Location: Greenville, SC
Date: January 23, 2010
Placing: 13th Overall, 1st Master
Race Photos
Results: Click Here

Does anybody else play the race number game? Maybe it's because I have this fascination both with numbers and coincidences, but whenever I go to a race (especially a larger one) and pick up my race number, I'm always looking for some weird, "Magic 8-Ball" interpretation of my number. I don't analyze it as 'good' or 'bad' but rather, for what coincidental meaning it may hold. Three weeks ago, I was #316 at the Resolution Half Marathon. I'm not an overly religious person but it dawned on me pretty quickly that John 3:16 is a very noted passage in the bible..."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...". This week, I drew #625. Maybe this number has some hidden meaning for you but for me, it is my mother's birthday (6/25). The funny thing is that it doesn't take a mathematician to see that it is actually the number of brain cells I kill at a race...

Although today is actually the 3rd race of my 2010 season (which for me starts around Thanksgiving each year after a break) it was really quite important on several levels. But the most important thing was it kicked off the answer to the question "Is G-Man really uncoachable?" Many years ago when I was a bike racer (shortly after the wheel was invented), I raced for a few different teams who each had a coach...and who each told me that I was basically 'uncoachable' for any number of reasons not the least of which was my stubborn demeanor. Over the past 30 years, I've developed my own ideas, theories and strategies that appear to have served me well. But I've matured now; or that's my story. So out of the blue one day I just decided it was time to listen to someone else's ideas. I mean, writing your own training schedule is almost as draining over the years as the exercise itself. Plus, when you fail you have nobody to blame but yourself. Now I can blame my coach (just kidding ;-)). This event also serves as the South Carolina 5k State Championships and I had my eye on the Masters title for 2010.

I figured at age 45, what do I have to lose if it doesn't work out? But I also made the commitment to be "all in" if I was going to give it a fair shake. The long and the short of it is that I formed a relationship with Rick Kattouf and he has been coaching me for 3 months now. I have followed his schedule nearly to the letter and although we shared a lot of the same workout ideologies, he definitely does some things different than I have ever done. The first 2 races of the season were 'C' level races and my results were good but I considered them negligible in my assessment of my new coaching. But this past weekend...well, let's just say that Rick was about to get his first report card. Read on.

Saturday morning was what we Rudy Project athletes call a 'racing red' day. With overcast skies and a slight breeze, my racing red lenses were a perfect choice to brighten my view of the course. Temps were in the low 40's and although I've acclimated well to living in the North here (well, it's the North if you were raised in San Antonio, Texas), I'm still a cold-weenie and really have to suck it up on the start line to not over dress. As for my warmup...long tights, hat, gloves, and a couple of long-sleeve layers up top and I felt completely comfortable. Watching people standing around all morning in shorts made me think about how lucrative the knee-joint reconstruction business probably is.

As much as I like to warm up with my Fleet Feet teammates, I've learned that everyone has their own pre-race ritual and schedule and you don't need any more stress before a race trying to make it work for everyone. I had decided last year that the exact perfect warmup for a 5k is to run the course once and that's what I did. It also gave me the opportunity to view the new course which was a welcome change from last year. I couldn't say for sure, but I believe the course had just about the same amount of climbing - it was just positioned a lot differently with a long steady climb in the first mile instead of what felt like a near-vertical wall in mile 3 of the old course. It was a perfectly timed warmup and I finished with just enough time to stop at the car, change into my race clothes and head to the start line.

Since I anticipated finishing in the top 30 or so runners, I lined up in the second row next to my friend Kristi Arledge who I hadn't seen since she broke the 3-hour mark at a marathon a few months earlier. This is Kristi's first year as a female Master...that's something that I'm sure will take some people by surprise (she finished 3rd female on this day). It was once again amazing to me that my second row somehow became about the 5th or 6th row by the time the gun sounded, which is why I at least try to line up near the edge of the road that is most likely to give me an 'out' if I need it - in this case, the left side of the road. The Greenville News sponsors the event and has a video of the entire race, start to finish, on their website. The camera was a bit of a distance in front of the start and zoomed in; so you can't hear much of what's happening. But you don't have to hear them say "On your mark..." because all of a sudden on the video everyone on the front line bends over, reaches for their watch and remains perfectly still for about 5 seconds. It's almost as if they all were suddenly taken over by mind control and given the exact same order.

I thought I might play a version of Where's Waldo with this one, but I helped you out a bit. Originally, I was on the 2nd row.

The instant they say "go", it goes from very quiet to a non-stop barrage of beeps that must have gone on for minutes after I was gone. Between our electronic chips activating as we crossed the start line - and the beeps of watches starting, it sounded like mechanical microwave popcorn. The first 100 yards was downhill and we all took off fast. I was about to run into the guy in front of me and I used my 'out' to the left. I suddenly found myself behind 2 young boys no taller than my stomach. If either of them had stopped or slowed down in that instant, the 3 of us would be sucking our dinner through a straw right now. I somehow managed to pull off a double-axel with a half-cartwheel twist and for the next 5 seconds I thought about how lucky I was and how stupid those kid's parents were. It's all fun and games till someone puts and eye out...

We began the 3/4-mile long ascent and per my race instructions, I did NOT attempt to hang with the lead runners - an maneuver that is hard for me but in the last several months has already proven to be highly beneficial. I set it on cruise control with the thought that mile 1 should be my slowest mile and my most relaxed. By the top of the hill, I had caught and passed a few runners who forgot how long 3 miles is and I was positioned about 50 yards behind the lead group (which was already starting to string out) - but ahead of everyone else. Since I never look back in a race, it felt like it was just the lead group and then me. I was absolutely blown away when I crossed mile 1 at 5:30. It felt more like 6:30 to me. I was calm, smooth, comfortable and already dreaming about mile 2 which was predominately downhill. I was so calm that I waved hello to several friends lining the streets and I noticed two new storefronts in the West End; Carolina Tri's new store location and RoadWaves - a new fitness/coaching center put together by my friend Jeni Schumacher (who also cheered for me).

I kept telling myself not to chase people down but to stay steady and strong and they would come back to me. I passed a runner at mile 1.5. I actually had enough energy to question whether I should surge around him or not. I opted to gently glide past him. By now, the real speed demons had separated themselves and there were only 3 runners ahead of me within striking distance. I try to look at all competitors the same but I have to be honest, I wanted to be sure I was the first place Master today and 2 of the guys ahead of me looked like they could be 40+ from behind. Of course, this almost never pans out because I picture myself looking as though I am 20 - so everyone who looks 20 could possibly be 40 ;-)

Mile 2 and no 'ugly face'?? What's going on here?

Mile 2 clock read 10:48...that was a 5:18 mile and I had made up hardly any ground on the 3 ahead of me. But I knew how well my HR can drop on a descent and I hoped I could mount my attack when the course bottomed out at mile 2.5. As I reached that point, I was still in disbelief at how, for the first time ever, a 5k race felt the same kind of hurt as a half marathon. And believe me, G-Man is a distance machine. If I can make a 5k feel more like a marathon then you just might see something special. I was focused but calm at mile 2.5 and had no problem giving coach Rick the thumbs up as I ran by.

We started to climb to the end of mile 3 and I had 3 different situations going on ahead of me. Runner 1 was falling back and had him on the radar. Runner 2 refused to speed up or slow down. It was like he was taunting me. Runner 3 seemed to have another gear and pulled away. I approached runner 1 as the course reached the high point again and it was Stephen Sykes! He fooled me by not wearing his favorite customary light blue shorts that he ALWAYS wears. He was apparently incognito! Stephen and I have a very funny history that you can read about in some of my past race reports but basically he is almost exactly half my age...and exactly the same speed. I've probably competed against Stephen in 2 dozen races of all lengths and the cumulative difference in our finish times can't be more than a minute. Today looked to be no different but it was looking like it was my turn to take the win in our own personal battle.

Finally, I rounded the corner with about .2 miles to go - all downhill to the finish. Runner 2 was still about 6 seconds ahead of me. I remembered last year how long this stretch can feel when you can see the finish banner from so far back. I started to really push and close in but stopped when I realized that I would only have one chance to pass him with everything and I'd better wait till the last minute. Well, he had glanced back and knew I was coming. He picked it up and so did I. I felt maxed out as we hit about 100 yards to go and I simply told myself that he would not be beating me. I don't care if my heart, lungs and legs think he is going to beat me - he is not. And he didn't. It was probably the hardest running sprint I have ever done. Turns out he was 37. Runner 3, who I thought might be a Master? 19 years old. So much for judging ages when you barely have enough oxygen for your legs. The fine folks at The Living Pixel captured my finish sprint in all its glory here. It may loo like I had the 'ugly face' but it was a lot less ugly than it has ever been in a race this short and it only showed up in the last 100 yards and not at mile 2!

Me and Joe Hammond display our watercolor awards. Joe took 3rd place master.

Race Notes:
* Rick's report card for this semester? A+
* My time of 16:48 was a PR...and my first mile was in fact my slowest mile.
* I had several Fleet Feet teammates in the mix including our team captain Jon Stoehr who took 5th overall, Kelly Boone - 2nd in her age group, Matt Pryor - 4th in his age group. My Team Kattouf teammates also fared well with Gail Kattouf taking the overall woman's victory and Chris Olson - 3rd in his age group.
* I was impressed to see about a dozen of my fellow employees of ScanSource step up to the challenge today; it's becoming an epidemic at work!
* Always interesting local awards at this event. Last year - wine from a local winery. This year - watercolor paintings from a local artist.
* I would be remiss if I didn't mention the adjustment that my chiroprator friend Matt Eiken gave me this week. I had been dealing with some lower back fatigue and I never felt a thing on Saturday - even after my ride up Caesars Head!
* Kudos to my friend Ashley Foster who used to work at ScanSource (where I work) and now is an event coordinator that puts on the race. Great job, Ashley.
* We planned a Team Kattouf group ride for after the race. A small but brave group of us did a 60-mile ride to the top of Caesars Head and back in the cold mist. I believe I can call this an epic training day.

Next Up: The Myrtle Beach Half Marathon and the Green Valley 10-miler...

Look ma, no problem bending over after the race!...thanks to Matt Eiken of the Mauldin Clinic.