Masters Weekend Races and Runs

Crazy work filled week! Trying to make up for lost work days and then get ahead for taking a couple days off around xmas.

A week of mostly easy jogging this week, with one speed workout and a Fun 3k XC race with my son on Saturday. He actually elbowed and pushed me when I passed him. I teared up with pride, of course!

58 miles

Weds 4(4 x 200) Cold night but still felt quick for some reason?

Sat 3k XC - Fun! Did well

Sun 2 hours after seachickens embarrassed themselves!

Looks like a VERY, very dark gray week up here this week.

Gotta get some shopping in this week.

Peace,

tOnY

Hey Grubinski, nice race yesterday.

If placing 17th out of 937 and running a hilly 12K course at 6:22 pace makes you "a definite second-tier guy," then I must be four or fifth tier! I was 65th place yesterday, at 7:07 pace.

I barely cracked the Top 10 in the 40-49 category (9th place). Looking forward to moving up to the 50+ category next summer, although it won't get much easier around here racing against all the fast 50+ guys in the Seattle area.

johnswen wrote:

Looking forward to moving up to the 50+ category next summer, although it won't get much easier around here racing against all the fast 50+ guys in the Seattle area.

Yeah, I don't know where they all came from.

The reason I say I'm a "second tier guy" is that the *real* fast guys my age around here are as fast as I was in my 20's (or faster in Tony's case). Just amazing.

Pete wrote:

nyloco wrote: Ths strategy also works in road 5ks - i find I need to go out faster than my average pace to avoid dealing with the weekend warriers who put on their brakes after 400m.

If I charge hard from the gun in a 5k (well, any race almost), I die a long, painful miserable death in the last ~ 2 km. I love hanging back at the start and then working my way through the kids who sprint from the gun. Ditto for XC, although last week some guy suggested to me on this thread I should have done the opposite in my last XC race. Who know, maybe he was right?

FYI - I and all my Fluffy Bunny teammates adhere to the "go out easy and wait for everyone else who went out too hard to die and come back to you" theory.

In general, that theory works just great for me and it's the way I naturally run, but the problem is that in a thin field, I often find myself in a big "gap". I really think this is a bigger issue in the women's only races. In the men's masters xc races, there's often a big group of guys and the opportunity to pass or be passed almost the whole way. With the women, there's often 30 second gaps - or there is back where I am.

It changes the way you "race." If I pass someone in a race, they aren't going to hang with me or pass me back ('cause if I'm catching them, they are dying & won't be back), so the only thing to do is to go after someone else. When there's a huge gap between me and the next person, however, it's hard to maintain my focus and I get lulled into the "oh, isn't this nice, I think I'll just hang out here in this nice big hole and not go after anyone else". I have very little experience with running in a pack or even with "hanging" on another person. I think that experience would help my racing, too.

I don't intend to start charging out really fast; I just want to go out at a somewhat normal pace. It's pretty stupid when people of similar speed are 10-15 seconds ahead of me at the half-mile. If I could feel somewhat at ease at going out at goal pace that would be good.

I guess I should have given more information - I never charge hard - even for a 400m race, but usually go out in a 5k maybe 20 secs/mile faster than my target pace but only for the first 200m. I try to be in my steady state pace by the time the adrenaline fades.

skinnbones wrote:

Anyone willing to run today in the mid-west is a man among men.

Or a woman among woman? I did manage 5 miles Sunday evening - I live in a suburb that's fanatical about plowing, so the roads were pretty clear by then. I also broke out the "yaktrax." In general I'd characterize them as one of my stupider running purchases - they work great, but only under very specific conditions, i.e., firmly-packed solid snow cover. This was just the third or fourth time I've used them in 3 years.

Without much xc experience, I'm really surprised how much a mere 6k on that West Chester course beat me up. It even looks as though I'm going to lose a toenail to a nasty, under-the-nail blister.

Pete,

My "advice" was strictly regarding x-c & more specifically x-c in adverse weather &/or course conditions. But perhaps, if things go reasonably well this year, we can do an experiment of 2. I might just give the x-c season another try next fall and end up at Guelph. My best 10k this year, although not near my masters best, was 34:02....so we should be a good match :)

NofNW wrote: Pete,

My "advice" was strictly regarding x-c & more specifically x-c in adverse weather &/or course conditions. But perhaps, if things go reasonably well this year, we can do an experiment of 2. I might just give the x-c season another try next fall and end up at Guelph. My best 10k this year, although not near my masters best, was 34:02....so we should be a good match :)

I wasn't being critical, I was just making an observation. I have found, for me, that sitting back is generally a better race strategy. But I admit to having relatively little XC experience. But it's a deal - see you next year!

btw - is NofNW a hint as to who you are?

well, you've got 11 1/2 months to figure that one out and if you don't I'll introduce myself(if I make it that far!). Loser buys the beer?

In fairness, back to what this thread is about;

Sat- 6miles at HM(+/-)pace

Sun- 15 easy(I'm lieing there is no such thing as "easy" anymore!)