Running of the Bulls 8K

2+ mile w/u + strides
Target: 8k race @5:45 pace (28:40) or faster
Actual: 28:14 (5:41 pace); 2nd female, $300
Results
4 mile c/dTotal: 11 miles

I'm so tempted to take the easy way out since Caitlin just penned a great recap of yesterday's race, but she already told me that such laziness is unacceptable. Thus, I will try to share some of the action from my perspective without completing rehashing what she's already written. (Okay, and because I'm just a little bit lazy.)

For starters, while we're on the subject of Caitlin, I award all the credit to her for running such a tough, smart race and for keeping the pace honest throughout. There were several sections during the middle miles where I would've gladly slowed down to return to my rapidly diminishing comfort zone, but she forced me to stay focused and on my toes (literally) for the better part of 30 minutes. Without her efforts we surely would not have had five women finish faster than the time Caitlin ran to win the darn thing last year. While during the 2010 race Caitlin pretty much ran solo from the gun, today we had an amazing group of five women who stuck together through the first two miles, then three of us who continued to battle it out all the way to the finish. This speaks volumes for the current quality of women's running in the state of North Carolina and also for its breadth, as today's top five hailed from Charlotte to Wilmington and nearly everywhere in between.

Two of those ladies, Heather Magill and Lucinda Smith, were familiar faces from last month's Capital City Classic 10k in Raleigh. They were tough competitors then and proved to be just as much so today. The third place finisher, Jackie Kirby, is the one I knew the littlest about and also the one who gave me the biggest scare! Once the three of us began to separate from the rest of the pack midway through the race, I tried in vain to shake Jackie from my shoulder. She kept falling back slightly on the uphill sections--at which point I would breathe a sigh of relief that she'd finally been broken--only to see her doggedly fight back into contention with each corresponding downhill. Finally, with about half a mile to go, I was convinced I'd finished her off. Caitlin, one of the strongest hill runners I've ever seen, was in the process of pulling decisively away from me but I was convinced I had second in the bag. As I accelerated down the final hill leading into the former Durham Bulls stadium (which signaled roughly 250 meters to go), I casually looked over my left shoulder only to make sure my position was clear. To my chagrin (or, more accurately panic), Jackie was practically close enough to reach over and give me a love tap. For the remaining minute I was literally running scared, convinced that she was going to come sprinting past me and my pathetic attempt at a kick at any moment. Mercifully that dreaded moment never came and I managed to barely beat her to the line, but it was no easy feat. Though I hated it at the time, in hindsight this is exactly the type of competition that we need here on the regional racing circuit! (And just in case you're wondering if we are all arch-enemies, in reality Caitlin and John and I enjoyed a lovely cooldown jog with Heather and Jackie and Molly Nunn and several other racers. I can't imagine there are many other sports where your heated rivals turn into casual buddies as soon as the competition is finished.)


Almost being (unknowingly) caught on the final hill

Despite being handed my first defeat in quite some time, I was quite pleased with today's result. There's nothing I could've or would've done different from a tactical standpoint to change the outcome. Simply put, Caitlin was just too good. And, quite frankly, if anyone is going to beat me I'd prefer it to be one of my closest friends and teammates. In the process we smashed our time and pace expectations on a humid--albeit relatively cool--morning, which says more about our current state of fitness than a high placing necessarily does. For me, this race also quantifies some significant improvements over the course of recent weeks. On April 30th Caitlin and I ran 29:30 for five miles (and took our now infamous hand-holding photo) at the Heart & Sole Five Miler. If you extrapolate today's 8k out to a full five miles, we bested that time by a solid minute on a comparably difficult course. I also learned that my near-nemesis Jackie ran 16:34 on the track this spring, which is also an encouraging indicator of my current fitness level. Finally, deep down I'm just relieved that I've apparently been able to shake any lingering effects of the heat and dehydration from 13.1 Chicago a fortnight ago. (Sorry, but every year when Wimbledon rolls around I get the urge to incorporate "fortnight" into my everyday conversation.) After a full week of feeling sluggish, fatigued and just generally exhausted, I'm finally on the rebound and feeling like my normal self. There's always room for improvement, but the Running of the Bulls 8k shows that I'm on the right track.

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Final Houston Workout

3 mile w/u
Target: 15 mins. uptempo(~6:30ish); 3 mins. rest; 6x3 mins. @~5:40 pace w/1 min. rest; 3 mins. rest; 20 mins @MP (6:19) or faster
Actual: 15 mins. (6:32, 6:23); 6x3 mins. (800m @2:50, 2:49, 2:50, 2:49, 2:50,2:47); 20 mins. (6:10, 6:13, 6:08)
2 mile c/d
Total: 14 miles

This final workout before Houston found me on the paved section of the American Tobacco Trail in Durham with my trusty sidekick JSK. We're making a rare tandem work trip and spending a few nights in the Research Triangle area, which has given us some refreshing new training venues to break up the monotony of McAlpine and the Booty Loop. We've run on the ATT bike path several times before, as it is right down the street from our friend Sarah Swiss's house, but this was my first time to attempt a workout on it. The trail seemed ideal as it is relatively flat (never rolling but with some long, gradual grades mixed in throughout) and doesn't involve too many busy traffic crossings.

Over dinner last night we concocted our workout plan. Common training philosophy postulates that ten days out is the last opportunity to make fitness gains that will manifest themselves on race day, which meant it was now or never to pull out all the stops. I wanted something quick without a specific distance attached to it, and Jordan thought I should add in some longer sections both to increase volume and to better approximate the exhausting late stages of the marathon. Thus we came up with the above: 15 minutes uptempo but slower than MP, 6x3 minutes fast, then 20 minutes at MP or faster. I hoped I'd feel as light and fresh as when I worked out with a similar paradigm a few weeks ago at McAlpine. Unfortunately, that was not the case today.

From the first uptempo section, I could tell this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Maybe it was the early hour or the chilly air, maybe it was yesterday's hilly runs in the Duke Forest and at Umstead Park, or maybe I'm still fatigued from Sunday's race. Whatever the reason, it was clear that today was going to turn into one of those where you just grit your teeth and try to make it through. Simply put, I felt sluggish on the uptempo, heavy-legged on the shorter intervals and just straight up tired on the last section. The mere one minute of rest between the 3-minuters took its toll on my body, and by midway through the final tempo I was decidedly uncomfortable . I managed to duck in under marathon pace but it wasn't pretty. My chronically tight left hamstring was acting up a bit toward the end and my breathing was more labored than it should've been, which meant I finished the workout feeling more frustrated than triumphant.

Succinctly speaking, this effort was not great. I hit all my splits but it involved way more effort than should have been necessary. To be honest, had Jordan not been there for me to latch onto, I can't imagine I would've finished. It's clear that my fitness is there, but the much-desired spring in my step is not. Good thing I've got another week and a half to rest up and prepare. Come next Sunday, I'll be ready.

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