Race #154
8k #13
2018 Race #15
2018 8k #1
TreesGreenville Turkey Day 8k #9
Even though the conference last week threw off my training – I ran only twice – I picked up my training again this week and have enjoyed each step. My coach set the goal as 41:30, an 8:20 per mile pace. I wondered if I could maintain that pace for the entire race. Since the race relocated downtown, the course tends to be ridiculously hilly. I also have not trained for shorter distances races for quite a while. I figured that I would plan on adopting the technique that has worked fairly well the past two races, don’t look at the watch.
Mom was registered to run this with me but she continues to heal from the back injury a few weeks ago. (She’s made great strides, especially since she started to go to Brad with Performance Therapy. She’ll be back running in no time.) So, while I got in my 15 minute warm up, she and Ellis went to grab my bib.
I finished the warm up feeling pretty good, ready to get started. As Mom pinned my bib on (I have incredible trouble pinning my bib on straight. :D) we heard Ed Hughes on the loudspeaker. We did not expect to hear him as this race is not (or has not been in the past) a Greenville Track Club race. I sincerely hope that the GTC is not planning to take over the running of this race. (That is all I will say about that.)
I’m more excited to start than I look.
We made our way down to the start, moved up to right beside Flour Field. I stepped in the corral and waited. I had to avoid a few people climbing over the barrier right before the race started which was difficult since people surrounded me on all sides. Okay then. Not sure where you want me to go.
Finally, right on time, Ed Hughes counted us down, or attempted to at least. (Ed counts down from 10 but adds an extra beat because after he says “three,” he said “ready, set, run!”
When I started running, I knew that people would pass me but I wanted to make sure that I did not succumb to the temptation of starting too fast on the downhill. I planned to settle into a comfortably hard pace and hold onto that for the entirety of the race. I kept reminding myself of that throughout the race.
The first mile and a half were the easiest of the entire race as you can see through the elevation profile which I will post at the end of this entry. Most of the first mile heads downhill. I should have realized then that the ending miles would return right back the same way, uphill.
I felt really good throughout that mile and focused on maintaining a comfortably hard pace. I knew my pace was faster than my 8:20 goal but instead of obsessing with my pace and constantly checking my Garmin, I decided to run by effort and lean into the comfortably hard nature of the pace. I could do this.
Mile 1: 7:42
At the beginning of the second mile, we headed down the major hill that leads to the entrance of Cleveland Park on the Zoo side. Instead of blowing up my quads flying down that hill, I focused on maintaining my pace and enjoying the downhill while it lasted. I also felt extremely grateful that we got to run down this hill rather than the opposite direction as I did several years ago with the one-off Run with the Stoix.
We headed into the park and the first questions entered my mind as to whether I could maintain the pace or not. I pushed the thoughts aside, continued to ignore my watch, and told myself to maintain the effort. I figured that as we reached the other end of the park, the hills would start again. I kept looking ahead, seeing runners up ahead who had already reached certain points. I told myself that soon I would reach that point and other runners would look at me and think the same.
Mile 2: 7:46
The third mile holds nothing spectacular. Most of the mile contained no inclines or declines as we ran down in the park near the river. I had started counting songs as something to keep my mind occupied and to hopefully reach a point quite close to the finish sooner than I expected.
Mile 3: 7:54
Shortly after the fourth mile begins, the final hill begins and lasts until just before the last turn. Yes, a mile and a half of almost straight uphill. According to my Garmin, we cover over 250 feet uphill with a few meters of flat and no downhill at all until the final turn with barely over a tenth of a mile remaining in the race.
When we passed the new Cancer Survivor’s Park, I knew that mainly uphill remained. We first had the uphill along the back of the park. Then we turned and entered the main Falls Park area and turned to head up the second section of the hill that took us back up to street level. We had a little bit of flat as we went along the river, down the underpass and back onto the street, making a turn that joined us together with the 5k. The course became quite crowded at this point which became a slight problem a little later.
Mile 4: 8:25
This was the only mile where I looked down at my Garmin to see my split. Only 5 seconds off my goal pace with those hills? Not too bad. I figured that I had plenty of time banked and started to think about getting a course PR. (After looking at last year’s write up, I see that I completely forgot about my effort last year.)
We then made a right turn and headed towards Main Street, up another hill, one that I knew would last at the very least until we got near Flour Field. Each time on these hills my legs screamed at me, begging to walk. I told myself to keep going. When we reached a flat, I urged my legs to release the uphill tension so that I could tackle the next hill.
Instead of running up Main Street right beside the Field, we turned one block before Main Street and headed up the hill on that street. While I understand why they had us make that turn, I think they could have and should have thought about the fact that with half the street cut off at one point for construction and the rejoining of the 5k with the slower runners and the 8k faster runners made for a quite congested street that did throw off my stride a few times, once when a guy running the 5k while pushing a stroller decided to slow to a walk right in front of me.
With all the effort I was expending to get up the hill, I could manage only a wordless grunt like sound. I definitely put a lot of effort into this run. Many 8k runners, including myself, had to face the major hill, severe congestion, and attempts to pass much slower runners all within the last half mile.
When I saw the turn, I knew that we had almost finished and that we would get a small portion of downhill. I smiled when I saw Mom and Ellis and then glanced down at my watch for the first time to see my total time. I saw 39:00 and knew that if I sprinted as fast as I possibly could, I might just finish under 40 minutes. I wanted that so bad.
Finally heading downhill!
I pushed as hard as I possibly could and crossed the line a mere 34 seconds later, easily under 40 minutes.
Mile 5: 7:54 (8:25 pace)
I finished the race feeling like I finally had made it back. I had so much fun in that run. It challenged me so much and I felt like an athlete for the first time in quite a while. For one of my faster races in quite a while, I know that I raced extremely well. I focused on effort. I powered up the hills and did not let them defeat me.
See that straight up there at the end?
Even though I did not earn a course PR like I thought I had, I know I raced this race much better than last year. (I walked several times in the last few miles on that one.) I ran my fourth fastest 8k time on an incredibly challenging course with very little specific short course speed training. Feeling like I am finally back is really the best feeling ever.
I need to work on my excited face.