Best case scenario goal: sub-34:00
Additional best case scenario goal: Victory
Next best goal: sub-34:20
Acceptable goal: PR (sub-34:37)
Worst case scenario goal: sub-35
Actual: 35:05, 4th place
Results
(Should be combined with collegiate results)
As it turns out, there was quite a bit of rust to be busted.
I'm not sure why this race went so poorly. My legs felt light and springy in the days leading up, and despite working somewhat of a full day I managed to spend plenty of time off my feet. I even dusted off ye olde spikes for the first time in two years, and after a few strides and several tweaks they felt as delicious as buttery slippers on my feet. Even the weather, which is characteristically irascible at Penn, cooperated. By the time the gun went off at 10:15pm, the air was cool but not cold, breezy but not windy, damp but not too humid. In short, all signs pointed to me having a great race.
And then, inexplicably, I didn't.
Even more puzzling is the alarming rate at which things unraveled. For a few miles I comfortably clicked off 82s and 83s, tucked in behind the two leaders and feeling like I was positively walking. With the Collegiate and Olympic Development fields mixed, there was a trail of 30+ people behind me, and I was confident I could run with any of them. I knew, without a doubt, that I was capable of maintaining that pace for another 20-odd minutes...until, all at once, I suddenly couldn't. My 82s slipped into 84s and then 85s right before my eyes, and I was powerless to do anything about it. With two laps to go I did some quick math and realized the incomprehensible: not only would I fail to achieve any of my goals, but I would actually run slower than my "worst case, totally unfathomable, hasn't even occurred to me as being within the realm of possibility" cutoff of 35 minutes. The fact that I was exerting this much effort to run such a mediocre time was, to put it mildly, quite humbling and not just a little embarrassing. I tried to summon a kick on the final lap, pushing with whatever remained, and crossed the line in a decidedly underwhelming 35:05.
I'm sure in the coming days Jordan and I will have plenty of time to reflect and analyze the race more objectively. As with any perceived failure, there are always lessons to be learned and tangible takeaways that can be gleaned and transformed into future success. I fully understand that and will certainly do so at the proper time. Right now, however, I'm going to eat my emotions with a glutenous apple fritter from the only gas station that is open late enough to serve us dinner after the race. If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em.
AM: ~5 miles + Rocky steps
PM: Road trip
I wasn't super excited when my alarm went off at 8 this morning. Normally that hour would be considered late, but after a 1am return from the track last night I was left feeling less than well rested. Unfortunately, with a 10-hour return trip to Charlotte looming, hitting the snooze button wasn't an option.
The Schuylkill River Trail in downtown PhillyThe silver lining? For one, it was a gorgeous morning; sunny, cool and breezy. Secondly, we would be running someplace new and interesting, the river trail adjacent to downtown (or Center City, as the locals call it). But most importantly, this morning's run would be fully attended by both members of Team MJ, a feat not accomplished since October. After inadvertently donning identical outfits--OU longsleeve tops, Brooks shorts and shoes--we were ready to meet up with the rest of the group.
Predictably, we kept the pace slow and relaxed for most of this jaunt. Everyone was feeling the effects of last night's races, and in particular my calves were rocked from the spikes I'd worn. Midway through the run we spotted the Philadelphia Museum of Art, setting of a famous scene from the first Rocky movie, so naturally we had to sprint up the steps just like the film's hero. Jenna challenged all of us to a race, then promptly finished in last place (or second to last, but either way she was pretty far back there). Exhausted by that brief burst of energy, we returned to our slowpoke pace for the rest of the run. I would've liked to put in a few more miles, but I knew that the longer we stayed in Philly meant the later we would get home, so I cut the run short. My mileage is already screwy from this week's crazy travel schedule anyway.
Can you hear the theme song playing in the background?The saddest part of the day was bidding farewell to Jilane after spending a mere 18 hours together. We tried to plan another reunion before realizing that our plans always fall through, but I'm hoping that another spontaneous opportunity will present itself soon. Once we said our goodbyes, it was time to board the 'ol 16-passenger for our drive home. See you back in Charlotte.
16:44: Not a total disaster, but certainly not what I was hoping for! Will update more later...
Update: Well, later is now. Here we go.
AM: 3 miles
PM: 2 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k race @16:30 or faster
Actual: 16:44
20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)
Total: 7.5-8 miles
After a leisurely morning on the Harrisburg waterfront, we arrived in Philly just after 2pm. This would afford us a full five hours to lounge around our Chinatown hotel before departing for the track in the evening. Normally this amount of down time would drift by in a painfully slow manner. Not so today, because I had a very special treat: Jilane came to watch me run!! For those of you who don't know, Jilane is the "J" of the original "Team MJ" for which I started this blog. Coincidentally (or not...?), today marks the exact two year anniversary of the first night she and I met. I also haven't seen her since the Peaches' wedding extravaganza in October. So, needless to say, I was absolutely stoked that she was making a special trip to watch me run and stay for a slumber party. She arrived around 4 and kept me occupied until go time.
Once we got to the track, I only had a few minutes to spectate before starting my pre-race prep. After checking in and securing my number, I set off for a few miles on the streets around Penn. My 10k warmup at Stanford, run in the darkness of the campus trails, was pensive and very solitary. Tonight, surrounded by the rush of freeway traffic below and the steady pulse of the city, could not have been more different. I felt nervous, antsy, ready to get the race started. I finished up my warmup inside the stadium--unlike most meets, the infield was free for the taking--and cinched up my spikes a few minutes before go time.
We toed the starting line just after 9:15. There were nearly 40 girls in my race, and the officials spread us out into three waterfalls. I was in the middle waterfall and, worst of all, was the girl farthest to the outside of the track. In hindsight, I know this meant I should've made a beeline for the rail (and for the front of the pack) if I wanted good positioning. In actuality, I blew it.
The gun went off and I was immediately lost in a sea of elbows and ponytails. During the first lap I found myself quite literally jockeying for position but always settling for a second-rate spot. I should've fought harder, moved more decisively, and asserted myself. I didn't. I'm pretty sure I was almost in second-to-last place at this point, and for no good reason. The first lap was 83 seconds--slower than my 10k pace and almost 5 seconds slower than the pace I was hoping to maintain tonight. The second lap wasn't much better, and I spent the majority of it in lane 3 trying to go around people. I think I split the 800 around 2:44, but honestly I had no idea at the time. I would spend the entire rest of the race simply trying to catch up. I didn't see a single split of the night--not a mile split, not a 3k split, nothing--which should tell you how busy I was trying to fight my way up to where I thought I belonged. I never settled in, never got comfortable, and never felt like I was running my race. That, as I'm sure you well know, is a very frustrating feeling.
Honestly, the rest of the race is a blur. I tried to kick things in the last few laps--looking at Simmons' splits afterward, I think I split 2:35 for the final 800--but honestly I just wanted to be done at that point. I crossed the finish line in 16:44, a full 15 seconds slower than I expected to run. Granted, the time was a PR by 10 seconds. It also earned me an automatic qualifying spot for Nationals. But to only run 10 seconds faster than I did two months ago indoors, knowing how much fitter I am now, was a huge disappointment.
There's not much more to say about the race without dwelling on the negative. Instead, I'll focus on a few positives: It was awesome to have both Jilane and Ozzie there to cheer me on. Oz, thanks for postponing your beer drinking for at least 15 more minutes to come watch me. Jilane and I also cooled down with Neely Spence (D2 indoor 5k champ who ran 16:13 tonight for fourth place), and it was fun to get to know her a little bit better. Thanks to Cornell coach and LetsRun founder Robert Johnson for tracking me down afterward and giving me the opportunity to catch up with an old friend. And lastly, a big shout-out to my teammates Holly and Jess for running 36:33 and 37:14 respectively in the 10k. Huge PRs and provisional qualifying marks for both of them. Putting all this in perspective, the race itself was just a slight hiccup in the way of what turned out to be a very successful night.
AM: 6 miles
PM: 29 mins. + strides (4 miles)
I was supposed to meet Caitlin at the Dowd to run at 6am. I didn't. I suck at life. Instead, Jenna came over at 6:30 and we got in a quick six before hitting the road.
Aaaaand nine hours later, we arrived at our interim destination: Harrisburg, PA. To my pleasant surprise, the city had a lovely riverfront area and downtown. Fortunately our hotel was located adjacent to both, which meant we had some viable options both for our shakeout run and for our subsequent dinner.
Me, Alex, Jenna, Jess, Patricia, Holly, Simon on the evening run.
Photo courtesy of Maraya.After spending literally all day in the car, I expected my legs to feel like mush on the run. Instead they actually felt fresh, quite possibly the best of the week, and I could've easily gone farther if tomorrow's race weren't looming in my mind. Instead, I cut the run at four miles, went up to the room to grab my spikes, and indulged in some strides on the grass near the river. The air was cool, the sun was setting, the water was calm. I'm not saying I'm booking my vacation to Harrisburg any time soon (although did I mention that the Hershey factory is just down the road?), but as far as road trip stopovers go it wasn't half bad.
Me feeling artsy with my spikes.
Harrisburg sunset underneath the bridge
