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Scandia Run 10K

August 15, 2009 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 55F, breezy

Comments:
Didn't know what to think about this run. I ALMOST bagged it, but since I already agreed to pick up Jeff, who'd already registered, I was in, like it or lump it.

Got to the course early and I plunked down $20 for this stupid bib number that has a "chip" in the bib: it's more like a giant wire thing that looks like a stove burner that "fits" in the back of your number...which is oversized and ghee as hell. So instead of having mats out they use a "magic wand" to scan your oven burner...whatever.

Warmed up with Jeff on the course. It was COLD! We went really easy and I tried to get my quads to come around a bit. Thankfully they did but they definitely weren't "fresh".

The gun sounded at 0800. For a tiny small-town race, the field "looked" stacked: lots of young, fast-looking guys. But no one got out too fast. The course started with 800m N into a little breeze. About a dozen guys were in the lead pack but it was quite pedestrian. At the half mile we turned east and into the countryside, and no one was doing anything, but I didn't really care: I just wanted to survive.

I knew it was mega easy because, nearly a mile in, I had "easy tempo run breathing" going. I saw the mile ahead and knew we were going to be slow, so I picked it up a bit and took a share of the lead for a pedestrian 5:26 mile. Some guy's CACH yelled that were were slow as piss or something, but there were no big moves. It was me and two other guys that pushed it just a bit, but not much. I kept the breathing as is and kept cruising.

Our pico-move dropped the rest of the guys so it was just us 3, hitting the 2-mile in about 10:45 -- not great but it felt really good. At that point this guy in a pseudo-OTC jersey TOOK OFF. And the other guy tried to go with him. Me? I sort of tried, but they were moving. I was just hoping they'd come back. I was WRONG.

The next 2 miles were into the wind, which sucked because now I was alone. It wasn't mega windy but enough to notice and to make solo running suck even more. I just focused on good form, easy breathing, and keeping my eyes up.

Hit 3 in 16:0-something. OK. Just before then I took a Clif Shot but the water that followed it -- out of a cup (held correctly!) -- didn't help get it down too well. We were now shooting straight north again, along "mint fields" (seriously: it REEKED of MINT) for nearly a mile til we had to do a 180 around a sign, which was ghee.

I was getting tired by then and trying hard to "close" the gap, but 2nd place was pulling away. So again, I just focused on form. Hit 5 at 26-something and just focused on bringing it in in the last mile, which took us on an out-and-back to the start-finish.

I finished 'er up OK, but I was TIRED. The past 7 days wore me down, but this turned out to be a good outcome. Finished up in 33:25 and a nice negative split effort (mostly -- wind, notwithstanding). 3rd overall.

5:26, 5:20, 5:21, 5:25, 5:18, 5:16(1:16) ~ 33:25.

Ran 20s faster that Butte to Butte, felt a TON stronger and was wayyy more tired/trashed for this, coming off that 15-mi tempo.

Ran back and paced Jeff into the finish, then he and I did some cooldown. Stayed around for the awards (I won a winter hat for 3rd overall, and Sporthill pants for age group winner), then grabbed some decent chow at Scandinavia Days down the street.

From there? Into "Flavor Country": packed the camp shit into the car and busted up OR58 for Waldo Lake and a 21-mile "recovery trail run" tomorrow! Got a sweet campsite, then back to Oakridge for a couple casks ales. Nice day...