I have spent a lot of time over the past few years trying to determine the best triathlon pre-race routines so that I can go as fast as possible once the gun goes off. When I showed up for the race this morning I realized that my pre-triathlon routines don't really apply. I had no idea how to properly prepare for a running race. So, I decided to look for fast-looking people and copy what they were doing. I first stretched and then went for a little jog. I then skipped around...the fast looking guys were doing it, so I decided I should as well.
I eventually got bored with skipping and headed over to the start line. I arrived there about 10 minutes before the gun time. There was a lot of elbow room, so I positioned myself right at the front of the pack. About two minutes before the gun went off, a large group of elite runners came and jammed themselves right at the starting line. I ended up about 5 people deep. Oh well, so much for trying to get a position right up front.
Here is the course map for reference:
The gun went off and within about 40 yards the front pack started to spread out and I was able to find a clear path to run. I noticed a few guys simply take off right from the beginning, but I had the discipline to ignore them and stick with the amount of exertion that felt correct for me. At about 1.5 miles into the race, I found myself in a group of 4 people and there were about 4 others ahead of us. As we headed South on Catalina I tried to settle into a pace that was pushing, but not too much such that I would blow up before I got half way through the race. I felt pretty strong for the next couple of miles and began to pull away from the pack I was running with near mile 4. My confidence increased and I unintentionally put in a little kick as I started to head back on Esplanade. I soon backed off slightly because at that point I was starting to hurt. This wasn't the injury type of hurting, but the I'm tired as hell and want to lay down type of hurting. From that point on I kept saying in my head "just two more measly miles are left" and then when I hit mile 5 it was "just over 1 more measly mile...about 6 minutes of pain". Thinking about how much distance or time is left in a race really helps me to mentally push through to the finish line. Even though I sorta felt like I was going to die during the last two miles of the race, I felt fairly strong on the little climb away from the Redondo Beach Pier near the 5.5 mile mark. It is good to know that I can push through hills late in a race, a skill that will be crucial this year at Wildflower. Once I got to the top of the hill, I knew it was mostly downhill to the finish. I opened up my stride and let gravity pull me to the finish line. At that point, I didn't really know where I stood within race pack, but my goal was to prevent anyone from making a kick and passing me during the final stretch. I was successful in meeting that goal.
I ended up finishing 4th Overall and 1st in my Division (M30-34), with a time of 34:15. Full results can be seen here.
Here are the Garmin stats:
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my results. Finishing 4th in a race like this with a big field of real runners (not triathletes, there's a difference) seems like a pretty nice accomplishment. I also exceeded my 35 minute goal and actually finished about 13 seconds short of a PR. That's pretty good considering the fact that I would estimate my running fitness is only at about 80% of where it will be for the peak of the triathlon season. I hope I can build on this race and put together a nice 2013 race season. There's still a lot more ahead!
Sorry for the lack of pictures. Unfortunately I did not have any friends or family spectating for this race.
As always, thanks to Trisports.com for their continued support. Next race is the UCLA IronBruin on March 3rd.
Congrats on a strong beginning to the season!
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