This is a race that I seem to keep coming back to. Now that this is my third consecutive year, I've developed a level of comfort and familiarity with this race that now allows me to race rather than just running a time trial. One of the wrinkles this year is the BAA added this race to the summer race series, which meant that I signed up for race that I could have done for free (doh!). It also meant that the level of competition was going to be a couple notches higher, with most of the guys I train with on Tuesdays toeing the line.
Race day dawned with stifling humidity. I looked out the window and everything was enveloped in a thick layer of fog. We were in for a humid day of racing.....at least the temps were comfortable in the low 60s. I was feeling more nervous than usual. I didn't sleep well two nights ago, but went to bed before midnight last night and felt decent in the morning. My mileage has been really low since Boston. My aerobic fitness has been sufficient for shorter races, but I wasn't sure how I'd handle a longish race. I was hoping to set another course PR and maybe even tickle a time in the low 45's for the 7.5 mile course.
I ran into the BAA gang and ran down to the first bridge, then back to the start in time for the gun. Still feeling nervous, but looser after the warm-up. I was particularly pleased to see Pat at the race, as he has become a great training/racing partner over the last year. After talking over last year's results, we thought a low-6:00 pace would be a good starting point and he would key off of Ephraim, last year's 50-59 age group winner in a sub-45. I started easy and the 1st mile felt really comfortable. Lara went by me and I thought for sure she was doing the 5K. After the 1st underpass, Pat caught up and we paced each other for the remainder of the race. Splits were ridiculous consistent in the middle of the race. I think we pushed each other, which kept the pace consistent. The first 3 miles were all sub-6:10.
I started feeling crappy from about mile 3-4. The pace started to feel like a reach, and thoughts of not being able to hold the pace started creeping into my head. Fortunately, I found a nice groove a
gain once we crossed back to the Cambridge side. We started catching up ground on two guys in blue and also a larger pack with Ben Schersten in the mix. I went fairly hard up the hill at mile 5, but then was passed by Pat on the downhill. This time I made an effort to stay in contact with Pat and was feeling pretty good by the 6 mile marker. I made my move with about 3/4 of mile left to go and surged past the guy in blue that was hanging with us. Probably went to early as I started to feel it just after passing the start line with 1/2 a mile to go. As a result, I was passed again by the guy in blue. Now I was just trying to maintain. Ben's pack was in sight but not catchable with the way I was going. Really struggling by the time I hit the marsh post, but tried to maintain form to the finish line. I was suprised to notch another PR and found some striking symmetry to my improvements: 47:27 to 46:29 to 45:31, all 58 seconds improvements. Means I should be able to run a 44:33 next year....| Type | Distance | Time | Total Time | Pace | Avg HR | Max HR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 Mi | 1 Mi | 5:58.5 | 5:58.5 | 5:59 | 157 | 169 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Mi | 1 Mi | 6:08.9 | 12:07.4 | 6:09 | 172 | 177 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Mi | 1 Mi | 6:05.4 | 18:12.8 | 6:06 | 174 | 176 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 Mi | 1 Mi | 6:06.7 | 24:19.5 | 6:07 | 176 | 178 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Mi | 1 Mi | 6:04.4 | 30:23.9 | 6:05 | 177 | 179 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 Mi | 1 Mi | 6:03.6 | 36:27.5 | 6:04 | 177 | 179 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 Mi | 1 Mi | 5:58.4 | 42:25.9 | 5:59 | 178 | 181 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7.5Mi | 0.5 Mi | 3:05.5 | 45:31.4 | 6:11 | 181 | 184 |
Course: | New Charles River Run 7.5m |
| Distance: | 7.5 miles |
| Duration: | 45:31 |
| Pace: | 6:05 / mile |
| Shoe: | ASICS Gel-DS Racer VI (2006) |
| Weight: | 165 lb |
| Heart Rate: | Average: 174 / Max: 184 |
| Misc: | Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10 |
| Field Placement: | 19 / 1096 (1.7%) |
| Age group: | 30 – 39 |
| Group Placement: | 8 / 182 (4.4%) |
| Weather: | 66° F, Overcast, Humid |
