Good times!

Definitely not quite the finish time I was hoping for, and a lapse in concentration during the third mile probably killed off any slim chance I had of setting a new PR today. In truth the weather was far from ideal for a lifetime best race – temps in the 80s and high, high humidity will always work against you – but as I warmed up and prepared my mind, I was still hopeful for a fast time.

The race was due to start at 7:45am, and I timed my warm up routine to end just 4 or 5 minutes before this time. Mistake #1. With the sheer volume of traffic still entering the hospital grounds there was no way the race could start on time (thanks Ryan for the heads-up – wish you’d told me before I’d started the warm up….). No matter, I was well-hydrated, feeling relaxed and definitely raring to go. After a fantastic rendition of the US National Anthem (probably the best I’ve ever heard at any race), the starter called us to order and we were off.

The first half mile was silly (roughly 5:27 pace), but I eased off a little and soon settled into a nice rhythm with several good guys for company – friendly rival (if that makes sense) Billy Chorey being one of them. We passed one mile in 5:44, still a little quick, but definitely still feeling good. I suppose if you’re not feeling good one mile into an 8k, then you’re never going to have a good race.

Mile 2 also felt fairly comfortable (5:51), but the heat was rising and I wondered if I’d missed a water stop. I wasn’t so much thirsty, but definitely could have used a cup or two to cool myself off. I think I caught up to John Adams at about this stage of the race. He’d gone out really fast (as he always does) and was still running well. We exchanged a few words before I pressed on towards the halfway mark where thankfully the only water stop of the race was located.

Looking back, I’m not sure what happened in this third mile. I thought I’d surged to get faster (or at the very least maintain pace), but as the Garmin beeped and displayed a 6:07, I think I let out an audible “huh?”. The rest of the race is a bit of a blur. From what I remember, Billy Chorey was a short distance ahead and I was working at my max just trying to stay with him. I kind of drew level a couple of times but never felt comfortable, and to complicate the situation there was soon pressure from a couple of runners behind. I just knew the footsteps behind were from two guys in my age-group and probably talked myself out of having enough left in the tank to beat them.

Sure enough, they soon drew level and then surged ahead. I surged too and somehow managed to stay with them for about 30 seconds before something inside said “let them go”. Physically I was at my limit, but looking back, I’m not happy with my uncharacteristic mental weakness. Next time will be different, that’s for sure.

Surprisingly, looking back at my Garmin splits, I did manage to pick up the pace in the last two miles but I’m still mad for being passed by John and Kevin in the closing stages.

The heat and humidity were very oppressive, but I dealt with the conditions pretty well. No complaints with the weather. The race starting 15 minutes late didn’t help my precision warm-up routine either, but again, no complaints – all the runners were kept waiting the same amount of time. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have run the 13 miler on Wednesday evening. Actually, let me rephrase that – I probably shouldn’t have run the 13 miler on Wednesday evening at 6:30 something pace. For me that’s almost race pace and realistically there was no way I would fully recover in 60 hours to run a lifetime best 8k. Also, the lunges and skipping on the following evening were probably not the smartest thing to do either. Physical lesson definitely learned, but I do have to work on the mental side of racing too. I won’t be passed in the last half mile of a race like that again.

One last comment. Today was probably the best turnout of local talent for quite some time and it was a real pleasure to be a part of the race and mix it up with the best in the region. I also feel really privileged to know so many great people in the running community and can’t wait to get back out there and start prepping for the next race. Oh yeah, I won a $10 gift certificate to the local running store which is always a nice bonus. Good times!

My legs were a tad achy this morning after yesterday’s solo World Media Run, but after a brief warm up in the rain, and 4 or 5 minutes stretching, I was raring to go. I could tell many of the race entrants were not sharing my enthusiasm and the bizarre pre-race thunder and lightning didn’t help their mood either. After a brief warning to be careful on the sodden course and a couple of quick “have a good race” exchanges, the horn sounded and we were off.

The first 200 meters were a lot of fun – a huge stampede of adrenaline pumped runners, charging through the puddles towards the first turn. I must have been in about 50th place or worse as were traced the outline of a lacrosse field and headed back towards the start line where a pleasant surprise was in store – a neat stack of hay bales to be jumped, hurdled or climbed over. Instead of hurdling as I did last year, I chose to step onto the first bale, up onto the top pile and push off to land on the ground – great fun!

Just around the next couple of turns we passed the one mile marker, which came in at about 6 minutes 8 seconds. I soon realized today would not be a day for a fast time, but with nearly four miles to go, there was still a lot of racing to be done. The next portion of the race headed out to a narrow trail around the back of the college campus on which we were running, and signaled the start of the mud! I closely tracked a couple of runners but made sure I looked ahead to follow the best [least muddy] route. Before we knew it, however, we were off the trail and onto a road which would take us to the two mile mark and the only “hill” of the course.

Mile 2 was a bit slower (6:12), and although I’d passed several struggling runners by this point, I was starting to feel rather fatigued myself. Approaching the three mile mark we had to navigate the hay bales once again – this time they were significantly softer than on the first loop, and I almost lost a shoe in the soggy haystack. Mile 3 came in at 6:30 (my slowest) and once again we headed out to the muddy trail which was now quite badly cut up and even soggier than just 15 minutes earlier.

With the incentive of catching a couple of runners ahead, I somehow quickened to a 6:25 fourth mile, and realizing there was less than a mile to race, pushed on to the finish. I managed to catch two of the runners in front of me, but was passed in return by two other runners in the final half mile. As the clock ticked well into the 31 minutes, I sprinted through the puddles and towards the finish line, unaware that I’d quickened a little more to a 6:21 final mile.

I finished the 8k in 31 minutes 44 seconds, good enough for 12th place overall and 1st in the 40-44 age group – not my fastest 8k XC race, but a solid effort after yesterday’s 5k and in today’s challenging conditions.

About an hour later at the post race awards ceremony, and after a 1.5 mile cool down and a change into semi-dry clothes, I found out I’d won the 3 race series 40-44 age group by about 6 minutes. Also, I’m now the proud owner of a very cool and unique trophy (above left) which has been added to my growing collection.

This is the fourth year of the Mud In Your Eye XC Series and I’ve been lucky enough to compete in every race. Today’s race, although cold, wet and miserable to many, was so much fun and a great test of strength and character, but I must admit I’m feeling a little jaded tonight after 2 big efforts in 2 days. I’m looking forward, however, to picking myself up and preparing for tomorrow’s Colonial Half Marathon – a challenging, hilly 13.1 mile race that takes place about an hour away in Williamsburg, Virginia. Luckily start time isn’t until 1pm, so at least I can use the morning to get myself mentally and physically ready.

Detailed metrics from today’s race are available by clicking on the MotionBased image below: