But what remains the same for any type of race: doing it in the least amount of time as possible.
So when I showed up to the beautiful Crystal Cove State Park for a 10K, I was nervous and excited. Nervous because it was my first 10K race this year. All along I'd been racing 5Ks. On flat roads. The worse anomaly you might see would be a pothole or a funny crack in the pavement.
I'd done the Whoos race last year - as a 50Ker. Is that even a word? So returning and doing the 10K seemed like a super short distance in comparison. We'd just go up that one big hill, surface out, and it was all downhill from there - hopefully literally, and not figuratively.
The weather was gorgeous, a breezy 65, and perfect for a trail run, with just the right amount of overcloud. I brought my dinged surfer hat just in case the sun decided to do what it does best. It's also perfect weather to whip out a beach chair and sit there all morning.
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| 7 am view |
Unfortunately, I had a macchiato the day before, not realizing what the caffeine would do to me. I tossed and turned until 3 am. Playing a word game on my tablet usually invokes the snooze, but I was alert as ever, and even won a couple games, which only fueled the fire. Turns out I also RSVP'd to some events, and nearly bought something off my amazon wish list (the item remained in my cart when I woke up later).
Two hours of sleep, a big hill to conquer, 6.2 miles to cover - this would be an adventure! I always say I'm not going to race but I was going to run those miles "comfortably hard," whatever that means. Usually the competitive mindset kicks in and I'm more about strategy more than I think.
Parking was easy, bib pick up was super smooth, and even the shirts were cool. That's one cool perk about Whoos. I scanned the crowd, wondering how many opted for the 50K and 25K, which had already started an hour ago. Again, I felt relieved I was not in that group for today. Confidence for the 10K was firing up now.
Looked like there were no more than 20 of us. People here looked like serious legit runners. They looked fast. Suddenly I found myself thinking a new goal: Just don't finish last! I mean, someone has to, and that was me last year for the 50K. I really did not want a repeat of that. You could hear all the watches beep as we were preparing for take off, as race director Molly made her announcements about the course. An aside, Molly is a hardcore ultra runner as well, doing 50 and even 100-milers. Just thinking about that made the 10K seem like a small slice of the pie.
"Ready, set....go!!!"
And the small pack of us were off. Usually I'm pretty good about pacing the first mile, not going out too fast, because I've hit the wall on some longer races and hitting the wall is one of the worse things you can do. It feels like suddenly you have magnets in your shoes that are sucking your feet to the ground.
So I wanted to just enjoy the course, take in the scenery of the trails, and plan to tackle that hill coming up in mile 2.
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| Shaped like "M" for monster hill |
Even before the first mile was up, I was passed by quite a few people. I might be the caboose now, and that's ok, but things can change with the hill, I thought. Then, boom. Almost felt like you were going up an elevator, except you were breathing hard and found yourself turbo walking up parts of the hill. A lady in front of me in neon pink pants was steadily jogging up the hill. Miraculously, I managed to trail her the entire ascent, despite me doing a combo of running and walking. I felt like I walked at least half of it, and would run 10-15 steps and go back to walking. Finally after what seemed like forever, the trail curved and I could hear the two guys (the course guides) cheering us on. The enthusiasm helped but I was pretty winded and also felt my quads noodle out. Too early for noodles!
But right then and there, I realized this is the kind of race I was waiting for. One that pushed me cardiovascularly, and muscularly. Might sound strange, but on road races I don't really get to that point - I do run out with good effort, but as a distance runner you can't just go all out from the start.
I had to walk several steps at the top of the hill. Seemed like a waste because the land was now flat! But I had to catch my breath. I jogged a few steps and felt a new wind of energy, and felt my feet picking up again - and in a race, that is one of the best feelings ever. I continued to run to the aid station at mile 3. The trail was relatively flat but still looked like a mini roller coaster. By mini, I mean give or take about 20 feet in gain and loss. In other words, tiiiiiny. My body was able to charge through it after summiting the monstrous one we just finished. And good news - it was all down hill from here!
Downhill running technique is something quite different. I increased my turnover and focused on feeling light in my feet. I actually had a lot of fun, and could feel the obliques firing up, trying to keep the torso inline with all the rapid pounding. I was scanning the trail for rocks to avoid, but even so, felt like a large barrel rolling down the side of the mountain. I even clocked in my fastest pace ever in a race (7:07 a mile). But just as I was feeling so light and good and having fun, I was passed up by another racer. Her running style looked effortless, and she was soon out of sight. I have to laugh, getting passed up on a downhill does not happen often!
I kept focusing on my form, but I was having so much fun. Imagine running fast and not getting winded! Once I got to the bottom, I checked my watch: 52 minutes in. Hmmmm, with a mile to go, maybe I could finish a sub-hour? I was feeling pretty good and had a new reserve of air.
The final mile was on a slight decline, and I was trying to push it. I could see hikers coming the opposite direction. I was smiling from having so much fun. They smiled back and it was just a nice warm vibe. It made the finish line feel like it came sooner than I expected. With that kick in my step, I hurried through to the end and stopped my watch.
1:01:01.
A new PR! Smashed my old one of 1:27:36.
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| Time for some stretching and beach relaxation |
