Nutmeg State Half Marathon: Race Report

Well this morning I got my ass out of bed at the butt crack of dawn to run 13.1 miles in the scenic Litchfield Hills. I showed up at the start line 20 min. before the start...to the scene of a bunch of local road racers and a few chicks in yoga pants doing their pre race warm ups. Now may be it was dumb of me but I really didn't warm up for this sucker. I think I jogged at a leisurely pace for about 5 min. after getting my number and taping my feet up. ( My flats are relatively new so I'm still a tad bit blister prone..so eventually I will have them properly broken in.) I also discover that we racers let old habits die hard. I waited in line for one of about 4 portolets for about 5 min. When I passed the pavilion where registration was still going on, I noticed 2 flush toilet rest rooms..the line for the women's room was short, about 3 people and there was absolutely no line for the men's room...I think there is something about being an athlete that we are sort of programed to bee line for the portolets, even though there is a better alternative ripe for the picking. There was a 10k event with this race as well and the 50 odd people that signed up for the shorter event made their way over to the start line the gun went off at 7:55 and they were off. The us gluttons for pain made our way over to the start, our gun was due to go off at 8:00.

The race.

We started at 8:00 running backward through the finish chute ( some guy put the banner on wrong.) and around the ball field on a little gravel path. There were at the most 100 people doing this gig and most of them were training for the Vermont City marathon next month. The packs broke up early. A lead group of 5 to 10 runners, then a pack of 7 guys and a chick in yoga pants as a chase group. Me and this Yale chick from Cali, were in no man's land, and then the rest of the field behind. We made it out of the park and crossed the bridge through the center of town. We climbed a slight hill into the Depot, before getting on part of my usual bike loop. I looked down at my watch as we passed the first mile marker 7:43. We continued along Route 47 passing the second mile marker, me and Cali chick, beginning to reel in some guy with a knee brace that had been dumped off the back of the second group. For a second I had to check my watch to see if the markers were off..as we passed the second mile marker. My split was supposedly a 7:07. At the first aid station Cali chick and myself caught the dude with knee braces and at the same time were passed by two forty something who were intent on catching the chase pack. I decided it would be wise not to pursue, since I really haven't gotten many long runs in since the Ironman. We hit the 3 mile mark I did a time check 7:51..alright that seemed a little more accurate. I began to pull away from Cali chick as this forty year old guy and a 35 year came along side. They were looking to hold 7:20 and I wasn't really struggling to keep pace so we made sort of an unspoken agreement to pace each other. We hit the 4 mile mark 6:39...we looked at one another.." I think the measurement's off." the 35 year old said...." Yeah, because to hold that kind of pace at this point I'd have to be sprinting" Cali chick answered back huffing and puffing about 3 feet behind. A nineteen year old rookie came along side and we started to shoot the shit before he pulled away. We hit the 5 mile mark 7:00...We began our descent into town. the nineteen year old stud out in front, me in a pack of my own for about a min. then the forty year old, the 35 year old, a studly 35 year old chick, and Cali Chick starting to go anaerobic.We hit the 6 mile mark and Third aid station. 6:55...I started tossing water on my head, and then I saw it the first real hill. the forty year old got around me and accelerated, the 35 year olds saw the hill and attacked it pulling out of sight rapidly..me I cracked, my stride shortens on hills, that and I figured I still had 6miles to go and it wouldn't be worth it if I blew it on one hill....We hit the next aid station, again water and gatorade....still going up finally the 8 mile mark appeared I had checked my watch 8:40..The seven mile mark was somewhere in this mess and apparently I did 7:19...regardless. We hit the turn around Cali chick was closing as was triathlete Phil...I hit the aid station again on the way down. Phil ran past noticing my team Blazeman shirt. " The warrior poet." he said... for a second I didn't understand..in my oxygen deprived head it almost sounded like "what are you holding?" I gave him a confused look " the blazeman" he said "the warrior poet." It had been hard to hear him the first time. We continued down hill back to the center of town to the 9 mile mark. 7:21 the down hill helped..again through the center of town and the to the left onto our 3 branch of "the shamrock" as this course had been described. Again at the aid station gatorade for the system and water over the head...I was beginning to look like I entered some sick and twisted wet T-shirt contest. We began to climb once again and around me came Cali Chick, as if to say I'm Baack! We hit the 10 mile marker 7:41...the pace was holding pretty good, but me legs were begining to feel like shit. We ran past Ken's aid station, now there is only one bad thing about running my Ken's aid station, he will almost go to the point of insult and in some cases beyond to get the lead out of your ass. I ran by " come on Rob this run ain't shit. I began to pull away from Cali Chick a little going in to the last turn around..in the back of my head I was dreading a mad dash down the finish chute because my legs just didn't have it. we passed the aid station...Ken shouted something out but I couldn't hear it, I had Cali Chick right on my tail huffing and puffing finally getting around me and beginning to pull away..there was no 11 mile marker so when we hit the 12 mile mark I got the 2 mile split 14.17....1 mile left. As we made our way down hill back to the center of town Cali Chick began to sprint the advantage beginning to grow...my legs just didn't have in them to catch her....We made our turn to the right and over the bridge, then a right into the school yard for a "victory lap" of the ball field the 50 meter gap between me and Cali Chick didn't grow and for a while it was almost as if I was catching her. We hit the 13 mile marker plopped in the middle of the baseball field 7:37....Cali Chick saw the finish line and took a hard right toward the finish, she may be cut 2 feet off the course but after 13 miles it's not that big a deal I took the right hander 2 feet past the mile marker and came in about 30 seconds behind her. 1:37.13 according to my watch...1:37.09 according to the timing mat.( they subtracted the 4 seconds it took to get through the crowded start mat.) Cali Chick aka Lauren ( found her name after the race) explained to me that she was pacing me for the entire thing and as a result qualified for the ING New York City Marathon ( time standard is 1:37 flat...Men's standard is 1:23..I missed it by about 15 min.)

So ladies for my airfare, race entry, and a $50 good will bonus I can get you to qualify for the NYC marathon....

I hung around for the post race, but I always feel I turn into" that guy", because I talk about races, ask questions about races...in essence I believe I become an annoying little bastard at the post race...I just feel like I never shut up, then again if I say more than 5 words I feel I've talked too much...but out of the deal I got a box load of bagels....

So in recap
Half Marathon in 1:37.09 = roughly 7:24 min/mile pace on semi-tired, undertrained legs ( I haven't done a run over 10 miles since New Zealand)

Hopefully with a little more training I'll be Kona or Clearwater bound after Eagleman, I could still change my registration at Patriot to Open ( and eligible for cash prizes) as most of the big names are racing for more cash in RI ..so depending on my Eagleman showing I might end up racing for cash.
Well that's all I can write for the moment.
RD

The week in review lead up to the Nutmeg

Well Friday royally sucked for my family, my father and his former employer decided to part ways. Good news is hopefully the real estate market will be looking good especially with all the little brats getting ready to set foot on their own from College, as well as the fact that people are actually starting to look for homes and loans...gotta love the tanking fed for something...so in essence I think this summer might be good..at least I hope. After finding out that central is trying to peg me there for another $3000...I mean Semester, I might try to summer course it, but most likely will just throw down $300 for a couple of CLEP Exams for the 6 bull shit credits I'm going to need....I'm debating looking for a new position within the company hopefully one that will give me Saturdays off, but that might not materialize until September, especially due to the fact I have courses starting at 3:30... two days a week....I'll see how that goes..I'm just getting tired of getting yelled at by people who think they have money...and not really fulfilling my potential...so I might scour the weblisting for an upgrade. ...ok financial life..a mess as always..but will be getting better as soon as those stimuli packages show up....also the other reason I'm looking for a job with a higher pay grade...being a teller was great when the cash was flowing in and meeting my needs, now the needs have changed so I'm going to start looking for something that pays me what I'm worth...more than $20k a year....

Alright all the Friday Bull shit out of the way. I went for a 5 mile run and bumped into Angry. We shot the shit on why it is not a good idea to try to go drink for drink with a member of the British Commonwealth.

I have absolutely no memory of the night this picture was taken in St. Croix that's what I get for trying to out do a Scotsman.

Today, had the day off from work..gasp.... so I got in a nice 3000 yard work out. Main set 5x 100 on 1:25 10x 50 on :45 it was short but I wanted to get on the bike before I ran out of daylight. I hauled out to New Britain to pick up Bjoern only to find out he had just gotten back from doing a blazing 56mile (90k) ride out to Granby and back...he did it in 2:49 holy shit...this dude is ready for Switzerland.

I drove out to Middlebury and did my Easter Sunday loop with a twist. I started riding down Route 64 I had to stop twice, once to put my wheel on the other way so the sensor could collect data..the second was a bout 2 feet down the road when my chain popped, a result of a gear shift made as I was dicking around with the front wheel. I did the opening 4 miles of the Griskus sprint Tri Loop. Not to bad, but instead of going to the right and entering the 6 miles of agony , I went left on to Middle Rd. Turnpike...that spit me out onto route 6. I then turned left on to Route 6 and went up on to Route 47 ( part of the olympic Route.) I stayed on 47 and instead of going up on to 132 toward Bethlehem and the rolling hills of the Olympic Course ( did that last week...it was painful.) I went left onto Rte. 47 and followed it to Kettletown Rd. I went up the same route with Claire on Easter, rode a loop of Waramaug, finding out to my chagrin there was a head and cross wind at the lake. I stopped at the State Park to Pee. Now if I had been smart I would have refilled one of my waterbottles with tap water, from the summer bathrooms. ( yes Claire these ones have running water.)..but silly superbly hydrated with GU2O me shrugged it off thinking I could ration my last waterbottle for the remaining 25-30 miles...that and do I really want to catch cholera from water they probably pump in from the lake...

a new meaning to the term aero hydration.

So I set off for the remainder of my mystical voyage. After tearing through the depot, Kettletown and back down 47 at breakneck speed.

I turned left onto Route 6 hoping to ride the "not so long" distance to the Rte 61 interchange..in which I would just turn right climb a few hills from the Olympic Course and be back on the Sprint loop....I passed Flanders Road...shouldn't be too far I thought....man was I wrong.

Instead of being a nice semi flat half mile to mile stretch of Route 6 I endded up half way to Watertown ( 8 miles from Woodbury Center.)..also it was getting dark and there were a few little rollers in the mix...I finally spit out at the interchange about 3 to 4 miles later. Then it was onto the fun part. Anyone who has read my posts on the Griskus Tri or has ridden the Sprint Route knows the last 6 miles in undulating, culminating in a half mile gradual climb. Well the route up to those last few climbs on the Olympic Route is all up hill from Route 6. I finished my waterbottle, near the infamous cornstand where Angry tried to show off on the mother of all bricks last July.... I still had 4 miles and 3 climbs to go. The first climb isn't so bad. You gradually go up then you get a nice sweeping descent. Not bad. The second is more like a series of climbs you go up then back down through some high speed sections the you go up again to a 4 way stop. This 4 way stop is the beginning of the last climb. My legs were shot, my head was aching from lack of fluids. I kicked it into the low gears and tried to maintain 14mph ...I passed the last hill and the annoying smilely face markings on the road...I made it half way up then cracked like Ulrich on Alpe du Huez .. grinded up at 7 mph ...my legs were shot, and my body, despite the fact I had to piss for some odd reason...was craving fluids. I took the last descents at my usual 30-31 mph and got back to the car as it was starting to get difficult to see. Total distance 55miles..total time 3:26...average speed 15.9mph..kind of slow but for lack of hydration and brutal hills, I'll take it...next time around I'll have to get myself a tour style support vehicle, or carry the credit card with me so I can at the worst case senario get a bottle of water or gatorade..from one of the stores on the route.

I got home, ate and then remembered I've got a little half marathon in the morning. My legs don't feel too bad now..but as I said last week this is like a C-D priority race..the kind of event you do just for the T-shirt..as well as an organized hill workout. My goals going in: try to hold 8min. mile pace or as close to it as possible.The other a main thing is just to finish and then raid the post race food bins like I've just been released from the Gulag....If it's free I'll take it ( so yes Cranky I am a sample whore....but I'm also a broke college student so I have an excuse.). Well that's it for me I've got to hit the Hee- zay so I can haul some ass tomorrow.

I have no shame

R.D.

I am a glutton for punishment!

Yes people that's right, some sick twisted warped gene in my DNA must make like pain for some odd reason. Tonight I did a 4000 yard pool workout. 10x 200's on 2:45 ish I missed the interval on #6 and #10. Saturday I have a hill fest bike ride planned with Bjoern ( any other takers looks toward Boston and Speed Racer who is sitting around in compression tights with her feet up.) and The Nutmeg State half marathon on Sunday. Now one would say why on earth would you do a half marathon after an insane 60 mile ride....3 words :BECAUSE I CAN! I plan to use Sunday as long distance speed work....that and I'm a T-shirt whore..yes that's right I said it. I love the freaking tech tees that Endureit Multisports gives out...props to Mandy and John.....the other reason is I want a reasonable estimate of what kind of pace I can hold at Eagleman. I want to see if I can break the 1:45 barrier on tired legs, and know how to gear myself for the big 3 races coming up this year ( Eagleman, RI, and NutmegMan.)

So those are the plans for the weekend...this race is not an A Priority event but if I qualify to do the NYC marathon well, that would make my season...but I'll be content to get in some decent milage and free shit. Oh on a side note this is my first road race that is in between 5 miles and a marathon...sure I've done 10ks and half marathons but they have always been in triathlons, so maybe that whole tired leg thing will help to keep the nerves away as well as force me to run a realistic pace.
R.D.