California International Marathon

2:20:41 (PR). 13th Place. 

Top 50 Results.

Here's my race report, which I also posted on my running blog.

First mile started off easy (after a starting gun that caught everyone by surprise) and the pack was huge (50-70 runners?). During the second mile it started to get rolling and strung out a bit. By the third mile there were three distinct groups formed - the lead pack, the chasers (which seemed to be the guys going for sub-2:18), and then the slower chasers (Fritz, Nate, me, and about 5-6 more guys aiming for ~2:20). I like to think of our group as the wolfpack. The first 10 miles went by quickly. A couple of the guys in our group fell back, but we had 6 guys working together for most of this time. As we hit the 10 mile mark I heard a guy counting out places and I was in 26th or 27th. Aerobically I was feeling great, but the combination of the cold temperatures and rolling hills was making my hamstrings feel tight - I started to notice it by mile 7 and I was actually a little worried about them until the halfway mark. From 10-13 miles we lost the two Kenyan guys in the group - it was down to the 3 Utah guys and a runner from Mexico (Castillo). We came through the half-marathon in 1:09:32, which was surprising - it felt like it was going to be closer to 1:10, but my math skills and sense of pace were apparently a little off. I'll blame the lack of precision on numb feet (due to the cold, not from the shoes - the A6s were awesome!).

First half splits: 5:32, 5:19, 5:15, 5:10, 5:19, 5:19, 5:18, 5:23, 5:23, 5:13, 5:15, 5:19, 5:16 = 1:09:32

Castillo started picking it up right as we crossed the timing mat and I went with him. That was the last I would see of Fritz and Nate, but it was really awesome to run with them for the first 13.1. Racing alongside your friends and training partners makes the effort feel more comfortable - more like a workout, and that can make a big difference, especially with rationing mental energy during a long race.

I got into a really good rhythm for the next six miles and started to loosen up. It was still cold but the sun was now on us. Castillo pulled away from me (he ran 2:19:30), but during this stretch I caught a few other guys. Andrea was on the course at 16.5 and then again at 19.5 (after already seeing me at 6 and 11.5 - she is really good at this spectating thing). I got another surprise when my friends Nate and Nora were jumping up and down just before the 20 mile mark (Nate and I were roommates in college and they drove over from San Francisco to come and watch). Came through 20 miles in 1:46:19 and sub-2:20 was still in play...

Then life started to get pretty hard after 20, as it typically does. There was a little bit of a wind blowing as we started moving into downtown. It wasn't much, and it wasn't the reason I slowed down, but it was definitely something that I noticed. I think the main reason I even noticed it is because it flashed me back to just over two years ago in Philadelphia. After almost identical 13.1 and 20 mile splits (see the bottom of this entry), I had a flat, straight 10K to go... and was hurting a bit. My hamstrings were starting to feel shot, and just like in Philly, I could feel some wind in my face. But this time I was NOT going to fall apart. No way, not an option! I faded to ~5:30 pace, but didn't bleed any worse than that (what we call a "Paul Petersen crash"). The day before, Andrea and I talked about how important "backup" goals are... that if I wasn't going to break 2:20, I needed to make breaking 2:21 JUST AS IMPORTANT. So that's what I did... I fought hard to break 2:21. I caught Matt Dewald, then went after the last guy in front of me (Stephen Shay) and passed him with about 3/4th of a mile left. I tried my best to sprint from 26 to the finish (I'm sure it didn't look smooth, and it hurt!). My legs were wrecked and it was hard to even walk after crossing the line. But I was happy... to run a PR, to finally see some improvement in the marathon, and to finish knowing I gave it everything I had.

Second half splits: 5:14, 5:18, 5:16, 5:16, 5:22, 5:22, 5:29, 5:32, 5:31, 5:32, 5:32, 5:32, 5:34, 1:09 = 1:11:09

I knew that realistically I was in shape to run 2:20 +/- a minute, so I consider this within the range of a good performance. A Top 10 finish was another goal, and I ended up 13th in a strong field. I don't like the positive split, but I can live with it.

Other thoughts (and then pictures):

Weather - Cold. 27 degrees at the start, actually dropped down to 24 during the race, and it never got above 30 degrees. Cold is definitely much better than hot, but the combination of rolling hills and cold temps is not great for my hamstrings. I actually came into this race a few pounds heavier than I would have liked to be, but that might have actually played to my advantage a bit, because with a little extra insulation I wasn't totally freezing.

Course - Fast (drops 300 feet from start to finish), but could be deceptive. I was mentally prepared for the rolling hills in the first half (because I heard so many people tell me not to underestimate them) but if I run CIM again, I'll do a lot more training on routes that specifially simulate this course. I want to run a Chicago-type course next year, because I think that's what I'm best suited for.



Competition - CIM doesn't draw an "A" list field, but the depth in the 2:15-2:30 range is as good as you'll find anywhere.

Organization - First class all the way. Major kudos to the Sacramento Running Association (especially Danielle Domenichelli) for taking care of everything. There was nothing to worry about... we even knew thing like specifically where our bottles would be ahead of time (For me - table #1, 4th bottle on the right). That kind of attention to detail is awesome.

Nutrition - I'm making progress here, and feel like I have it figured out pretty well now. Gels don't bother me anymore, and I actually take them. I've also have my pre-race / breakfast dialed in. I didn't drink more than 3-4 ounces total during the race, but also didn't really need to in those temperatures.

Post Race Activities - Fancy brunch with a jazz band, hot tub, then flew home.

Training Analysis - I'll save that for another blog post. I'm taking a week off so I'll have nothing better to do. I enjoyed this training cycle and did a lot of smart things. I also learned some things that will affect how I want to approach my running in 2014. Things I am excited about. My buildup to this race was documented on the blog in 3 posts: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Thank You! - Everyone here who follows the blog, etc. I've said this before, but I realize how lucky I am to have such a great network of friends and family (especially my parents... I know they get nervous waiting for the tracking updates to come in). Fritz and Nate, for the camaraderie of training and racing together... let's make this a habit. Andrea, for not being afraid to battle against me when we disagree (often!), and then for 100% support when we go to war... together.

The three packs. Thanks to ViZiPRO, you can see the wolfpack in the back




3/4 of a mile left...


Just close your eyes and it will all be over soon...




Our friends Nate and Nora


With Fritz and Nate post-race


And here's CIM vs Philly... I like the final outcome better this time. Now I just need to nail that last 10K.

PHL 2011  1:09:33 - 1:46:05 - 2:25:57
CIM 2013   1:09:32 - 1:46:19 - 2:20:41

I've run 4 good marathons in a row now (2:22, 2:23, 2:23, 2:20 in the past 15 months). I'm ready to make the leap in 2014!

-----------------------------------------------------------

All splits - 5:32, 5:19, 5:15, 5:10, 5:19, 5:19, 5:18, 5:23, 5:23, 5:13, 5:15, 5:19, 5:16, 5:14, 5:18, 5:16, 5:16, 5:22, 5:22, 5:29, 5:32, 5:31, 5:32, 5:32, 5:32, 5:34, 1:09 [1:09:32 / 1:11:09 = 2:20:41]

CIM Tracking

Here's the live tracking link for the 2013 California International Marathon. There will be splits at 5.9 miles, 13.1 miles, 20 miles, and the finish. That link also will take you to the race leaderboard.

I'll be wearing bib #55. Two of my friends and training partners are also running - Fritz (bib #41) and Nate (bib #69). We are aiming to work together for the first half and come through right around 1:10.

The weather looks like it will be cold (mid-twenties) but at the moment, it doesn't seem like we'll be dealing with any storms like they had last year.

My high school teammate Hector used to say "Run Fast, Big Trophy." He was right, its not all that complicated. So I wrote that on the bottom of my racing flats to remind myself to just believe in my training and RUN FAST on Sunday morning.

Mesa Turkey Trot 10K

Happy Thanksgiving (day after)! Yesterday I ran the 44th annual Turkey Trot in Mesa, AZ. I won the race in a controlled 31:00.

Here's my report (cross-posted from Fast Running Blog):

It was 60 degrees and sunny at the starting line this morning... I love coming down to Arizona for the winter holidays.

The goal today was to get in a good workout and to be disciplined enough not to hammer, because that would serve no purpose with the marathon so close. I came in exactly at the faster end of my target range.

Some other guy went out with me (actually, ahead of me in the first mile). Not sure why he thought that was a good idea. I dropped him during the second mile, then caught some of the wheelchair racers. After about 2.5 I was all alone. Kept the pace under control, dinked around a little too much with the crowd at the end, then ran back along the course to the 5 mile mark and met up w/ my Dad (who was being paced by Andrea). His goal was to break 48 minutes and he ended up running 47:20... his final sprint was the stuff legends are made of. If I could learn to kick like that...

RESULTS

Fun morning. Won a turkey. Bring on CIM.

If you don't count 10K splits in half-marathons (which don't count because they aren't certified), this was actually a 10K Road race PR. I'm in much, much better shape than when I ran the 10K in Kansas City earlier this fall, that's for sure.

Course was 2 loops, each loop with one (gradual) 50 foot climb.

Saltair Half Marathon and 5K

Andrea and I ran in the Saltair Half Marathon and 5K this morning. I won the half in 1:10:01, and she won the 5K in 18:45. We went into these races with the idea of getting in solid workouts and walked away with a little cash. Not bad for a wintery, gross Saturday morning! Here's our recaps...

Jake - 1:10:01 (1st place) - FRB link

The inagural Saltair Half Marathon was timed perfectly - 3 weeks before CIM, which is when I'd be out on that same road doing a 13 mile MP tempo anyways. As usual for runs out there, the weather was slightly uncomfortable at times, but being able to get in this kind of effort in a race setting with some company makes it well worth it.

We started off with a good sized group. Chris Rushing was off the front quick (unaware, unfortunately, that the 5K started 30 minutes later). Fritz moved ahead after a half-mile and had a pretty good lead on the rest of us for the first half of the race. Nate and I wanted to keep all the miles ~5:20 and finish ~1:10. We dropped the rest of the group and slowly reeled Fritz back in, catching him just before the halfway point. During the second half we just tried to work together and kept the miles consistent. Miles 11-12 were a little rough with wind and cold rain, so even though they were a little slower, the effort stayed the same. We were stride for stride until we hit the 13 mile mark, and then it was every man for himself. I ended up winning by about 2-3 seconds. Great run for Nate, and Fritz wasn't far behind in 3rd.

I was very happy my pacing - 35:02 at the halfway turnaround, and 34:59 coming back. Right on the money - I think my official time was 1:10:01. Exactly what I wanted to accomplish today. Strong stimulus but under control.

Mile splits: 5:22, 5:24, 5:15, 5:23, 5:21, 5:20, 5:14, 5:16, 5:19, 5:20, 5:20, 5:26, 5:25, 5:16.

My new Saucony Type A6s were great. I'll go with them for CIM.

Overall I thought this was a really good race. Deep fields for both men and women. Great prizes... I walked away with $183 (love that totally random amount) plus Andrea (who won the 5K) and I also took home all of this...

I guess the race was sponsored by Dr. Pepper, GU, and sunscreen.

Andrea - 18:45 (1st place) - FRB link

Typical conditions at any race that starts at Saltair - rainy, snowy, cold, windy, etc. I ran a 2 mile warm-up with Allie and Kassi then watched the half marathon start. The 5k was 30 minutes after and a much smaller race. The weather varied from a calm wind to very windy and raining. The race started, and the first half of the race felt relatively comfortable at just under 6 minute pace. After the turnaround was a different story. I was able to maintain my pace until about 2 miles but was working a lot harder to fight the wind and rain. I looked at my watch at 2.5 miles and was running 20 sec/mile slower. I think the wind died back down at that point, but I wasn't able to speed up. My final time was 18:45 with the course at 5-10 seconds short. Splits were 5:58, 6:01, 6:19, 5:59 pace for .07 miles.


I ran slower than I expected/wanted, but I'm not worried. I've had a great couple weeks of training and the weather wasn't ideal today. Today served as a great workout and I did win the women's race :) Afterwards, I watched the half marathoners come in, froze, then ran a 2 mile cooldown with Collin and Kassi. Overall a well-run event and I was pleased with the organization.

More photos from Andrea...









And here's the elevation profile sketched up off memory :-)

Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon and 5K

Scott, Andrea, and I post-race

Andrea and I traveled to Indianapolis this weekend for the Monumental Half-Marathon and 5K. Here's our race reports...

Jake - 1:05:54 (7th place)

Before I say anything about my race, I want to give a shout to the IMM race organization (especially elite coordinator Matt Ebersole) for putting together such competitive fields. All 4 course records were shattered. An interesting storyline was that 16 year old Alana Hadley and 49 year old Colleen De Reuck (who ran 2:39!) both qualified for the Olympic Trials.

Weather was ideal (low 40s and the wind from the day before died off). The course was also great - an essentially flat loop with no surprises.



I wanted to get out at just under 5:00 pace and come through 10K a little under 31 minutes. The pack was big off the start. I counted 14 guys ahead of me as we came though the mile (4:55). I tried to tuck in the back, but the Kenyans started to string it out in the second mile, and the big group already started to break up. Mile 2 was another 4:55. I had passed a few guys and moved up to a yellow singlet (Andrew Sherman). We ended up running pretty much the rest of the race together. We caught up to Jason Ordway in the 3rd mile (4:50, so 14:40 at 3 miles... too fast, borderline suicidal, although it didn't feel that way). We moved away from Jason and miles 4-6 were 4:54, 5:07, 4:58. Hit 10K in 30:48. On paper that doesn't look too bad, but it wasn't run evenly, and took a toll.



We had no one in sight in front of us, so Andrew and I were basically racing each other. The pace slowed from 7-9: 5:02, 5:08, 5:12 (ugly). A little after 15K another guy (Brandon York) moved up and caught us. Now we had a little pack of three, and the pace picked back up a little. Miles 10-12 were 5:05, 5:05, 5:08. Brandon and Andrew were both a little ahead of me with about a half-mile left. Andrea was waiting a quarter-mile from the finish and told me to be proud of my finish. That was a good thing to say and it got me going. I moved past Andrew, but Brandon still had a little gap on me. My legs felt like lead but I mustered up a some mental fortitude and was able to beat him to the finish by a few strides. I felt good about how I finished. The last mile was 4:59 and then ~29-30 for the last tenth. Here's the full results. Deep race with 9 guys under 1:06.

I knew sub-65 was a longshot, so I'm not at all disappointed in the outcome. I've said this before, but anytime you break 66 on a fair course, its a good performance and you can't be too upset because it doesn't happen by accident. I definitely learned a few things that I think will be valuable as I approach CIM in 5 weeks (and half-marathons next spring). My PR of 1:05:45 from October 2011 will unfortunately survive another year. Before I think about trying to break 1:05, I need to beat that time, and break 1:05:30. Smaller steps. And I definitely run better off negative splits, not going out hard and hanging on.

For the upcoming marathon, I need to be realistic about what my current capabilities are and try to maximize my chances for a good performance (not just go for 2:17 because that's what I want to run). That will probably mean going out a bit slower and not necessarily chasing the OTQ standard. I've got 2 years to chase it... I still haven't run a really good marathon, so that should (and will) be my main goal. Plus, anything can happen if you aren't going backwards in the last 10 miles.

Andrea - 18:16 (2nd place)

Another step in the right direction today. I consider this a better performance than the SOJO 5K and was able to finish a lot stronger.

The elite race coordinator (Matt) was nice enough to let me hang out in the elite quarters (=warm indoors) prior to the race as Jake's coach/psychologist/masseuse. The talent level in that room was pretty phenomenal - truly some of the best in the country ran today. I ran part of the warm-up with Jake and walked with the elites to the starting line. Conditions were pretty good for fast times at 41 degrees and only a little breezy. Because the 5K started after the half/full, I jogged to the half mile mark to watch (and make sure Jake didn't go out at 3k pace). I have never seen such a big race start - the masses just kept coming and coming. It made me happy to see so many people that love the sport!

Obviously I wasn't super focused on my race. Apparently no one else needed to do strides for the 5k so I didn't either. A few mascots danced for a couple minutes then we were off. I was in 50th place at 0.25 mile and I'm pretty sure there were at least 35 epic crashes. I stuck to my 5:55 goal pace and worked on reeling in the runners ahead of me. I was able to speed up in the last 0.5 mile and finish with a pretty good kick.

I hoped to run around 18:15 so I am satisfied with my performance! I haven't had the best week with quite a bit of discomfort of my lateral knee and glute, but once again race day performed its miracle and I felt completely healthy. I really do believe that the races are helping my right leg/hip muscles fire correctly and are good for me as I continue to heal.

I relaxed for a few minutes then went out to wait and cheer for Jake. He came around the corner with two guys on either side of him, and it was great to see him kick it into that extra gear and outsprint them! Overall a good race for both of us.

SoJo 5K

Andrea approaching the end of the SoJo 5K

Its been a long time since Andrea and I lined up on the starting line for the same race. Today we both ran the South Jordan 5K, and hopefully this is a new beginning and we'll be on similar race schedules again going forward. I'm really impressed by Andrea's run this morning - 4 months ago, she could barely run 3 consuecutvie miles (at a slow pace) without stopping as she was recovering from her injury and surgery. Today she ran under 6:00 pace for 5K! She'll be running in the 17s (and probably 16s) again before you know it... but this was an excellent step forward. For me, it was a nice tuneup effort and part of one of my last bigger workouts before the Monumental Half Marathon in two weeks.

Our race recaps from Fast Running Blog (click to read):  

Andrea - 18:27 (3rd)  -  Jake 15:11 (1st)

The "official" results were a little off :-)  ....

2013 Top of Utah Marathon

Finish line shots of Scott and I at the 2013 Top of Utah Marathon. 1-2 Saucony sweep!

Today was the Top of Utah Marathon. I went back and forth on running this year (after winning it last year). I wasn't sure how it would fit into my fall racing plans, but ultimately decided to run and I'm glad I did. My friend and teammate Scott Wietecha were able to go 1-2, I ran 2:23:33 (2nd place) without feeling like I pushed myself too hard, and our friend Allie won the women's race in a stunning 2:44. 

Below is my race recap, followed by some quotes from the newspaper article. Andrea's photos are scattered throughout. As always, she was my support team along the course and helps me out SO MUCH in the marathon.

Pre-race thoughts / strategy / goals in my Fast Running blog post the day before the race. In summary, Scott and I wanted to go 1-2 while taking it somewhat "easy" if possible and saving our legs a bit. I was planning to run in the 2:28-2:30 range.

The strategy, as expected, went out the window immediately when Seth Pilkington shot off the line into the lead, and he was closely shadowed by another guy I didn't know (Jesse Dunn). Scott gave chase a little, and I positioned myself about 10 meters behind him - determined not to get "caught up" in the early racing. After a couple comfortable miles (5:26, 5:31), the pace increased a bit (5:19, 5:16), Seth/Scott pulled away, and I made the decision to not chase them. Jesse fell back after 6 miles, and I just tried to maintain a steady effort. I didn't want to press too hard, but I also wanted to keep Seth/Scott in sight, just in case they started to come back to me. Next 7 miles were 5:24, 5:29, 5:27, 5:24, 5:23, 5:28, 5:28. They had a big gap on me through 10 miles, and then somewhere around that point I noticed that Scott was pulling away from Seth, so I picked it up a bit and reeled Seth back relatively quickly over the next two miles (5:21, 5:21). Split at the half was around 1:11:00 - two minutes slower than last year, but it felt even easier than that.

Tailwind was strong coming out of the canyon, so mile 14 was the fastest of the race (5:14). Then on Hollow Road I really locked into a consistent groove - 5:24, 5:24, 5:24, 5:24. According to Mr. Timex, these 4 miles were all within two-tenths of a second of each other. 

Coming out of the canyon at mile 14

A little past 18 miles Andrea gave me the update - Scott was a minute or so ahead, and Seth was about two minutes back. So it was time to decide whether to hammer the last portion or go into steady-hard-cruise control. I chose the latter and took it pretty easy up the Milleville hill (5:50, 5:42... although I overshot a turn by about 40 feet before realizing it - nearly a disaster!). Then it was really just about relaxing and keeping the effort under control for the last six miles - 5:33, 5:46, 5:46, 5:22 (oops, too fast!), 5:38, 5:36. I finished second in 2:23:33. Scott ran 2:22:34 to take first. Seth ended up dropping out near 20 miles, and Jesse finished 3rd in 2:32.

On the streets of Logan around mile 20

I couldn't believe how I felt at the end. No "wrecked" feeling like usual after 26.2. Not even a "semi-wrecked but don't really want to admit it" feeling. No pains or aches, just a little (expected) fatigue. Despite running about 5-7 minutes faster than I was planning to, I wasn't in the beat up state that I thought 2:23 would leave me in. We'll see how I feel in a week, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll come out of this OK and this won't derail progress towards my fall goals. This definitely felt the easiest of the six marathons I've run (which was the idea).

It was great that Scott and I could go 1-2, but the best part of the day came shortly after our finish... Our friend Allie Moore won her 4th TOU Marathon, but more impressive - ran 2:44!!! What a huge, well-deserved breakthrough. The Top of Utah Marathon is not an easy course. The canyon is downhill but not ridiculously so, and the last 8 miles are challenging and can really expose you when you're chasing a fast time. That part of the course ate me up last year. I think Allie's time is really, really, really impressive. I couldn't be happier for her.

One of the things I did differently today was actually eat gels during the race. Not just open them, pretend to bring it up to my lips, then throw it on the ground like I've done in the past. I actually squeezed the gooey contents into my mouth and injested it. I took 4 whole gels (right before the start and at 7, 14, 20). This is a big deal for me because I've never gotten down more than one before. Obviously it made a big difference in how I felt, and I'll be replicating this strategy in future marathons.

Herald-Journal article: Historic day for Moore at TOU Marathon, Wietecha beats friend for men's title. Jason Turner always does a great job covering local running.

Some quotes from the article:

Wietecha crossed the finish line in 2:22:34, while Krong clocked in 59 seconds later. Wietecha and Krong are friends and compete together on the Saucony Hurricane team.

The Hendersonville, Tenn., resident — who won his first marathon this past spring in Nashville, Tenn. — is currently training for December’s California International Marathon in Sacramento, Calif. Krong, who was also second at this year’s TOU Half, will also compete at that race. 

“Scott motivates me,” Krong said. “The improvement curve that he’s been on, I’m kind of a little bit behind him, but I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps and hopefully have the same kind of breakthrough this fall as he’s had. ... But I’m thrilled for him.”

Wietecha is hoping to finish that race in 2:15, which would meet the A qualifying standard for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, while Krong is aiming to eclipse the B standard of 2:18.

Hendersonville’s elevation is only 482 feet above sea level, so Wietecha said he was feeling the effects of the TOU’s much higher elevation about 18 miles into the race. Wietecha, who completed a marathon in 2:18:52 earlier this year, was hurting on the downhill at mile marker 23, but fought through the pain.

“I was hoping Jake wouldn’t come after me because I was hurting, but I was able to close strong and finish up the race, luckily,” said Wietecha, who finished with a 5:26.5 per mile clip.

As for Krong, he had his sights set on defending his title, but was pleased with how we executed his race strategy. The 29-year-old Salt Lake City resident put together a controlled race and only finished 81 seconds off his time from last year.

“I didn’t run all out, I didn’t feel like that was an all-out effort today, so I was very pleased that with a 90-percent effort I was able to run 2:23,” the affable Krong said. “... I’m going to try to run 2:17 this fall, so I’m very confident that I’m going to be able to do it.”

Not only was Krong happy for Wietecha, he was ecstatic with the performance of the 26-year-old Moore, who is a close friend. Krong praised Moore’s work ethic this summer, and it paid off in a big way Saturday.

“I definitely changed my training a lot,” said Moore, who earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from USU. “... Yeah, it was a lot of hard work, but it feels great to see it come together. It was a lot of fun.”

Devra, Me, Scott, and Allie after the awards ceremony

Top 5 Men

Taking recovery seriously

Poster for 2014
Put this race on your calendar!

Flat as a Pancake 5K Race Report (Andrea)

On Saturday I ran the Flat as a Pancake 5K. I have been able to run about 30 (slow) miles per week for the last 6 weeks, so it was time to test out my fitness level and get an idea as to where I should start with training again after my very long injury/surgery. In the upcoming week, I'm going to be posting a 3-part series about my recovery from the injury/surgery.

This race was a fundraiser for the West Jordan XC Team, and the kids did a great job putting it together (except for maybe promoting the event to get more people to race). The course is as flat and accurate as you could hope for with about 1 mile on the road/track and 2 miles on dirt.

I ran a short warm-up with my friends (1+ mile) then a couple strides. The race started and a large group went out fast. I tried to hang back, knowing that going out too fast would be detrimental because of my lack of speed work. The first 1/2 mile is on the road then it's an out-and-back on the dirt canal trail. No mile markers and I forgot to start my watch, so I have no idea how fast/slow I was running. I passed several of the early sprinters then was solo for the last 2 miles. My breathing was pretty out-of-control, and I just couldn't get my legs moving faster. I hit the road again at 2.5 miles and got a boost from the faster surface. The last 350 meters are around the track and I finished in 19:13.

I had absolutely no pain and felt very much like my old self...except for a slower time :) I am so thrilled with this - I ran what I thought I was capable of (my guess was 19:15) and had no discomfort! Eight weeks ago when I could barely even run 3 miles, I ran the Draper Days 5K in 21:28 so I've made a lot of progress since then. I'm really looking forward to seeing my progress in another 8 weeks. I hope to be running sub-18 by then!

Kansas City Plaza 10K

Start of the KC Plaza 10K

Quick recap: Kansas City Plaza 10K - 31:06, 2nd place [Fast Running Blog report]

Longer recap...

Somewhat random that I ended up running in Kansas City this weekend. Here's how it happened... I had a Frontier voucher that I needed to use this fall, so I started looking for places I could fly to and corresponding races. Browsing led me to this one, and I really liked that it was a big, competitive, stand-alone 10K (that wasn't a sideshow latched on to a HM/Marathon). After a few e-mails with Troy and Brad at the KC Running Company, I booked a ticket. I just had a sense that these guys were putting on a fantastic event and I wanted to be a part of it.

At that time (early August) I was leaning towards running the 1/2 at either Long Beach or Des Moines (mid-October), so the timing was great for a good 10K effort. I figured after TOU 1/2, I'd hit some speed workouts for a couple weeks and take a crack at lowering my PR (30:03). But then I ended up having the opportunity to take the trip to Colorado (anti-speed workouts!), and decided to push back my target HM to the Monumental 1/2 in early November. Still, I felt like I was capable of knocking out a good 10K race and be in contention to win the race.

Despite some airline fiascos (due to the unfortunate rain/flooding in Colorado) I arrived in KC late Friday night. On Saturday I had the chance to spend some time talking with Troy Fitzgerald, who owns the KC Running Company. I really enjoyed our conversation and his thoughts on balancing higher-level racing with mass participation and providing the "event experience". Obviously a relevant topic after CGI dropped elite running a few weeks ago. Troy feels like a good race can have it all, and he's willing to put up prize money and incentives to create competitive races at the front end... while not taking anything away from the middle/back of the pack, and providing them with a first-class experience all the way. I came away very impressed by Troy and his company. There are lots of great, local / regional races out there who are directed by people who understand all aspects of the sport. They "get it" - while participation is what drives the market, competition is also important... It's a SPORT, after all. When I first heard about Competitor's decision, it made me worried about the future of competitive road racing. After meeting Troy, I wasn't worried anymore. So I'll urge anyone listening - while there's nothing wrong with the (RnR style) mega-races, seek out and support the local races like this. The ones that provide an excellent experience across the board - from the runner finishing in first place to the runner lacing up their shoes for the first time.

Now, the race itself...

It was a little breezy in the morning and that probably made the course harder than I expected. "Flat" is a relative term in KC... it wasn't that hilly, but had a few short rhythm-breaking inclines. Weather was good, though - low 70s, and rain held off until after it was over.

Around 2.5 miles into the race - Benson with a commanding lead

The race started slow (5:10) in a big pack (10 guys) then I injected some pace and got it strung out a little. Benson Chesang shot to the front and rolled off a couple 4:45s, opening up a large gap that was hard to bridge in the wind. By ~3.5 miles it was down to me and the long-haired guy (Javier Ceja) for second. Miles 2-4 were 4:51, 4:58, 4:46. So, all over the place, but felt like a consistent effort.

Short finish video that Troy sent me

The pace slowed on miles 5-6 (5:10, 5:05). Javier and I went back and forth a bit, neither one of us really wanting to commit to a long push. Just before the 6 mile mark I noticed his stride falter a little, so I threw it down and was able to outkick him, putting about 6 seconds on him over the last quarter. I'm closing races a lot better, and starting to get more confident in my ability to finish strong.

Not a very fast time, but I feel like I ran smart and competed well. Benson (2X Big 12 Champ in XC and 13:57 5K) won in 30:55. After talking to him afterwards, I realized he was fading at the end. Another half-mile and I might have gotten him. I honestly (and stupidly?) wasn't really even paying attention to him at the end - I was more focused on my race with Javier. Waited a bit too long to make a push to break the tape, but like I said - I ran the smartest race I could to ensure a high finish and not blow up. Did a cooldown run with Benson and the guys from the KC Smoke team. Nice group of guys.

This was a great all-around event / atmosphere. T-Shirts, medals, and post-race snacks were as good as I've seen at the major races I've run.

I'm glad I decided to make the trip to KC. In addition to the race, I thought the Plaza area of the city was really nice. The day before the race (and on a longer cooldown post-race) I enjoyed running along the river and through some of the parks / sculpture gardens. I'd definitely like to make another trip back there next year.

On a final note, I noticed A LOT of runners wearing Saucony shoes and racing clothes at the race. That made me happy! :-)

Saucony representation at
Gary Gribble's Running Sports