Last Saturday I ran the Prickly Pear 50K trail race at nearby McAllister Park here in San Antonio, TX. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I always have mixed emotions about running this race. On the one hand I love it because it is close to home on familiar trails, and because any race put on by Bill Gardner is going to be a well-organized party. I also gained free entry this year by performing a morning’s worth of trash pickup on the trails. On the other hand, the terrain is relatively flat, the temperature usually heats up for the final miles, and the course consists of that dreaded four letter word – LOOP…3 of them to be exact. My goal this year (as with last year) was to break 5 hours. This would require a near-perfect race, but I believed it was a realistic possibility.
Another nice part of this race is being able catch up with friends, and I managed to see several at the start. I lined up next to Larry Pearson (Larry had been sick and was hoping to get in 20 miles), and soon we were off. The first couple miles of the race are on nice winding single track in the woods. While this makes for nice scenery, it can create a logjam of people, which can make it difficult to pass. This isn’t always a bad thing, as it forces you to start slowly, which can pay off later in the race. Larry and I settled in behind a group that kept us from going out too hard. I could tell that Larry was still recovering from his illness. He sounded like he was breathing with a bag over his head – good training for the altitude we will both face at the Wasatch 100 in September. I wasn’t too set on a certain pace for the first loop, but I knew I wanted to keep it under 9:15/mile, assuming that felt comfortable. I checked my watch at the first aid station (about 2.5 miles in) and saw that we were over 9:30. I wasn’t too concerned yet, knowing the start of a race almost always brings a slower pace with all the congestion. I began to slowly pick up the pace, but was cautious about going too hard since the air seemed to be very humid (I usually don’t run well in humidity). The rest of the loop passed by fairly quickly, with Larry and I running together for the first half (I lost him at some point along the way). I came into the start/finish area in 1:32, about a 9:10 pace. Although I felt like I was working a little too hard for my pace early on, I seemed to get more comfortable as the loop progressed. I grabbed a fresh water bottle, some Hammer gels, and headed back out for loop #2.
Early in loop 2 I caught up to John Sharp, a friend and local runner who I knew was hoping to break 5 hours as well. My legs were feeling really good, so I decided to run at a pace I thought I could hold, regardless of how fast/sow it might be. At some point John let me step in front of him and set the pace. Just past the first aid station, we hit a pack of runners participating in the 10 mile race, which started after our race in the hopes of avoiding some congestion. I have run the 50K several times now, but this was the earliest I have ever run into 10 milers, and by far the most 10 mile runners I have ever seen. This was both frustrating and helpful. I felt like John and I spent most of the loop yelling “on your left” as we passed people (John is very good at this), but it always feels good to pass someone, giving you the feeling that you are moving really fast (even when this might not be the case). So, we wiggled our way around the course, passing at least 50 people along the way. I was just running on feel, not too sure how fast we were going. At one point, John mentioned to me that we had a great pace going and that he was having trouble keeping up. That’s not something that is said to me often, so I checked my watch and noticed that we were running in the low 8:00 pace, sometimes even dropping into the 7:00 range. Ouch, this was going to come back and bite me later, but I was content trying to hold on as long as I could. John edged ahead of me after I stopped to refill my water bottle at the last aid station (manned by our friend Edgar Gonzalez), and we cruised into the start/finish area with a total time of 3:05, about 15 minutes faster than my time from last year. I was fairly confident that, if I could stay with John, I would break 5 hours. I really needed to use the bathroom, but I figured the lines would be too long, and I felt too good to stop. Big mistake!!!
(Feeling good)
Two of the kids I coach in track/cross country were there to volunteer for the race, and they handed me a new water bottle and some gels for my final 10+ mile loop. Up to that point, I was averaging a low 9 minute pace through 20 miles, easily the fastest I had ever run a trail race. I took off on my last loop, putting on my headphones for a musical boost. About a half mile into the loop, I knew that my decision to skip the restroom was not a good one. I had to stop several times to re-assess my situation and soon realized that I would have to find a restroom – IMMEDIATELY. Luckily, I know McAllister Park fairly well. After some bushwhacking off the trail, I spotted the road that would take me to one of the pavilions and a much-needed restroom. I will spare everyone the details, but let’s just say this side trip ended up costing me nearly 10 minutes of precious time. Even worse, John was long gone, and I now had no one to run with. At this point, my legs felt ok, but my mind and body were fatigued from pushing hard on the first 2 loops. I did some quick mental calculations and knew I was going to have to push harder than expected if I was going to break 5 hours. The final loop of Prickly Pear is always tough, as the heat is usually out in full force (relative to what we have had in the preceding months), and the 20+ miles of flat running has worn you down. I wasn’t able to hold the pace I needed and ended up coming in at 5:13, still a solid PR. Had I not had my “detour”, I would have been under 5:05 for sure and might have been able to hold it together long enough to break 5 hours. John ended up running a great race and finishing in 4:46, good enough for 10th place overall. While I was disappointed that I didn’t break 5 hours, I was happy with my time and excited about my fitness heading into the Bull Run 50 Miler (assuming I get into the race) in April.
After the race I swore that I was (again) done running this race and that I would stick to being a volunteer. So, I guess I’ll see everyone at the start line in 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment