Some of the thoughts that run through my head just don't make sense. After a little while I'll look back and ask myself what on earth I was thinking?! During races I typically talk myself out of a race and try to convince myself to quit quite a bit. Hopefully this will give you an insight at just the ludicrous thoughts I think about.
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| The very large medals given out at the race. |
Leading into this race things didn't go as I had hoped. The past Sunday, my right shoe seemed a little too tight around the ankle but I was determined to get my long run in so I ran.......22.4 miles......with a throbbing ankle. By the time I got done my ankle was swollen and a bruise was now forming. Walking for the week was quite an event. I put some ice on it, took ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, and I took a day off of running to allow the pain to go away. Well one day led to two, which led to three, which lead to all week of no running due to the pain. By Friday, I put on my running shoes and since there was still a little pain I decided I wouldn't run and instead wait until the race.
Somehow I got this BRILLIANT idea that it was the fact that my quick laces were too tight and constricting the tendon on the top of my foot. It also was about the time I needed to get new shoes so I figured I'd knock two birds out with one stone. I stopped at Running Wild to get a new pair of shoes but they were out of my size........so I just got a pair of shoelaces. I can just imagine the discussion after I left: "Yeah he wanted shoes but instead just go shoelaces?!" Anyways, I swapped out the laces and went to bed to get ready for my Saturday race.
My preparation for this race wasn't amazing by any means. Our Wednesday night swim practice had us doing lunges around the entire pool which left me sore all the way to race day. I probably should have not done that on a race week and rested instead. I tried some foam rolling to loosen everything up but wasn't too successful.
Race morning came and my alarm went off at 6:30am but I was in no hurry so I hit the snooze until 7:00am. Being as you don't need to set up transition at a running race I didn't need to show up hours before the race. I got up and got on the road about 7:40. For some reason, I felt it was necessary for me to use GPS to find the race, which required three turns......total. Turns out that the address was NOT where the race was actually at so I drove around in the park lost for a good ten minutes until I found the race.
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| Yes I did use GPS to find a race in the town over from where I live. |
I did some light jogging for a warm-up along with some dynamic stretching. I could feel my ankle, even with the loosened shoelaces (failed plan), especially on the downhills. After a little bit I went to the start line and just sat on the ground and waited for the race to start.
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| This is what happens when I have no spectators to take pictures for me: Seflies. |
When the race started I got into a good group of about ten guys as we made our way out to the road. We had a good downhill before we hit the trails. I was not expecting such steep grades of downhill to start the race as the group really found out quick who knew how to run on gravel. Luckily, I was able to work my way up to third place as we made our way out to about a mile. For the next mile another runner came up next to me and started chatting with me, hoping the runners ahead were doing the 4-mile race. When we hit the 2-mile turn around spot nobody turned. I asked the runner what our time was and he said 11:30......that's a 5:45/mile pace. I was aiming for sub 1:05:00 which is below 6:30/mile so we were WAY up on my pace.
I got comfortable as the runner took off and two more guys moved past me. I knew what my pace was and there was no need to kill it any more on the first half than I already did. For the next three miles to the turn around I was in no man's land, running by myself and just waiting to get to the turn. I thought about making sure to take the inside lane of each corner so as not to run further than I have to during the race.
The engineer inside of me came out when I started to consider: "Am I using too much energy running on loose gravel instead of compacted gravel? Would I be able to run just as fast taking the outside corner on packed gravel than taking the inside lane on loose gravel? How much extra energy am I expending due to the loose gravel?"
There were a lot of points that I thought to myself, "Nobody is around you right now; you can walk and nobody will know." and it took a lot of mental talking to keep moving forward.
As we hit the turn around I was in 6th place. I saw that there was a runner about 15 seconds back on me. I tried to keep my pace up as the fear of getting caught started to sink in. When we took corners I would try to get around tight ones quickly so he couldn't see me up ahead but the longer ones there was no point in doing so. I continued to panic that he was catching me and I was fading. All I really wanted was him to just pass me so I wouldn't have to keep worrying about him.
The night before the race I went to go watch my friend, Nicole, race in a XC race. She didn't know I, or my friend Ashley, were coming so when we started screaming at her along the course she worked harder. After the race Nicole told me that she wanted to quit until she saw me cheering for her along the course. With two miles left, I tried to harness that same attitude to keep the runner at bay.
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| Ashley, Nicole, and I at Nicole's race. Nicole has the third fastest freshman time at St. Ambrose of all time after only three races. I'm so proud of how hard she works even when she doesn't feel like going hard. |
One mile left and I had a ten second lead. This is the thought process that went through my head: "Could I hold on to the gap or was he going to pass me? Was he saving for a kick at the finish? Have I saved enough for the hills come back to the finish? Hills, HILLS! Alex, you train on the worst hill in the city. You pass every runner up that hill, any cyclist that rides up it you pass, and last week you passed cars up it. If anybody can run hills, you can!"
When we hit the first of the hills I did what I knew how to do, I climbed, hard. The hill was steep but I've ran on steeper. As I got up the short hill I looked back and the runner was just starting it. I made my way onto the road and the long gradual hill was ahead of me. I'm not sure exactly how it worked but my legs felt better going up that hill than any portion of the course. I caught my stride and ran up that hill with a purpose. As I crested the top I turned to look back and the 7th place runner was gone.
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| Probably should take a normal picture near the finish. |
The last quarter mile had a slight hill but nothing compared to what I just hit and I cruised over the top of it. I came across the line in 1:02:03, very much ahead of my goal time. Crossing the line I was tired but had plenty left in the tank to keep going, which is exactly what I need for my last race of the year. I ended up placing 6th overall and 2nd in my age group.
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| My medal that I give to my mom while saying, "Congratulations mom!" She has become very decorated in the men's field of local triathlon/running races. |
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| Race Results posted. |
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