so, i ran a 10 mile race on Saturday. first, let me say the event was 100% outstanding. a must do for all Chicago runners and wannabes (like me). i am a bears fan. running through the tunnel onto the field with the Bears Fight Song playing was something i will never forget.
now, what about my Too Little Too Late training plan? it worked.
i ran this race because my two buddies, who talked me into the 07 Chicago Marathon then backed out, wanted too. don't get me wrong the event was awesome, but i should be in full cycling glory this holiday weekend. NOT taking the entire week off from riding.
my plan was this, ride myself into excellent cardio shape and run two times a week to get the legs/body ready for the pounding. it worked.
i have not had a run over 5 miles in 2008. i have not run more then three times in any one week. heck, i don't think i have ran over 10 miles in any one week this year. i have been riding.
i felt good on race day. we went out at 9 minutes per. at mile 2 one buddy was dropping back. i felt good and stuck with the fast buddy (every group has one). around mile 5 we picked the pace up to 8:30 minutes per. ok, he picked it up, but i was feeling good. i was not sweating profusely or breathing heavy at all (meaning unlike him).
at mile 7 my little buddy and me grabbed some water. unfortunately, his was spiked with instant speedy steroids. he took to the grass to pass a large group of slower runners. i did the same, but he never slowed. i looked down and Mr. Forerunner screamed at me 8 minutes per mile! i thought for sure he would slow, but he never did.
i like to win, to be the best, to be the man (at least in my circle of life), but this made me happy. my friend of some 20 years, who in recent times has been over weight and out of shape, was doing something special. after seven miles of running (9 minute pace) my little buddy turned on the jets and took off. last May i would guess he couldn't walk 10 miles. did i mention this was his first running race??
he clocked in at 1:26:54 for the 10 miles.
around mile 7 my legs started reminding me that this was my longest run of the year and i had not logged enough miles to run a 10 mile race at this pace. so, i popped a Hammer Nutrition Gel and trudged on.
as i said the finish was oh so cool. what i remember the most was how small the stadium felt from the field. the seats seemed to be on top of the field. man it was cool.
i learned a couple things from this race. i was able to RIDE myself into excellent cardio shape to run a sub 9 minute per mile race. training with and running with life long friends was extremely fun. i love being abnormally physically fit. no, i am not talking about you, the amature endurance athlete. i am talking about mr normal man with a 9 to 5, 40 plus hour a week, desk job.
official word:
- 10 miles in 1:28:58 for 8:53 per
- 2262 overall out of 5000
- 350 in the 30 to 34 age group
- 1455 of all males
for recovery i rode 30 miles today. the day after the race.
later.
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