Race Report: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Official Time:  65:57, or 6:33/mi.
Ranks:  416/17,530 total, 343/7,209 men, 44/1141 men 35-39.

While I have not been blogging as often lately, I have certainly not stopped training for the random mix of races I have signed up for this year.  I had an opportunity to buy a bib to Cherry Blossom 10-Miler about 6 weeks before the race.  Although I had earlier declined to enter the lottery, that was before I signed up for 30 miles of Ragnar Trail running.  So it made sense to set an intermediate running target.  Here I am with Owen, the friendly competitive runner who works in an adjacent office.

This course gave me my previous personal best -- just over 67 minutes.  It's flat and beautiful.  Unfortunately, this year the cherry blossoms had not yet popped, so the trees were not as pretty as usual.  And while it was warm, there was a very cold wind whipping off the Potomac.  I couldn't quite decide how to dress for the weather, so I decided to dress like a woman.

I wore Alisha's Garmin watch in order to "keep a lid on" my first mile (as I have a tendency to go out too strong), and to keep a relatively consistent pace.  Two years ago, my fastest mile was sub-6 minutes, and my longest was 7:30.  This time, my fastest mile was 6:18 and the slowest was 6:48.  For a 10-miler, that's pretty consistent.  The biggest challenge was between miles 6-8, when the course ran straight into a cold 20mph wind on Hains Point.  It sucked a lot of energy out of me to maintain my pace in that wind, and the result was that I didn't have a significant finishing kick at the end.  About mile 9, I was completely out of gas and ready to quit running.  Forever.

But that is the nature of these races.  I was glad to not be swimming and biking before the race, and I enjoyed just focusing on a single discipline for a change.  I was able to let my mind wander free while I ran.  After the race, I loaded my arms with post-race treats and let the kids pick what they wanted.  They were quite disappointed that I didn't get a medal for this race.

I have the best wife in the world.  She is very methodical about taking photographs, and she has figured out the best spots from which to watch the race.  I say this every time, but I think this is my last PR in the 10-miler.  I just can't get any faster without hurting something!

50 Mile Ride with Tri-RATS

I have mixed feelings about today's ride. Not crazy about the 34 degrees at start time, but finishing at 54 degrees in full sun was fantastic.

Ragnar's Reefer-Smoking Kid Brother

What is on the race calendar this year?  Dear reader, I'm glad you asked!

Ragnar is experimenting with trail relays.  They are like the regular Ragnar relays, except totally different.  Yes, each team runs continuously through Friday night into Saturday, but there are significant differences:

• 8-man or 4-man ultra teams run a total of around 125 miles.
• The relay is focused on a campsite in WV, where teams establish a permanent camp.
• The course is three looping trails, each of which will be run by every member of the team (or twice for 4-man teams).  No 200-mile point-to-point.
• No vans, limited volunteer responsibilities, no running on the shoulder of a 55mph road in the middle of the night, live music and campfires, etc.

The West Virginia edition of the Ragnar Trail is taking place June 7-8 about a half hour west of Cumberland, MD.  I look at it as a trail-based Ragnar with none of the irritating stuff.  I suspect that the race will attract a slightly different crowd.  Fewer mommybloggers and more dreadlocks. Fewer minivans with soccer ball stickers and more jeeps with Grateful Dead stickers. 

http://www.ragnartrailrelay.com/locations/appalachians-wv

The current plan is to run this as a 4-man ultra team.  15 miles seemed like too short of a running assignment; 30 miles each might be the end of us.  Stay tuned!

Back In The Saddle

What better way to honor a 55 degree Saturday than to consume it?

My version of Black Friday

Thanks Alisha. The two hour ride today meant a lot to me.

Only triathlete WAGS will understand how funny this is.

Only a wife or girlfriend of a triathlete will understand the truth of this video.  I'm embarrassed on behalf of all triathletes.  Thanks Rob Stone for sharing it!  And thanks Alisha for (pretending to) listen to all my ridiculous, nonstop triathlon dreck.

Well, that was fun! Now what?

It is that time of year again.  The season is officially over.  The afterglow of my year of hard work is already waning; I get sick to my stomach when the term "race day nutrition" is used; the finisher medals are on their way to becoming either Christmas Tree ornaments or toys in the kids' "dress up bag;" the Halloween candy binge is almost over.  Almost.

I achieved almost all of my goals I set 1 year ago:

1. Finish Ironman Florida in < 12:30.  (Check!  Finished in 11:40.)

2. Finish Half-Ironman in < 5:50.  (Check Twice!  Finished in 5:04 and 5:22.)

3. Finish Olympic Triathlon in < 2:45.  (Check!  Finished in 2:26.)

4. Finish 10K at the end of Olympic Triathlon in < :45.  (Almost -- :45:20 was my best.)

Other personal bests include:

1. Best 1 mi swim in pool (:30:02)

2. Best 2 mi swim in pool (1:02:00)

3. Best 10K run (39:53)

As I begin my offseason every year, I try to put together a race schedule for the following year that will be challenging and one that will match my work/travel/family schedule.  Some years I have branched out into new races; other years I have simply tried to beat previous PRs on the same tracks.  To my running & triathlete friends:  I'm open for suggestions.  New races, new venues, new challenges will be given top priority.

At least one of my favorite races -- Rumpus in Bumpass International -- will not be back this year, or possibly ever.  Because it was usually my first race of the season, my season will necessarily start a few weeks later.  I suppose I am okay with that, because it means fewer runs and rides in the bitter cold.  But it is also very hard to swim on cold mornings, bike on a trainer for hours on end, and run either on a treadmill or in the wind for 5 or 6 months without an opportunity to compete.  The athletic season seems long and complicated until winter hits -- and then you realize just how short and brilliant that summer season was.  My body is looking forward to a less intense November/December, but my addiction to the buzz of competition will certainly give me the "shakes" all winter long.