Fleet Feet Gives Back 4 Mile Trail Race - Report
I woke up Saturday 2/4 with a cold and sour stomach and ended up not doing the run workout. I decided rather than try and do Sunday's run workout and quit half way through I would sign up for a local trail race, the Fleet Feet Gives Back 4 Mile Trail Race at Mendon Ponds Park in Mendon, NY (near Rochester). Race conditions: Overcast day with temperatures in the low 30's, a few snowflakes falling and no wind. My vitals: 32 year old male, 5'11'', 166 lbs.
So...Sunday 2/5 my cold hadn't gotten any better and my stomach was still off. I showed up at the race site about 40 minutes before race time and signed in. Something I learned last year was to scout out the last .5 mile or so of a trail race so that when you get towards the end you know when to start your kick. I followed this strategy, found a hill and did a few repeats and went through my stretching routine. I got back to the start area with 2-3 minutes to spare so I didn't have to stand around a long time.
Originally there were several options for this race including distances of 2 or 4 miles, snowshoe, and cross country ski races. With no snow on the ground it turned into a 2 or 4 mile trail race. Basically, you did either 1 or 2 loops of the 2-mile course depending on your distance. I scouted out the crowd at the start and there weren't a ton of people there, maybe 150 at most. I recognized a few people from the local running scene, but none of the typical speed demons.
It looked like I could be one of the faster people there so I positioned myself right on the starting line. I didn't have a pacing strategy for the race. I just wanted to make sure I pushed myself and got a good workout. I never ran the race before and hadn't scouted out the course so I really didn't have an idea what to expect pace wise or with elevation and technicality of the course.
The gun goes off and about .1 mile in I'm positioned in 3rd place close to the leaders. About .25 mile in #2 guy starts losing track of the leader so I decided to pass him to give myself a chance at the leader not really having any idea if I could hang on or pass the guy. The pace we were running at was relatively uncomfortable but at a distance of only 4 miles it was sustainable. About 1 mile in I looked back to see how far back the 3rd place guy was and he was out of sight (cool). The first 2 mile loop I was right behind the leader breathing down his neck the entire time. He had to know I was there because I was breathing heavy and coughing and blowing snots every now and then. I could have passed him during the first 2 miles (and the thought did cross my mind to pass him and try and slow down the pace) but I was working hard and decided to let him pull me. (I'm not sure if the slowdown strategy would even work.)
As we crossed the 2 mile mark the leader decided to turn it on a little bit and I followed, but the distance between us started to grow...From mile 2.25 to mile 3 he was able to get some separation from me on the hills. I could still see him but he was no longer in striking distance until we reached a really technical section at mile 3. He either slowed down or I took a better line through this section but I was on him again by 3.1 miles We hit a big hill at mile 3.5 and this is where I lost it. My stomach was screaming at me (didn't feel good the entire race), I wanted to puke, and the hills had taken their toll. The leader got up the hill a lot quicker than me and he was gone. I hung on the last 1/2 mile for 2nd place, eventually losing by 25 seconds.
Considering everything it was a good race for me and I was happy with my performance. It felt good to get outside and run after spending so much time on the TM the last few months. There are 2 things that affected my race performance...1) not feeling 100%, 2) running strictly on the TM the last few months (I know, excuses are a dime a dozen)
2nd place sounds a lot better than it really was...There were only 61 people in the 4 mile race, ha ha. But, it was fun being near the front of the pack and racing the leader.
My watch says: 4.17 miles in 32:44 for a pace of 7:51
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/147524366
Comments
And a podium finish is a podium finish....period. You earned it!