Race Report: Run Thru the Hills 10K

The alarm woke me up at 6:00am. It thunder-stormed most of the night, so I did not get the best of sleep. Thankfully, my iPhone is my alarm clock because we lost power at some point during the night and all the regular clocks were blinking when I got up. So I went downstairs to get dressed (all my stuff was laid out on the kitchen table the night before). Got everything together except my shoes and socks, and then focused on my pre-race breakfast.

My normal pre-race breakfast is a banana, toast with almond butter, and a cup of milk, followed by two cups of water. So imagine my surprise when I see NO bananas in the basket!! This is NOT good! I am not necessarily superstitious but I gotta have my banana! Oh well. So I had a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios (poured my milk on them) with my toast, and contemplated how this was going to impact my morning.

Then it was time to deal with 'da blister'. It felt pretty normal so I cleaned it, put a blister patch over it, and then covered the patch with some adhesive knit. Then instead of using Body Glide, I broke the 'nothing new on race day' rule and used a powder I got from my running store yesterday called "Blister Shield" from 2Toms. It is a powder you pour inside your socks that coats your feet to prevent friction. It worked very well! I also put ENGO pads in my shoes to prevent friction on the balls of my feet (after 11+ mile runs, I sometimes get hotspots on the balls of my feet).

I have to say that doing these three things really made a difference in my feet during the race. My blister felt fine during the race. It twinged a little around Mile 4 but nothing much (and didn't cause me to change my gait at all). I think once the blister heals, I will go back to the Body Glide, but the powder did its job! After the race I had no significant change in the status or feel of the blister.

At 7:30am, I headed for the race (which was only like 2 miles from my house!) The weather was okay -- humid, 65 degrees, with 22mph winds. I wore compression calf sleeves, shorts, a long-sleeve tech shirt, and a hat. In hindsight, I should have gone with a short-sleeve shirt because after Mile 2, I was feeling a little warm.

I ran into a long-time friend named Rick right before race start. What a cool surprise! It turns out his wife was running the race as well (she is fast and finished 9 minutes before me) and he was there to cheer for her. I also ran into Mary, an 11-year old girl who is in my Natural Running class. It was nice seeing a few people I knew.

The race started on time at 8:00am with both 5K and 10K runners together (we would run together for the first 2.5 miles and then separate). I decided to start off at a 9:30/mm pace and see how long I could keep that up. Not exactly a preferred strategy, but I figured the hills would kill me so getting some good clock time beforehand could help my overall time. The first mile went very well. I scaled the first two 'gentler' hills and then saw my running partner Mike and his wife and son cheering me on!! That really made me feel great! Go WISH scream team!

I ran the next two hills and then made a left towards Mile 2. Then I hit the first really serious hill. I ran the hill, shortening my stride but trying to keep my cadence the same. I got to the top and then let the drop on the other side take me down. Then as I came around another corner, I saw my WISH scream team again! I yelled out to their son with a big grin on my face as I started to climb the next hill/right turn. Thanks Mike, Liz, and Robert for being there today!

I climbed that hill and kept moving, passed Mile 2 and heading towards the first water station. I decided to walk through the water station and let my heart rate go down a bit before starting off again. This was probably the least 'rolling' of all the hills on the route. I got to Crystal Lake Road and turned right (this is where the 5K and 10K runners split).

Now the MAJOR hill climbing began. As soon as we hit Hilltop Road (very well named), we had to run up a very steep hill. Oh My Lord! I made it up the hill, only to find a sharp descent followed by another hill. I tried not to put on the breaks (to save my Quads) but I really had no choice. From this point forward, it was basically going up a steep hill, then down, then up another, then down. It was hard to develop a running rhythm because there wasn't enough distance between hills. The route was very scenic though, and that helped my mind to stay clear.

I was staying hydrated through all this but kinda forgot about fueling until about Mile 5. By Miles 4/5, I had to take a few of the hills at a walk pace. It was then that I realized I hadn't eaten any fuel back at Mile 4 (my usual fueling rate is every four miles) so I knocked down a CLIF mini-bar. As I was eating, I was walking alongside a Dad who was pushing his son in a jogging stroller. His son, who was disabled, was telling his Dad "Run Faster!" He was so cute! The Dad and I talked for a bit and then he kept on going. (He finished just ahead of me).

Mile 5 brought me back to good ole Hilltop Road and back up the hill towards Crystal Lake Road. I was definitely getting tired but at this point, I was smelling the Finish Line and was still holding out hope for a PR in the race. So I picked up the pacing a bit and ran up the long slow incline to Acorn Rd (which was almost Mile 6). In general, my running pace was around 9:45/mm and I when I took walk breaks, those were around 15:00/mm.

Passing Mile 6 was a relief at this point. I knew I was going to finish and I was going to end strong no matter what! I had a little more in the tank so I ran the last third of a mile at am 8:32/mm pace to cross that finish line!

My official time was 1:06:02 at an overall 10:32 pace -- a full 36 seconds faster than my last 10K race back in October! I was pleased about that, even though I knew that I could have finished faster had I been able to take those hills with fewer walk breaks to recover. I really need to do more hill training to develop a solid approach for dealing with hills (other than my current attempts to avoid them at all costs).

So all in all, the race was a good experience for me. I learned that I can actually run a race with hills and survive the ordeal. I learned that the change to a more natural running form really made a difference (so the class was well worth it). I learned that my Newtons are amazing and I can't wait to run the IL Half in them (a flat course, yay!). And I learned that I have so much more to learn about running and how to improve.

Oh yeah, my classmate Chloe, the 11-year old? She ran the 5K race and finished FIRST in her age group (First Overall for the 5K Female runners)! She got an awesome medal! She finished the 5K in 21 minutes! Isn't that just awesome? I was very proud of her!

Graduation Day

After the race, I grabbed several handfuls of trail mix, a banana (yay!), some Gatorade and then headed to my last Natural Running class at 10AM. I took a moment to freshen up and change into a different set of socks, shorts, and wore the race tech shirt (ya can't wear a race shirt unless you finish). No need to expose my classmates to my post-race sweatiness. (Is that a word?)

I warned the coach that Mary and I would be coming straight from the race so our legs would be tired. But in actuality, my legs (and feet) felt fine by 10AM. We warmed up a bit (I really didn't need to) and then ran a good mile at a 10:00/mm pace. Then came back for our final Gait Analysis to see how or IF we had learned anything over the past three weeks.

She videotaped us running on the treadmill, and then she showed us our initial Gait Analysis video alongside the new video. It was cool to see how each of us had made adjustments to our running form for positive results! My own video showed a marked improvement in my cadence, my foot placement (much more underneath my center of gravity), and my overall running posture. I looked pretty good for a big guy! I can certainly 'feel' the difference in my running as a result of this class.

SO! Today marked the end of another running week. My total mileage for this week was no where near what it was for the week prior. Total Mileage: 21.6 miles. The main difference was I did not take a Long Slow Run this week because I had the race, and I didn't take a Long Walk this weekend either because I did not want to aggravate 'da blister'. And, this is the first week of my Taper for the IL Half. So I think this was a reasonable mileage week.

Next week, I will probably run the same number of miles, but add in a Long Walk maybe Sunday late afternoon. I will be attending a wedding in Milwaukee on Saturday/Sunday so we will see if I can fit the Long Walk in.

Race Report: Windrunners 10K Race is in the bag!

As I nurse the quad/hammy in my left leg, I still have to say that Today was a Good Day! I feel like I did everything pretty much the way I had wanted, and I finished with an official time of 1:10:48 (almost five minutes faster than my goal of 1:15). And, I wasn't last (258 out of 307 but not last)! These people were fast runners -- more than half finished under an hour (since the race was a Trail Run, I feel even better since those races tend to be slower than those on paved or harder surfaces). So here is my race report.

Morning / Pre-Race

I got up at 4:30am. Yes, really early! One of the downfalls of living in Crystal Lake is that everywhere you go is a long drive. The race was in Wheaton so that meant a 45-55 minute drive for me. And, since there was limited parking near the race start, I wanted to get there early enough to assure myself of decent parking.

Last night, I laid everything out so I was pretty much good-to-go this morning. Got dressed, ate a light breakfast of toast with almond butter and a banana, packed my gear bag, and was out the door by 5:30. I brought some Apple Juice with me to have about 15 minutes before race start, and I had water bottles with Powerade and water in them for the race itself.

I arrived at the Danada Forest Preserve at 6:30am with plenty of time to just relax in the car, listening to some Casting Crowns and visualizing my race strategy. My strategy? Simple. Run slow the first 3 miles and pick it up the last 3 miles. And sprint the last 1/5 mile to the finish. Well, I kinda followed my plan. More on that later.

So at 7:15am, I get out of the car, pay a visit to the Porta Potty (nice and clean one, I might add), and headed to the race tent. I put on my bug spray (trail run means mosquitos), checked my bag, and decided to mingle. At 7:30, I decided it was time to warm up. This is when I noticed my first 'ugh' moment. The race was starting on grass. Very WET grass, in fact. So my warm-up walk/run resulted in my shoes and to some extent, my feet getting wet. Nothing I could really do about it but it made me worry about blisters. Luckily, I was wearing wicking socks that have the toes in them. So I hoped that it would keep them dry and prevent any blisters from forming. So I finished my stretching and walked over the start. Hmmm... no corrals. So I decided to stand in the last third of the 300+ group.

The Race

The race started on grass for the first 1/5 mile. Again, my shoes and feet got wetter. Ugh! Then we turned onto a limestone path that was dry! I went out running a 11:00/mm pace and it was immediately clear that I picked the right place to start in the group. At that pace, I was staying in step with most of the others around me, and passing others. That kinda felt good, right? The forest preserve was a real sight! Very pretty, very green (due to recent rains), and quite curvy. The course was relatively flat with lots of 'rolling hills' -- nothing too steep but enough to make you 'feel' it.

I decided to listen to Joe Taricani of The Marathon Show for this race instead of music. In case I haven't said this enough, if you are a runner you NEED to be listening to The Marathon Show Podcast. It is a great podcast, filled with good information, encouragement, and humor. Often Joe interviews well known runners in the sport, and listening to their stories and insights is really awesome and educational. And at least for me, listening to podcasts and/or audiobooks while running does not interfere with my pacing.

Miles 1 and 2 kinda flew by as I was running well, no pain (even in my left hammy), and I was enjoying the view. At about 2.5 miles, I passed the first water station and grabbed a cup. Can you believe that was my 'first' water station? (They don't have those on 5K races) So that was kinda cool!

At Mile 3, I was passed by a guy in his 60s like I was standing still. Hmmm... Oh well, clearly he has been running a lot longer than I have. Then I was surprised to see runners coming towards me in the opposite direction! Runners who were in the lead were already returning back to the finish and I had just gotten to the midpoint! OMG!!! Of course, they were also half my age, so that made me feel a bit better about it. :)

Mile 4 came with my second water station. I decided not to take their water and drink my PowerAde instead. I must have needed it because it tasted SO good! I was still feeling pretty good. Now at this point, my PLAN was to speed things up. So I tried kicking it up a notch to a 10:30/mm pace. I think that lasted for about 5 minutes before I decided that my 11:00/mm pace was working just fine for me. At this point, I was running with more or less the same group of runners. Two women in front of me and a third (the woman in blue) who was running alongside or a little behind me for most of the race. I made a mental note that I was going to pass the two in front of me before the finish.

At Mile 5, I started to make a move. I sped up a bit and passed the two women who had been in front of me most of the race. I think they were slowing down because I got some distance between me and them, which made me feel pretty good. But then, I started to feel a little fatigue due to the speed increase. My heart rate was increasing a bit and felt like I should slow down somewhat. So I finally decided to take a 1-minute walk to recover a bit. Drank some water and more PowerAde and took some deep, cleansing breaths. The 'woman in blue' passed me for the first time so that got me moving again.

By the time I passed the Mile 6 marker, I still hadn't caught up to the 'woman in blue' and there was another guy in front of her. So I decided it was time to pull on the reserves and start my kick. My luck that we then hit the grass! I passed the woman and set my sights on the guy. But he had too far a lead so we finished with me right behind him! My race time: 1:10:48! I was SO Happy (and pretty winded)!

As I stood next to a fence catching my breath, the 'woman in blue' came over to do the same. And then she said "Thank you." I must have showed my confusion because she said "I was using you as my pacer for the whole race. I appreciated that". I did not know what to say other than 'Glad to be of service. Good race!"

After the Race

The post race refreshments were awesome! Pizza (which I did not have), broiled chicken slices, bagels with cream cheese and salmon, bananas, watermelon slices, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and bottled water/Gatorade. Wow, what a spread! Everyone ate while results were being announced. I wanted to know my age group results. Turned out the three AG winners all had times below 40 minutes! I landed at 28 out of 33 in the 50-54 AG. Well, I guess I have some room for improvement, eh?

A nice surprise was running into my friend Deacon Michael Kitt and his family at the race. He ran a good race and placed fourth in his AG with a 56 minute time. I thought I had seen him at the start but I couldn't see his face at the time. Michael came up to me and said "Hi! I thought you might be here today!" It was great seeing him and being able to share the experience with him!

All pre-registered runners received a nice, quality tech shirt. This year it was kelly green, and, it is a long-sleeved shirt! I do not have one of those so I was happy to get one. I can definitely use this during training runs later in the fall. The shirt is very nice. No finishers medals for this race though. AG winners got a nice drinking glass inscribed with the name of the race.

I finally drove home, showered, and met Christi for lunch. Then I went to LifeTime Fitness's Spa to have a nice 30-minute deep tissue massage on my legs, especially the left one. It was a nice treat and made it feel a lot better. It is still achy but manageable. Later, the family celebrated a good race with dinner at The Village Squire.

So that's it. The end of my report. Today was AWESOME! I had a good race, a good massage, and a good dinner! And my race time should give me a good corral placement for the Disney Half Marathon in January. So unless my November 15K race turns out better, at least I now have a race result I can use for corral placement.

What next? Well, I am going to take this week off from running, especially since this weekend my son and I are going to Space Camp for four days!!!!! We are both very excited about the trip (and the left hammy will appreciate the break from running). When I return, my run training for the Half will being -- I am using a modified Galloway Training program for the Half.