Today’s race, race number two of the season was an 8k (5 mile distance)
in St Paul. Just my second 8k race
ever. But here’s the embarrassing part. I intended to register for the Irish Run St
Paul, which is the new name for one of the oldest and most competitive 8k races
in the state with 800 top notch runners.
It’s also the same 8k I ran 5 years ago.
It was formerly called the Human Race before the name change. Anyway, several months ago I found the web
site for the (O’Gara’s) Irish Run 8k in St Paul and registered. I didn’t know until I showed up for the race,
that there are two Irish Run 8k’s in St Paul the same weekend, taking place
just a few blocks apart. One on Saturday
(the race I signed up for) and one on Sunday (the one I wanted to sign up
for). So you guessed it. I signed up for the wrong race. But because of the similarities (name,
location, date) I understand how I got messed up. But it was a surprise on Saturday morning
when the number of participants in the race was about 200 vs. the 800 I was
expecting. The light didn’t go on that
there were two races with the same name, same weekend until I got home and
discovered my error.
It was a brisk, clear 28 degrees, with a 10mph north wind on race
morning. The race was an east to west,
out and back on Selby Avenue in St Paul.
Standing at the starting line, I could see a large (very large) overpass
about 200 yards after the start of the race.
All I could think was how tough it will be to climb that overpass with
200 yards to go in the race when fatigue has taken over. It was kind of an ominous start to the
race. I tried to block it out of my
mind, but knew it would be there to greet me on the rebound. The other 8k race which I intended to run is
very flat and fast. I felt like the big
hill overpass was my punishment for the registration mistake I made. Further punishment, because my goal today was
to run a national class age group time for this distance. A flat course would be much better suited for
a fast time, but dealing with a large overpass twice in the same race would put
a bit of a dent in my plans. According
to the USA Track and Field website, I would need to run 32:22 or faster to
accomplish my goal of a national class time.
As the race began, I crossed over the hill less than a quarter mile into
the race. Not much of an issue this
early in the race when fresh. I clocked
a 6:29 first mile, which is about where I wanted to be. But had aspirations of running under 32
minutes which meant I would need to improve my pace about 5-10 seconds per
mile. In these shorter, faster races,
there is little time to evaluate how you are feeling during the race. You just need to put the pedal to the metal and
hope for the best. However easier said
than done. I’ve always loved Vince
Lombardi’s legendary quote “fatigue makes cowards of us all”. It’s a quote I use to motivate myself to push
through pain and try to avoid the “cowards” way out and slow down when fatigue
knocks at the door. Many times it works out
and other times it doesn’t. Mental
toughness is such a big factor in a fatigue based sport like road racing. I sensed in mile two that I was having
difficulty pushing my pace to the 6:20 range and in fact I was. I ran a 6:35 second mile. Now I knew it was going to be a tough race
for me today with regard to my time goal.
With just 200 runners, traffic thinned out quickly, making it more
challenging to push the pace, as gaps form ahead and behind you. I remember my first 8k 5 years ago (the race
I intended to run this weekend) was constant competition for position from
start to finish because of the larger field of runners. It’s also easier to push yourself when being
challenged continuously by other runners.
As I made the turn at the 2.5 mile mark and began retracing my steps
back to the start/finish line, all I could think of was the hill at the end,
knowing it would eventually pop into view during last half mile. My pace improved a bit in miles three (6:28)
and four (6:29), but I just didn’t have the mental toughness I needed to run
the time I thought I could run today. As
I worked my way through the final mile, the dreaded hill was starring me in the
face for about 10 blocks before I got there.
I pushed hard up the hill with weary legs, hoping I would still have my
legs underneath me to get down the backside of the hill without falling flat on
my face. Coming down the hill was a bit
scary, but I extended my stride as far as possible to maintain my momentum and
balance to the finish line.
I finished with a time of 32:22, good for 30th place among 196
runners and 2nd in my age group of 14 runners. Surprisingly, my time was the exact minimum
qualifying time for a national class time to the very second. I really expected to run faster today, so not
as thrilled by the fact I just barely met the national qualifying time by the width
of a hair. I’ve decided to drop my next
race in two weeks which was not high on my list of races to run this year
anyway. It was a 15 miler and this early
in the spring I don’t feel prepared to go hard for that distance yet. Also, I have a 10k and a 5k coming up right
after that, so going to stick to the shorter distance races while building my
mileage for longer races later this season.
My next race will be the Get in Gear 10k on April 25th.
Race Results:
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