Location: San Antonio, TX
Date: December 12, 2009
Placing: 2nd Overall, 1st Master
Race Photos
Results: Click Here
It seems like only yesterday that my 2009 season ended. When I was strictly a bike racer for so many years I completed a lot more races in a year...but I also went a good solid 4 months during the Winter without a race. This year will mark my 30th year of racing - which I'm sure comes as a surprise to some of you since I barely look like I'm 25. One really unique thing about kicking off my 2010 season is that I did it in the same town where I entered my first race; San Antonio, Texas.
Unlike back in 1980 when I was 15 and took 2nd place in my first ever bicycle race, this season would start with a running competition. My younger brother still lives in San Antonio and I decided to pay him a surprise visit while my wife paid her family a visit in Wisconsin (hmmm, who do you think the smarter one is now?) I had originally planned my shot at vengence this week - aiming to take home another coveted "Pelican" trophy from the Kiawah Island Half Marathon. Last year I struggled through a bit of sickness to take the 2nd place Masters award. Although my 2nd place Pelican looks exactly like the winner's, there is one subtle difference to the trained eye...mine says "2nd Place" and theirs says "1st Place"...but the race filled very quickly this year and by the time I went to register, it was already full.
That's OK. Plan "B" was nearly as enticing; the Paris Mountain 20k. The oldest and toughest 20k in the Southeast. Plan "B" looked good until I found a cheap airfare and a chance to visit my family. Family ALWAYS trumps racing (at least that's my story). As luck would have it, I would be able to have my chocolate bundt cake with a ribbon of chocolate pudding and cream cheese icing...and eat it too. I found a local 10-mile race in San Antonio - the "Mission 10-Miler". The race was so named because it was run on a paved running trail that followed the San Antonio river south of town and passed by several of the famous Missions.
Besides being my first event of the season, it would also be my first event in my new Fleet Feet team singlet, my first event being coached by - and representing - TeamKattouf, and time to break in a brand new pair of running shoes. Unfortunately, it was not also the first time I got to run in 70 degrees in December. No - that would happen the very next day. On race morning, it was unseasonably cold and wet in South Texas.
Probably the funniest story about this event was not the race itself. I had stayed up a bit late the night before with my family and my 5:20am alarm came early. I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, ate something, and went about finding the race. It started at 'pavilion #2' in a large park south of town. Finding the park was not such a problem but I had assumed once I got there, I would drive around the park until I saw all the cars. And drive around I did. It was a fairly good distance from my brother's house so I left with plenty of time to arrive by 6:30 - when packet pickup was scheduled to start. Here I was at 6:20 and there was no sign of anyone. Wow, I though; this IS a small race.
Finally, I saw another vehicle pull up next to a gated driveway and stop. So I did the same. A few minutes later, another arrived. Two men exited from the vehicle and chatted for a moment in the near-darkness. They walked over to my car. I asked if I was in the right spot for the race. Their response? "Yes, this is it. But they won't open up the gate for us until just before 6:00". Uh, my watch says 6:35. If you haven't guessed by now...I own two watches and had only set one of them back to Central time. I had used the other as my alarm clock which means I actually woke up at 4:20am!! Aaaaaaarghhh.
I ended up helping the volunteers set things up before I picked up my packet and then went back to the car to warm up and take a cat nap. It was about 45 degrees and 'misty'. I struggled a bit about how to dress; reminding myself that I should be cold when I start in order to be comfortable during the race. I hate being cold. Without my wife Janis around, I had no team photographer, no team cheering section and nobody on the start line to hand off clothes to. I'm pretty much lost without her but I somehow managed to muddle through. Myself and the runner who turned out to be the eventual winner both made use of a post in the ground near the start to trust our headbands to. I was lined up near the front on a fairly narrow starting trail when the gun fired.
Yeah, I wish it was a giant check too.
My coach and I decided that I would stray from the "old Chris" and try running the race with a slight buildup in heartrate. My eyes were glued to my Garmin the first few hundred yards as my HR reached it's prescribed level. I fought the urge to stay with the lead runners and instead, focused on staying steady. As we crossed mile 1, I could see that I was in 6th place with the 5 runners ahead of me spaced out slightly. My Garmin beeped 5:54 which concerned me a bit. It was the anticipated time and heartrate - but it felt more strained than I would have expected. I pushed on and a half-mile later, I moved into 5th.
The course was flat to rolling so it was a bit easier to maintain a steady heartrate - and that's what I did. Little by little, I was closing back in on 3rd and 4th place who were now running nearly side-by-side. They had well over 15 seconds on me at one point but I was reeling them in. Closer and closer until I was only 10 feet behind them - at which point, something unexpected happened. The three of us reached a water station at mile 2.5 and right in front of me, the two of them swung a quick u-turn around a sign in the middle of the path. A second later, the volunteers yelled at me just as I read the sign "Relay Turnaround". The 2 runners I had just caught were doing the 2-person, 10-mile race. It only took me an instant to grasp what was going on and I let out a "Sweet!" loud enough for the people around to hear me. They were also quick to catch on to my elation as I was suddenly in 3rd place.
By mile 3, I could see the lead runner getting further and further ahead but I maintained my pace with a 5:52 and 5:56 mile. I also found myself rapidly gaining on 2nd place. It seems he was dealing with some harsh side stitches. I can't ever remember having to deal with those in a race - my 'iron stomach' has always allowed me to eat and drink anything with almost no consequence. As a matter of fact, I had only moments earlier sucked down a gel that I had hidden in the palm of my glove. Shortly before mile 4, I moved into 2nd place. It would've been a lonely run from that point on if the course had not been an out and back. As I made the 5-mile turnaround I could see how much cushion I had and felt fairly confident that I had 2nd place locked away. But could I break 59:00?
I kept my HR right on schedule through mile 7 but right at the point where I was really supposed to 'let it all hang out', my body really had nothing left to give. I seemed to be a bit prematurely tired. My last 2 miles were only a few seconds off of my other miles but I was expecting them to be a few seconds FASTER. I would cross the line in 59:16. 2nd place. The winner was a real speed demon taking almost exactly 3 minutes out of me...but he was a young pup. We were the only 2 to break an hour.
Because I was visting family (and had their car captive), I told the promoter that I needed to leave early. He not only obliged me by giving me my award, but he actually gave me a full blown presentation to the crowd over the loudspeaker and even let me speak a bit. Someone even volunteered to take a photo for me. The SARR (San Antonio Road Runners) really put on a great little event. I just wish I could've hung around for the rest of the awards, the door prizes and the Christmas party!
OK; this has nothing to do with the race, but it's a great shot of the instant my nephew hit my older brother with a snowball.
Race Notes:
* I got an email comment on my website the next morning that said "When a cycling legend comes back to his stomping grounds and is ranked #1 in the nation in the duathlon, he is supposed to do the "Hel of Du" out on your tuesday nighter loop and dominate and restore order to the progeny you have left behind. Not do the "mission 10 miler." Maybe I wasn't just a legend in my own mind?
* As I was walking away from the venue, I guy jogged up beside me and said that he had shown up to win the Masters - which he would've done if I hadn't shown up. That's me, the dream-crusher ;-)
Next Up: A fun New Year's 5k and then some serious running events including the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon...
