The 2008 edition of the Newnan's Lake 15k race was on Saturday, January 19th. The weather forecast was for a 90% chance of rain, and during the night the storm was pouring down rain like crazy. Personally, as long as there is no lightning, I actually like running in the rain, even if it is a heavy downpour. And in a race, I feel that it is somewhat of an advantage for me since I usually train through all types of weather including heavy downpours. While it's not ideal for a race to be held in the rain, I feel like it helps me place a little higher up since I have trained in the conditions, and it also causes some folks to skip out on the race which usually leads to placing a little higher as well.
I have only run Newnan's Lake once before in 2003 and have volunteered as an aid station worker or finish line worker at all the other races until now. Looking back at the results I wouldn't have placed in my age group at any of those, and I didn't feel that I had much chance this year either. For those of you who are unfamiliar with running road races, many of them give out what are called "age group awards". Since in general the older you are, the slower you run, and the less likely you are to win or place, they create a "race within a race" by giving out awards based on how you raced versus people in a certain age range. For example, if you are a 46 year old female, then your finishing time is compared to all the females 45 to 49 years old, and if you are in first place among them, you would win first place in the 45-49 female AG (Age Group). If you came in second, you'd get the second place award for the 45-49 female AG, etc. Typically in the local races, the age groups span 5 years, e.g. 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, etc. And in the local races, sometimes it just depends on who shows up any particular day -- if none of the speedsters in my age group showed up, then I could snag an AG award even though I am a solid runner in the pack and not one of the speedier runners.
The morning started out very dark before sunrise with the rain still drizzling down and the temps just about 50 degrees F when registration started at 7AM. I stood around helping out with registration, taking entry forms, filling out people's race number forms (remember to pin your race number on the FRONT of your shirt, NOT the back because race officials need to see your number as you finish and they don't have x-ray vision!), and collecting their registration fees. About 5 minutes before the start I zoomed off to put my warmup clothes in my car and put on some gloves for the race since I get cold hands when it's below 55 degrees or so outdoors. I never got a chance to warm up except one lap around the parking lot and then it was time to race.
Lining up at the start, I found a place a few feet back from the very front but at the very side of the pack of runners. I find that it is better to be out on the edge so I don't get boxed in by slower runners at the very start. After a few instructions about not using headphones and being aware of our surroundings while running, at the sound of a little air horn we were off!
This past week I felt kinda fatigued and had tried to cut back a few miles on Wednesday and Thursday, but I still felt sluggish early in the race. I felt that the weather conditions were great with the exception of the high humidity, so that meant a good chance of running what would be considered a good time for me, maybe just under 65 minutes total in my case. That meant running about 7 minutes per mile (7:00/mile) pace. I ran hard trying to get into the groove and in position among the various other runners. At the first mile marker my split -- a split is an intermediate time at any point in a longer race, like say your 2 mile split in a 4 mile race would be about half the total finishing time -- was 7:22 which was 22 seconds too slow. The bad thing was that it felt a lot faster! What I mean is that it felt like I was running 6:45 pace when in reality it was only 7:22. That was a bad sign, and maybe I went out too fast at the very beginning which often leads to a quick slowdown after the too-fast initial blast. But I wanted to race hard today, so I kept going.
The Newnan's Lake course is really nice as it runs on Lakeshore Drive by Newnan's Lake. It's really pretty out there, and the traffic is light at 8AM on a Saturday morning. So we runners really had a great view to ourselves that morning. No matter how well or poorly you may be racing, you can still enjoy the scenery. For some people, it is their favorite Gainesville area race, and I can definitely see why they might feel that way. For somebody like me who is almost always in town, it is a great change of pace, running among the trees, by the lake, enjoying the birds and the scenery.
In a road race, after the first mile or two, the position of runners kinda sorts itself out with the fast folks at the front and slower folks in descending order of speediness drifting back from there. I passed a bunch of folks on the way out from the start, but around the end of the first mile to the second mile, a few runners caught up and passed me. Usually from that point on, I would go from being the hunted to the hunter, as I would look up ahead and try to see if I could slowly reel in the runners up ahead. But today I felt sluggish and slow.
In the United States, we typically have a marker by the side of the road at the end of every mile in the race, so with the use of a watch, you can pace yourself to run evenly throughout the whole race. This race strategy is often seen as the most economical and thus the best way to run a fast race. I didn't see the mile 2 marker, but at mile 3 the last couple miles had taken 15 minutes even, so 7:30/mile pace. Well, this was not the plan! I just figured that I was fatigued from marathon training, and the 3 days that I tried to rest up by cutting some mileage wasn't enough to refresh my legs. But instead of giving up, I would just push on and let things play out.
While it was still hard going, after a while it seemed like I got in a groove, and some of the miles passed by a lot quicker than expected. I probably didn't look so great with my eyes squinted in concentration, my mouth open to gather in as much air as possible. But on the plus side, I wasn't slowing down and instead was speeding up!
This race course was an out-and-back course where you run out to the halfway point and turn around to run back the way you came. This can be fun as you get to cheer on the runners faster than you as they come back before you get halfway, and you can cheer on the runners slower than you as you head back yourself. While there were a few spectators cheering us on, the out-and-back nature of the course meant you got a chance to encourage and be encouraged by the other runners on the course. I had a fun time as I saw a bunch of running pals and acquaintances out there: West, Diane, James, Gay, Ron, Kevin, Becca, Oscar, Robin, Patrick, Edwin, and apologies to anybody I forgot but my mind was barely functioning except for the part that controls running!
That brings me to a thought: that to race well, you probably need to shut out almost all thought except the brain processing required for body monitoring, race strategy, and race tactics. You need to monitor your body to see how it is functioning. Is your breathing good; does the pace feel too fast, too slow, or just right; is there a mounting feeling of fatigue; is that pain something that is normal for the effort or is it a serious injury coming about? Then you need to stick to your race strategy. If you want to start out slow and finish fast, don't blow it by running too fast at the start; if you know the course is hilly, then remember to conserve energy on the uphills and cruise the downhills. Race tactics involve how you run in relation to the other runners in the race. If you want to pass somebody, you are more likely to do it successfully if you continue pushing past them in a strong manner; if you are running into a headwind, run in the windshadow of a runner in front of you to conserve your energy until you are ready to pass him; when you run a curve, run the shortest route instead of following the centerline of the road which is longer. Some people are not mentally strong and are easily discouraged when you run by them, so tactics can help you move up through the placings.
Anyhow, this post is getting way too long! Here are the per mile splits I had recorded on my watch (some times might not add up properly as my watch doesn't round up the total but drops the decimal points):
Mile - Time (Time to cover this mile)
1 - 7:21 (7:21.79)
2&3- 22:21 (14:59.85)
4 - 29:33 (7:11.92)
5 - 36:07 (6:33.54)
6 - 43:07 (7:00.33)
7 - 49:47 (6:39.73)
8 - 56:47 (7:00.73)
9 - 1:03:42 (6:54.65)
9.32(15km) - 1:05:45 (2:01.82 last 0.32 mile)
So, while not a complete success (I thought I had a chance of a sub-65 minute finish), I had a pretty good time all things considered. And my finishing time was nice too! 8^) I think my sluggish start had to do with standing around in the cold for an hour helping with registration and not getting warmed up properly before the race.
I had a nice time at the finish. After getting a quick drink of Gatorade, I slipped into my car and did a quick change routine in the front seat to slip out of my racing clothes into some dry warmups. I had to kinda time it right so there wouldn't be a lot of people milling around the parking lot to catch me sitting in my car without any pants on... But after the race it was fun to stand around eating some race-provided munchies and talking with people. In fact, I think I talked to more runners after Newnan's Lake than after any other race I've ever been in. Runners tend to be friendly folk, and it's usually fun to hang out afterwards and chat.
At the awards ceremony, I was happy to find that I picked up a 3rd place in my age group, something that I didn't expect, so it was a nice surprise. This year's AG awards were Florida Track Club cooler bags -- an insulated bag with the FTC logo printed on it. Just the right size for a big lunch or a six pack! Well, in the end this race reinforced the idea that you should never give up because it's not over until it's over. Plus, it was fun which is the main reason to do something like wake up early on a stormy Saturday to run!
I almost forgot... I have a good memory for food that I've eaten when it's associated with some kind of event, a vacation, or plain ol' good times. Here's the rundown for that morning's food intake:
Pre-race food:
One slice of cinnammon raisin bread
Cup of water
Post-race munchies:
Fruit punch flavor Gatorade
Half of a banana
Half of a blueberry bagel with cream cheese
Half of a chocolate chip granola bar
One slice of an orange
A handful of animal cracker cookies
One crumb topping cake donut (from Entenmann's Bakery)
One strawberry flavor Twizzler
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