View Workout (Joe Uhan)

Return to Log

Echo Turkey Trot 5K

November 26, 2015 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 20F, crisp, 100% clear - only the slightest breeze

Comments:
Up at 5:30AM, out the door and on the road by 6, heading east. CA and I found a Thanksgiving Day 5K to run along the way in Echo, OR - about halfway between Hood River and our place in Joseph, so it worked out perfect. Race was at 9.

Echo is maybe population 1000, but a handful of miles south of Hermiston, a good-sized but still rural NE Oregon town. This is where Jacob Puzey grew up and coached until he moved to Arizona.

Got into town a tinge after 8. The race was cheap - only $16 - and it had nothing but gray race T-shirts: NO numbers, timing...or even a dang start-finish line, LOLZ! Once I picked up our T-shirts, CA and I went for our warm-up on the course, which took us on Main St, directly out of town on a country road. There are like ZERO trees out here (like a frigid YubZ), so it was nothing but farm and ranch land. Ran for about 0.8 miles flat, then up a 65' climb (pretty solid for a 5K road race) between there and the mile point, then a right turn and DOWN about 75' over the same 0.3 or so, then flat to a halfway turnaround...then back!

The run was definitely "trot-tastic". The "RD" read some names of sponsors, then basically said, "5!..4!..". Oh shit! Found the front of the blob of folks - again NO start line - then took off at "GO!".

I really wanted to get out hard and run reasonably fast, so I pushed hard off the line, running with one other young guy. But once we hit the hill, he fell back. So I just tried to push hard. I chose not to check any splits.

Felt strong up and over hill, then pushed down the right side to the turnaround...unmanned, lolz! Then hard back the other way! Second wasn't too far behind, and CA was maybe 4th or 5th! I gave her a quick high-five then cranked hard as I could up the steeper uphill return. It was TOUGH.

Hit the left turn and pushed as hard as I could, going downhill, but it didn't feel too fast.

The focus today:

- forward
- "ANTON ARMS" - blades back, smaller elbows
- pawback with STRAIGHT-AHEAD feet

Rolled down the hill, no comp in sight, then over the final flat mile, used some walkers and random folks as targets to surge to. Then...back into town, over the Umatilla River to the "start". I sprinted hard until I felt like... what would be a fair finish line, LOLZ! And that was it.

I honestly felt like I ran 17-low, maybe even sub 17, so I was pretty dismayed when I saw 18:20! Ugh. Weak.

Not sure why: could be the cold (20F) or allergy hangover - my HR was REALLY high on the warm-up. Or fatigue from the past five days. Dunno, but nothing I can do about it. I felt strong and efficient.

CA wasn't that far behind! Second was maybe 18:50 or so - an upperclassman or alum from Hermiston? - and CA was third overall in 19:34. SOLID run for her.

Splits (elev, HR):

5:44 (+30',-0; 172)
5:57 (+69,-59; 180)
5:42 (+20,-59; 185)
+~:55 (+0,-0; 188)

Pretty JACKED HR! Couldn't go much faster! Course was a good 100m long, I reckon...

Post-run: didn't dawdle long. Got some water and went on a really enjoyable, slow cool-down around town, including past an Oregon Trail landmark. BEAUTIFUL sunny morning!

10 total miles for the day. Once we got back, almost everyone was gone! And just like that, we were changing and getting on the road!

I'm not sure they're going to pay off that much, but I'm really glad I've been doing these "forced short speed" sessions: x3 5Ks, x1 OCR and x1 road mile since 10-11! I think they've helped, mentally, at least.

PM: drove to Pendelton to get coffee and change (thanks to Starbz for being open!). Dusted snow turned into legit 3-12' worth as we drove over the mountains to Joseph. It was pretty treacherous so I'm damn glad we took my truck.

Had a great dinner and evening (GO BEARS) at our rental near Wallowa Lake! Just gorgeous with everything covered in snow!