2016 Big Cottonwood Marathon

I have qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon, so for this year I decided to run Big Cottonwood Marathon in Salt Lake City, then the Mesa-Phoenix Marathon in February and then Boston in April.  I aimed to use Big Cottonwood as a training run, shoot for a PR at Phoenix, and then run at least a qualifying time at Boston.

I have never used a coach before, but decided to explore options.  Some good running friends have used DD and so I met with him.  He is an accomplished runner, has experience coaching, and he spoke to me in terms that I was familiar with.  He isn’t overly technical in his approach and he is very flexible to be able to give me workouts that fit around my work and travel schedule and tolerate my triathlon pursuits.  I decided to give it a try and started working with him in mid-July.  That gave just under eight weeks to prepare for Big Cottonwood.  Normally, that is not enough time to do a proper buildup, but I was working off a strong base of running already.  DD soon had me up to 40+ miles/week and I was feeling strong.

Course map and profile

The Big Cottonwood course starts at 9700 ft elevation and ends at 4500 ft.  Most of the descent is in the first 18 miles and then there is a flat out and back section before a final slight descent for the last two miles.  This is more total descent than St George and it is earlier in the race.  The downhill course is advertised as being good for qualifying and good for setting PRs. 

At the race expo, we heard that temperatures were expected to be low 40s in the morning, so I decided to go to a thrift store to pick up some throw away clothing.  I found a nice 2002 SLC Olympics sweatshirt and some track pants for a total of $6.  The race bag had gloves, a beanie, and a thermal blanket to help. 

Originally, two friends were also going to run this race, but unfortunately, both had injuries and could not do it.  The only other person I knew on the course was HD who was pacing with Run Your Race (RYR) Pacers, the same group I paced with at the Haunted Half last year.  Kandyce came with me and we had a nice time having an early dinner with friends the night before. 

Gear: Newton Gravity IV, Wright Socks, Brooks Cadence singlet, Nike shorts.  SPI Belt with 3 AMPED Fuel gels and 4 salt tablets.  Sweatshirt, track pants, beanie, and gloves.  Also, I had a blow-up pool toy to sit on at the start so I didn’t have to sit on cold rocks.  I did not take my phone or sunglasses.  I decided to run to nature’s music and since we were heading West all morning I figured I would not need the glasses. 

Nutrition: IsaLean shake and banana early morning, AMPED Power and e+Shot before the race, AMPED Fuel and water during the race.

Coach DD gave me a race plan of slower than 7:30 for first five miles, then 7:15-7:30 for next five miles, then aim for 1:37 at halfway.  For the second half, I would aim for a negative split to finish the race.  Once I got to mile 19 I could go as fast as I could.  My goal was to PR (<3:16) and my stretch goal was 3:10.  I thought it would be hard but possible.  The one aspect that made me nervous was the amount of descent. 

Unlike St George, I got a good night’s sleep the night prior to the race.  I drove over solo as Kandyce was going to take an Uber to meet me at the finish later.  The buses took us up the canyon and it was a long windy road.  They dropped us off at the top near Brighton Ski Resort and I could just start to see light on the horizon to the East.  I made my way to the port-a-johns and then found a spot on the ground to wait for the start.  We were on a lookout spot just at the crest of the hill where the road starts to go down to Deer Valley and Park City.  The upcoming sunrise was spectacular as we waited for the appointed start time.

View from the top

When we were summoned to the start, I ditched my gear bag in the truck and then took off my track pants moments before the gun.  It was cool but I was not uncomfortably cold.  I started about 10 rows back so that I wouldn’t be in amongst too much traffic during the first miles.  The gun sounded and off we went. 

The first mile has 460 feet of descent.  I tried to keep my pace around 7:30 but it was hard to go this pace because of the slope and because of the people passing me.  I stuck to the plan.  Subsequent miles were not quite as steep, but many had more than 300 feet of descent.  At about mile four there was a loop with a bit of a climb and I eased up a bit.  It seemed that others eased up a lot because I was passing people in this stage.  I ditched my sweatshirt at an aid station, but kept my beanie and gloves.  At mile five my average was 7:32, right on target.  I let my pace increase slightly and ran several miles in the 7:15 to 7:25 range.  At mile ten my average was 7:25. I ditched the beanie, but kept my gloves still.  There was just enough cool in the air to keep my hands from warming up.  My half marathon split was 1:37, so I was right on plan.  I felt good about executing to the plan, but I could tell my legs and particularly my calves were more sore than normal.

I followed my previous strategy of taking a couple sips of water at every aid station and I used gels about every 45 minutes.  My stomach stayed settled.  I did experience some mild cramping feelings for a while, but it was not debilitating.  I’m not sure what the reason was, but it eventually abated.

The next five miles were fantastic.  The canyon views continued with fall colors, waterfalls, rocks, and the sun was now on my shoulders.  I ditched my gloves at mile 16 and my lap pace was now in the 7:10 range.  I watched as my average pace crept downwards to 7:23 at about mile 18.  This was well into PR range if I could hold it.  I was passing many runners and I noticed that while my breathing was steady, many others had labored breathing.  I felt really good about my fitness level.

At mile 19, the course exits the canyon and turns North for an out and back segment.  Along this portion, the net elevation change is zero, but there are some gentle hills for about four miles.  At this point, the downhill was catching up to me.  My calves were very sore and I could no longer hold low 7s.  I pressed on and hoped that I could recover somewhat and pick up the pace again.  With each passing mile, my calves felt tighter and sorer and I could not go faster.  At this stage of the race I felt different than on previous marathons.  In past runs my fatigue seems to hit my cardio capability and legs equally.  At St. George, my quads and calves both fatigued heavily over the last eight miles.  This time, it was predominantly pain in my calves.  It got so bad that I was worried about a tear or other injury.  My pace slowed to mid 8s, and then to low 9s.  I realized that I was not going to be able to PR without risking injury.  I made a decision to ease up on my effort level a bit and concentrate on finishing safe. 

I saw HD on the out portion of the out and back; she looked well and gave me a big shout.  Later she would tell me I was looking pained.  At the end of the out and back, the course turns downhill once again for the last 2+ miles.  I thought maybe I could speed up a touch here, but the pain was too great.  I took short walk/stretch breaks and carried on.

By now, the temperature was rising in the sun, but I don’t think this was much of a factor for me.  The wind was negligible.  I didn’t ever feel any effects of the high elevation.  The only significant struggle of the course for me was the amount of descent.

This says it all

The finish line was in sight and I moved along the chute hearing cheers and looking for Kandyce, but there were too many people and I didn’t spot her.  I crossed the finish at 3:28, so I was just outside of BQ time for me.  I stayed on my feet, received a medal, and took some water.  I spotted Kandyce, smiled at her, and made my way to a nearby fence which I used for support.  There was too much of a line for a massage so I took some food and found my gear bag and we headed to the parking lot… slowly!

Back at the house I had a shower and booked a massage.  I ate some food and had a rest.  I was worried that the massage would be painful on my calves, but it was not.  The therapist worked my muscles but it did not hurt; it only hurt to walk. 

For five days, I was hobbling around the house.  Thankfully we now have a single-story home so there are no stairs to plague me.   I took a week completely off running.  The Friday after the race I went for a swim and then Saturday I went for an easy ride.  The next week I started some recovery running again.  For about three weeks I felt lingering effects of the run, but I did not have an injury to deal with. 

That last 5k really hurt!

I examined my race in Strava and looked at the splits of some of the other runners.  Most had a split similar to mine with the last 5-7 miles being much slower than the first 20.  There were a couple runners that I found that had an even split and in their comments, they said that they had a PR.  I was most impressed by this.  HD said that her brother had a negative split, set a PR, and qualified for Boston.  I asked her what he did for training.  She said that he ran portions of the course several times since he lives in Utah.  I think the only way to properly prepare for the BCM is to run the course.

When I tell people about the BCM, immediately they comment on how painful it must have been on my knees.  Fortunately, I have not had any pain in my knees or joints while running.  My limiting factor at this race seems to have been muscle fatigue and I plan to address that with more leg strength work.

Next up is the Gilbert Half Marathon, HITS Palm Springs 140.6 triathlon, Phoenix Marathon, and then Boston Marathon.  Lots of running to do!

My best fan!

2016 Ironman Oceanside 70.3

April 2, 2016

This race was my fifth half-Ironman and first at Oceanside.   I had heard from so many friends that Oceanside is a gorgeous course and fun race to do.  I also had the impression that it was on the easier side compared to St George.  It was earlier in the season so harder to prepare for coming out of winter, but we live in AZ so not impossible.

Well most of that was true.  However, it was a harder course than I anticipated from reports.  There is not as much climbing on the bike as St. George, but there are several climbs and some are very steep (up to 14%!), so it is a good challenge.  The run is mostly flat, but there are several steep ramps to climb that are very disruptive to pacing and effort level.

Back to pre-race.  My training for this race was strong on the run, medium on the bike, and weak on the swim.  I had run Phoenix marathon five weeks back and kept running through March, so I felt confident on the run.  I did not have as much time on my bike as I would have liked because of the marathon training and also due to travel for work (easy to pack sneakers, but not a bike!).  I only managed to get out to swim once in Rockypoint with my friend GP, so at least I had some open water swimming in the Ocean. 

My goal heading into the race was to beat my best previous time which was 5:30 at St. George last year.  I want to get to sub-5 hours at this distance, but I did not believe I had the training build up to hit it at this race.  I studied out the pacing I would need to hit 5:00 and 5:15 and 5:30 so that I would know where to aim given conditions.   

KL and I drove out Friday morning and after a stop at the rental home, we headed to race check-in.  Two different volunteers describing the course both commented about the difficulty of the 2^nd half of the course, and they said it would be advisable to not go too hard during the flat first half.  Well, I decided I better follow that advice.  I had heard about the steep hill half way through that forces some to walk and many to zig zag.  Yikes.

The forecast for the morning was cool and most of my racing friends were planning to wear sleeves on the bike, so I prepared to do the same.  I forgot my aero bar bottle at home so I only had the two water bottle holders on my bike.  I decided to put Replenish in my bottle and then use the other holder to swap water bottles from the aid stations.  I planned to use wax for my ears as in previous races and everything else was the same as before.  After some browsing around the expo and a visit to the beach we headed back to the house and then I went to go rack my bike at Transition.  My number was 2769 and since it was close to the end of the check in time, there were not very many slots open.  I found mine and noticed a bike with similar colors just a few slots down.  Back to the house for dinner and sleep.

We were staying with three other couples and TW and a total of five of us were racing.  We shared our goals and plans and started our pre-race preparations.  I didn’t have any problem sleeping.  I woke up an hour early and thought for a minute that I would have a hard time getting back to sleep, but I dozed off and woke to my alarm.  Glad for that extra hour!  Three of the guys were starting in the first wave and then TW and I were near the end, so they left a bit earlier.  The ladies were planning to get up and see us at the start.

The sun was rising as we set up in transition.  I love the energy of having a couple thousand athletes getting ready for GO time.  There is nervous anticipation, some panic, lots of bike preparation, and of course squeezing into wetsuits.  I walked down the aisle to 2769 and to my shock, that slot was empty!  What?  Where is my bike?  I have an older road bike with aero bars.  It has been a great bike for me, but it is far from the most desirable on the racks, so I did not think for a minute that it was stolen, but where could it be?  Would I be able to race?  Yikes!  I started walking to a race volunteer, but as I was walking I remembered the bike that was similar colors and I had not noticed it this morning.  So I headed back down the aisle and past my spot.  A little way down I spotted my bike.  Turns out I racked it on 2669!  What a bozo.  There was not an extra bike there, so apparently that competitor did not show.  What are the chances of both those slots being open? 

After that mild panic I moved my bike and started getting my transition gear sorted out.  Air in tires felt good, spread out my gear, put nutrition on the bike, and started to put on wetsuit.  I thought briefly about visiting the toilet, but the line was too long.  I did see RB and RB and wished them well and then got the rest of my wetsuit on.  I found Kandyce for a picture and a smooch for speed, then I met back up with RB because he was in my age group.  

Our wave was in the chute waiting to move ahead when the race volunteers had us all move to one side.  The pros were nearly finished and would be passing by.  First the men, then a few minutes later, the women, all came by us.  It was very cool to see them all in race mode.  After some time, we finally moved forward and came near the ramp.  The sun was just above the horizon and it was starting to feel quite pleasant out.  I handed my clothes bag to a volunteer and took a few steps but then realized I forgot to take off my Oofos (awesome sandals for post-race recovery)!  I did not want to donate them to charity so I turned around and started looking for my bag.  I told the volunteer and she took them and asked for my number and told me she would make sure they got in the bag.  Thank-you!

Soon we were entering the water.  I got my Garmin ready and almost forgot to put it in multisport mode.  Then I put my goggles on and the strap came loose.  What the heck?!?  Fortunately, the clip that broke was not the one on the goggles themselves, so I was able to thread the strap through and just tie it off.  No more adjustments though!  What else could go wrong?

The water was not cold.  I swam to the start and bobbed in the water waiting for the gun.  The swim went smooth for me.  At the far buoy I looked at my watch and saw 0.6 miles and 17:30 minutes.  That was a great pace for me, especially with the limited training!  I took heart and kept at it.  On the far stretch I started to feel the sensation of swells and sure enough when I sighted for the buoy I was sometimes at the top of a large swell coming in from the opening through the breakwater.  It did not feel like I was fighting current, but it was hard to judge since the water was dark and the shore was far away.  After the next big turn we were heading back to the start.  There were swim caps of all colors around me as some from later waves passed me and I passed some from earlier waves.  I managed to keep a steady stroke and I did not have any problem with the salt water.  On the last stretch before the end of the swim, my left calf seized up.  I had experienced this before, so instead of stopping, I kept my arms and right leg going while I let my left leg go limp and try and wait out the cramp.  It gradually loosened up and I was able to start using it again, but it hurt.  I thought and hoped it was behind me.

No issues in transition except that it is a long run and I there were no wetsuit strippers to help out.  I miss that luxury.  I got my sleeves out, but it was feeling pretty warm so I just stuffed in my pocket and sprayed on sunscreen.  I headed towards the bike out.

The bike was pleasant at first.  I was pushing steady, but not max effort.  I was trying to be conservative to have some left for the climbs.  Once on Camp Pendleton, I loved seeing TANK XING written across the road and some HUMVEES with .50 cal guns on the roof.  In the distance I could hear some ordinance going off.  Soldiers lined the route and were manning the aid stations on base.  It was awesome.  Soon enough THE climb appeared.  It was ominous as I could see the cyclists barely moving up the incline.  I took a drink, got my mind set, and got to work.  I started out with a steady cadence, then as the incline steepened, I geared up and stood out of my saddle.  I started passing many riders.  I kept attacking the hill and watched as many got off their bikes to walk.  I alternated in and out of the saddle and started to feel strangely good.  I think it is the passing that fuels my fire.  I glanced at my watch and saw the grade was 13.6% at that point.  I pressed on and could see the crest of the hill ahead.  Nobody passed me on the climb.  I have no idea how many I passed, but it was a lot and I felt strong.  I have SP to thank for our SOMO power lunch climbs in March!

Up and over the top my speed picked up and I took on some nutrition.  The rolling hills in this part of the course were scenic and challenging, but the hardest climb was behind me.  There is a section that is a no passing zone with a speed limit of 25mph.  I planned to eat during this section while descending.  It was a short section and only lasted a minute or so.  I got back to work as the course started to turn west and head back to the shore.  I wanted to pee, but the course was pretty crowded.  I found a gap and as I rolled up to a rider in front of me, I got out of my saddle and let it go.  I started pedaling again and prepared to overtake the rider in front of me.  I looked to the left and noticed a motorcycle with a couple on it and I recognized that they were race officials.  The woman on the rear had a notepad and seemed to look at me, then her notepad, and then write something down.  I realized that for those few moments, it must have looked as though I was drafting the rider in front of me! I wasn’t trying to, I just wanted to avoid giving him a shower!  For the next 20 minutes I fretted about getting a penalty.  At transition I was expecting to be pulled over for a 4-minute visit to the sin bin, but I passed on through.  CC told me after that they flag you when you get a penalty so that you know it right then.  Phew!  No issues on the rest of the ride.  Nutrition consumed, hydration good, no flats, and I thought through my next transition steps.  I pushed the pace into the wind on the final stretch and managed to get my overall average above 20 mph, for a bike PR.

It turned out that I did not miss having my top bottle on the bike.  I was able to keep water in the front cage and the full bottle of Replenish lasted the whole ride.  I liked not having it there because it does tend to rattle and be annoying.  I would still need it for a full Ironman though.

Racked the bike, changed shoes (5s to get them on with Slick Laces) and hats (Cadence of course), and off I went.  My calf bothered me somewhat during the ride and I did not know what to expect on the run.  I got moving and trying to stretch it out a bit while running.  The day was not hot yet, but it was heading there.  I did not have any uncomfortable spots other than my calf, so overall I was feeling pretty good.  At this point, I thought I was in good position for a race PR, but I knew it would take a great run.  I tried to settle in to sub-8 minute pace and then hold it. 

The course goes across the harbor bridge and then out to the strand along the beachfront.  This is where I first saw Kandyce on course and she was with KB.  They yelled like crazy and that was a real boost.  I tried to look fresh and fastJ  Shortly after that the course goes up the ramp and onto the board walk.  That ramp is steep!  It got harder and harder to hang on to the 8 min pace.  I sipped some water at every aid station, then took some Amped Fuel at mile 4.  The cheering was fantastic.  Along the run I kept looking for other friends on course going the other way.  I saw several, but some I never noticed. 

After the halfway point I knew I was going to have a hard time getting to PR.  I kept pressing and refused to walk.  Even up the ramps I kept my knees moving and even thought I might have been able to walk faster, I kept the running cadence.  It was hottest in the middle part of the loop where the run goes down a street lined with houses on both sides towards the turn around.  After the 2^nd turn around with about 2 miles to go, I tried my best to speed up, but I could not sustain it.  I tried to match pace with some of the runners passing, but I faded each time.  I knew it would be close, the time was ticking by.  There were two times that I almost stopped running, but I willed myself on despite the screaming from my legs.  The upward slope was daunting, but I kept thinking that it would soon be over and I would be mad if I walked and missed my PR! 

I crossed the finish, raised an arm and started looking for a place to sit!  I wasn’t sure of my official time, but my Garmin said 5:31, which was one minute behind my PR from St. George last year.  I found Kandyce and gave her a big sweaty hug.  I collected my medal and hat and headed off towards the food! 

Gear: Swim:  Zoot 5.0 wetsuit, OYL Racing tri top and shorts, 2 swim caps, ear wax, TYR goggles; Bike: Trek Madone 5.2 with aero bars (but no top bottle), gloves, Oakley sunglasses, Specialized Prevail helmet, Wrightsocks; Run: Newton Distance shoes with Slick Laces, race belt with bib and pouch for gels, Cadence hat.

Nutrition: Pre-race: IsaLeanPro shake, banana, peanut butter mini bagel; Pre-swim: Amped Power, E-shot; Bike: Replenish, Amped Fuel gels, IsaLean Lemon Bar, 2 salt tabs, peanut butter mini bagel; Run: E-shot, Amped Fuel gels, orange slices.

• Swim: 42:17
• T1: 6:24
• Bike: 2:46:48 (1 min PR)
• T2: 4:10
• Run: 1:52:06 (6 min PR)
• Total: 5:31:45

The swim ended up longer than I expected.  I think there was current after the far turn that was slowing us down.  Also the cramp hindered me.  However, I was still comfortable coming out of the water.  On the bike I was thrilled about my climb and pleased I improved my PR.  The run was hard, but for the second time I was able to avoid walking, and I improved my time.  I was surprised to see how much slower transition was; I was over 4 minutes slower than St. George for T1 and T2 combined.  I think it helped last year to have a mini tri before to get the rust off of the transitions.  Part of it was due to the long narrow transition area that takes time to cross, but I still need to approach them with more urgency.

Although I was disappointed at just missing a PR time, I was thrilled with the strong results and I take away some important lessons:

•           Avoid pointing toes constantly in the swim to reduce chance of calf strain.
•           Hustle more in transition and practice beforehand if possible.
•           Careful not to draft in any situation!
•           I can afford to be more aggressive on the bike as I did not fall apart on the run. 
•           I love the Oceanside race!

Next up: Las Palomas Olympic in Rockypoint.  Vamanos!

2016 Froyo Run 10k

February 13, 2016

Some friends invited Kandyce and I to run in the FroYo Run in Tempe.  It was two weeks before the Phoenix Marathon, so we figured it would be suitable timing for a challenging effort with enough time for recovery.  We both elected to run the 10k.  In all, about 15 of our friends entered either the 5k or the 10k.

Although I have run 10k many times in training, I had never raced a 10k before, so I was uncertain what pacing I should aim for.  Looking at my training data and talking with some running friends, I decided that 42 minutes would be a challenge to hit and that I should start out just slightly slower than the 6:46 average pace I would need to hit 42 minutes and then accelerate as I warmed up.

The day was cool when we arrived, but by race time the sun was up and it had warmed up just enough to take the chill off.  I ran about ¾ of a mile along the lake shore to warm up before heading to the start.  The race starts on the Mill Ave bridge heading North with a slight incline.   There were pacing signs in the crowd and I kept moving forward to find my target time.  There were very few people at the front of the starting area.  On my way up I found Kandyce and a few of my friends, wished them luck and got ready to run.

At the starting gun there were maybe 15 people ahead of me.  I did not rush ahead; rather I just started off in the pack and made sure I warmed up without any strains.  As my heart rate rose, I gradually accelerated and started passing people.  At the end of the bridge the route turned left and headed down a slope to the main foot path and looped under to head East around the lake.  I took care to watch my footing, but I definitely let my speed increase on the hill.  The course leveled out and once I hit my target pace of 6:46, I tried to hold steady. 

About a mile in, I could see that there were six people ahead of me.  The closest ahead of me was a woman about 20m away.  She was also running very steady and strong, but I could see that I was slowly gaining ground.  When I caught up to her, I stayed slightly behind just for a few strides to recover slightly, then I stepped on it to make a gap.  After a minute she was at least 100m behind.  I settled back into a 6:45ish pace.

The next two racers ahead of me looked like they were running together.  The taller/older one in the rear was telling the younger one in front where to turn.  It was as though he couldn’t see or read because at times he almost took a wrong turn.  They were both running very well and I had to work just to keep the same gap.

At we passed the half way point and started the second loop, my pace was slowing slightly to around 7:00ish but I was gaining confidence that I would be able to hang on and finish 6^th overall, which would be not too shabby and totally beyond my expectations!  I didn’t know the ages of the runners in front of me, so I did not know where I stood in my age group.  At least three of the runners were 30ish or younger, so I was pretty sure I had a podium spot in my age group.  As it got harder to hang on to the pace, I started to accept the 6^th place and my thoughts swirled around what was the least I could suffer and maintain that position. 

I realized where my mind was going and so I switched my thoughts towards trying to muster the mental strength to push hard enough to pass the next two racers to move into 4^th.  I also thought that if I pushed too hard that I could crack, they could pass me back, and I could also drop to lower than 6^th.  I quickly dismissed that negative thought and decided that I wanted to see if I could win the battle of the brain.

At the McClintock bridge, the course turns North for a few meters to get up on the bridge and then it heads South.  At this point, I could see all of the other runners in front of me.  The leader was well ahead, but still in sight on the overpass.  The younger runner in the pair ahead of me needed a little coaching to follow the course though this stage so I was able to gain some steps.  Once I was on the bridge, I was about 20m back and it was a slight uphill rise.  I quickly decided to catch them on the climb and then try and gap them on the descent.  The noise of the traffic on the bridge masked my footsteps as I approached, so I don’t think they knew I was so close.  When I was in their shadow, I eased up just a bit to recover and wait for the crest of the bridge.  Then as the slope started down, I accelerated past the older runner and set my sights on the younger runner.  I caught up at the end of the bridge at the point where the course does a right hairpin and then heads through an aid station before the home stretch.  Again, I took advantage of the fact that he had some difficulty following the course on his own and stepped to the inside for the hairpin turn.  Sounds harsh, but this is a race after all!  I did not grab water at this aid station so that I could put some extra distance between me and them.  About a quarter mile later I glanced back and they were both well back.  They didn’t or weren’t able to respond.

It hurt.  It was getting warmer, there was about 2km left and yet I was hanging on.  Even though it was getting much harder to hold my pace, my mental victory to make the pass gave me wind in my sails and I focused on keeping the hammer down.  The course had a few zigs onto the dirt so I had to be careful of my footing.  There were people along the side of the course and I couldn’t make out any racers ahead of me, so with less than 1km left I did not see any possibility of moving up.  Another check back and I was well ahead of the two in back of me.  Just.  Hang.  On.

I somehow missed running through the FroZone water sprayer tunnel.  As I approached the finish archway, I realized that the course was about 0.1mi short.  I wanted to get an actual 10k time (OCD), so I finished, and kept running through the end and along the trail to reach 6.2mi.  Then I turned around and jogged slowly back to cool down.  I collected my medal, some water, then went to watch for friends and Kandyce.  I saw the pair that was behind me and I congratulated them.  I saw the woman that I passed early on and she told me she tried hard to hang on but just couldn’t.  She held on to her position though and nobody else passed her.  Then I saw KL come through and a few minutes later TL and Kandyce came through.

A highlight of the recovery at this race is the frozen yogurt of course!  The medal was a silver spoon.  We checked the results and I finished in 43 minutes flat for 4^th overall and 1^st in my age group.  Kandyce also finished 1^st in her age group and so did KL and a few others in our group.  We hung around for the awards and received a golden spoon medal for the age group wins! 

The winner was EK, who I have trained with before, with a blistering time of 37:48.  The racer in front of me finished 49s ahead, so was well out of reach.  All three ahead of me were younger than 35.  The pair behind me finished 18 and 22 seconds back and had the same last name, so I assume they were father and son.

I missed my target time of 42 minutes by 1 minute, which is about 10s per mile, but I had a mental victory that I was very happy about.  I found I could dig deeper.  I found that I could execute strategy to pass with authority.  I found that the energy that comes from passing racers seems to compensate for the depletion of energy that it takes to do it, and then some.