Monday, October 16, 2006
I led a thug life, heartless hustler
This weekend, the team travelled to wonderful Terre Haute, Indiana for Pre Nationals. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to experience running in a very large race with some of the best competition in the country. In addition, the race was held at a cross country specific park (or farm) which consisted of a wide, mowed grass path with permanent kilometer and mile markers. Basically, it is a professional cross country course.
Because the weather in Indiana is much colder than Tucson, before the race, I got in a solid 40 minute warmup which, at the least, kept me warm. After a long warmup and much anticipation, I was ready to toe the line and get the race started.
The first mile of the course consists of about 500 meters of gradual uphill and then 300 meters of steep downhill followed by some false flats and rolling hills. So, it is usually pretty fast based on the downhill section. I ran my first mile in 4:46 and it felt like I was jogging. Having an easy first mile can be a plus in 8k cross country as you will be able to attack in the latter parts of the race. However, in a large race on a course where moving up is quite difficult, you need to establish yourself in the pack and get out there an compete with your competitors. Thus, I think next time around I will be a little more urgent in getting to where I need to be (place wise).
Next, I crossed mile 2 in 9:49 or so which means I was slowing and easing into my actual race pace (5:04 or so). I think I hit 5k at 15:47 and was still feeling pretty strong. Although, the last loop is basically 2k of gradual uphill running following by 600 meters of rolling hills and then the finish. So, I still had alot of work to do.
The finish is very difficult in my opinion as the final stretch consists of a straight 450 meters "fairway" to the line. So, I had to keep restarting my kick during the stretch which is very frustrating. However, when I crossed the line in 25:19, I wasn't too upset with my effort. Although, I think I am able to bust a 25:05-10 on this course. Oh well, a PR is a PR.
I also finished in 164th. I need to get faster.
Because the weather in Indiana is much colder than Tucson, before the race, I got in a solid 40 minute warmup which, at the least, kept me warm. After a long warmup and much anticipation, I was ready to toe the line and get the race started.
The first mile of the course consists of about 500 meters of gradual uphill and then 300 meters of steep downhill followed by some false flats and rolling hills. So, it is usually pretty fast based on the downhill section. I ran my first mile in 4:46 and it felt like I was jogging. Having an easy first mile can be a plus in 8k cross country as you will be able to attack in the latter parts of the race. However, in a large race on a course where moving up is quite difficult, you need to establish yourself in the pack and get out there an compete with your competitors. Thus, I think next time around I will be a little more urgent in getting to where I need to be (place wise).
Next, I crossed mile 2 in 9:49 or so which means I was slowing and easing into my actual race pace (5:04 or so). I think I hit 5k at 15:47 and was still feeling pretty strong. Although, the last loop is basically 2k of gradual uphill running following by 600 meters of rolling hills and then the finish. So, I still had alot of work to do.
The finish is very difficult in my opinion as the final stretch consists of a straight 450 meters "fairway" to the line. So, I had to keep restarting my kick during the stretch which is very frustrating. However, when I crossed the line in 25:19, I wasn't too upset with my effort. Although, I think I am able to bust a 25:05-10 on this course. Oh well, a PR is a PR.
I also finished in 164th. I need to get faster.
