Location: Greer, SC
Date: April 24, 2010
Placing: 3rd Overall
Format: 13.1-mile run
Race Photos
Results: Click Here
Maybe I should just quit. I mean, the saying goes "quit while you're ahead", right? The problem with that saying is that each good race leads you to believe that if you were a bit faster today then maybe you could be even a bit 'more faster' tomorrow. I don't know how many more years I can keep looking at my race results and saying, 'I can beat that'. I'm sure that the day that I can't beat it will come long before the day that I admit that I can't beat it. Quit? Are you kidding? Nothing gives you the urge to race more than "being ahead". As a matter of fact, if I'm ever going to retire from competition and start living like 'normal' folk, I'd better start slowing down soon...although it's not looking promising.
I've done this event twice before - in 2006 (5 days after running the Boston Marathon) and in 2007 where I won the event and set a standing PR until September of last year at the very flat Virginia Beach Half Marathon. But all that was before my new training and racing methods. For the 2nd time in 3 years, I set my half marathon PR here in Greer. I now believe a sub-1:16 is possible on a flat course. (Kiawah Island '10?)
So far this year, I've come up against some pretty good competition in the Master's field of my running races, but I am by no means a 'short-distance' guy and was looking to possibly level the playing field today. It's always a bag of mixed emotions when you see that your toughest competition doesn't toe the line. You want to be happy that your day will most likely be easier and less stressful but at the same time, you're here for the competition. I love races that end up being true races - and I've had more of those this year already than I've had in years. Not today. Hopefully, with a state championship designation, this event can draw a bigger breadth of talent next year. But that didn't mean I was prepared to run with any less fire in my legs and desire in my heart.
There were tons of people I knew at this event - quite a few triathlete 'crossovers' like myself as well as lots of veteran runners. I had several Fleet Feet running teammates present as well as a handful of TeamKattouf-trained athletes and even some fellow employees who have picked up the running gauntlet and well...ran with it. Ironically, for the first time in 3 events my team photographer (aka my wife Janis) was present and the camera battery was charged. Problem is that I left the camera sitting on kitchen counter. Janis has tons of pictures - they're just all in her head so you can't see them.
The ground was damp and the skies were gray as the 450 or so runners made their way to the start line in downtown Greer. It was here that I noticed the absence of master's runners like Chris Hicks and Dean Whitis. I also noticed the absence of a start line just a few minutes before the race was to begin. And then suddenly, like a scene from a MacGyver episode, a small band of men constructed a start line complete with timing mats, some barricades, etc. in a matter of a minute or two. I thought they would be at it for several minutes so I stepped to the side to get out of the way and chatted with Kevin Mosteller who is in fact, 'most steller' (what a great name for a good runner). We were just yapping away having a good-ole' time...right up until we heard the announcer yell, "Runners take your mark" - or something to that effect. I'm glad we were near the start line because we jumped into the street and 3 seconds later we were running. It certainly kept the stress time down to a minimum but I don't recommend it.
I'm the one looking to my left and joking with Kevin Mosteller about how we just about missed the start of the race
Nobody really took off hard, but my teammate Jon Stoehr began to seperate himself from the group almost immediately. I just settled into a very calm and easy first 2 miles. Shortly after the start one of my other teammates, Steve Pearce ran alongside me. He asked about my goal and if I minded him pacing with me since it had been a while since he had run a half. I never mind the company but I warned him that racing by heartrate can seem like a lot of back and forth (although in actuality the effort level is very steady). In the first mile, I backed off on one small hill but caught back up to Steve after we crested. I would learn after the race that we crossed the 1-mile mark at exactly 6:00, side by side. The two of us were already running in about 5th & 6th position. I flew through mile 2 and the start of mile 3 which were predominantly downhill, passing 3rd and 4th place and gapping Steve. Somewhere around this point, I could see waaaay up the road and it appeared that Kevin had caught (or was near catching) Jon and that they were already about 2 minutes ahead.
Teammate Steve Pearce and I crossing the Mile 1 mark - as relaxed as can be
Steve caught back up as I dialed it down on the climb to the end of mile 3. I had kept the HR to just a max of 142 to this point. Miles 3-9 I was allowed to jump up to a 149-or-less HR and I did - slowly pulling away from Steve. I would run alone at this pace for the next 6 miles. I was running so efficiently at a sub-150 HR that I never once thought about where the next mile marker was. This is always a good determinant of how exhausted you feel. When you start looking for the 'Mile 8' marker just 30 seconds after passing the 'Mile 7' marker, you'd better gear up for things to get very bleak. This was not the case at all. My average heartrate for miles 4-9 were 148, 149, 148, 149, 149, 149. It just don't get any steadier than that. I enjoyed the occasional banter I received from Ed Hughes on his electric bike. Ed - the ever creative photographer - had rigged a board complete with mounted video camera onto the handlebars of the bike. If you've never seen one of his videos, I suggest you check out http://www.youtube.com/user/greenvillehughes (his 'T-Shirt Song' is a favorite). I couldn't wait to open things up when I passed the Mile 9 sign.
This is a great shot of me racing the traffic. You can see the patch on my arm where they had to replace some of the bionic circuitry (photo: Brightroom Event Photography)
Mile 10 was the longest stretch of the race in the sense that you could practically see the end of mile 10 from the start of it. It appeared flat, but my time - and later, my Garmin - would tell me that miles 10 and 11 slowly made up for the descending in miles 2 & 3. During the mile 10 stretch, I swore I saw someone up ahead but just kept thinking it was someone on a bike. As I got closer to mile 11, I could see it was Kevin again. Little by little, I allowed my HR to ascend above 150. Although I am wearing my Garmin which tracks everything from my pace to the atmospheric pressure on mars, I only have it set to show my heartrate which keeps me honest to my plan. If the HR is where it is supposed to be, the pace will follow. But when I get to the end of a race and my heartrate is allowed to be 'whatever the hell I can stand', I flip my screen over to show me average pace and time. I did this as I started the last mile and it was at this point that I had to quickly call upon my math skills to see that I was headed for another PR. I was nearly maxed but was holding enough inside to let out a good finishing sprint when the time came. I planned to kick it when I saw the Mile 13 sign, a little over .1 miles from the finish and about 45 seconds out. I never saw the sign and before I knew it, someone appeared in front of me and directed me to turn onto a sidewalk. The finish banner was just 30 yards away. I sprinted in for a 1:16:34 and 3rd place.
Pumping down the finishing stretch for 3rd place and a new PR of 1:16:34 (photo: Brightroom Event Photography)
As usual, I never once thought about the weather during the race but janis said it actually rained a bit at the start/finish. I just remember being fairly cool. Near the end of the race, I noticed a hot-spot on my left foot that wanted to become a blister. It was no wonder with the humidity. I looked like I had just gotten out of the bath as I crossed the finish line; my shoes all sloshy and squeaky.
I don't often get to hang around after finishing a race but Janis and I were in no rush and I was glad to stay and see so many of my friends finish. I was extremely proud of my co-worker Marisa Marshal who just started down the path of a healthy lifestyle about a year or so ago. I helped her with a schedule because she wanted to break 2 hours on her first half...she finished in 1:49:12. She'll be under 1:40 in no time.
Race Notes:
* I felt like a piece of me was missing as my shadow, Stephen Sykes was not present.
* Jon (Stoehr), my Fleet Feet team captain, won the event with a 1:12:00. He would have broken 1:12 but he had to weave his way through the 5k finishers the last few yards.
* Team Fleet Feet took 1st (Jon), 3rd (myself), 4th (Steve Pearce) and 5th (Brandon Southern).
* Finishing in the small park near City Hall was a much better venue than in years past. A comfortable way to spend some time after the race.
Next Up: Well, by the time I finished this race report, I already completed my first of 4 half-iron events for the year. You'll have to wait til I finish that race report...now I have a few weeks without an event and then my second half-iron event in Connecticut
