Monster Dash 10 Mile - October 29, 2016

The Monster Dash 10 Mile is the second to last race on my 2016 season.  I ran this race once previously in 2013.  Just coming off a difficult marathon just 3 weeks ago, I really don't feel like I have the bounce back in my step yet.  Although I'm not sure I've had the bounce in my step at any time this year.  This winter I plan to completely revamp my off-season training program with the hope of entering next season with stronger/healthier legs that will hopefully translate to injury free racing next year.  I've never experienced injuries during actual races prior to this year.  It's been a crazy race season for me as a result.  Next year I will graduate into the 60-65 age group and become the young kid on the block again.  I really want to have a successful race season next year.  One that allows me to run to my potential without holding back for fear of injury.      

It was an unseasonably warm day for a morning race in late October.  52 degrees, cloudy with a moderate NW breeze.  Rain was in the forecast, but held off until just after I finished the race.  The Monster Dash draws large numbers because the course offers a 250 foot elevation drop from the start of the race to the finish.  The chance for fast times is a key motivation for many runners.  The other reason is the opportunity to dress up in Halloween costumes and attempt to run a race.  I don't fall into that camp, but I tip my hat to a few runners who actually run competitive times in very uncomfortable costumes.  What I don't like are the various logistical challenges that come with this downtown St. Paul race.  Parking, Maneuvering to the start on foot. Trying to get back to your car after the race where the finish line is about a mile south from the start.  It's not the easiest of races to deal with, but the course is the draw, so I don't anticipate this race moving elsewhere any time soon.

One interesting note is that race participation was way down this year due to bad press Team Ortho received this summer, surrounding one of their races that eventually had to be cancelled due to a course permit issue with the city of Minneapolis.  It appears this left a bad taste in the mouth with many runners who have walked away from today's race.  Team Ortho sponsors about a half dozen large race events in the Twin Cities each year that normally draw huge numbers.  But today's runner participation was down about 50% to what they were last year.  Still large participation relatively speaking (1,500 finishers), but not what they normally draw.  Team Ortho appears to still be in some degree of damage control, with some work to do to rebuild their image.  They do a great job promoting their races, but I think they would be better off trimming a few of their events from the calendar and focus on making a smaller number of races great again.  They've shown the ability to put on good races in the past, so they should be able to do it again if they don't spread themselves too thin.

As previously mentioned, I came into this race a bit "dead legged" from my recent marathon, coupled with a small handful of nagging leg issues (calves/hamstrings).  I've also had no luck avoiding injury, when attempting to run a sub 7 minute/mile pace.  So I intentionally kept my pace right on 7 minutes/mile for the first 3 miles.  Then, I began to slowly improve my pace from that point on.  This strategy seemed to work out okay for me today.  For the first time all year, I ran faster as the race progressed.  I didn't re-aggravate my calf, or hamstring issues which have plagued me all year.  This allowed me to push the pace, while gaining confidence with each passing mile.  My last 5 miles were my fastest mile splits.  I ran a 6:26 final mile, while also running the final 5k of the race in just over 20 minutes.
                      
I finished with a time of 1:08:01, good for 15th place overall among 1,528 finishers and 3rd among 76 finishers in my 10 year age group (50-59).  All things considered, this was my best race of the year.  Nothing to pound my chest about, but a solid race that felt good because I was able to run strong through the finish.  No flat tires along the way.  This was my 3rd fastest 10 mile race among the 8 I've run, although still 2 minutes, 13 seconds off my best 10 mile time.  I had no intentions of realistically challenging my PR today with the issues I've been dealing with this year.  But in the back of my mind, it left me wondering what would have happened if I had attacked the race right from the start.  Possibly an even faster time?  Or maybe just another injury and disappointing finish.  Today, I'm just going to be happy with the result I had and leave it at that.

My final race of the season is a 5k in downtown Minneapolis, on Thanksgiving Day morning.    

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4806&rid=6194