Twin Cities Get Lucky 7k - March 15, 2014

After one of the worst winters on record (actually it hasn't ended yet - sigh), I'm ready to kick off my 2014 race season with the Twin Cities Get Lucky 7k in downtown Minneapolis.  Outdoor training has been virtually impossible this winter, as sub-zero temperatures, coupled with record setting snow fall, made it more than dangerous to run outside.  Roads shrunk to half their normal width, as snow plows ran out of space to push the snow completely off the roads.  Even id snow were not an issue, air temperatures were consistently well below zero day after day.  I only completed four outdoor runs after Thanksgiving and three of those were in December.  It's been two months since my last outdoor run.  My winter training survival kit consisted of my treadmill and elliptical machines.  However, I find working out on these machines very boring...even with a TV in front of me.  But I had no other option this winter.  By Christmas, I was going crazy working out 6 days a week on my machines.  I'm so thankful I have them, but it's not like being outdoors.  Then I made a decision that dramatically changed my winter training doldrums.  I sold my 6 year old treadmill and purchased a new treadmill integrated with iFit and a 10" tablet.  This technology allows one to run a course anywhere in the world using Google Maps.  With Google "street view", you get a "visual" new picture every few seconds showing your progress as you run the course.  In addition, the integrated system automatically adjusts the incline of the treadmill up or down to simulate the actual pitch of the road you are running on.  It took the boredom out of my workouts and made them fun again.  I was able to complete longer treadmill runs of 10 to 13 miles and not go crazy in the process!  I vicariously ran courses like the Berlin Marathon, as well as exotic locations all over the world (New Zealand, Italy, etc.).  One can download free courses from iFit, or create your own.  I think I have almost 200 courses in my tablet library now.  I love it!  However, I am looking forward to getting back outside again, as real scenery still beats "virtual" scenery any day.

Back to today's race.  This will be my 3rd Get Lucky 7k race in the past 4 years.  I also ran it in 2011 and 2012.  It's a huge participant race with an strong St. Patrick's Day theme.  In fact this year's race will be the largest participant race in the state of Minnesota with close to 12,000 runners in the race.  The vast majority of participants are casual runners who are there for the fun and free beer afterward.  Virtually everyone is wearing green, with many in full costume.  I broke the mold this year wearing orange and black - no reason in particular.  Maybe I'm still stuck in late October, which is why the winter seems so long?  After all, it was only 19 degrees at race time with a steady NW breeze.  I wore black tights during the race.  Something I don't like to do in races, but when the air temp falls below 20 degrees, I break down and wear them.  The course starts and ends on the west side of the Mississippi, but also crosses over to the east side for a few miles, with a very brief spin onto Nicollet Island.

    

Not sure if it was the cold weather, or the fact this was my first outdoor run in two months, but I wasn't very confident I would run well and didn't feel mentally prepared to push myself hard to maintain my desired pace.  However, I got off to a good start and felt mentally strong throughout the race.  I still hate the cobblestone road in mile 2 (uneven and dangerous), but otherwise it's a fair race and good course for running fast times.  There were a few icy patches at some of the turns, which generated momentary anxiety, but no slipping.  I think my mental toughness was rejuvenated when I reached the first mile marker in 6:21.  Although my winter training was all indoors, I did train hard all winter, mixing in strides, quarter mile tempo runs and and a two mile up-tempo run every week.  The race seemed to actually fly by.  Maybe because I was outdoors and actually moving somewhere, rather than running in a stationary position.  I finished the 4.4 mile (7k) race with a time of 27:38 (6:21 overall pace), beating my 2012 Get Lucky time by 13 seconds, as well as 22 seconds better than my 2011 time.  I finished 21st overall among 10,917 runners and 1st in my age group of 213 runners.  I also ran a national class time for my age group for this distance.  Just the third time I've achieved a national class time in a race.  I'm very surprised and pleased with my results.  A good start to the 2014 race season.  I'm sure my body will feel the effects of today's race come Monday, but it's worth it when the results meet or exceed your goals.

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2086/2014_Team_Ortho_Get_Lucky-7K

My next race on April 12th, is the Goldy's 10 Mile Run.  It starts on the U of M campus and finishes inside TCF Stadium.  It's the first of a four race series I've entered this year.  The other three races are half marathons.  You earn performance points in each race with age group awards to the top individual with the highest combined point totals among the four races.  If all goes well this year, I hope to run 11 races between now and Thanksgiving Day.  One down, 10 to go!            

Dash and Dine 5k - November 28th, 2013

The Dash and Dine 5k is is a small race up in Chisago City, Minnesota, which draws about 200 runners each year. I ran this race last Thanksgiving as well and decided to run it again this year for two reasons. It's a relatively flat course and you can park close to the start/finish line! This is a key feature any time you run a race this time of year in Minnesota when the weather can be nice sometimes (last year it was in the 50's!), but chances are will be a bit on the cool, even snowy side.

Today it was 23 degrees with a 9mph NW wind. After warming up, I went back to my car 10 minutes before the race began to get out of the cold and debate how many layers I would peel off for the race. I parked just 50 yards from the start, which allowed me to sit in my car until the last minute. At the last minute I quickly stripped down to my shorts and shirt before sprinting to the starting line just seconds before the race began. If not for the convenient parking location, I probably would not have braved the shorts and shirt for this race.

This was an out and back course, so the finish is nice and close to the car as well. I just wanted to break 20 minutes today which was another reason I decided to brave the cold and run in shorts. It may be psychological, but I feel much slower in my running tights, even though they weigh virtually nothing. It's probably a flexibility thing, as the tights do feel a bit restrictive. Anyway, the race went very well. I quickly settled into a nice, aggressive pace in the first mile (6:20/mile) and maintained this pace from start to finish. My time was 19:40 (6:20/mile), finishing 5th among 182 runners and 1st among 14 in my age group. This was my second fastest 5k (I've raced 13 to date) and finished just 2 seconds off my personal best.

This was also my last race of the year/season. It's also when I transition back to mostly indoor treadmill training over the winter months and begin to lay out my race calendar for 2014. I've not had good luck weather-wise with January 1st races in Minnesota, which is no surprise to anyone who lives here. So I've already crossed that possibility off my list for next year, which means it will probably be 40 degrees and sunny on New Year's Day! Most likely I will kick off my 2014 race season sometime in March. It's always fun to take time over the winter months to explore the ever growing number of road race options offered in Minnesota.  Once I've gone over all the races, I'll select the ones that make the most sense based on my availability and training plan for the year.  I have some race favorites that I like to run every other year or so, but also like to run new races I haven't done before.  Anyway, more to come in a few months.

Race Results:
http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/dashanddine5kresults2013.txt

Monster Dash 10 Mile - October 26th, 2013

The Monster Dash 10 Mile run in St. Paul is my last big race of the year. Last year I ran the Monster Dash Half Marathon. I haven't run a 10 mile race in two years, but coming off a full marathon just three weeks ago, this should be a good test for me right now. Both the 10 mile and half marathon races start together, utilizing the same course, but the half marathon finishes on the edge of downtown St. Paul, where the 10 mile concludes three miles further west. Like all the Ortho races, this one also attracts thousands of runners. Almost 10,000 runners total between the two races, with two-thirds of them run the half marathon.

Late October is a great time of year to run a solid performance. My endurance levels remain high after my recent marathon. The weather is usually nice and cool this time of year and this particular course is geared for a fast time. The elevation drop from start to finish is 225 feet. A few hills mixed in, but nothing major. Mostly some nice long, gradual downhill sections where you don't even realize you are running downhill. Nice and easy on the quads.

The race starts at the Cathedral in St. Paul. A location very near and dear to my heart as it at sits less than a half mile from the finish of the Twin Cities Marathon. It's here where you experience a sense of euphoria as the marathon finish line comes into view for the first time as you pass by. But in this race, the 10 mile course heads West on Summit Ave from the Cathedral toward the Mississippi River about 4 miles away. From there, it follows Mississippi River Blvd south another 4 miles before connecting with Sheppard Road where it heads northeast toward downtown St. Paul for the final 2 miles.

The weather was good. Partly cloudy with an air temperature of 40 degrees and a brisk 15mph wind from the northwest which was the only downside. Minutes before the start of the race, they announced there would be a 10 minute delay due to heavy traffic jams in the downtown area, as so many runners were still arriving for the race. This was an irritation for me as I don't understand why they penalize runners who already warmed up and were ready to go. An additional 10 minute wait in windy, 40 degree weather isn't much fun because the warm clothing has already been peeled off and your left standing in only a shirt, shorts and shoes. I understand the desire to allow time for most of the runners to get the starting line before the horn sounds, but it is a chip timed event, so their race time won't begin until they cross the starting line anyway. Oh well, enough on that.

I came into this race with one goal in mind. That being to beat my fastest 10 mile time of 1:07:07, set in May of 2011. I knew this was going to be the race to beat it and everything (other than the delayed start to the race) was lined up for me to do so. My goal was to run a 6:45 first mile and then push the pace in the second mile to 6:40 and hold it there the rest of the way. The first 4 miles were primarily into the wind until the course turns south when we reach the river. I hit the 1 mile mark in good shape at 6:45, but then slowed in my second mile to 6:50.  The first two miles were relatively flat for the most part, but miles 3 and 4 were downhill miles. With panic setting in after my second mile split, I push the pace and ran mile 3 in 6:40 and mile 4 in 6:33. I was now running faster than planned but feeling good. My mile 5 split was 6:35 and suddenly the race was half over.

I felt great at this point and felt my confidence grow as I pressed on. I ran the next 3 miles in 6:33, 6:35 and 6:33. I was now turning onto Sheppard Road with the last two miles ahead of me.  I knew I was going to break my fastest 10 mile race at this point, it was only a question, by how much. For the first time I could feel my body on the edge of exhaustion and the race seemed to slow down. I was running just as hard if not harder, but the miles were no longer flying by as they were to this point.  I finally reached the 9 mile point running a 6:23 split - my fastest mile yet. Only 1 mile to go, but like mile 9, the final mile never seemed to end. Finally, with about 400 yards to go the 10 mile race peeled off from the half marathon course to the finish. Runner traffic had really thinned out and I was all alone at this point, pushing as hard as I could. I ran the final mile in 6:21 which was my fastest mile of the race. I finished with a time of 1:05:48 beating my prior best by 1 minute, 19 seconds.

I finished 12th overall among 2,954 finishers and 1st out of 94 men in my 50-59 age group. This was also the first time I've finished with a national class time for my age. I've come very close many times but always land at the upper edge of the regional class times. So that was very exciting. I have one more race this year on Thanksgiving Day morning which is a small 5k race in White Bear Lake, which I ran last year. It was a satisfying race season this year and I was very happy I was able to stay healthy this year.

Race Results: http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=296&race=1938