2013 Ocean's Run: #121 of 370 - Time 1:49:12 - Pace 8:21
Ideally, my goal is to go sub-1:40, and it's definitely possible. It's a flat course, and weather permitting, I'd just need to maintain a sub-7:30 pace to make it happen. Of course, this is going to throw the Ultra training schedule off, but I figured that was going to happen. No worries here. Did I mention that I'm looking forward to Spring? I enjoyed winter, but enough already. I want some good, muddy trails to play on...
Monday, 3-3 - Scheduled Rest Day. 1 hour karate class, light weight training, stretching.
Tuesday, 3-4 - 2.8 Miles (Road) - Short Mystic Run before an appointment. Mid-20's, but the wind died down and it felt pretty nice out!
Wednesday, 3-5 - 3 Miles (Road) - Another Mystic run after karate class, this time in shorts! Finding small windows of opportunity, and trying to keep my mileage on the light side before Sunday's race.
Thursday, 3-6 - 0.
Friday, 3-7 - 5 Miles (Trails, Dirt/Paved Roads) - Pachaug State Forest. Trails looked dicey, so I set out on the road toward the Mount Misery turnoff, and quickly realized the roads were an icy, slippery mess. Went back to the truck for the Yaks, and figured I'd just run trails since the roads were just as bad. Nice day, and I sense Spring-like weather will soon be upon us. Just not yet...
Hard packed and icy...
Saturday, 3-8 - 0. Packet pickup at Camire's Shoes with Mike B. Love the race tech shirt:
BLS special!
Really! Just ask!
Sunday, 3-9 - 1.5 Mile Warmup, 13.1 Mile Race - Ocean's Half Marathon. #126 of 487, 1:48:07 officially @ 8:16 pace. Not quite what I'd hoped for, but I'll take it. I improved over last year by over a minute, even after the wheels came off around mile 8...
Had a great ride to the race with Jeff, Matthew and Mike B., and talked races, strategy, and things in general. Got to the parking lot, where I ran into Nicole (aka Running While Mommy) and her friend Jackie. I opted to jog the 3/10 mile to the start, loosen up and drop my bag. Ran into Beth, who was volunteering at one of the turns! I headed out for a short warmup and surf check: I told the guys that if I ever wanted to guarantee there'd be waves on a given day, all I had to do was sign up for a race for that day. Sure enough, Matunuck was clean, offshore and head-high. Damn. And the race route passes one of my favorite breaks.
Got back to the start and lined up with everyone. I figured I'd test the waters in the first few miles and see how I felt. The first mile was slow because of the weird start setup (my Garmin actually auto-paused a dozen times in the first 100 yards), but miles 2-4 were within my plan...miles 5-8 a bit slower, and I started to realize that I wasn't going to go sub-1:40 today. No problem, I was enjoying the day, thanking all the volunteers, stopped at the water stops and really kind of took it all in. It was cool and breezy, but it was a really nice day, and I knew by the last few miles that I wasn't going to PR, but that I'd still beat my time from last year. Happy with that!
The best part about this race is that there are several places where the course turns back or loops around, and you get a chance to see the leaders and other racers and cheer them on, and the locals come out to the road with their families to cheer on all the runners. TRIMOM also puts on a fantastic race, with water stops every mile, and flaggers everywhere, bikers with gels, etc...
Our team had several age group award winners, including FiveK, Gazelle, and Mike B. (aka Johnny Winter), and a PR by Action Acton! Amanda ran her first 1/2 in 2:01, way better than my first Half a couple years ago. She's got serious potential to start at that number! I believe Nicole also had an official 1/2 Marathon PR as well!
Overall, a great day! I was immediately freezing after the race, and couldn't wait to get back to the truck to crank up the heat :)
Spent 4 hours in the afternoon, as promised, repainting my daughter's bedroom with her, so I'm done. Stick a fork in me...
Nice race Mike. Glad you recalibrated to take in all the fun aspects of the race. PR schmeeR right? Good job on painting, I'm sure your daughter appreciated the time together!
ReplyDeletePR's will always be there for the taking, but I really enjoy the whole experience - from the training, to the drive down to the race, the spectacle of the race start, the race and the scenery, volunteers, spectators. I try to thank every volunteer I see, and every spectator I can, and if that costs me some time, so be it. I love yelling "More cowbell!" to the kids with the bells, and slowing down to high-five the ones with their hands out. They love it, and it's fun, dammit! Cheering on the last runners, the ones coming in at a 15-20+ minute pace? Absolutely. Why shouldn't I? I got my medal from someone who I know only from the Running the World FB page, who's friends with several friends of mine - how cool is that? All in all, a great experience regardless of time :)
ReplyDeleteWay to keep it positive as always, Crutch. I was warm during the race, but freezing on that walk back to the school. Thanks much for the ride and company,
ReplyDeleteYeah, the walk back to the school was cold! Had a great time though :)
DeleteCongrats on the nice race, Mike. I must have just missed you out there. I thought I'd have time to retrieve my car from Moonstone Beach and still catch you at Mile 12 but you were speedier than I realized. Slow down next time, would ya?
ReplyDeleteNot as speedy as I'd hoped, but thanks! Good day for a race though, and thanks for coming down to cheer everyone on!
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