25k
Race time 8 a.m.
After a restless night, I woke to find my alarm hadn't gone off at 6. The clock read 6:30. I should have been out the door and down the road by now!
Luckily the auto-coffee maker got programmed correctly.I could smell a strong cup waiting as I made my way down the hallway to the kitchen.
I had packed my gear the night before so in a matter of a few minutes I was on my way out the door with a bag of gear in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Late, but happy late, not scrambling late.
Upon my arrival, people were everywhere.Scurrying about with race numbers in hand.The look of something important on their minds.
Finding a convenient parking spot would be a challenge.
With a 5k,10k,25k and 50k all at the same venue, parking becomes a problem.
With 25 minutes to go before gun time, I parked the truck about a half mile away from the registration area. I hustled down and got my pre-registered packet without a hitch.I jogged back to the truck.
My hands trembled lightly from the effects of strong coffee,cold air and pre-race jitters. Getting my timing chip fastened to my shoe-laces and race number pinned to my shorts is always more difficult than what it seems it should be.
A final check and I was ready. I held my truck key firmly in hand as I closed the door to the truck. I was jogging slowly toward the start line area when I realized I needed to take a last minute restroom stop.
I glanced to the right and saw a construction site port-a-potty just down the street. I stopped,pinned the truck key to my shorts and quickly jogged to the big blue portable shitter.
AHHH! No lines , no problems,just the way a pre-race dump is supposed to be!
A quick glance at my watch...7:53.
I began running toward the start line.
I felt for my truck key just to make sure it was still pinned to my shorts. It wasn't! I checked again. I checked my pockets. Nothing!
I made a quick turn around and SPRINTED to the out house. I opened the door. A quick glance around and nothing! I yelled a vulgarity out loud as I backtracked to where I stood to pin the key to my shorts,scanning the ground as I went. I got back to where I had stood and there it was! Apparently in my haste, I had missed the hole in the key when I 'pinned' it to my shorts.
I felt so relieved to have found the key but I was fairly certain I would miss the start of the race because of the delay in finding it.
My watch read 7:58
I ran to the start line where I could hear the race director giving last minute instructions as they always do before they send us off to misery with the crack of a pistol.
He glanced around and saw me coming. "Pete", he said, "I was wondering where you were".
Several running buddies made room for me at the line as I tossed my old warm-up top to the side of the course. Within a minute we were off. The race hadn't been on my mind for the last ten minutes or so due to the pre-race distractions,but now it was on my mind...25kilometers....killer hill in the middle....going for record time.....it was definitely on my mind.
It took only a few minutes to get settled into a pace. I searched for what felt right and locked on to it when I found it. I remembered last year when I went out too fast and payed greatly for it. I did not want to make that mistake again!
Race time 8 a.m.
After a restless night, I woke to find my alarm hadn't gone off at 6. The clock read 6:30. I should have been out the door and down the road by now!
Luckily the auto-coffee maker got programmed correctly.I could smell a strong cup waiting as I made my way down the hallway to the kitchen.
I had packed my gear the night before so in a matter of a few minutes I was on my way out the door with a bag of gear in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Late, but happy late, not scrambling late.
Upon my arrival, people were everywhere.Scurrying about with race numbers in hand.The look of something important on their minds.
Finding a convenient parking spot would be a challenge.
With a 5k,10k,25k and 50k all at the same venue, parking becomes a problem.
With 25 minutes to go before gun time, I parked the truck about a half mile away from the registration area. I hustled down and got my pre-registered packet without a hitch.I jogged back to the truck.
My hands trembled lightly from the effects of strong coffee,cold air and pre-race jitters. Getting my timing chip fastened to my shoe-laces and race number pinned to my shorts is always more difficult than what it seems it should be.
A final check and I was ready. I held my truck key firmly in hand as I closed the door to the truck. I was jogging slowly toward the start line area when I realized I needed to take a last minute restroom stop.
I glanced to the right and saw a construction site port-a-potty just down the street. I stopped,pinned the truck key to my shorts and quickly jogged to the big blue portable shitter.
AHHH! No lines , no problems,just the way a pre-race dump is supposed to be!
A quick glance at my watch...7:53.
I began running toward the start line.
I felt for my truck key just to make sure it was still pinned to my shorts. It wasn't! I checked again. I checked my pockets. Nothing!
I made a quick turn around and SPRINTED to the out house. I opened the door. A quick glance around and nothing! I yelled a vulgarity out loud as I backtracked to where I stood to pin the key to my shorts,scanning the ground as I went. I got back to where I had stood and there it was! Apparently in my haste, I had missed the hole in the key when I 'pinned' it to my shorts.
I felt so relieved to have found the key but I was fairly certain I would miss the start of the race because of the delay in finding it.
My watch read 7:58
I ran to the start line where I could hear the race director giving last minute instructions as they always do before they send us off to misery with the crack of a pistol.
He glanced around and saw me coming. "Pete", he said, "I was wondering where you were".
Several running buddies made room for me at the line as I tossed my old warm-up top to the side of the course. Within a minute we were off. The race hadn't been on my mind for the last ten minutes or so due to the pre-race distractions,but now it was on my mind...25kilometers....killer hill in the middle....going for record time.....it was definitely on my mind.
The Race Begins
It took only a few minutes to get settled into a pace. I searched for what felt right and locked on to it when I found it. I remembered last year when I went out too fast and payed greatly for it. I did not want to make that mistake again!
The early miles were run with two other guys leading out in front of
me.
The guy in first was going decisively faster,while the 2nd place guy
gave me someone to pace off of. By my calculations(the course was only
marked at every 5k) we were running comfortably around 6:30 mile pace
which was fine by me.A 6:43 pace maintained through-out the 15.5 miles
would just 'squeak past' the existing record (1:45:17) so I had plenty
to feel good about at the 5k mark when my watch read 20:00.
Somewhere between 5 and 10k, I eased on past my pacer to move in to 2nd
place.The 1st place guy was not visible.The winding tree-lined trail
made it difficult to see much beyond a couple hundred meters. Just as
well,I didn't really want to focus on him so much as on maintaining my
pace and my courage as I approached Turkey Mountain. The obnoxiously
abrupt climb midway through this race wiped me out last year and the
pain it served up seemed fresh in my mind.
The mental focus I had on the Turkey Mountain challenge apparently put
my pace on cruise control (as I passed the10k time at precisely 40
minutes).
The first hint of the climb starts around the 12k mark.A slight 's' curve
brought out several 's' words in my mind as I approached the real
inclines ahead."Steady,Short strides", I kept telling myself as I felt
gravity's presence increasing with every step.Another sharp right
brought another steeper grade of 40-50 meters in length.
I braced myself mentally for the 'huge' incline that I knew was
coming.....but it never came!
I found myself on top of Turkey Mountain and I could not believe how
easy it was compared to what I remembered. From here it would be
downhill for a good 2000 meters
before leveling off.
At the only real clearing on the course, at the 15k mark, I caught a
glimpse of the lead runner and a glimpse at my watch.By my estimation
the leader was a good 3 to 4 minutes ahead.I was more interested in what
my watch read....60 minutes.I was very pleased with this consistent
pace!
The final leg of the race takes a right turn (south), then after a 1000
meters a complete 180 degree turnaround.From that point it is 5
northbound miles to the finish.
It is in this 1000 meter turn around section that the lead runner and I
met up (he headed north and I headed south). I could see that he was
tiring but so was I. I had not given a thought toward going after him as
my goal from the start was for time not place.
On my return on the 1000meter turnaround section, I came upon the 3rd
place runner. He had been joined by #4 and they were side by side as we
passed.Even though I tried not to care,an agonizing thought came to
me....those guys are going to race against each other and by doing
so...catch me!
I had run over 11 miles.A bit over 4 miles to go.
I could feel things were starting to fatigue,but I had no choice but to
try and maintain pace. Just before reaching the 20k mark I looked at my
watch. I was 1:19 something. 5k to go.
Suddenly, without warning, my right hamstring seized up. I slowed down
reached back and rubbed. It seized again into a painful stab of pain.I
stopped and walked a few steps.Then stopped completely and bent forward
to stretch it out oh so carefully.
I began jogging...then shuffling...then gradually accelerated until I
found that pace I had been running for 20,000 meters.At that point it
was all about carefully moving forward.Trying to not blow up.I felt like
I was running with a full glass of water and trying not to spill a
drop.
Maybe it was the inward focus that did it,but it seems the final 3 miles
went by faster that expected. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to see
the finish chute! It had been blocked out of view by the wall of cement
supporting a highway overpass.
When I got through the finish,the first place guy was still standing
there breathing fairly hard. I hadn't realized it but I had closed that
3-4 minute gap to just over a minute.
The 3rd and 4th place guys must have struggled in that final leg as
well. They straggled in several minutes after I finished and
complimented me on my 'strong finish'! Yeh, right...If they only knew!
Clock-1:40:23
Not a blazing fast time,but good even splits,a few nice memories and
another Oklahoma state record.(That's 64 for anyone keeping count).
After a restless night, I woke to find my alarm hadn't gone off at 6. The clock read 6:30. I should have been out the door and down the road by now!
Luckily the auto-coffee maker got programmed correctly.I could smell a strong cup waiting as I made my way down the hallway to the kitchen.
I had packed my gear the night before so in a matter of a few minutes I was on my way out the door with a bag of gear in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Late, but happy late, not scrambling late.
Upon my arrival, people were everywhere.Scurrying about with race numbers in hand.The look of something important on their minds.
Finding a convenient parking spot would be a challenge.
With a 5k,10k,25k and 50k all at the same venue, parking becomes a problem.
With 25 minutes to go before gun time, I parked the truck about a half mile away from the registration area. I hustled down and got my pre-registered packet without a hitch.I jogged back to the truck.
My hands trembled lightly from the effects of strong coffee,cold air and pre-race jitters. Getting my timing chip fastened to my shoe-laces and race number pinned to my shorts is always more difficult than what it seems it should be.
A final check and I was ready. I held my truck key firmly in hand as I closed the door to the truck. I was jogging slowly toward the start line area when I realized I needed to take a last minute restroom stop.
I glanced to the right and saw a construction site port-a-potty just down the street. I stopped,pinned the truck key to my shorts and quickly jogged to the big blue portable shitter.
AHHH! No lines , no problems,just the way a pre-race dump is supposed to be!
A quick glance at my watch...7:53.
I began running toward the start line.
I felt for my truck key just to make sure it was still pinned to my shorts. It wasn't! I checked again. I checked my pockets. Nothing!
I made a quick turn around and SPRINTED to the out house. I opened the door. A quick glance around and nothing! I yelled a vulgarity out loud as I backtracked to where I stood to pin the key to my shorts,scanning the ground as I went. I got back to where I had stood and there it was! Apparently in my haste, I had missed the hole in the key when I 'pinned' it to my shorts.
I felt so relieved to have found the key but I was fairly certain I would miss the start of the race because of the delay in finding it.
My watch read 7:58
I ran to the start line where I could hear the race director giving last minute instructions as they always do before they send us off to misery with the crack of a pistol.
He glanced around and saw me coming. "Pete", he said, "I was wondering where you were".
Several running buddies made room for me at the line as I tossed my old warm-up top to the side of the course. Within a minute we were off. The race hadn't been on my mind for the last ten minutes or so due to the pre-race distractions,but now it was on my mind...25kilometers....killer hill in the middle....going for record time.....it was definitely on my mind.
It took only a few minutes to get settled into a pace. I searched for what felt right and locked on to it when I found it. I remembered last year when I went out too fast and payed greatly for it. I did not want to make that mistake again!
Race time 8 a.m.
After a restless night, I woke to find my alarm hadn't gone off at 6. The clock read 6:30. I should have been out the door and down the road by now!
Luckily the auto-coffee maker got programmed correctly.I could smell a strong cup waiting as I made my way down the hallway to the kitchen.
I had packed my gear the night before so in a matter of a few minutes I was on my way out the door with a bag of gear in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Late, but happy late, not scrambling late.
Upon my arrival, people were everywhere.Scurrying about with race numbers in hand.The look of something important on their minds.
Finding a convenient parking spot would be a challenge.
With a 5k,10k,25k and 50k all at the same venue, parking becomes a problem.
With 25 minutes to go before gun time, I parked the truck about a half mile away from the registration area. I hustled down and got my pre-registered packet without a hitch.I jogged back to the truck.
My hands trembled lightly from the effects of strong coffee,cold air and pre-race jitters. Getting my timing chip fastened to my shoe-laces and race number pinned to my shorts is always more difficult than what it seems it should be.
A final check and I was ready. I held my truck key firmly in hand as I closed the door to the truck. I was jogging slowly toward the start line area when I realized I needed to take a last minute restroom stop.
I glanced to the right and saw a construction site port-a-potty just down the street. I stopped,pinned the truck key to my shorts and quickly jogged to the big blue portable shitter.
AHHH! No lines , no problems,just the way a pre-race dump is supposed to be!
A quick glance at my watch...7:53.
I began running toward the start line.
I felt for my truck key just to make sure it was still pinned to my shorts. It wasn't! I checked again. I checked my pockets. Nothing!
I made a quick turn around and SPRINTED to the out house. I opened the door. A quick glance around and nothing! I yelled a vulgarity out loud as I backtracked to where I stood to pin the key to my shorts,scanning the ground as I went. I got back to where I had stood and there it was! Apparently in my haste, I had missed the hole in the key when I 'pinned' it to my shorts.
I felt so relieved to have found the key but I was fairly certain I would miss the start of the race because of the delay in finding it.
My watch read 7:58
I ran to the start line where I could hear the race director giving last minute instructions as they always do before they send us off to misery with the crack of a pistol.
He glanced around and saw me coming. "Pete", he said, "I was wondering where you were".
Several running buddies made room for me at the line as I tossed my old warm-up top to the side of the course. Within a minute we were off. The race hadn't been on my mind for the last ten minutes or so due to the pre-race distractions,but now it was on my mind...25kilometers....killer hill in the middle....going for record time.....it was definitely on my mind.
The Race Begins
It took only a few minutes to get settled into a pace. I searched for what felt right and locked on to it when I found it. I remembered last year when I went out too fast and payed greatly for it. I did not want to make that mistake again!
The early miles were run with two other guys leading out in front of
me.
The guy in first was going decisively faster,while the 2nd place guy
gave me someone to pace off of. By my calculations(the course was only
marked at every 5k) we were running comfortably around 6:30 mile pace
which was fine by me.A 6:43 pace maintained through-out the 15.5 miles
would just 'squeak past' the existing record (1:45:17) so I had plenty
to feel good about at the 5k mark when my watch read 20:00.
Somewhere between 5 and 10k, I eased on past my pacer to move in to 2nd
place.The 1st place guy was not visible.The winding tree-lined trail
made it difficult to see much beyond a couple hundred meters. Just as
well,I didn't really want to focus on him so much as on maintaining my
pace and my courage as I approached Turkey Mountain. The obnoxiously
abrupt climb midway through this race wiped me out last year and the
pain it served up seemed fresh in my mind.
The mental focus I had on the Turkey Mountain challenge apparently put
my pace on cruise control (as I passed the10k time at precisely 40
minutes).
The first hint of the climb starts around the 12k mark.A slight 's' curve
brought out several 's' words in my mind as I approached the real
inclines ahead."Steady,Short strides", I kept telling myself as I felt
gravity's presence increasing with every step.Another sharp right
brought another steeper grade of 40-50 meters in length.
I braced myself mentally for the 'huge' incline that I knew was
coming.....but it never came!
I found myself on top of Turkey Mountain and I could not believe how
easy it was compared to what I remembered. From here it would be
downhill for a good 2000 meters
before leveling off.
At the only real clearing on the course, at the 15k mark, I caught a
glimpse of the lead runner and a glimpse at my watch.By my estimation
the leader was a good 3 to 4 minutes ahead.I was more interested in what
my watch read....60 minutes.I was very pleased with this consistent
pace!
The final leg of the race takes a right turn (south), then after a 1000
meters a complete 180 degree turnaround.From that point it is 5
northbound miles to the finish.
It is in this 1000 meter turn around section that the lead runner and I
met up (he headed north and I headed south). I could see that he was
tiring but so was I. I had not given a thought toward going after him as
my goal from the start was for time not place.
On my return on the 1000meter turnaround section, I came upon the 3rd
place runner. He had been joined by #4 and they were side by side as we
passed.Even though I tried not to care,an agonizing thought came to
me....those guys are going to race against each other and by doing
so...catch me!
I had run over 11 miles.A bit over 4 miles to go.
I could feel things were starting to fatigue,but I had no choice but to
try and maintain pace. Just before reaching the 20k mark I looked at my
watch. I was 1:19 something. 5k to go.
Suddenly, without warning, my right hamstring seized up. I slowed down
reached back and rubbed. It seized again into a painful stab of pain.I
stopped and walked a few steps.Then stopped completely and bent forward
to stretch it out oh so carefully.
I began jogging...then shuffling...then gradually accelerated until I
found that pace I had been running for 20,000 meters.At that point it
was all about carefully moving forward.Trying to not blow up.I felt like
I was running with a full glass of water and trying not to spill a
drop.
Maybe it was the inward focus that did it,but it seems the final 3 miles
went by faster that expected. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to see
the finish chute! It had been blocked out of view by the wall of cement
supporting a highway overpass.
When I got through the finish,the first place guy was still standing
there breathing fairly hard. I hadn't realized it but I had closed that
3-4 minute gap to just over a minute.
The 3rd and 4th place guys must have struggled in that final leg as
well. They straggled in several minutes after I finished and
complimented me on my 'strong finish'! Yeh, right...If they only knew!
Clock-1:40:23
Not a blazing fast time,but good even splits,a few nice memories and
another Oklahoma state record.(That's 64 for anyone keeping count).
posted by Hawk at
7:52 PM
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