I crossed the finish line last week at the Newport 5K and the clock read 20:38. This was 2 seconds under my fastest time ever. I had run, according to the clock, my best race ever.
But I didn't think so. It didn't feel right to me. Nothing I'd run recently indicated that I could do this. In this race, I'd completed the first mile in 6:36 (a good start) but slowed to 6:59 for mile 2. As tired as I felt and as twisty and turny as mile 3 was, could I have really done the final 1.1 miles in an average of 6:23 per mile? No way!
It just makes NO SENSE!!!
So, instead of celebrating I trotted up to the race director and asked if he was sure the course was measured correctly. He insisted it was. Other runners, however, were not so sure. Virtually every one I questioned said that they also felt that their time was too quick. The consensus was about 30 seconds too quick. That agreed with my impression of 30 to 40 seconds off.
On the other hand, the man who finished second felt that the course was 30 seconds too SLOW! Who should I believe, him and the director or the other runners and myself? My sense that mile 3 went by too quick, however, was just too strong. Perhaps the course WAS measured correctly, but perhaps, for some reason, we turned too quickly away from the twisty, slow waterfront and too soon to the more direct main road. That's what I think happened.
But, of course, I'm not sure. So I went to see the posted results. I know that I can at least be sure of who finished before me and who I beat out. More importantly, I can be sure of whether or not I'd won an age group award. And there it was! My name in capitals, signifying that I'd finished first in my age group!!
Unfortunately, they had me listed in the wrong age group!!!!!!!!!
I was first among men 60 to 64 and I was listed as 60. In fact, that won't happen till October, 2009, 25 months into the future. Well, I told the race director and this mistake he acknowledged and corrected and I was returned to my proper division where I only placed second. Well, at least I'd won something!
And my conclusion about the race? The race is 2 years, 1 month and 30 seconds too fast!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
HOW COULD THEY?
How could the Mets do this to me? They are the WORST. What happened to Reyes? And the pitching? They are the WORST. EVER. I'm in a daze.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A LITTLE HOPEFUL
In a few hours I'll be running the Newport 5K. This is a wonderfully flat course in New Jersey and 2 years ago I ran my best there...20:40...far and away my fastest time ever. Can I do it again? Can I do even better?
No and no. I don't think so. My training times don't suggest it because they're not as good as they were back then. But they have been getting better. My heart rates are becoming lower and I'm feeling stronger at the end. That's all for the good and that's why I'm hopeful of doing fairly well and certainly better than I've been doing for most of this year.
Just not as good as back then. Besides, I think the weather won't be as runner perfect as it was 2 years ago and as it was last weekend for the cross country.
I definitely think I can break 7 minutes, so that means a final time of under 21:42. Under a 7 minute pace is always respectable in my book. Better than that, however, should be possible so I'm going to say that 21:30 would be pretty good. I'd smile broadly if I could muster a sub 21:20. I don't think I could break the 21:00 barrier (I've only done it that once); that is certainly a long shot. Fine, so, let's call it my Long Shot Goal.
Of course, what I REALLY want is a new personal best. Here's why I don't think I can: I ran 400 meters X 6 this week and my average for each 400 meters (about a quarter mile)was over 2 seconds slower than when I ran the same workout before my speedy performance in 2005. Don't get me wrong...this week's workout was good, just not SO good. It suggests that I should be over 8 seconds per mile slower this time...maybe more if the weather is a negative factor. And THAT means I can't possibly break 21 minutes.
But I'll give it my best shot. And then we'll see. But I'm definitely feeling more hopeful than 2 weeks ago.
No and no. I don't think so. My training times don't suggest it because they're not as good as they were back then. But they have been getting better. My heart rates are becoming lower and I'm feeling stronger at the end. That's all for the good and that's why I'm hopeful of doing fairly well and certainly better than I've been doing for most of this year.
Just not as good as back then. Besides, I think the weather won't be as runner perfect as it was 2 years ago and as it was last weekend for the cross country.
I definitely think I can break 7 minutes, so that means a final time of under 21:42. Under a 7 minute pace is always respectable in my book. Better than that, however, should be possible so I'm going to say that 21:30 would be pretty good. I'd smile broadly if I could muster a sub 21:20. I don't think I could break the 21:00 barrier (I've only done it that once); that is certainly a long shot. Fine, so, let's call it my Long Shot Goal.
Of course, what I REALLY want is a new personal best. Here's why I don't think I can: I ran 400 meters X 6 this week and my average for each 400 meters (about a quarter mile)was over 2 seconds slower than when I ran the same workout before my speedy performance in 2005. Don't get me wrong...this week's workout was good, just not SO good. It suggests that I should be over 8 seconds per mile slower this time...maybe more if the weather is a negative factor. And THAT means I can't possibly break 21 minutes.
But I'll give it my best shot. And then we'll see. But I'm definitely feeling more hopeful than 2 weeks ago.
BETTER AT RUNNING THAN COUNTING
I ran a very good cross country race...even though I missed my time goal. Fortunately, my time goal was wrong...because, apparently, I'm no longer a very good counter.
Here's how I set my goal time: 21:42 is 7 minutes flat for a 5K. I added 30 seconds per mile to that (93 seconds over the 3.1 mile course) and got 22:45, which I then rounded up to 23 minutes as my time to beat. Whoops! That 22:45 should have been 23:15. Which I would then have increased to 23:30 as my goal.
Hooray! I solidly beat my newly computed correct goal by running 23:08.
How do I know that's actually good? Well, the race included 4 members of my GNY team who had also vied with me in last week's 4-miler. They all had beaten me by fairly comfortable margins, but not this time. I beat 2 of them and significantly closed the gap on the others.
To top it off, racing cross country was actually lots of fun! Who knew??
The course descriptions I've read...and pictures I've seen... for Van Cortlandt Park have always made the course seem ominous! The hills were vicious and steep, the footing uncertain, and the end result slow and exhausting. So I didn't feel much enthusiasm for the event. I feared I was on my way to a race in which I'd do embarrassingly badly and, possibly, injure myself. Right before the start of the men's race (the women began 20 minutes later...the trails are too small to reasonably handle both groups at once) I wondered if I might finish last.
Nevertheless, when I first got off the subway alongside the Park, I thought Van Cortlandt was beautiful. A long field on which people were playing soccor and cricket (which I'd never seen in person)and then the woods and hills off in the distance. It felt like the country in the Bronx and the sight of the woods bordering the playing field reminded me of my childhood delight, the softball field at Lansmans Bungalow Colony, where my family spent many Summers. In the Catskills, the deep outfield actually sloped down, leading to the forest that surrounded left, right and center. Many times I flew down that slope, chasing fly balls that ended in my glove before they could make the trip all the way into the woods.
The race started on the long flat playing field (The Flats). We ran straight across between the various games for over half a mile, turned left around a pole featuring the tortoise and the hare (I feared I knew which one I was to be that day), left again and then right till me entered the dreaded woods. I had no real idea what to expect in that mysterious place.
And that's why I'd run the Flats cautously...I was conserving energy for the unexpected. Well, I could have started the race more aggressively...
...Because I loved the woods! Surrounded by trees, unable to see any part of the City (till we ran over a bridge that crossed a major highway), it was cool and other worldly. Some of the dreaded hills were steep but they were VERY short. The footing was not bad at all. In fact, the hardest part was running the steep down hills. Twice I picked up so much speed while my body was at such an unusual angle towards the ground that I feared tumbling over and thus had to struggle to slow myself down a bit.
Less than half way through the woods I came upon our team leader, Bob Glover. He had beaten my solidly the week before and then said after the race that he had not "pushed it" near the end because he was already well ahead of his age group competition. In other words, he could have beaten me by even more! I went by him and never looked back!
Then, up ahead, was JC, another team runner I'd never come close to. Well, he was close this time, maybe 50 meters or less ahead. This was great, but I decided to concentrate on my footing and maintaining a good pace over the hills and not exhausting myself for when we reemerged on the Flats. I'd been told that there would still be a long way to go to the finish and I didn't want to falter there. The race was still more with myself than with others.
Running through the woods, pushing up the not so awful hills and then flying down while trying to maintain enough control, all the while doing a very nice pace, was SO MUCH FUN!! Still, I kept wanting the fun to end, to get out of the woods and on to the finish. And that was because I feared that perhaps there WAS one last hill still lurking that would be exactly as bad as I'd been lead to believe!
But there wasn't. We left the woods and turned on to the trail that would lead us back across the Flats to the finish. JC was, maybe, 25 meters ahead of me and certain to pick up speed now that we faced no more hills. The finish line, though in sight, was still way too distant to begin a kick. No way I could maintain it that long. I was pretty tired and not sure that I had a kick left inside me. In fact, as we raced to the end, I wanted to pull back and slow down. There was too far to go to even maintain the quick pace that I was running. But there was JC not that far ahead and I didn't want to weaken so late. If he could do it, so could I! And then we were passing the starting point for the women's race and I could hear teammates' shouts of support. I certainly didn't want to falter in front of them.
The finishing banner was now not so far away...nor was JR. I was gaining on him, maybe within 10 meters. He started to kick and so did I. Well, it didn't feel like much of a kick as I was now near totally spent. But the finish was beckoning and the distance between us was lessening. If only he'd pull away I could stop pushing and end the race in some level of comfort, but now it was too close to call off the chase.
I pushed it all the way in and so did he and by the end the gap was about 1 meter, 1 second according to the official posted finishing times. It was JC who prevailed by that slim margin. Couldn't we race just one more kilometer?
I was disappointed...but not very. Because it's not just JC that I'm gaining on!!
Here's how I set my goal time: 21:42 is 7 minutes flat for a 5K. I added 30 seconds per mile to that (93 seconds over the 3.1 mile course) and got 22:45, which I then rounded up to 23 minutes as my time to beat. Whoops! That 22:45 should have been 23:15. Which I would then have increased to 23:30 as my goal.
Hooray! I solidly beat my newly computed correct goal by running 23:08.
How do I know that's actually good? Well, the race included 4 members of my GNY team who had also vied with me in last week's 4-miler. They all had beaten me by fairly comfortable margins, but not this time. I beat 2 of them and significantly closed the gap on the others.
To top it off, racing cross country was actually lots of fun! Who knew??
The course descriptions I've read...and pictures I've seen... for Van Cortlandt Park have always made the course seem ominous! The hills were vicious and steep, the footing uncertain, and the end result slow and exhausting. So I didn't feel much enthusiasm for the event. I feared I was on my way to a race in which I'd do embarrassingly badly and, possibly, injure myself. Right before the start of the men's race (the women began 20 minutes later...the trails are too small to reasonably handle both groups at once) I wondered if I might finish last.
Nevertheless, when I first got off the subway alongside the Park, I thought Van Cortlandt was beautiful. A long field on which people were playing soccor and cricket (which I'd never seen in person)and then the woods and hills off in the distance. It felt like the country in the Bronx and the sight of the woods bordering the playing field reminded me of my childhood delight, the softball field at Lansmans Bungalow Colony, where my family spent many Summers. In the Catskills, the deep outfield actually sloped down, leading to the forest that surrounded left, right and center. Many times I flew down that slope, chasing fly balls that ended in my glove before they could make the trip all the way into the woods.
The race started on the long flat playing field (The Flats). We ran straight across between the various games for over half a mile, turned left around a pole featuring the tortoise and the hare (I feared I knew which one I was to be that day), left again and then right till me entered the dreaded woods. I had no real idea what to expect in that mysterious place.
And that's why I'd run the Flats cautously...I was conserving energy for the unexpected. Well, I could have started the race more aggressively...
...Because I loved the woods! Surrounded by trees, unable to see any part of the City (till we ran over a bridge that crossed a major highway), it was cool and other worldly. Some of the dreaded hills were steep but they were VERY short. The footing was not bad at all. In fact, the hardest part was running the steep down hills. Twice I picked up so much speed while my body was at such an unusual angle towards the ground that I feared tumbling over and thus had to struggle to slow myself down a bit.
Less than half way through the woods I came upon our team leader, Bob Glover. He had beaten my solidly the week before and then said after the race that he had not "pushed it" near the end because he was already well ahead of his age group competition. In other words, he could have beaten me by even more! I went by him and never looked back!
Then, up ahead, was JC, another team runner I'd never come close to. Well, he was close this time, maybe 50 meters or less ahead. This was great, but I decided to concentrate on my footing and maintaining a good pace over the hills and not exhausting myself for when we reemerged on the Flats. I'd been told that there would still be a long way to go to the finish and I didn't want to falter there. The race was still more with myself than with others.
Running through the woods, pushing up the not so awful hills and then flying down while trying to maintain enough control, all the while doing a very nice pace, was SO MUCH FUN!! Still, I kept wanting the fun to end, to get out of the woods and on to the finish. And that was because I feared that perhaps there WAS one last hill still lurking that would be exactly as bad as I'd been lead to believe!
But there wasn't. We left the woods and turned on to the trail that would lead us back across the Flats to the finish. JC was, maybe, 25 meters ahead of me and certain to pick up speed now that we faced no more hills. The finish line, though in sight, was still way too distant to begin a kick. No way I could maintain it that long. I was pretty tired and not sure that I had a kick left inside me. In fact, as we raced to the end, I wanted to pull back and slow down. There was too far to go to even maintain the quick pace that I was running. But there was JC not that far ahead and I didn't want to weaken so late. If he could do it, so could I! And then we were passing the starting point for the women's race and I could hear teammates' shouts of support. I certainly didn't want to falter in front of them.
The finishing banner was now not so far away...nor was JR. I was gaining on him, maybe within 10 meters. He started to kick and so did I. Well, it didn't feel like much of a kick as I was now near totally spent. But the finish was beckoning and the distance between us was lessening. If only he'd pull away I could stop pushing and end the race in some level of comfort, but now it was too close to call off the chase.
I pushed it all the way in and so did he and by the end the gap was about 1 meter, 1 second according to the official posted finishing times. It was JC who prevailed by that slim margin. Couldn't we race just one more kilometer?
I was disappointed...but not very. Because it's not just JC that I'm gaining on!!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
FACING CROSS COUNTRY
Tomorrow I run cross country for the first time...a 5K race in hilly Van Cortland Park. I don't know what to expect. However, I'm feeling pretty good, because:
-My resting heart rate seems to be down. It hit a low of 41 the other morning while it had been hovering around 44, 45 till recently. At my best, in the Fall of 2005, it was down as low as 37 (briefly). Steady lows right around 40 is a sign of good conditioning.
-My running heart rates also seem lower. Yesterday afternoon I averaged 118 for a slow paced 6 miler. Anything under 120 is a good sign and my heart rates are generally higher in the PM. That my max HR never hit 130 also seems like a good thing.
-I'll enter this race a bit more rested than the last one when I'd done a solid 4 mile tempo only 2 days before.
-The weather has gotten better. It should be in the 60s tomorrow with low humidity. In fact, long range prediction is for similar temperature next weekend when I race a road 5K.
Though my time in the recent 4 mile race doesn't suggest it, I suspect I could run about 7 flat pace (21:42) in a regular 5K with good weather conditions. But cross country is supposed to be slower, so it's hard to know what the equivalent time might be. Would I be totally off to guess 30 seconds per mile slower? If so, then my goal is:
-22:45. So let's say 23 minutes or better is a reasonable goal.
I could add more goals but they'd just be guesses...as, I think, this one is! So let's leave it at that and see what happens.
Truthfully, given my inexperience with cross country and a recent course description that makes it sound like the footing in some areas is insecure, I'm thinking of this as more of a hard workout than a race. My mind is most set on the upcoming Newport 5K next weekend. That is the flat, fast course on which I ran my best 5K time. Since it seems that the weather will be good, that should be a good measure of where I stand in comparison to the period 2 years ago when I did my best racing. Grete's, 2 weeks after that, and the Paramus 10K (if I run it about 2 weeks later) should also give me nice comparisons.
It's starting to get interesting!!!!
-My resting heart rate seems to be down. It hit a low of 41 the other morning while it had been hovering around 44, 45 till recently. At my best, in the Fall of 2005, it was down as low as 37 (briefly). Steady lows right around 40 is a sign of good conditioning.
-My running heart rates also seem lower. Yesterday afternoon I averaged 118 for a slow paced 6 miler. Anything under 120 is a good sign and my heart rates are generally higher in the PM. That my max HR never hit 130 also seems like a good thing.
-I'll enter this race a bit more rested than the last one when I'd done a solid 4 mile tempo only 2 days before.
-The weather has gotten better. It should be in the 60s tomorrow with low humidity. In fact, long range prediction is for similar temperature next weekend when I race a road 5K.
Though my time in the recent 4 mile race doesn't suggest it, I suspect I could run about 7 flat pace (21:42) in a regular 5K with good weather conditions. But cross country is supposed to be slower, so it's hard to know what the equivalent time might be. Would I be totally off to guess 30 seconds per mile slower? If so, then my goal is:
-22:45. So let's say 23 minutes or better is a reasonable goal.
I could add more goals but they'd just be guesses...as, I think, this one is! So let's leave it at that and see what happens.
Truthfully, given my inexperience with cross country and a recent course description that makes it sound like the footing in some areas is insecure, I'm thinking of this as more of a hard workout than a race. My mind is most set on the upcoming Newport 5K next weekend. That is the flat, fast course on which I ran my best 5K time. Since it seems that the weather will be good, that should be a good measure of where I stand in comparison to the period 2 years ago when I did my best racing. Grete's, 2 weeks after that, and the Paramus 10K (if I run it about 2 weeks later) should also give me nice comparisons.
It's starting to get interesting!!!!
Monday, September 10, 2007
SLOW START
It was a slow start to my 5 race challenge...29:11 in the 4 mile race. This is not a good time for me.
The day was warm and humid and I did do a fairly tough speed workout on Thursday and both these things factor against a speedy performance. And I honestly didn't expect to be that fast. But I also didn't expect to be quite this slow!
Coach Shelly said to not be too worried about it. Among other things she noted that I'm training with greater mileage this year in preparation for the Marathon. She says that tends to slow speed workouts and races. No doubt that's true. And she says that it can be good to experience the races "in the moment," not as predictors of what is to come.
That's fine and that's true and, to some extent, that's what I did. I ran the race steadily, pushing myself to maintain a good pace, particularly on the final mile when the fatigue and the weather were making things very difficult. I think that, overall, it was a good workout that will toughen me up.
Next Sunday I have the cross country 5k at Van Cortland Park. That's bound to be slow...everyone says cross country is slower than road racing. So I expect to not be fast. And I expect the race will further toughen me and move me along in my training and get me in even better shape. It's a race where I really shouldn't worry too much about time.
But after that, I'd sure like to be faster!!
The day was warm and humid and I did do a fairly tough speed workout on Thursday and both these things factor against a speedy performance. And I honestly didn't expect to be that fast. But I also didn't expect to be quite this slow!
Coach Shelly said to not be too worried about it. Among other things she noted that I'm training with greater mileage this year in preparation for the Marathon. She says that tends to slow speed workouts and races. No doubt that's true. And she says that it can be good to experience the races "in the moment," not as predictors of what is to come.
That's fine and that's true and, to some extent, that's what I did. I ran the race steadily, pushing myself to maintain a good pace, particularly on the final mile when the fatigue and the weather were making things very difficult. I think that, overall, it was a good workout that will toughen me up.
Next Sunday I have the cross country 5k at Van Cortland Park. That's bound to be slow...everyone says cross country is slower than road racing. So I expect to not be fast. And I expect the race will further toughen me and move me along in my training and get me in even better shape. It's a race where I really shouldn't worry too much about time.
But after that, I'd sure like to be faster!!
Friday, September 7, 2007
FIVE STARTING LINES
I have 5 races scheduled over the next 5 weekends. They are all VERY DIFFERENT:
-A flat 5K on the New Jersey course where I smoked a Personal Best 2 years ago.
-A cross country 5k (something I've never run) in hilly Van Courtland Park.
-A 4 miler tomorrow in Central Park. I've raced this a bunch of times so it will be great for a comparison.
-The famous Fifth Avenue Mile...a race I've run only once. I can't wait to measure my time now against the speedy time I hit years ago.
-Grete's Gallup. The perfect Central Park half marathon to assess my Marathon expectations and to compare with my good times of the last 2 years.
All this while I'm squeezing in 20 milers, other long runs and speed workouts as part of marathon training. Can I even hold up under this?
That, however, is not the question most on my mind, though, perhaps, it should be. I'm worried about my lack of consistent speed. I run a fast half, a fast mile, whatever, but the next one is slower and, by the end, my time is way up as is my heart rate. When I compare my current performances to earlier, similar workouts, my times are, generally, okay but not near my best.
Except for last week's half mile intervals which were very good.
On the other hand, the previous 3 times I've run MILE intervals I was so fatigued by the end that my last mile was over 7 minutes. That is comparitively POOR!!
So I don't know where I am. Am I held back by the uncomfortable summer weather, the training I missed while injured, aging, something else? Or am I, in fact, coming along fine to the point where I'm set to pop some good races? I don't really know.
The truth right now is that I'm hoping to run really fast but expecting not to. That's an uncomfortable position to be in. I'll certainly know more soon, but, till then, this is the uncertainty that I bring to Five Starting Lines.
-A flat 5K on the New Jersey course where I smoked a Personal Best 2 years ago.
-A cross country 5k (something I've never run) in hilly Van Courtland Park.
-A 4 miler tomorrow in Central Park. I've raced this a bunch of times so it will be great for a comparison.
-The famous Fifth Avenue Mile...a race I've run only once. I can't wait to measure my time now against the speedy time I hit years ago.
-Grete's Gallup. The perfect Central Park half marathon to assess my Marathon expectations and to compare with my good times of the last 2 years.
All this while I'm squeezing in 20 milers, other long runs and speed workouts as part of marathon training. Can I even hold up under this?
That, however, is not the question most on my mind, though, perhaps, it should be. I'm worried about my lack of consistent speed. I run a fast half, a fast mile, whatever, but the next one is slower and, by the end, my time is way up as is my heart rate. When I compare my current performances to earlier, similar workouts, my times are, generally, okay but not near my best.
Except for last week's half mile intervals which were very good.
On the other hand, the previous 3 times I've run MILE intervals I was so fatigued by the end that my last mile was over 7 minutes. That is comparitively POOR!!
So I don't know where I am. Am I held back by the uncomfortable summer weather, the training I missed while injured, aging, something else? Or am I, in fact, coming along fine to the point where I'm set to pop some good races? I don't really know.
The truth right now is that I'm hoping to run really fast but expecting not to. That's an uncomfortable position to be in. I'll certainly know more soon, but, till then, this is the uncertainty that I bring to Five Starting Lines.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)