Event: Beacon on the Bay, 25K, Champion chip Timing

Place: Stars and Stripes Park, Lake Hefner, Oklahoma City, OK.

Date: Saturday, March 10, 2007

Time: 9:00 AM

Goal: MP 7:48

Age: 54

Weight: 147

Goal Event: Boston Marathon, April 16, 2007

Div: Male 50-54

Bib: 459

Weather: Start, 48 degrees, slight wind, cloudy, humid from overnight rain.

End, 70 degrees, clear, slight breeze, daytime high reached 78.

I have wanted to participate in this race for a few years; however it never seemed to fit my training schedule. This time it fell perfectly on a 17 mile with 14/MP weekend.

At this stage of my training all has gone well, including an upgrade of my VDOT score to 46, but lately maintaining training pace has been more difficult than during January’s cooler temperatures.

For the last couple of years I have trained at an 8:00 MP with my best marathon time reflecting an 8:12 MP. My new VDOT MP is 7:48 and I held this pace quite easily during my first 13 mile MP training session on February 10. But with warmer temperatures and stronger spring time winds I have experienced an overall degradation in training pace. At this stage I am not sure what that really means in relationship to my desired current conditioning. So, my hope is that Saturday’s 25K will reinforce my ability to maintain a MP of 7:48.

We (Jackie, my running buddy and I arrived at Stars and Stripes Park at 7:45 AM. The air was VERY cool such that a jacket was required as I walked over to the registration booth to get my Bib. The cool breeze in the air was ever so slight. The predicted high was 68 with clear skies. The weather was going to be perfect, especially if the race would start now instead of 9:00 AM.

Jackie and I walked around for a few minutes, used the porta-potties, and then walked back to the truck to prepare for the race. After a Powergel and sips of Endurance Gatorade it was time for one more potty stop. I saw Paul (pfriese) at about 8:45 AM; we discussed our plans then it was time to line up. The gun fired and off we went. Soon, I realized that the race course is marked in K’s NOT miles, much to my surprise. I had brought my Garmin 305 and my watch (one to validate the other); well that was a waste. Thanks goodness I had my Garmin or I would be void of all my splits.

After crossing the starting line you run about a tenth of a mile then turn right 180 degrees such that you are running on a parallel road that takes you back toward the starting line, then you loop back along the same route. After about 1.25 miles you finally leave the starting area. The course runs along a running/biking sidewalk around the perimeter of Lake Hefner and is very flat. Within a couple of miles I am approaching MP, if anything a bit too fast. The sidewalk is about 10 feet wide and is not blocked off; in other words, walkers and bikers are using the same trails during the race.

Water stops (only water) are positioned every 2 miles. As I approach the second water stop (water is being passed out on both sides of the trail) I make eye contact with the volunteer to my left and look directly at his hand to grab my cup of water, after a couple of steps I look forward and a biker (approaching at a very quick speed) is literally footsteps in front of me. She is right in the middle of the water aid station. If I had not looked up and moved we would have collided. I was very upset and shocked that no one was hurt. I kept my eyes on the bikers from that point on.

Splits:

Mile .5 – 6:52, got to slow down

Mile 1 - 7:45, concentration.

Mile 2 - 7:44, more concentration

Mile 3 - 7:46, I am now into a nice rhythm

Mile 4 – 7:44, I am focusing on a couple of runners ahead of me and they appear to be running the same pace.

Mile 5 – 7:57, OOOPS, they are not running my pace. This course is really FLAT.

Mile 6 – 7:39, I pass them and continue on.

Mile 7 – 7:46, I find that I am running the same pace as a couple of guys a head of me…This time I am right.

Mile 8 – 7:39, we have just turned around and are now heading back.

Mile 9 – 7:34, I still feel good, but am warm. I see Paul (pfriese) approaching and say hello. He is looking strong.

Mile 10 – 7:45, still feeling good and I am predicting a sub 2 hour race. I think I might pick it up at the 20K mark.

Mile 11 – 7:39, I am still right behind my pacers. It sure helps to find someone running the same pace.

Mile 12 – 7:42, as I pass the 20K mark my pacers (notice I say MY PACERS, little do they know that they belong to me now, hehe) seem to pick up the pace (well, so much for belonging to me), I decide that I need to stay on pace rather than speed up as I had planned earlier. It is getting warm and I am thirsty.

Mile 13 – 7:45, they are about a minute ahead of me now, but I can still see them.

Mile 14 – 7:47, there is a nice cool breeze that sure is refreshing, but I am ready for the race to be over. At this point I am thinking that they would certainly not take us around the same loop as they did at the start. Just as I approach the turn to the finish line, they direct me ahead and say, “just one more loop”.

Mile 15 – 7:45, OK, how bout YOU run one more loop, geeze it is getting warm.

Mile 15.53 (My Garmin measured 15.63) – 4:43, 7:38 pace, As I make the final turn for the last 1/10 of a mile, a woman who is walking along the road, looks to her right and extends her hand all the way to the right and waves to a friend, just as I am approaching. I run right into her hand. Well at least it wasn’t a bike.

This is a well organized race; within minutes after I crossed the finish line they were posting results. When I looked at the board they had posted the first 21 finishers; the last finish time was about 1:58 and change. Hum, I thought…I might actually place in my age group.

NOT………Out of the next 10 finishers 4 were in my age group.

Finish Time: 2:00:54, 7:47 pace

Final results: Age Group 6/21

Male 28/160

Overall 31/256

Summary:

The last few miles were tough: I really feel for those that ran an extended race. I hung around for quite some time and saw some of the final few runners. They were worn out from the heat and humidity.

It was more difficult to maintain MP that I would have hoped for. No doubt the temperature was burdensome during the last couple of miles but I am not sure that I can blame it on that. With that in mind I feel I was unable to use this race as a barometer to confirm my current conditioning. Still, I had a great time; I would definitely run this race again.

It was really neat to see Paul again. He is really a nice guy as I am sure you will agree if you ever have the opportunity to cross paths.

My schedule calls for a race this weekend, but I think I will probably take another shot a practicing MP this instead of racing. Confidence with MP is crucial.