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Outback 15K

February 3, 2013 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
Worked early with a coaching client this AM, then drove over to Springfield to an unknown park along the Willamette for a 15K "marathon workout".

The course was a 2-"lap" out and back along a winding, but flat bike path along the river. It's pretty new, <2 years old, and really nice. Good scenery, wooded, and right along the river.

Did three miles warm-up and some stretching. Felt TIRED in the legs, but the turnover was OK.

The idea was to do 3-mile chunks at 5:55, 5:50 and 5:45. There were maybe only 30 people doing the 15K (there was also a 5K and 8K that started 5-10min later), and one other guy who looked like he knew what he was doing.

Got out easy, or so I thought. The first mile was 5:43, but at these races one can't trust the mile marks all that much. 2nd mile was slower, and at 2.66 miles we hit the turnaround. I was alone the whole time, though I heard the younger guy behind me the first "out".

Sped up a bit after mile 3 and hit the halfway mark/turnaround at 27-mid-ish. Stride felt OK but I felt worn down.

Around the end of the first lap and into the second...I had to deuce! F! I always eat stupid shit the night before these, why? Last night I ate "spicy bratwurst" - really dumb. For a couple miles I thought, "NO! You're going to learn to hold it", but ultimately I could not - it was just too much.

SOOO...with three different races going back and forth on the SAME path, and only a <1min lead on 2nd, I stepped two steps off the trail to some woods and leaves, pooped, wiped once, and got back on. I managed to do so all in <10s...AND only have one person sort of see me! :p

Once I deuced I felt SOOO much better. I tried to regain form and shift into the "final gear" over the last 3 miles.

Big-time focus on:

1. Forward engagement
2. "opening" through the low back/pelvis
3. R push off + L "leg abduction" (NOT narrow strike)

1 and 2 are ultimately really important, as they're fundamental "bilateral" stride cues, then #3 was about symmetry and trying to not beat up my L foot.

I felt like I was pretty successful, and was able to use that to run fast, rather than "gut it out" with effort.

Missed a split between 7 and 8, but got the 9th mile to the finish. I felt the cadence slow near the last mile, but it recovered when I got "Ready to Start" in my head.

Fun part: my mantra today was "HUNGZZZZZZZ!" From BGD's log post (where it took me 5min to realize that it meant "hungry"). Because I was tired and not "up" for this race, I growled out a few "HUNGZZZZZZZZZZ!" to get me going during the race. ;-)

Just missed breaking 54, because of the deuce. The splits:

5:44
5:52
5:54
5:55
5:44
5:55*
11:22 (5:41/mi)
5:43
1:55?
----- 54:08
*deuce mile

Overall I felt pretty good. TIRED, but good. Did a SLOW 2-mi cooldown. VERY tired, but not sore.

Post-race: no calf soreness, no quad soreness, very little lateral foot soreness. ALL great news. SOME R LBP - meaning I lost my neutral back and slipped into "old man back" a bit. Oh well...gotta keep working on it. Also...didn't tape my back this AM. Taping would've helped the back...