Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile

I wasn't sure if last years race was going to be my last or not when I ran it.  I simply can't put my body through rigorous year round "race" training as I did in my 50's.  But this is such a great race and I still have the itch to compete. So I decided to give it another shot in 2022.  It's a lottery entry race, but for an inflated entry fee, they let you run it without needing lottery luck.  I guess money talks.  So that's what I did.  I bought my way into the race this year.  Another reason I did was because I turned 65 earlier this year, advancing into a new age group (or old depending on how you look at it 😄) men 65-69 years old.  Figured my best chance to shoot for a high placing in my new age group is now when I'm 65, not 69!

I'm still working out year round, running 15-18 miles a week, lifting weights and riding my bike.  Just enough to keep me in heart health shape.  But to run a 10 mile race I needed to get my body back into race shape as best I could at age 65. I had a race training template that I used to get myself in race shape last year and used it as a baseline for this year.  The general idea was to train more aggressively in the 3 months leading up to the race (July, August and September).  There were issues with my 3 month plan last year.  Calf and right hip related injuries slowed my training more than I had anticipated and also came into play during last years race when my left calf cramped up in mile 4.  I didn't want a repeat of those issues this year.  My goal being to run an injury free race pushing myself as hard as I can.

Training for this years race did go much better.  I successfully completed my target mileage of 35 miles per week including eight - 10 mile training runs.  One every Saturday leading up to the race.  The only thing that didn't go as hoped was my plan to incorporate more interval and tempo training into my daily 4 mile runs.  Every time I attempted to an uptempo pace, I could feel my calf muscles on the verge of cramping, or even a muscle pull or tear.  I've tried everything from diet, massage guns, stretching exercises etc. to keep my calf muscles loose, but nothing works any more at my age.  They just always stay tight as a drum no matter what I do.  As a result, my only successful uptempo runs were my 10 milers where I started slow and increased my pace each mile so by mile 10 I was running a 7:30 pace.  7:30 was my goal pace for the race this year after running a 7:48 pace last year.  But it doesn't build a great deal of confidence when you only run 1 mile at target race pace even though it was the 10th mile of each of my 10 mile training runs.  

TCM 10 Mile Course Map:

https://www.tcmevents.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/2022%2010%20MILE%20MAP.pdf

Last year I was overflowing with adrenaline and excitement heading into the race as it was my first race in over  4 years.  This years race had a more business like feel.  I was definitely excited, but also more serious about how I was going to run it.  I guess I felt more pressure to perform this year - particularly from a competitive perspective knowing this year would be my best shot (as the young kid) to place as high as possible in my new age group.  The MTC 10 Mile is a tough but fair course.  You simply can't lock into your race pace and expect to maintain it mile after mile.  You need to know what each mile brings and modify your effort to match the elevation changes to maintain your pace.  The first two miles are primarily downhill from US Bank Stadium to the Bohemian Flats on West River Parkway.  These miles include some relatively steep sections that really pound your quads as you race downhill.  It's important not to let yourself get carried away with early race excitement and run too fast through this section, or you will pay for it later.

The next three miles (3, 4 and 5) consist of slow rolling hills as you progress along the West side of the Mississippi before crossing over to the East side as you follow the river south.  It was here where my left calf cramped on me last year.  So far so good at the halfway point and my pace is in the low 7:20's - slightly better than by 7:30 goal pace.  Miles 5-7 are the toughest miles in the race.  All three miles consist of varying degrees of hill climbing with no offsetting downhill sections to give your legs a break.  This section will make or break your race.  If you haven't paced yourself properly you will potentially flame out here, leaving your tank on empty for the last three miles.  The toughest section for me is the end of mile 5 when the course turns East away from the river and begins a short but steep climb up to the U of Saint Thomas campus.  It's the steepest section of the course and it literally sucks the life out of you physically.  So it's important to stay mentally tough here knowing the next two miles are also uphill, just not as steep as you begin the long straight stretch up Summit Avenue.

 Miles 8 and 9 are technically flat, but they don't feel flat.  In fact the first half of mile 8 actually includes a slight decline.  But Summit Avenue presents a bit of an optical illusion in that you can see far ahead on the straight road and if you peer toward the horizon it looks and feels like you are always approaching another climb in the distance.  I've always found it best to keep my eyes down and focus on the section of road directly in front of me.  The good news for me was that I reached the 8.5 mile checkpoint having run these last three and a half miles at a 7:26 pace.  Just 4 seconds slower than my first 5 miles.  By the time you finally reach the mile 9 marker you are more than happy to make the big sweeping left turn at the end of Summit Avenue after running in a straight line over the past three and a half miles.  It's a welcome turn as you know you are entering the final section of the race.  

With about a half mile to go Summit Avenue turns into John Ireland Blvd by the Cathedral of St Paul.  This is my favorite part of the race as swing past the Cathedral and peer down on the final half mile towards the State Capitol.  It's mostly downhill followed by a quarter mile straightaway to the finish line.  This is where you try to open it up your stride and take advantage of the downhill again.  I did, but not as successfully as I hoped.  Although I didn't suffer any cramping this year, the calf muscles in both my legs were tight as a drum and hindered my ability to extend my strides on the downhill.  Instead, my strides were more choppy than I wanted.  I still successfully increased my pace over the final mile and a half, closing with a pace of 6:59, but just not smooth and comfortable.  But bottom line I did it!  I finished with a time of 1:13:16 with an average pace of 7:20/mile - almost 5 minutes faster than last years race.  Overall I finished 508th place among 8,473 finishers and 5th of 87 in my age group.  I had hoped to medal in my age group by finishing in the top 3, but there are some old guys like me still running their butts off and I give them all a major pat on the back for their amazing success!  The top 4 in my age group finished with times ranging from 1:08 to 1:11 which is amazing.

At any event, I'm very pleased with how my race played out for me today.  

Race Results:

 https://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=14275&rid=12768    

 

         

Medtronic Twin Cities 10-Mile

 After a 4 year absence from racing, I'm back!  Well sort of.  Back for one last race.  I've continued running these past 4 years, but no more than 3 miles a day for roughly 5 days a week.  Just enough to keep me in heart health shape.  However this summer I realized that my running routine had become rather stale and unmotivated.  I needed something to make it interesting again.  So I decided to enter one last race, knowing this would be it.  My last race 4 years ago wasn't that way.  I didn't even consider the fact it might be my last.  So this race would have a very different feel.  I'd be going out on my terms.  The tricky part was I decided to enter the Medtronic Twin Cities 10-Mile on October 3rd, which is a lottery selected race.  So no guarantees that my number would be chosen.  It's one of the largest races in the state.  I wanted to run this race because it's part of Twin Cities Marathon Weekend (5k, 10k, 10 mile and marathon).  I wanted to run a popular race with a good vibe.  But I knew running a full marathon was too big a challenge for me to take at age 64 with two months to prepare.  I wanted to run a nice intermediate distance race and the 10-mile seemed a perfect fit for what I wanted to accomplish as a final race.   

I really didn't expect to be selected for this race because the number of participants were capped at a lower number than normal levels due to Covid-19.  All races were cancelled last year due to Covid-19, and with the 1 year absence I figured the number of runners applying for the race would be higher than normal too.  But on July 20th I was thrilled to receive an email confirming my official entry into the race.  Then things became real!  I had about 11 weeks to train and prepare.  It was exciting to dust off my old training and tracking records and lay out a new plan for this race knowing I hadn't completed a run of more than 3 miles since 2017.  My plan was to increase my weekday runs from 3 to 4 miles a day, with a longer run on Saturday's, starting with a 5 mile run and then adding 1 mile per week until I was running a full 10 miles.  This would give me the opportunity to run about five 10-mile runs before race day, running about 30 miles per week once my long runs were a full 10 miles.  My goal was to run the race in 1 hour and 20 minutes (an 8 minute mile pace).  This seemed realistic for me.  Slower than my other 10 mile races, but I'm older and won't have the same training foundation like the old days.  When I was still racing I ran between 35-50 miles a week depending on the distance of my next race.  So my training plan for this race was moderate in comparison as I just didn't want to injure myself and be unable to finish the race.  Injuries and other aches and pains that come with aging became the primary reason why I stopped racing 4 years ago and I didn't want injuries to mess up this last opportunity to race one more time.

Unfortunately my foolproof training plan had some holes in it.  First it was a right calf strain, then a left calf strain and finally an arthritis issue with my right hip.  All of these issues forced me to alter my training plan with unwanted rest days which lead to shorter mileage weeks than I had hoped for.  The injuries kept me from ramping up my Saturday long runs as quickly as I hoped and the injury problems tended to scream louder when I was out on a long run.  Eventually I was able to successfully heal my right calf strain and my right hip issue, but the left calf issue kept rearing it's ugly head at least once per week.  Despite all of this I eventually increased my long runs up to 10 miles and actually completed 5 of them leading up to the race as I hoped.  However only 1 of the 5 long runs were pain free.  The other 4 were all dealing with an injury issue - most notably my left calf.  So heading into my race I was not overflowing with confidence.  It seemed inevitable that at some point my left calf would seize up on me and potentially force me to back off my race pace and fall short of my time goal.  I tried every trick in the book to heal my injuries before the race, but likely the injuries need rest to heal and I didn't have that luxury with the race rapidly approaching.

Despite my discouraging injury history these past 2 months I was pumping with adrenaline leading into race day.  The race started bright at 7am, one hour before the marathon start.  Both races are run the same day and start and finish at the same locations (US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to the State Capital in St Paul).  The 10 mile race simply takes a more direct route to get there.  What also made this race very special to me was having my entire family there to watch and cheer me on.  I wasn't expecting my wife and kids to come and bring all their young children because of the early start, but they all wanted to come watch.  I have 4 additional grandchildren since I last raced.  A total of 9 now and they were all there to watch and cheer.  I felt guilty they had to get up so early and stand along the course before sunrise just to see me run, but so thankful they did!  All went well early on.  I had no trouble settling into my race pace thanks to lots of adrenaline pumping through me.  I didn't get to train much at race pace because when I did, my injuries flared up every time.  So it wasn't a big surprise when I felt a shooting pain in my left calf in mile 4.  I stopped to massage my left calf for a few seconds before jumping back into the race.  The brief massage of course didn't help alleviate the pain as I stopped for no more than 5 seconds.  My mind was all over the place and I simply panicked in the moment.

I wasn't running comfortably at this point and was favoring my left calf with each stride.  I was praying fervently that the pain would subside or at least not get worse and force me to withdraw.  I had to finish.  My family was all there and this was my last race!  I passed my family for the 2nd time just before the 5 mile mark.  Their cheers were encouraging but also calming.  The left calf pain was intense, but not getting worse.  Over the next few miles I focused on getting my form back and not altering my stride because of my left calf.  It seemed to help get me back on race pace which was encouraging, as miles 6 and 7 were mostly uphill.  The dreaded Summit Avenue climb I remember very well from the 5 times I ran the marathon.  After the climb I was still on my race pace and felt much better about things.  With 1 mile to go I pushed myself to the finish as hard as I could.  I finish with a time of 1:17:59, roughly 2 minutes faster than my goal.  I placed 660th place out of 6,516 finishers and 17th of 128 in my age group.  It was the 10th 10-mile race I've run, but also the slowest.  The competitive side of my mind immediately began wondering how fast I could have run had I been injury free.  Just 2 minutes faster and it wouldn't have been my slowest 10 mile race.  However, I need to and am very happy that I achieved my goal and experienced that race day high one last time.  It was well worth the pain that came with it!  Now it's time to truly let this injury heal.

My race results

https://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=12111&rid=12093

         

             

           

Lifetime Fitness Turkey Day 5k - November 23, 2017

The Lifetime Fitness Turkey Day 5k was my final race of the year.  I didn't run the Monster Dash 10 mile at the end of October due to bad weather.  I hate to skip races, but there is no (indoor) pre-race protection from the cold at the Monster Dash in St Paul and I knew I would be miserable by the start of the race.  I won't deny that I'm getting a bit soft in my old age and unwilling to always brave the elements like I did in my early 50's.  Yes, I feel a bit guilty skipping a race here and there because of the weather.  But if the weather is going to make the race miserable before it even starts, I likely won't run it at this stage of my life - particularly if it's a race I've previously run like Monster Dash.  I don't skip races often.  I think I've only skipped 3-4 races due to weather over the past 10 years.

This was the 3rd time I've run the Turkey Day 5k in downtown Minneapolis.  This is the perfect cold weather race because the race distance is short and they utilize Target Center as home base for the runners.  One can stay indoors to stretch and relax before heading outside to warm up and race.  If I continue to run Thanksgiving Day races, it will be this race.  The location is also great.  The race started at 8am and I was back home in my garage by 8:45am.  It was a beautiful morning for the race because the course was dry and there was virtually no wind.  It was only 24 degrees at the start of the race, but I can deal with the cold fairly well as log as the winds are calm and there's no precipitation.
 

This was my first and only 5k race this year.  The Lifetime Turkey Day is the largest Thanksgiving Day race in the Twin Cities.  With the dry and calm conditions, the race drew an extra large number of participants (over 7,000 runners).  The race is chip timed with overall and age group awards, but most of the runners are simply there to have a good time and don't take the race too seriously.  Many run the race together as a family.  With so many runners it's a little difficult to properly warm up for the race, as the streets are packed with people, leaving little space to carve out a pre-race warm-up run.

My goal today was to run a solid time, but I had no aspirations of a great time.  Late November in Minnesota is not the time of year to run great times.  If I can break 21 minutes today, I would be very happy.  Half of the 16 5k's I've run have been in the 20 minute range (plus change).  I've run just 6 5k's under 20 minutes and only 3 over 21 minutes.  I'm still dealing with 3 nagging injuries that have plagued me over the past 3 months.  My left Achilles tendon, Planter fasciitis in my right foot and discomfort in my upper right hamstring.  All 3 injuries have made it difficult to fully extend my stride - particularly in faster races like today's.  After this race I hope to fully heal these injuries by the first of the year and start 2018 training fresh and healthy.  However as I age, it is becoming more and more difficult to completely shed my body of these discomforts.  I know that if I can't heal properly, the 2016 Twin Cities Marathon will likely be my last full marathon.  To successfully run a full marathon in my 60's, I must be injury free.  If not, it's simply not worth it.     

Anyway, today's race went as well as I could have hoped for.  I finished with a time of 20:45, finishing 151st among 7,156 runners and 2nd in my age group of 146.  I also ran 2 seconds faster than my 2015 time in this race.  So now it's time to heal up in December and see where I am health wise come the first of the year. 

Turns out I actually won my age group, although the race results don't reflect this.  Got a call from the wife of the guy listed as my age group winner.  Turns out he never ran the race for some reason, but let his 29 year old son run in his place, using his BIB number.  When they received the first place award in the mail based on his son's time, she looked me up and called to apologize.  Said they had no idea there were age group awards in this race, or never would have allowed their son to run with dad's BIB number.  She then sent me the first place award via mail with a note, stating that I now have a story to tell. 

Finish Video:

Race Results:
https://www.athlinks.com/event/19140/results/Event/687108/Course/1110435/Bib/1152

Jeff Winter City of Lakes Half Marathon - September 10, 2017

The City of Lakes Half Marathon is a prize money race that always draws some of the top talent in the state among all age groups.  It is also the USATF Minnesota state half marathon championship.  Thus, a very competitive race where it's not uncommon to see several new state age group records broken, which happened again today.  The course consists of two full laps around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.  This race truly lets you know where you stand among your peers and among the top distance runners in the state.  

    

As for me, my season began to sputter in August.  Various injuries and setbacks prevented me from ramping up my training mileage in August to prepare for October's Twin Cities Marathon.  As a result, I reluctantly decided not to run the marathon this year.  This is just the second time I've had to bypass a marathon in the 10 years I've been racing.  2012 was the other year when injuries also sidetracked marathon plans.  Even today's race has been a big question mark for me.  I'm running the race injured.  Long story short, I'm dealing with four different injuries this past month that have made training and now racing very challenging.  I know I need to ease up on my training and let my ailments heal properly.  I thought if I bypassed the heavy training mileage needed for the marathon and simply trained for my other scheduled races, it would be fine.  However, my injuries have actually escalated a bit.  It's just so hard to do the right thing and rest during the racing season.  You put so much time and energy into the training itself, that you feel like a "quitter" if you don't try to push through it.  So against my better judgement, I'm running my fourth and last half marathon on my race schedule this year.            

 

Woke up to a good race day for the most part.  A bit warmer (upper 60's) and windier than I would prefer, but still relatively good racing weather.  The parkway around the two lakes is a narrow road, making the start of the race a bit treacherous until runners begin to spread out along the course.  Most of my injury issues center around on my feet.  Planter Fasciitis, Achilles Tendon, with arthritis complications.  These injuries are most painful after non-activity (simply walking around the house).  But if I warm up properly, the pain is not as intense and I can usually manage through it on my runs.on training runs.  However uptempo racing places more of a strain on these issues, so I began the race hoping to hold it all together to the finish line.  

    

I went out today with a plan to run the early miles at a 7 minute/mile pace and see where it takes me.  The first mile began slowly with so many runners in close proximity.  The risk of tripping and getting trampled upon on the narrow parkway is definitely high until runners begin to spread out a bit.  This took about a half mile before I was able to get back on a 7 minute goal pace.  I maintained my goal pace over the first 7 miles of the race, but then my pace began to slip a bit as we made the counterclockwise turn around the north end of Calhoun and ran south into the wind.  I was experiencing some discomfort related to my injuries, but was able to forge on as fatigue began to make itself known.

    

Miles 8-10 were my most difficult miles of the race with regard to pace.  I slowed to a 7:20 pace across these miles.  With just over 3 miles left, I was in a small group of runners and noticed one of them was a guy in my age group.  I had no idea where I was place-wise in my age group in this race, but when I find myself running close to a fellow 60 year old, I become very aware of them and try not to lose touch with them.  This turned out to be a good thing, as it gave me key motivation at a time when I was ready to just go through the motions and finish the race.  Without this motivation, my best case scenario would maybe be maintaining a 7:20 pace to the finish, or likely see my pace deteriorate further.  But now I had some motivation.  A new goal to focus on.

    

My fellow age group runner began to push the pace a bit and I had to go with him.  This helped improve my pace from 7:20 down to 7:08 over the next two miles.  It also helped me stop thinking about the pain in my feet and focus on a new goal of staying with him.  I began thinking about the finish - a slightly downhill 80 meters to the finish.  The downhill finish provides a great opportunity to kick it into high gear if necessary.  I still believe I have some speed for my age over short distances, although sprinting to the finish is something I try to avoid having to do if at all possible.  Sprinting at the end of a half marathon is not much of a sprint of course due to fatigue.  But I still believe I can outrun someone head to head over the final 75 to 100 meters.  With about a half mile to go, I tried to break away from him, but he came with me and even passed me.  The last quarter of a mile is an uphill stretch that connects Calhoun to Harriet.  Uphills late in a race are really tough of course, but I had to stay with him.  Once the hill had been climbed, we made the final turn and could see the finish line about 80 meters ahead.  I threw it into high gear for one last surge which carried me across the finish line just ahead of him.  I covered my last mile in 6:59 and the final sprint at a 6:02 pace.  Goal accomplished.  

    

I finished with a time of 1:33:28.  My second fasted half marathon among the four I ran this year.  Coincidentally, I finished 2 seconds faster than my time last year.  Overall I finished 167 among 1,176 finishers and 4th among 29 in my age group.  Speaking of my age group, my time would have been fast enough to win my 60-65 age group last year.  But as I've mention before, there are a few fantastic runners my age who graduated into the 60's age group with me.  In fact the guy who won my age group set a new state half marathon age group record, running 1:24:14.  A fantastic time.  Congrats to him on a new state record.

Overall Results:
http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexrr.html

Overall, I'm happy with my performance considering my injury status.  Skipping the marathon means my next race (Monster Dash 10 Mile) wont be until late October.  I'm going to immediately modify my training program to follow the book I've been reading "Train Smart Run Forever".  The book is written by two runners who are now in their mid 60's.  It's a 7 day workout program, but only 3 of the workouts involve actual running.  Lot's of cross training, strength training and stretching.  The philosophy is quality training vs. quantity.  I know my "running only" approach is no longer working for me.  It doesn't allow me to maintain the overall strength and health of my body.  I want to believe that if I diligently apply myself to this training program, it will make me a stronger runner, a healthier runner injury wise and even a faster runner again.  I'm not ready to completely give up the idea of running marathons in my 60's, although the book strongly recommends that once you reach your 60's, you should focus on races up to half marathon distance and ignore full marathons.  We shall see!!!    

Urban Wildland Half Marathon - July 29, 2017

Today was my 4th running of the Urban Wildland Half Marathon in Richfield, MN.  I've grown to really like this race over the years even though it's one of the more difficult half marathon courses I've run.  It's also a warm weather summer half marathon, which can definitely accelerate the fatigue factor.  But it's a well run race that has an admirable theme/objective.  Reminding all of us to keep our world "green".  What I like about this race is also what makes it difficult. A two mile stretch (miles 3-4) which take us off the asphalt and onto dirt trails.  I'm not a big fan of running dirt trails, as the footing can be treacherous and uneven at times.  But it's the only race I run that utilizes both man-made and natural surfaces.  So I guess I like that challenge.  The two mile trail section has lots of narrow twists and turns which make it difficult to pass runners and difficult to maintain a steady pace.  It's important to use the first two miles to properly position oneself, so as not to get stuck behind slower traffic when heading into the trail section.      

I also like the size of this race (just over 750 finishers).  Participation is down considerably since I first ran it in 2011 when almost 1,500 runners participated.  But less runners is a good thing.  The trail section is too narrow and too early in the race to adequately support 1,500 runners at one time.  Current participation levels are far more optimal and still provides a large race "feel".

Race conditions were as good as one could hope for this time of year.  Sunny, calm and 70 degrees for a 7am start.  I got up at 4:45 this morning to start my race preparations.  At 60 years old, it takes my body a while to work out the kinks after I roll out of bed.  As this stage in my life I deal with lower back stiffness when I wake up each morning, coupled with a few other kinks in the armor, depending on the day.  Waking more than two hours before the race, allows me enough time to limber up before the horn sounds.

This is my 3rd half marathon so far this year, with one more to follow in early September.  Coming off my 1:32 performance in Rochester, I would be thrilled to run something close to that again.  However, this race represents 2 of my 5 slowest half marathons among the 23 half marathons I've completed.  So running 1:32 today may be wishful thinking, but a good goal to focus on.  

As the race began, I positioned myself where I wanted to be as the two trail miles approached, but my overall pace was about 10-15 seconds/mile slower than what I needed to challenge 1:32.  Coming out of the trail section and moving back onto the asphalt in mile 5, I realized my motivation wasn't at peak levels.  Not surprising, since my pace was slower than hoped.  But I slogged on as the miles clicked by.

The good news was despite my slower than desired pace, I was maintaining my pace as each mile passed.  This actually provided me some much needed encouragement in that other runners were not passing me by.  In fact, I was slowly but surely catching and passing one runner after another over the final 4 miles of the race.  This provided me the determination and motivation to push as hard as I could through the final miles.  Although I didn't improve my pace, I was successfully able to maintain a steady race pace from start to finish.  Any time I can do that, I feel good about my race in general.  

I finished with a time of 1:34:15.  Almost two minutes slower than my Rochester race, but I did run about 40 seconds faster than my April performance earlier this year in St. Cloud.  I'm also happy with my placement, finishing 40th overall among 767 finishers and first in my age group of 20 finishers. "Father Time" continues to tap my shoulder and remind me that I'm getting old.  Of the 24 half marathons I've now completed in my 10 year career, today's race ranks 20th overall time-wise.  That doesn't sound too good to me, but it's the reality of where I'm at as I enter my 60's.  Truth is, my effort is the same as it's always been, but slower times are unavoidable as the years go by.

My next race is the City of Lakes Half Marathon on September 10th in Minneapolis.  It also represents the 100th overall race of my career!    

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5114&rid=170

Scheel's Med City Half Marathon - May 28, 2017

This was my first trip to Rochester, MN  for the Scheel's Med City Half Marathon.  The race is relatively close to home, but requires an overnight stay in Rochester the night before because of the early race start time (7:00am).  The Med City event sponsors three races - a full marathon, a half marathon and a 5k event.  The half marathon was my race of choice today, as I limit myself to only one marathon a year these days.

The race is a point-to-point half marathon that begins in Byron, MN, heading east to Rochester where it concludes.  They transport the runners by bus from Rochester to the start in Byron.  The Med City Half Marathon is a moderately sized race consisting of approximately 600 runners.  The course consists of long rolling hills across the first 6 miles, but is relatively flat after that.  Today was another chance to try to improve upon my half marathon times, which have slipped a bit since 2014.  My best time in the half over the past three years was 1:33:30, run last year.  It was a nice morning for a race.  Clear skies, 55-60 degrees, with a steady 8mph wind.    

As the race began, I was doing okay handling the rolling hills portion of the course until I reached the last hill about halfway through mile 5.  At that point I struggled to maintain my pace and started having some doubts creep into my mind with regard to my ability to improve upon my recent half marathon times.  However, coming down the backside of the last hill, I was able to get myself back on on target pace again.  This gave me a huge boost of mental confidence which I desperately needed at the time and it really helped propel me mentally through the remainder of the race.  I now felt like I was in control of my race again.  Although battling increasing fatigue as always, I now felt mentally strong and confident that I could maintain my pace and fight through it to the end.

As the miles wore down and I approached the finish line, I was able to finish strong.  My time was 1:32:20.  My best half marathon time in 3 years.  I finished 20th overall among 617 finishers and 1st among 16 in my age group.  I don't race again until July 29th (Urban Wildland Half), as there aren't many meaningful races held in the summer months outside of local neighborhood 5ks.    

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5395&rid=2138

Award Video:
https://goo.gl/photos/8BvuA281vyj9vEieA

Medtronic TC 1 Mile - May 11, 2017

This is just my second visit to the Medtronic TC 1 Mile event.  I originally ran it back in 2010, posting a time of 5:48.  I was planning to run it last year until calf cramping issues forced me to bypass the race completely.  These short one mile races seem to be just as scary as the longer races.  Sure, it's only one mile and takes less than 6 minutes to run it compared to 3+ hours for a marathon.  But the fatigue impact of a one mile race is very different from a marathon.  It hits you immediately in the first hundred yards.  It's also a bit scary trying to run a sub 6 minute pace at 60 years of age, when in high school you thought nothing of it.  It literally feels like an all out sprint from start to finish and you just hope you don't fall flat on your face from exhaustion in the last quarter mile.

This is another well organized and well run event by Twin Cities in Motion.  Their premier event being the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon of course.  The race is broken down into seven different heats of varying abilities, so you can run in a heat that best fits the time you expect to run.  There is also a professional heat that featured Ben Blankenship, who represented the U.S. in the 1500 Meter Finals at the Rio Olympics last year.  He set the TC 1 Mile record last year, running 3:56 and won it again this year posting a time of 4:01.

The course is in downtown Minneapolis near Gold Medal Park along the river.  It's a relatively flat course with only three turns.  So good times can be had if the weather cooperates.  Today's weather was fairly good.  62 degrees and sunny.  A 10mph wind was the only drawback, as the final one-third of the race finished directly into the wind.

At my age, the only goal I have for a one mile race is to run under 6 minutes for as long as I can.  I'm at a point now where running a sub 6 minute mile will be coming to an end in the not too distant future.  In preparing for this race I did no speed training whatsoever.  To prepare for shorter, faster races, I normally add two 7 minute tempo miles, along with quarter mile repeats to my weekly training.  But this is the only speed race on my calendar this year and I didn't want to risk injury.

At least for today, I can still call myself a sub 6 minute miler, finishing with a time of 5:53:3.  Just 5 seconds slower than I ran 7 years ago.  I did run a 5:38 mile two years ago in a different race, but I'm happy to finish under 6 minutes - particularly having done no speed training in preparation.  Overall I finished 302 among 1,972 finishers and 3rd among 42 in my age group.  Last year my time would have won my age group, but I'm surrounded by some speedy runners who are also joining the 60-65 age group with me this year.

My next race is the Med City Half Marathon on May 28th in Rochester MN.  I've always wanted to get down to Rochester for this race, but until this year, it's never worked out with my schedule.  So this should be fun running it for the first time later this month.        

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5255&rid=1108

Scheel's Earth Day Half Marathon - April 22, 2017

This was my third trip to St Cloud for the Earth Day Half Marathon, having previously run it in 2008 and 2011.  This half marathon has always been a well run event, even though participation levels have dropped over the years.  In 2008 there were 1,800 runners and 1,500 in 2011.  About 1,100 runners participated today.  Not really sure why participation numbers have dropped, as I think they run a first class event from start to finish.

I had a bit of an issue the evening before last.  I slipped on the stairs in our home and injured my left foot.  Thought it might be a broken bone at the time, but after running on it the next morning I figured it was more likely a tendon/ligament issue.  It was sore this morning, but felt I could give it a go today, hoping it wouldn't get worse.

 
My confidence level these days heading into a race is not what it used to be several years back.  Calf problems derailed my year last year.  So far this year my calf muscles have been a non-issue.  But my feet are becoming a problem.  One that I probably won't be able to overcome with time.  Arthritis in my toes, particularly my left toe, continues to worsen over time.  My running is not causing the problem, as I had minor issues with arthritis 10 years ago before I began running again.  It's age and I can't reverse that clock.

Today's race weather was virtually perfect.  Sunny and 45 degrees at the start, 55 degrees at the finish, with a mild NW breeze.  A great day to run a great time.  However my left foot was problematic throughout the race.  The injury from my fall two days earlier only bothered me when we made left hand turns.  It was my left big toe joint connected to the ball of my foot that throbbed painfully every time it struck the ground.  So much so that it was hard to relax and focus on my stride because the pain was ever-present.

I did maintain a 7 minute mile pace over the first 8 miles, but struggled after that.  Fatigue certainly factored in as it always does, but I wondered how much the foot pain issues accelerated my fatigue.  My stride was compromised and I wasn't able to run relaxed.  Going into the race I felt I should be able to run under 1:35 today with such good weather conditions, but was really hoping to run 1:33 or better.  However the combination of pain and fatigue got the best of me in 3 of the final 5 miles - the hill miles.

I did finish just under 1:35 with a time of 1:34:54 today.  But I'm really seeing some slippage in my race times compared to several years ago.  In my mind, I still feel like I should be able to run closer to a 1:30 half marathon, but maybe I've hit a wall and I need to be satisfied with the fact that my times are going to slip a bit from here on.  I just don't want to accept it, or believe it yet.  So my time today was not satisfying.  If everything goes right, on a good weather day and fast track, a 1:30, 1:31, or even a 1:32 still seems like a reasonable expectation.  I have 3 more half marathons on my race calendar this year.  So one way or the other, I will find out if my personal expectations are legitimate, or if I'm simply fooling myself with these goals.

          
As far as today's race results go.  I finished 50th overall among 1,052 finishers and 2nd of 16 in my age group.

My next race is the Medtronic TC 1 Mile on May 11th.  The only "short" race on my calendar this year with the exception of a traditional Thanksgiving morning 5k I do each year.  I had planned to run the TC 1 Mile last year, but pulled out due to the calf issues I previously mentioned, which developed during my short distance, faster races early last season.  Hoping I can run a solid/fast time next month without further complicating my battle with "Father Time."

Results and Finish video:

http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5236&email=1&rid=197

Hot Dash 10 Mile - March 18, 2017

The Hot Dash 10 Mile race not only represented my first race of  2017, but also my first race as a 60 year old.  The past few years I've begun my season with shorter/faster races.  This year I began with an intermediate 10 mile race to hopefully avoid the calf cramping problems I experienced at the start of last season during uptempo shorter distance races.  I'm typically not in tip top shape yet in March, as most of my winter training is indoor treadmill focused and I think that may have lead to early season cramping issues last year, when attempting to run uptempo races right out of the gate.  Having said that, I'm also not in top shape to run 6:45 mile splits over a 10 mile distance either.  But I'd rather have a slower race time and stay injury free, than begin my season like last year.

It was a cool and windy morning for today's race (34, cloudy, with a 12mph NW wind).  The course followed the hilly terrain of the Mississippi River's West side, making it a very challenging course.  The final 5 miles were directly into the wind, making the course even more challenging.  I figured my goals would be very modest today.  Get my first race at the age of 60 under my belt, run injury free and don't expect to set any PR's today.

I ran an okay first 5 miles around a 7 minute/mile pace, but the hill in mile 5 took a lot out of me.  Then the hills and headwind over the last 5 miles really slowed me down (7:25/mile pace).  Just not in good enough shape yet to maintain pace for this distance in today's conditions and on this tough course.  I finished with a time of 1:12:08 (7:13/mile).  Almost 4 minutes slower than most of my 10 mile races.  But everyone seemed to struggle today, as my placement looks great if I ignore my time.  I finished 138th overall among 2,010 finishers and 1st among 21 finishers in my age group.

The Hot Dash 10 Mile was also the Road Runners Club of America 10 Mile State Championship with "Open" division and "Masters" (over 40) division champions for men and women.  What I didn't realize however, is they also have a Grand Master division for runners 60 years and older.  So believe it or not, I am now the Minnesota State 10 Mile Grand Master champion for 2017.  Had someone told me after giving up on the sport of running post high school that I would win a state running championship 42 years later, I would have thought they were crazy.    

Hoping the Minnesota spring weather cooperates where I can ditch the treadmill and run all my workouts outdoors again.  My next race is a half marathon in St Cloud on April 22.  Hoping to improve my conditioning by then and run a more respectable time next month.

Results and Finish Video:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4936&rid=1408

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

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - October 9, 2016

I can't believe this is my 6th Twin Cities Marathon today.  Always the highlight of my race season, particularly since I trimmed down to just one marathon per year.  It also brings me full circle back to where my very first race nine years ago (2007).  Even in 2007, I thought this was going to be a "one and done" thing.  No idea I would still be doing this almost 10 years later.  Hoping very much that this race will be a highlight to what has been a very disappointing race season for me so far.  Every year I've been able to point to a small handful of races where I surprised myself by exceeding my expectations.  So far this year, none of my races can be categorized in that manner.    

The biggest issue this year has been a small handful of in-race injuries (calf cramping) that derailed my performance - particularly in the shorter/faster races.  I've never had an injury during a race until this year.  But this year it became the norm, forcing me to drop out of one race and skip another for fear of re-injury.  Although I dropped out of a half marathon at the midway point, I was able to finish two other half marathons without injury.  However my times were slower than expected.  But I'm coming into today's race feeling very good about how my aggressive high mileage training has gone over the past six weeks.

Then three days before the marathon, I became ill.  A bad head cold completely sapped my strength.  On Friday, two days before the marathon, I really thought I would have to withdraw due to illness.  A 26 mile race is nothing to mess around with - particularly when one's health is not 100%.  However it's also very hard to walk away, after months of hard work and training to prepare for the race.  I convinced myself last night that I felt well enough to give it a go.  Deep down I knew I wasn't 100%.  A bad head cold usually takes two weeks to flush through my system.  This was just going to be another obstacle to overcome in a race season filled with many obstacles.

Another reason I wanted to run so badly today was the weather.  We have been blessed with good weather for this race almost every year and today was no exception.  It was sunny, dry and relatively calm with an air temperature in the upper 30's at the start, warming to the upper 40's by the end of race.  In the weeks leading up to the race, I always worry about the potential for bad weather.  The marathon is a long, difficult, grueling race that doesn't need help from the weather to make it even tougher than it already is.  But today, the weather was about as good as you can ask for.    

Although the weather was great for racing, 38 degrees is a bit chilly just waiting around for the race to start.  With U.S. Bank Stadium now in operation, just two blocks from the starting line, it would have been nice for the doors to be open for runners to warm like was done in the old Metrodome days.  However today, the Vikings have a home game at noon and new security laws prevent non-event access to the building 24 hours prior to the game.  This conflict was caused by the Ryder Cup which was in town last weekend.  Normally, marathon weekend would have been last weekend too, but was pushed to this weekend to allow the Ryder Cup to take center stage.  The NFL will continue to schedule the Vikings out of town the first weekend in October, so the marathon can utilize the stadium as base camp for the runners before the race, as in years past with the Metrodome.

As the race began, all was good.  I settled into my race pace and tried to feed off the noisy crowds that lined the Minneapolis lakes and parkways that dominate the first half of the race.  Heading north on the east side of Lake Nokomis is the midway point of the race.  There are time clocks scattered throughout the course, but it's the clock on Nokomis at the 13.1 mile mark that I use to gauge how I'm doing and motivate me for the second half of the race.  My time was 1:38 this year.  Two minutes slower than last year.  Still not bad though, but it was the first indication that a 3:15 marathon may not be waiting for me at the end of the race.

I didn't want to allow negative thoughts into my head at the time, but if I had been honest with myself, I would have recognized that I wasn't running as smooth and efficiently as I did last year.  My time was okay to this point, but the first half of the race took more out of me than it did last year, despite running two minutes slower.  Over the next five miles I tried to convince myself that because I ran two minutes slower, I now have more energy left in the tank to tackle the second half of the race.  A positive approach to take mentally, but one that became more and more difficult to convince myself of with each mile that passed.

Like it or not and I definitely didn't like it, my mile splits were not delivering the news I was hoping for.  No major "bonks" but the splits were a few seconds slower with each mile I completed. As I reached the 18 mile mark, shortly before crossing over to the St Paul side of the river, I knew my time was going to be at least five minutes slower than last year.  So I held out hope that I could "will" myself to a 3;20 marathon over the final eight miles of the race.  Miles 20 and 21 are slightly downhill along the east side of the river on the St Paul side.  But my mile splits continued to slow, despite to help of gravity.  This was a devastating and fatal blow to my psyche.  At that point I admitted to myself that my tank was truly empty and I still had five miles to go.  The next two miles (22/23) were uphill, the toughest two miles of the course.  I was running on life support now.  It was clear that although I was feeling better this morning than I had been the prior two days, my body had not fully recovered from my illness and I began this race with less than a full tank of gas.        

There is nothing worse in a marathon, than to realize your goals are no longer achievable and yet you somehow still need to reach the finish line.  All motivation is gone and the miles seem to be suspended in time.  You run and run, but never seem to reach the next mile split...or so it seems.  It was an ugly finish for me, but I did finish.  The attached pictures are blurry because I captured still images from several video clips my son took from different locations along the course.  Although they seem appropriate, as my mind was in a complete fog and my vision just as blurry.  I finished with a time of 3:29:53 - 15 minutes slower than last year.  My slowest marathon in 6 years.  Overall, I finished 1,045 out of 8,556 finishers and 22 out of 229 finishers in my age group.  It is what it is.  This race fits right in with how my race season has gone this year.  I have two races remaining to close the season.  A 10 Mile race on October 29th and a Thanksgiving Day 5k.  My optimism is always renewed as a new race approaches.  But as for today, I'm just glad it's over.      

Race results: http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=2217&race=4497

Jeff Winter City of Lakes Half Marathon - September 11, 2016

This was going to be my 7th race of the season today.  But it's not been a good race season for me so far.  As a result, today's City of Lakes Half Marathon is only the 4th race I've actually finished this year.  Last month I dropped out of the Urban Wildland Half Marathon at the 8 mile mark due to severe tightness in both calf muscles, representing just the second time I've dropped out of a race in my life.  The other was the 2012 Twin Cities Marathon.  That year I was coming back from a month long injury and simply wasn't ready to run a full marathon.  I ran the first 16 miles as a solid training run and then dropped out at a pre-determined location to hook up with my family. But I had every intention of finishing last month's race, but my calf muscles brought me to my knees again.

So today is another opportunity to start and hopefully finish a race.  I'm also directly at the height of my high mileage week's in preparation for next month's Twin Cities Marathon.  I've successfully completed 3 - 20 mile training runs over the last 3 weeks, with one more scheduled for Saturday.  My training has gone very well this summer.  In fact it has gone so well, that my race performance issues have been very disappointing.  Still not sure why my calf muscles have been causing me so many problems when running uptempo race pace.  I've tried kinesiology tape, compression socks and other magic potions that supposedly minimize cramping issues, but nothing has worked so far.  I fear that on the eve of my 60th birthday, age is likely the main factor.  With no changes or issues with my training program, diet, or health otherwise, it seems like the age may be the only logical explanation remaining.  I just don't want to accept that reason yet.  

This half marathon is a two lap race around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet as outlined on the map below.  I've run this race twice before as a 25k (15 miles).  A few years ago they changed the race to a standard half marathon.  It was a sunny, 60 degree morning, buy strong winds were in the forecast.  For the most part, the winds were not a factor until I reached the 10 mile mark.  By then, the wind was starting to pick up from the south with intensity.  I wanted to maintain a 7 minute mile pace in this race.  But just couldn't hang onto that pace over the last few miles.  But I did finish the race with no major issues.  So the way this year has gone, I'm happy about that.

I finished with a chip time of 1:33:30.  I ran about 30 seconds faster than my July half marathon, but still 2-4 minute slower than my top 10 half marathon times.  My race pace was 7:09/mile vs. my 7:00 minute mile target.  Over I finished 136th among 1,024 finishers and 8th among 45 in my age group.  Today's race also doubled as the Minnesota Half Marathon Championship for 2016 and one of the USATF Minnesota Team Circuit events.  So a very strong field of runners from all age groups turned out for today's race, which featured 5 new Minnesota age group records.
 
The next race on my calendar is the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 9th.  I feel good about my training mileage and training plan overall.  Just not sure how my body will respond to the full marathon distance this year, considering my slower race times so far.  Guess I will find out one way or the other, 4 weeks from today.

Results:
http://www.raceberryjam.com/2016/colmen.html

Red White and Boom Half Marathon - July 4, 2016

It's been over 11 weeks since my last race, but not by design.  The left calf cramp/strain issues I experienced in my first two races took longer than I hoped to heal.  I badly wanted to run the Medtronic TC 1 mile on May 12th, but decided to skip the race for precautionary reasons.  My injury was much improved, but knowing the TC1 would be a short, fast, uptempo race, I just didn't want to risk blowing it out again.

My next scheduled race was the Minneapolis Half Marathon on June 5th.  However the race was cancelled right before the event, due to a conflict with the race course permit.  Apparently a section of the course was impacted by mudslide that happened several months ago and the city is still working on road repairs there.  But it forced the city of Minneapolis to refuse approval of the course permit, asking that race organizers to come back with an alternative for that section of the course.  Race organizers dragged their feet too long and eventually had no choice but to cancel the event.  This was a large race impacting thousands of participants.  I place full blame on the race organizers, as the city gave them more than enough time to find an alternative for the city to approve.  

Which brings me to today's race.  I registered for all my races in January.  At that time, a 4th of July race sounded really nice and cozy.  The weather was actually quite nice considering that heat and humidity is not foreign to even Minnesota this time of year.  It was 64 degrees at the start of the race (6:30am) and about 70 degrees at the finish line (8:00am), with sunny sky's and light winds.  This was an early morning race.  A very early morning race.  I got up at 4:30am, arrived at the race site by 5:30am and got warmed up and ready to go by 6:30am.

My left calf injury is feeling fine again now, however I didn't enter this race with a great deal of confidence.  I was a bit worried that running again at race pace may potentially re-aggravate the injury, as it's been 11+ weeks since I've run extended miles at race pace.  Not the confidence builder I am looking for coming into this race.  I figured my best approach was to go out at a moderate half marathon pace initially and take it from there.  The last thing I wanted to have happen is another calf aggravation early in the race and then have to gut it out for another 10 miles or so.  If that happened, I figured I would likely drop out, rather than try to run uptempo for that distance, risking serious injury.    

Today's race began near downtown Minneapolis on the along the Mississippi River on West River Parkway just west of the Stone Arch Bridge.  From there, the course headed west on Plymouth Avenue, then north on Theodore Wirth Parkway.  Then north and eventually east on Victory Memorial Drive back to the river.  From there it followed the river south back to the finish line on the northeast end of the Stone Arch Bridge.

My intention was to run the first few miles at a moderate half marathon race pace around 7 minutes/mile, but my Garmin was registering an 8 minute mile pace across the first 3 miles.  After 9 years of running, I have a good sense for what my pace is without the assistance of a Garmin and I felt like I was running 7 minute miles.  By mile 3 I was so discouraged with my race pace that I just wanted to get tot he finish line and call it a day.  Going into this race I had no aspirations of competing for one of my top half marathon times, but I also wasn't anticipating my race pace to be this slow either.  I didn't realize that my Garmin was malfunctioning.  I've never had problems with it in the 9 years I've used Garmin's.  But for some reason, it chose to malfunction during my race today.  My total time was spot on to the second with the race clock, but my Garmin was over-extending my mile splits early in the race, which is why my pace was registering slower than it actually was.  In hindsight I should have questioned this, but I wrongly assumed it was accurate.  I figured the 11 week race layoff had a bigger impact on my ability to race today than I expected.

Eventually, my Garmin began measuring miles correctly, but my overall distance and pace was messed up because of the early miles.  When I crossed the finish line, my Garmin reflected a distance of 12.5 miles total vs. the 13.1 miles I actually ran.  So my actual race time/pace was faster (7:11/mile) than I thought I was running, but still well off my top 10 half marathon times.  I finished with a time of 1:33;58, good for 89th place among 2,266 finishers and 3rd in my age group among 68.  It felt good to finally get another race under my belt, but I also want to get back to my true racing form.  My time today was almost 4 minutes slower than average half marathon times.  Hopefully I can get back on track in time for my next race which is also a half marathon - the Urban Wildland in Richfield on August 6th.          

Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4176&rid=1132

Hot Chocolate 5k - April 16, 2016

The Hot Chocolate 5k falls into the same category as many current day running events.  Events designed to appeal to the thousands upon thousands of runners who run for exercise, but may not necessarily consider themselves a competitive runner.  Many are new to the sport, or simply enjoy getting together with a group of running friends to have a good time.  These events advertise like crazy and offer "extras" to the participants like racing jackets etc.  It works.  Over 4,000 runners ran today's 5k event.  Larger participant races are certainly more exciting to run than smaller events and are typically well organized to effectively manage the large number of participants, or major chaos would ensue.  With these large participation races, there inevitably will be a group of competitive runners too.  Just not the depth of race competition you find at more established "no frill" race events.

My Dad passed away last week and his funeral will take place later this afternoon.  I debated all week if I should run this race.  But the race was early morning and didn't interfere with family or funeral plans.  It was a short race and one I had already registered for back in January.  After much consideration, I decided it would be a good mental break for me, if just momentary.  My training became secondary this week, as other priorities obviously took center stage.  I was also coming off a two week cold/virus issue that hit me hard.  This casual/fun race was probably just what I needed this morning and about all my body could handle, both mentally and physically.  

It was a beautiful and unseasonably warm April morning in the Twin Cities.  Sunny, 63 degrees, with a 10mph breeze.  The race course utilized the same real-estate as my race last month.  The course loops counter-clockwise around Boom and Nicollet Island by the Mississippi River, utilizing the Plymouth Avenue and Stone Arch bridges as the cross-overs.  The last half mile of this 5k includes a steady climb toward the finish line, making for a tough finish.    

As the race began, I settled into a nice pace.  Runner traffic quickly thinned out and I soon felt like I was all alone as I approached the first mile marker.  I ran a strong first mile (6:15) and I felt like I was in good position to run a competitive time today.  I felt the same way in last month's race before popping a muscle in my left calf a little over half way through the race.

I found myself focusing on my fatigue during the second mile.  Something that easily happens when you don't have much runner traffic around you to compete against and you find yourself running alone.  I was almost across the Stone Arch Bridge, approaching the cobblestone section when the same muscle in my left calf popped again just before the two mile mark.  Immediately my pace and tempo became all muddled up, as I tried to find a stride that minimized the sharp and sudden pain I was experiencing.  Every time I tried to increase my speed, the pain forced me to slow back down.  I ran a 6:30 second mile, 15 seconds slower than my first.

I was once again in survival mode, with the toughest mile remaining.  Several times I tried to find a comfortable stride closer to my target race pace, but the pain was too severe.  Some strides were tolerable, but other strides resulted in a shooting pain that took my breath away.  I could feel myself slowing down more and more, just wishing the finish line was in sight.  I was exhausted, as there was nothing positive going on to fuel my adrenaline and push myself through the final section of this race.  I ran the third mile about 45 seconds slower than my first mile.    

I finished with a time of 20:26, good for 10th place among 4,231 finishers overall and first in my age group of 50 runners.  I obviously placed well among all runners, but this was not a highly competitive race.  My race time was too slow to even crack my list of top 10 - 5k's.  My next race is the Medtronic TC 1 Mile, the evening of  May 12th.  My left calf issue has now derailed both of my races this year.  Hopefully I can work through this issue so it doesn't become a chronic issue that plagues my race season this year.

Results:
http://ramracing.enmotive.com/results/index/eventid?src=hc-city-landing-2&_ga=1.74077778.1517564399.1450896718