't stop!

I'm walking, and cursing myself and this hill. Damn!

It takes me 30 seconds or so to snap out of it, and in that time a few more runners I'd passed are ahead of me again, working steady. A whole lot is going on in my head at this point, and I even wonder if I'll DNF. Evil thoughts about going out too fast, worrying about injury, STOP! Shake it out! I get moving again, crest this damn hill, and it now has sunk in that it's gonna take a different strategy to get me through the next 4 miles. I try to focus on saving my surges for the crests and flats. This works. One of the guys that passed me is within view, I slowly creep up behind him. I hear a course marshal yell his name, Chris, and he's evidently the first runner from the Wissahickon Wanderer's club to pass this point. I stay close behind him, and we work through the next 2 miles or so. Now the lead female is within sight. I stay behind Chris, he's working hard too, keeps looking over his shoulder. We've been through 2 more streams at this point, both my shoes are soaked, but at the third crossing I'm smart enough to leap across on some stones. Still surging on the flats. Almost lose my footing a few times on downhills, which are blistering. Careful, I don't want any broken bones today.

With 2 miles to go, Chris slows on an uphill, and this time I know I've gotta keep moving. I pass him, work slowly closer to the lead female. Once I catch her, I keep a safe distance, working up and down the terrain. She sets the pace, I follow. At a certain point I'm thinking I want this to be over, and soon. The uphills are extremely slow, but it's really all I can give, legs burning.

The trail dips suddenly downward, and I almost lose my balance, damn it's hard to be conservative on these drops. I'm glad it's dirt and not pavement. The final uphill is long. The runner ahead of me slows, I skirt around her. We're in mile 6, so I push a little more. Trying to maintain this push once I crest the hill must look pretty funny to some photographers along the side. Arms flailing, mud flinging off my shoes, I'm actually not even going that fast, but it feels like it, and I'm fighting for air. Loop back to the starting stretch and the final .2 miles is through the soggy grass yard behind a barn. I enter the chute in 45:30. Half a mile more and I'd be puking. I grab some drink, cool off with a slow jog. For the day, I'll call it 8 miles in 60 minutes.

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon

Last night we lost an hour, so when I sprung out of bed it was 6:00 AM according to the clock, 5:00 AM according to my body. Good thing I’m used to being up so early. Didn’t sleep terribly well last night, but I expected this.

Warmed up to the breaking day with a light yoga session. Ate my bagel with tomato and avocado, sucked the obligatory favorite morning beverage through my bombilla, and awoke MM around 7:15. Time to go.

As we plowed south on I-95, the wind made itself present in a way that frightened me. It was tough to stay in my lane. I got even more anxious when the “low fuel” light blinked on. Damn, should’ve left earlier. Yanked a right turn onto the exit ramp and to the nearest gas station, where MM pumped and I emptied my bladder.

Calmed down a bit as we pulled into downtown Wilmington around 8:45. Plenty of time to spare. Hopped out of the car to determine whether I’d wear shorts or tights. Decided on the shorts, as it would’ve been the first time wearing those tights and I didn’t want any surprises.

Took care of the race bib and timing chip and waited in the starting area. Warmed up for a few minutes, then ditched my sweats and found Steve K. We found our way to about the 6th row of runners. Nod to a few other Philly folk. Opening remarks, then the cannon blasts.

***

Disclaimer: the following account uses data from my Garmin, which recorded today’s course roughly 250 yards too long. I trust a measured course more than I do satellite reception amidst tall buildings, so I’m not making a statement about the course. As a result of the discrepancy however, the split times are slightly off, but I’m using them regardless.

As soon as the gun goes off, I’m floating downhill towards the riverfront. Sticking to my plan for today, I coast down the hill and stay calm once it flattens out. Mile 1, 6:37. Seems easy, and I feel pretty relaxed.

Runners begin to pass me at this point and I alternate between hanging on to the crowd and holding back, allowing them to pass. Keep it easy, let ‘em go. Small crest into a housing development against the wind. Mile 2, 7:01.

Small hill continues against the wind, but we turn to the Southeast, and we’re going downhill again, wind to my back. Loop back around to where we entered the housing development, then head South, paralleling the river. Mile 3, 6:51. Ok, this is the pace I need to settle into.

We eventually cross a strip of empty restaurants and other commerce, hit the boardwalk, which seems to be of fairly recent construction. Still relaxed, but maybe too much. Mile 4, 7:00. I’ve now taken the time I banked in Mile 1 and turned it into a 2 second deficit (with a 1:30 finish time in mind). No matter, just keep going, I’ll make it up on the downhills.

Continue along the boardwalk and turn to the North when it ends. Mile 5, 6:55.

Mile 6 crests across downtown, and seeing MM along Walnut St makes me smile. I blow her a kiss. 6:54.

We’ve now turned to the West, into the wind and uphill. Mile 7, 7:05. 20 second deficit, and I know I could easily lose up to a minute more in the next 2 miles.

Begin to push a little bit, steadily. Still uphill, still into the wind. Hills begin rolling a bit, and Mile 8 sees the steepest climb. Begin to pass others who are slowing down. Prior to the race I didn’t intend to grab water from any of the aid stations, but for some reason I do during this stretch. Didn’t seem to slow me down too much. 7:18.

Finally hit the top of this damn thing, and I’m passing more runners. I worked to get up here, now it’s time to let the hills work for me. Mile 9, 6:49.

Continue rolling gently, into AI Dupont Middle School for the turnaround, grabbed a sports beverage. Now it’s time to dig in a little. I’m still focused, paying attention to my breathing. Mile 10, 6:48. By now I’d begun to notice the lag between Garmin’s miles and the course’s marked miles. Shucks.

Still headed Southeast, and the wind is mostly to my back, but it starts to swirl around, mixing me up a bit. I take what I can get, letting gravity do its job. I stop briefly to tuck the shoelace that has almost tripped me 5 times already into my shoe. Mile 11, 6:40.

Now I’m sensing fatigue, but I try to stay calm. Just float. Mile 12, 6:24. I’ve decided to just give what I can. By now I’ve lost trust in the GPS.

Still downhill through Mile 13, and I begin to push once I see the Market St hill. 6:33.

This hill is a bear for me, especially with the 30 mph gusts in my face trying their best to discourage me. I can see the ticker, and it reads 1:30:xx. Not breaking 1:30 today folks, but I crest the hill and put in a final sprint, crossing the mat with a chip time of 1:30:37.

***

After catching my breath, I found the other TEKBOD runners and learned that everyone finished well considering the blustery conditions. Of course, I can’t claim any responsibility for the team’s victory, as my finishing time would have been more of a weight than a contribution to the final average. However, I’m honored to associate with these folks, and look forward to widdling my times down closer to theirs in the future. For now, it’s important to me that I know I put in my best effort today, and therefore I’m satisfied with the results. Special thanks to MM, as I seem to be somewhat useless without her.

As for the timing issue, I’m mostly disappointed that I’ve allowed to happen something I’d sworn I wouldn’t allow, and that’s dependence on some gizmo to tell me what I should be able to just feel. But, I’m learning, and with that come minor setbacks. Now I’ve got a new challenge. I could complain about the fact that if I hadn’t stopped for those drinks, and to fix my shoelace, that maybe I’d have held onto that 37 seconds. And maybe I was too relaxed in the first 5 miles. But what’s the use?

I’m looking forward to an easy week, and since I finally replaced my bike seat and seat post, I’ll be taking the ride to Wayne this week, maybe two.