Asheville Shamrock 10k Race Report... and a treat

A perfect day for racing was left to participants of the 2011 Asheville Catholic School's Shamrock 10k. This was my first visit to this particular event after having raced in Lenoir, NC for the previous 3 years. I was expecting the competition to be more serious amongst the runners and the course to be more difficult as well.

Elevation by kilometer (do the math as you climb!)

The Course
This was challenging for a 10k and certainly not the place to run a personal best... but had enough give within the take that a decent time could be posted. This course favored the stronger climbers and then downhill speed.

I had not run it, but had a vague memory of the chart showing the elevation profile etch in the depths of my mind. I knew there was something steep and then some more climbing before the course lolli-popped back to the starting area. It was with this limited knowledge that I lined up and dashed from the start to avoid trampling small boys.

Into the Great Semi-known World
Right away the course offered short steep ups and downs so the body HAD to be ready from the start. Since I had run my warm up in this section I was ready and ran a 5:40 and felt very comfortable.

Soon, I did back down a little bit effort wise as runners were finding their paces in the uneven terrain. I yo-yo'd with one runner for a bit, before he settled back a bit as Dave Workman (Masters Champion) came up on my shoulder. We have been racing together quite a bit lately so it was good to see that I would have such a nice guy to work through the course with. He is in the picture below in white just behind the large cone and the little guy in red.

The Sean is stage left... #1073

Mile two was a downhill cruise and a straight shot on a large avenue. We ran side by side chasing after the pace vehicle on a cool and still morning. I felt right at home and really enjoyed the scene as the race was set up to be a good one. Mile two 5:32 and feeling great!

The Climb
And then... we made a sharp right hand turn and began the climbing in earnest. Within a minute I found myself slightly over-extended but also opening a gap into the lead. This was not intentional in the least. But once out there, doing that kind of work I decided to just settle into it and grind. Adjusting my intensity to a level I could maintain for 10 minutes I knew that even with some over extension here, I did have a big, steep and long downhill run into the last mile where I could cover ground on pace and recover at the same time.

As the hill continued I was able to catch glimpses of Dave chasing me. At switchback sections I saw that I was probably extending the lead a little bit, maybe 15 seconds or so. At the same time, I derived a good dose of confidence recalling all the hill training I have been doing back home in Boone (which is much hillier than the Asheville area if you ask me). I hit the hills almost every day and came to the place where I was no longer "racing" but running the terrain as fast as I could. The "race event" in this sense fades to the role of a stage for performance, testing fitness, which is elevated as the distractions of competition fade and all that remains is the job at hand... getting up over the hill quickly.

Dividends
The slope gave way steadily and the course became a slight grade for a mile or so with a couple short steep spikes. As I reached the top of the course I caught some great views of the Asheville area below and then followed the escort vehicle down tight turns and steep grades.

Having the trust in your turnover and sustained leg speed is a skill which needs to be developed by running hills aggressively. You really have to allow the legs to spin freely on the steepest areas and then reconnect with your pace when the road levels out again.

I use trigger words to remind myself that the goal is not to run that screaming downhill pace for the remainder of the event but to settle back into the race as the terrain settles back... What I say to myself is "transition". This key word triggers proper running form and technique which put me in my effort/pace once again. I do this all the time, everyday any time terrain changes present themselves. As the course flattened out into  the end of mile 5 the 10k course rejoined the 5k and a straight and slightly downhill grade ushered me along. Thanks to preparation I was running fast and efficiently. The training was paying off and I was having a blast:)

Hold it together
Now I was back in a recognizable land. This was where I had warm up, I usually like to run the final mile of the course for key topography, so I knew I had 3 little hills ahead of me. I had no clue who was behind me or how close they were as I chased down the bumper of the lead vehicle but I had a good idea that I was laying down my best race in over a year. The finish line proved it in numbers too as I completed a very difficult course in 6:02 pace, 37:26 (full results)... compared to January's 38:51 on a MUCH gentler course I am feeling very good about where my training is and where my mind is leading into Boston next month.

The Takeaway
By adding consistent volume, with long and demanding (but very low effort) trail runs and regular short duration, but fast and intense speed work I have been able to quickly find my racing legs... this week that brought me a free rafting trip and a new pair of shoes from Foot RX in Asheville!! So at least I covered my entry fee and gas money... (getting a little out of hand don't you think? Anyone else driving to Boston?)

and... if you have made it this far in the report you deserve a prize yourself. So here is the traditional finisher's award for St. Patrick's Day races here on this blog.  Georgia Snail here are The Sirens for their annual visit:

The Sirens

Happy Running!

CTR 10k Report

This weekend kicked off the first of four consecutive race weekends for me. The longest streak of racing I've done in a memory. So, while I was hoping to run well- to run fast, I also had to remember that series competition lies ahead for the 3 weeks following.

Lynnea and I showed up early with Lily (the dog) and met RD Jenny Nichols and Beth Minnick for a quick visit before getting laced up for the shake out and swap to flats for the business at hand.

The course for the Christopher Todd Richardson Memorial Run 10k is set on an out and back on the Virginia Creeper Trail, a reformed railroad bed of crushed gravel. The grade is deceptive with a slight decline out and a seemingly larger incline on the return. It seems like it should be fast... but, not for me. Whether it is the repetitive "flat" running, the loose gravel or a lack of leg speed, I have yet to break 37 out on this course. A mystery since I am currently in the 34's on some hillier, paved courses... but I digress.

Runners Set!
The horn sounded and the runners were off, dust flying, arms swinging, feet pounding. Staying relaxed in a distant 4th position I moved through mile one in 5:52, a tad quick. Within a half mile or so I eased in 3rd as runners continued to adjust their effort level to the distance. The front runners were completely out of sight on this straight as a railroad track in the woods course. In other words, they were blazing right along!

It was a treat to watch that kind of running and remember the days when I might have been a bit closer before all the 50k non-sense began to make sense;) However, the word on the street is that David, the leader has run in the 28 range for 10k... so even still my 33:28 is a far cry from even thinking about anything other than running my own race.

Halfway there is not halfway done
The turnaround came quickly enough and then the real work began. The best part of an out and back is that you are able to see exactly how the field has strung out. You see how close things are, how the other runners are handling the workload, who might be ready to move up in the field... who went out too fast. And you certainly know by now all these things about yourself as well. I'd hit 18 minutes on the head for 3 miles, a little slow for 36 minute pace and I was certain the return trip was slower. Form check and I moved on promising to stay back for mile 4 and not increase the rate of travel quite yet.

Mile 4 is a gradual grade which you feel with the sudden change in perspective. Crossing two bridges and the majority of the field during this time there is plenty of distraction for the mind. I found myself being pulled into running a little too hard. Mile 4- 6:23... fading fast.

Each Runner an Island
Now the course was quiet and I was alone with the crunch of gravel under my flats. The breathe once so still was now raging to enter and escape. Discomfort was here and my tense shoulders were pleading for me to pull back and ease off. Decision time... another form check and a microscopic decrease in effort soon brought relief to my burning muscles. Lactate was reaching critical levels at this point. Recovery requires only a small shift in expenditure and a matter of time. Mile 5- 6:23.

Hope?
One mile to go! Reaching the final aid station and the truly flat ground of the stretch mile! Not that I was feeling much fresher. In fact, I was falling apart physically. My limbs were over reaching as the power had all been sapped and my patience was being tested. Legs reaching for the extra inch of ground toward the finish at this point create the braking effect and increase in effort required to maintain body speed. I was in the fog and listening to the whispers from a distant echo of past experience.

"Reset your form. Run from the center- it is powerful."
"This is painful."
"Less so than quitting..."
"yes, I this is true..."
"Let's go then, you are light, quick, strong!"

The dialogue continues in waves in response to such searing sensations.

"This is the test."
"This sucks..."
"Exactly..."

Synergy
As if pain were it own medium of transport I reached the 6 mile mark... and I see David, the aforementioned flyer. He is there to run me in! I welcome the aid. 50m and feeling fast, a manageable level of pain building. David asked for me to push harder! To reach out for more, to drive my arms... I know he is right and I drive and drive and we are moving so fast now. This is painful. I want it to be over, David is so happy now, he asks for more as we reach 100m to go, the banner is there. It is not time to stop, time to fly. I can feel his energy carrying me forward. This is not my spirit doing this. David's desire for me to run as fast as I am capable is to thank, my legs are not mine at this moment. His spirit directs my brain, the body just follows. My pain and my smile and my relief and my memory of that brief moment are all deepest thank you from one runner to another.

The Essential Runner

The rush of Relief
I stumbled toward Lynnea and regathered myself. Soon enough life returned to normal. The peripheral returned. Meanwhile, David turned around, back out onto the course. Around the corner he disappeared. Only to return shortly, this time with Annette Bednosky, overall woman, pushing her from her comfort zone. Then he turned out onto the course again, and again, and again... eventually David ran in every runner he could reach out to! He asked the same desire out of each of us, and probably gave more to each of us than we would have given ourselves otherwise.

Custom finisher's awards!! Top 3 overall. That's me, George (1st place) and David (L-R)