Two Races, One Day

On my first Saturday off I tried out something new- running two races in one day (excluding track races). I did this because the offseason is very short, especially this one and I wanted to enjoy it. The first month of the sport is fun, but running from the school is just so boring now, and the championship is stressful. So I was happy to come off my indoor season that ended in disappointing results to the offseason. I hadn't run a race since January 9th, the URI Classic, that I actually enjoyed, so I wanted to get back to road racing.

I woke up around 6:30, cooked a little bit of pasta and ate it, even though it was probably too close to my first race- the Hare Hop 5K. This was in Mystic, done by Jeffrey Anderson of Kelley's Pace. While I was looking forward to running it, I decided that I would hold back and run it at my target tempo pace (about 5:40), and hopefully I could come in 2nd behind Jonny Hammett. I didn't think there would be much competition other than him. We got to Mystic around 7:30.

Hare Hop 5K
Mystic, CT
March 5, 2016
7:59 AM EST

I warmed up with Dad, a short and easy jog through the parking lot. I had gotten my pre-race bathroom break out of the way, but I wasn't quite sure if I had to go again. It was about 10 minutes before the start that I had a moment of panic, as I didn't have my racing flats, but the problem was quickly solved. When I went to strip to race gear, I was feeling cold. Really cold. Obviously, I was shorts. That was a no brainer. I had my singlet and I was wondering if it would be too cold. Yes, I stepped of the car and immediately decided I would have to wear something else. Gloves, armsleeves, or both? The thing was, while I have really been enjoying the armsleeves this winter, I've never raced in them before. I put them on, then got the weird armsleeve feeling, and decided to ditch them. But my fingers get cold easily, so I wore gloves.

I jogged over to the start about five minutes before. I was cutting a little closer than I wanted to. I didn't do any strides, which would've been stupid if I was running it all out. But, this would be a slow race (for winners), so it was okay. Walked towards the front, spotted a few WTAC runners, and I lined up on the left side of the start, but not quite up to the line as there was a mat there. I spotted Jonny Hammett on the right side...and holy crap. I was amazed by the number of fast-looking guys. There were about 10 guys who looked like they could break 18, and I was wondering if I'd have to settle for top 10. I was getting cold, as we still had a few minutes before the start. With about a minute to go, I lined up on the line next to Jonny, who had moved over to the left side. I wasn't planning on taking a front row spot, but since it was open, I figured I might as well. The countdown began, and soon we were off.

The Start

Mile 1
I ran out slow, letting 10 or 15 people get ahead of me. After a quarter mile, I was no longer liking the slow start, so I passed a few guys. I was staring at my watch as we exited the parking lot. I was in about 7th or 8th, trying to run 5:45 pace. At the half mile mark, I was starting to notice how horrible I felt. It wasn't difficult at all to run 5:45, but my thighs felt heavy and locked into the pace. By the end of the mile there was plenty of separation. Jeffrey Wadecki was leading it out hard and had opened up a big lead. Next was Jonny and a young armsleeve runner, probably around my age. They seemed neck and neck, but I can't remember exactly. Then there was my group, who had fallen 20-30 meters behind the chase pack. I had moved up to fifth, but there were one or two guys right behind me and I was right on the guy in front of me. I also started to notice the discomfort in my stomach. I had eaten way too close to the start was feeling a full stomach effect.The mile ended as we finally got off Coogan Boulevard and turned onto Jerry Browne Road. Split- 5:44, right on pace.

Mile 2
We turned off Jerry Browne shortly after and onto the worst hill of the course. I wanted to pick it up a little, so I passed into 4th. I saw that my average pace was slowing on the gradual climb, and picked it up. The 5th guy and the small pack dropped off me as they couldn't match my pace. I felt like I was gaining on the Armsleeve runner, who had dropped a few seconds back from Jonny. We got to the top, and I watched the top runners go around the turnaround. There was a thirty second gap between 1 and 2, a three or four second gap between 2 and 3, a ten to fifteen second gap between 3 and 4, and a five second gap between 4 and 5. We go back down the hill, and I don't use to my advantage, but rather coast down it smoothly. (It wasn't actually smooth: my thighs still felt heavy and stomach full).
We turned back onto Jerry Browne, then Coogan Boulevard. No one was close behind me, and I was definitely gaining on the armsleeve runner. Mile 2- 5:34, a little fast.

Mile 3
I kinda felt like closing the gap, but it would require going faster than tempo and could possibly ruining my next race. I did anyway, not going all out. I began to pick it up to a 5:25 pace, slowing hunting down the armsleeve runner. It was clear that he was slowing, as he had fallen back. I was just thinking about finishing and not running with a full stomach, so I didn't have intentions to pass him, but to come up close. I didn't want to put too much effort into this race. It took quite a while to close the large gap. With a third of mile to go, I was only two seconds behind him. I was going to let it be that way, but right before the hill, Dad said something like "Try and pass to get third.". This gave me a push, as I realized I wanted top three. I pushed the hill a little, getting right on his shoulder. Then, I soared past him on the downhill. Jonny was the next runner, but he was way out of reach. I was pushing it now. I was starting to kick with what I had left, then I realized there's still a quarter mile to go around the parking lot. I didn't make the extra surge because of it, but was still running pretty fast. I look back at a turn, and saw I had opened up a huge gap on 4. I thought he would be a little stronger at the end. I was gaining on Jonny a little, but there wasn't enough distance to close it. I sprinted the last straightaway.

The Big Gap

The Kick

My time was announced as 17:31, but official time was 17:33. My watch said 5:31 pace, which is a low 17s, so I guess I ran wide on turns or something. A good race, I enjoyed the course, and probably would've had a lot of fun if I wasn't running with heavy thighs and a full stomach.

The Finish

Ocean's Race Strategy
So here's what I was originally planning for Ocean's Run. I wanted to break 22, so sub-5:30 pace. I wasn't completely sure if I could do it, as I took some time off and hadn't been training for anything over two miles. I thought I'd be at least close though. I think, for me, if I want to run the fastest time I can, I need to go out fast. I wanted to go out fast, a 5:20 first mile. This may be a little tiring, but shouldn't be too hard on the flat sections of Misquamicut. I'd try to hit a 5:30 second mile, which may be a little tough, and then my third mile would like be slow as I'd be very tired. I'd try to run a 5:30, but it would likely be 5:40. That would put me at 5:30 average, and I'd hope to just run under 5:30 in the last mile.

After Hare Hop, I really doubted I could do that because of how tight my thighs were. I'd try it out to see if I could, but would just be happy to PR. A short warm-up felt okay, then I was going to do a few strides since I was racing it hard. It didn't happen. As I was getting my flats ready, they called people over for the start, despite it being 12 minutes early. Dad and other WTAC members headed over, probably a little nervous. I was freaking out a little, though, as they were in their gear and I was not. I put on my flats as quickly as I could, stripped down to singlet, gloves, and shorts and ran over. And then they announced it won't start for a few minutes. Great, thanks for rushing me. Soon, they told us we would follow a biker on an immediate right to fix the distances. I made the decision to go out hard. I never questioned or thought about the change, because I thought that's what a reliable director would do, and I forgot it wasn't a reliable director (distance errors many times in the past). Not only that, but I was focused on this race, ready to push the pace.

Ocean's Run 4-Miler
Westerly, RI
March 5, 2016
9:13 AM EST

Fast Start
I was ready as soon as the gun went off (I don't think it was a gun, but I can't remember what started us). Immediately, I was running an extremely fast pace, no one going with me. I noticed this and slowed a tiny bit. When the biker led us out on Atlantic, I didn't know where we were going. Soon came a sudden very sharp turn around a guardrail. My lead kept extending, but then soon someone was chasing after. He was closing in on me and was right behind at the end of chute with the guardrail. I was running about 5-flat average pace, as I was constantly monitoring pace. I was happy with this: it felt much better than I expected. Next came another turn, this time wide, before entering a similar guardrail chute. We ran to the end of that, then onto the planned course.

Big Lead, Except for the Guy Closing in on Me

Mile 1: I started to get a little tired half a mile in. This is where the runner passed me. I noticed that my body felt great (no tight thighs/full stomach). The average pace going down, around 5:10. The runner was right behind me, and eventually would pass me on the west edge of Misquamicut Beach parking lot. He was wearing much more gear than I was and was wearing earphones, but looked fit as a runner (I would later find out this was Geoff Nelson, or at least I think it was, based off results). I ran behind him for about a minute, before he started to talk to me. He asked me if I was running the 4-miler, and once I answered yes, he asked what pace I was looking for. When I answered 5:30, he said "I can get you there." I guess I was going to pace off him, which was not something I was expecting but I suppose it would help. Since he was running the half, it was clear he was a very fast runner. I ran close behind him for the rest of the mile, split- 5:16. Right on target.

Mile 2: I was getting tired on Maplewood, and he opened up a few meters on me. This was not good. I was ready for him to turn around and say pick it up, and I would respond that I couldn't. The full stomach feeling was coming back a little, although not so bad this time. He did turn around and said something I couldn't hear, although it didn't sound positive. I closed the gap and got right back on him at the slight incline on Ocean View Highway. I was next to him at the top. Mile 2- 5:29. Perfect.

The Wrong Turn/Off-Course Running: Somehow, I regained some energy after going up Ocean View and I felt more confident. I stayed pretty much on his shoulder, worrying about pace, not course. I was pretty sure the turn was on Crandall, so when I passed Uzzi I didn't even about turning. But, I did look down. And I saw the red arrows. Even though the director clearly said turn at the red arrows, I interpreted this as take the next right. So, I kept going, feeling strong, but now slightly worried. Then I got to Crandall. There were no red arrows. There was no one there. I was panicking a little, realizing the turn was on Uzzi. Geoff Nelson kept going and I tried to alert him, but his earphones must have blocked out the sound. I made the decision to turn on Crandall. Crandall was great. The sun came out and warmed me up. I regained more energy, and picked up the pace while still feeling pretty comfortable. I was worried, but realized Crandall is parallel to Uzzi and that I could fix my mistakes. That didn't keep from wondering if my race was over and looking back a few times. One of those times, there was someone there, telling me that I had led other runners off-course. When I turned off Crandall and onto Atlantic, I looked right and saw a course marshall at the intersection of Uzzi and Atlantic, confirming I had run off course. But at least now, I was back on.

Keeping It Fast: When turning off Atlantic and onto Crandall, my watch beeped and I received mile 3 split- 5:24. This was so much faster than I expected, a good indication that I would break 22. And I still had a lot more left. I kept running in the 5:20s, feeling good about my race again. But, then when I was at 3.2 miles, I got worried again. I still had to run to second street, run second street and rabbit run, run winnapaug, and then return on Atlantic. It seemed like more than 0.8 miles, so I was nervous. I passed course marshals, keeping the pace fast. When I turned off rabbit run at 3.7 miles, I was sure the course would run long. I didn't know how long, so I kept running fast, although I slowed a little.

Jogging it In: So I didn't really jog it in, but I became more and more upset as I ran towards Atlantic Ave. I turn at 4 miles, and still had plenty to go. My mile 4 split was 5:28, indicating my time would've been not only sub-22, but under 21:40 (it would've been 21:38, measured perfectly). I slowed down so much, as a great race where I crushed my expectations had been ruined. I got to the final turn, running on the right as I was about to turn into the chute on right. As if I wasn't angry enough, the volunteer yelled at me. "What are you doing?". I didn't know what to say, so I kept running, really slow now. "Are you running the half?" He yelled. I told him I wasn't, and he yelled that I shouldn't be running on the left (I had only turned to the right a few moments before) and that I should be following the (apparently obvious) directions (that were never given). I was really mad about this, and slowed down even more, running in at a 6:10 pace.

When I finished everyone around the finish was happy for me, but I was extremely upset. The rest of the experience was crappy. The food was crappy, my awards were bad, and no one apologized for ruining for race. What's even worse is that the half was ruined, running an extra half mile long. This was clearly caused by an unnecessary and rather horrible extension of the course at the beginning.

My final time was 23:23, almost two minutes off what I actually ran. The only good thing that came out of the race is that I performed well, and that it showed me I can easily break 22. Unfortunately, this was the time to do it, as I coming off a season with good training. My next 4-miler will be in summer, Run 4 Kerri. Then, there's a good chance it will be very hot and I won't have good training in my legs. Even if I did manage to break 22 then, it's likely I wouldn't be that far under.

Even though Trimom has just now acknowledged their long course (only for the half, but I guess it applies to both) via email, there didn't seem to be much apology there, and I'm fairly certain that I will never do this race again. At least Hare Hop 5K was well done. If it was the other way around (Ocean's run first as warmup, then run hare hop hard), it would've been great race day. My next race is the first dual meet in early April, and my next race with WTACers is Backroad Ramble.