I've known of this particular race for years, but could never quite fit it into my schedule. This time in 2012, I finally managed to throw my name in the mix. It is known for being somewhat hilly, more of a rolling course than one with big climbs, but certainly not flat. Being on the 4th of July, it is also guaranteed to be hot.
At the 8AM start, it actually wasn't that bad, temperatures were in the high 70s, and the sky was overcast. It was still humid out, as I was sweating a good deal after a 2 mile warm up. It wasn't quite as bad as my Sunday 5K, but still not ideal. I took it really easy Monday and Tuesday to try and recover as well as I could for this one, and after that warm up, felt reasonably good.
This race actually gives out prize money per 10 year age group, with no overall awards. What it basically means is if you are between the ages of 20-29 or 30-39, you would probably get nothing even if you finished close to the front. But no matter, I get paid to be an expert on pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, not to win races.
At 8, the race went off, and we immediately started uphill. Going into this race blind, with no real idea what to expect as far as terrain, I made sure to go out reasonably conservative. About 8-9 people went out with the lead group, consisting of the legend himself, Dave Berdan. I knew that wouldn't last as there are few people that can keep up with Berdan, and was content to stay behind that group.
As we crested the hill, made a turn, and started going back down hill, more than a few people fell back and I found myself in 6th, behind Adam of AFC, and Tristram of Falls Road. This would be Tristram's last race before moving to Italy for a year, and talking to him earlier, had mentioned he wanted to do 5:30s. So I figured I was happy with where I was, even if I was a few seconds behind Adam...
Unfortunately, the mile markers on this course were pathetically placed and my mile splits are next to worthless. I went through mile 1 in 5:50 and was concerned with how bad it felt. After finding out it was long, and I likely was in the low 5:40s, it made me feel a little better, since I did exactly what I wanted on mile 1.
The course from that point went up and down, left and right, like a freaking roller coaster. After mile 2, the sun broke through the clouds and it started getting hot in a hurry. I just focused on taking every tangent, and trying to bridge the gap to Adam, especially since after running a "4:50" on mile 2, that I would have no feedback on my pace.
Since we were in AFC territory, two other guys I ride with were out on the course with their wives on tandem bicycles, cheering for Adam and me. It was actually extremely helpful to have them riding alongside. They never paced me (which is good), opting to stay between us, but the encouragement was awesome.
The course flattened out a little by mile 3, and I tried to turn it up and reel Adam in, but no matter what I threw at him, I just couldn't shrink the gap. Tristram eventually dropped Adam to continue ahead.
As we started approaching the finish, the hills and heat were taking their toll. A lot of people had sprinklers on the course, which I only used if they were on tangents or already in my path. It certainly helped a little, even if it broke up my rhythm a little.
We made yet another turn after mile 5, and to that point, had only managed to knock over two cups of water rather than taking any. One kid backed away as I tried to grab a cup, and I hit another trying to take a tangent. Oh well...
After the mile 5 marker, we hit the worst uphill of the course, a long, long steady climb. I hit the hill as hard as my legs would go, with one last ditch effort to catch Adam. Try as I could, I just could not make up that last bit of ground. As we passed mile 6, we finally got a little downhill to sprint down into the finish....
34:53 and 6th overall, for 5:38 pace. I finished 4th in my age group, so no money; I think Adam was more upset for me than I was!
I didn't really know what to think of the time at first, especially since I had no real splits to look at. I was 26 seconds slower than my PR, but that PR was in November temperatures on a slightly easier course. I was also in much better running shape back then. I finally decided that for running this course for the first time, in these conditions, I ran what I considered a smart race. I never fell apart, and probably ran somewhat evenly, taking what the course would give me. The overall pace also makes sense, a few seconds per mile faster than my Baltimore 10 Miler time, with a 5K average of 17:26, comfortably slower than the straight up 5Ks I have run lately.
So overall, I think I ran as well as I could have for today. Could I have gone faster if I didn't race a 5K on Sunday? Probably... But I got a free pair of shoes for winning that race, so it was worth it.
I already stuffed my face at one July 4th gathering, and will be going for #2 this afternoon. Overall, I think this is a good way to spend the 4th!
The next race up is a big one...Maryland 2xrip duathlon. I'm really, really looking forward to crushing my bike time on this course from last year!
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