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