Race Report

July 23rd: Woke up at 6:10am. Went to the bathroom, boiled some water for my one packet of instant oatmeal, and packed up all my stuff into the car. I made sure I had the everything and extra of everything. Four pairs of socks, 4 shirts, petroleum jelly, Gu packets, and toilet paper in case of an emergency. I made it down the race area (2 miles from the bunkhouse) at about 6:50am. Grabbed my numbers and pinned them on my two pair of shorts. I started sizing up some of the competition. Definitely some fast guys. A couple BAA guys, a guy decked out in black and green Adidas gear, and others. I situated myself away from it all with a walk with my iPod to calm the nerves. Got back and warmed up 2.5+ miles down Bog Road at 7:20am. Got back and did the prerace rituals. Port-a-pottys right next to my car which was a plus. Stepped to the line at about 7:50 for the 8am start of the 5k.

Race details (5k): Bascially it went out like a bat out of hell and there was a pack of 6 through the mile (4:45 from what I heard after, I don't wear watches during races). I was about 5-7 seconds off of them. I was expecting to reel some of them in once we hit the dirt bike path at 1.5 miles. It happened little by little, but they were all cruising going after the course record (15:09). I pretty much sat in 7th the whole time and strided it in for the last 1/2 mile once I saw 3rd was a ways away. Top 4 were under 15:00 and the winning time was 14:44. I crossed at 15:25 and hit my goal of sub 15:30 since I had the 10k at 8:30am.

I trotted back to my car to change my socks, switch into fresh shorts, replenish with some Gu and watered down Gatorade. I took a piss in the woods and heard an announcement of the 10k going off in 4-5 minutes. Perfect. I got to the line and noticed I was not the only one who had the idea of doubling up. I was getting those vibes before and after the warmup of the 5k. The two BAA guys (one of them was 2nd, Brian Harvey and the other was Dave Chorney, 6th) and the Adidas guy (1st in 5k and overheard his 10k time of 28:34). This will be interesting. It seemed like these guys expended some extra energy in the 5k so maybe I can sneak in for a top 3 finish (cash money baby!)

Race details: So the cannon went off and we (3 guys) were baby stepping through the first few miles at about 5:05 (I asked the winner after the race about splits). Once we hit 5k, we retraced our steps back the same road after a dead end counterclockwise circle turnaround street (easier than it sounds). The Adidas guy just kept widening the gap after 5k so I concentrated on holding onto 2nd place by just using the downhills and swinging the arms. The body started to tense up at about 4 miles and I focused on maintaining my form and relaxing as much as I could. I held off 3rd with a time of 31:57 and meet my goal of sub 32. Walked away with $150 and two solid efforts under my belt. Ca-chang!

Summary: Two solid times this morning. First time racing more than a 10k, even if it was split up. It was a learning experience for the longer distances especially with a planned marathon debut in the fall. Upped my mental game and taught me some pacing control. I didn't make any outrageous moves and ran a smart two races. I am heading back to Franconia Brook tonight until Monday. A recovery run tomorrow and maybe a shakeout on Monday afternoon.