I win a prize!

Almost immediately after my race on Saturday, I received an email from the director, Michael Brennan, of Road Warrior Running.  I had won something!  But what?  and why?

The Road Warrior Running program keeps track of your stats (only if you sign-up), gives you a rating based on a few of your last races, then gives you points for surpassing your rating in your next race (if the race is a Road Warrior sanctioned race).

So apparently, my rating was 31:06 (a 5k-equivalent at race time) and my 28:30 finish meant I beat my rating by 2:36.  Which was the highest "beat" in all the Road Warriors taking part in this race.  I improved quite a bit in this run.  So much so that my coach has painfully increased my paces across the board - ouch!

So what did I win?

I had a choice of a tote bag or a technical hat.  So I went with the hat.

But I am unworthy.  I knocked out some very good runners from winning stuff.  Runners that improved nearly as much as I did.  It was a bit of a fluke for me, as I'm not good enough to gain points in this.  I only run about 9 races a year and not all of them are Road Warrior ones.  I'm no ware in the standings ... one guy runs a race every weekend and had 170-ish points.  I've got 12!

Anyway, my wife was way more happy when she discovered the voice mail on our home phone as well.

* * *

Here's some race photos from the event photographer ... there were a bunch ... I picked the ones that looked flattering.  In all photos - very good news - absolutely no heel strike!

Burlington Santa Suit 5k Race Report

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!

Everything went according to plan.

Gun time: 29:51
Garmin time: 28:34
Chip time: 28:30

The visualization really helped.  I had run this race in my mind about 12 times before I actually ran it.  Here's how it was tracked on the Garmin:

Waypoint	Target	Actual
1	I am waiting for my execution on the gallows; after the start gun, run with the crowd to waypoint 2, this is traffic avoidance and avoiding being traffic; keep they pace crisp and on target; enjoy (you're in a friggin Santa run!)	enjoying the moment I am blessed and loved
2	check the watch at this portion a few more times than usual, don't worry about banking time or speeding up too much, a little over target pace is ok at this point, see if you can pick off a runner or a pair of runners that seem to be running the same pace as you; you're doing great!  Isn't this fun?	looked down at the watch and the crowd was really really bad at the start - 10:19 pace at this point ... start to run wide of the pylons and start passing the slow runners
3	start counting the people you can pick off on this hill; yell the number out as you do (if you want).  Don't worry.  It's not you.  It's the "Jerry Rice" inside of you!	still not very thinned out, but starting to be ... passed at least 18 people here, was passed by 5 very fluid runners
4	take it wide and avoid the crowd	wide
5	It's all downhill from here baby!  Pick up the pace, and get the heart beating, shake out some of the cob webs.  This is a warm-up for the finishing sprint.  Feel the power in your legs, the long, confident stride, the way the body works together to drive	Checked the watch here and I was 9:17.  Began several series of long stride floating sprints to catch several people in this part of the race.  Brought my pace to 9:11 at the end of this part.
6	Good, you're warmed up for the finishing sprint, keep your eye on the pace, you should be on target now; more on target - even better.  Visually check your shoe laces, how's the Santa Suit pieces, what can you fix to make sure your sprint has nothing to take your mind off of being awesome.  Keep an eye on your pace, relax, take some good centering breathes.  Feel the body cleaning out the muscles of waste and refilling them with fuel.	Check - check - check pace is still 9:11 at the turn
7	I can see the final turn to the finish, the runners are very scattered here, there's probably about 800 runners ahead of me at this point - I'm going to start passing more runners here.  My body will respond.	looked down to the end of the race ... people yelling to us you can make it ... found a lot of desire and some energy
8	I've built up a lot of momentum - but man! I've got so much energy - I lean forward and run on my toes, my muscles tight and powering like the Olympic 100-meter-race.  My feet tap out a continuous acceleration.	HOLY SH*T I'm running even faster!  Watch is reading avg pace 9:08!
9	28:59	28:30

Here's the official race line from sportstats.ca.  RD and volunteers did a great job, but if they want more people next year they have to fix the signup process a bit: far too many long line-ups and chaos with washrooms.  Everything in one building coming off of one hallway.  You actually had to read your bib number off of a wall in the busy hallway, then go and line-up in the proper row for your bib number.  Better design next time - line up by the first letter of your name like last year.

Santa Suit Race Strategy

Thankfully the planned route hasn't changed from last year (last years run is here).  Here's the strategy I was thinking of:

Waypoint	Comment	Target
1	4000 Santas line up for a fun run; to waypoint 2 there are booms, cameras, lots of happy energetic people, children, dogs	I am waiting for my execution on the gallows; after the start gun, run with the crowd to waypoint 2, this is traffic avoidance and avoiding being traffic; keep they pace crisp and on target; enjoy (you're in a friggin Santa run!)
2	the road levels off to a pancake until waypoint 3, some people will be dropping back and slowing down after the euphoria of the run under the cameras	check the watch at this portion a few more times than usual, don't worry about banking time or speeding up too much, a little over target pace is ok at this point, see if you can pick off a runner or a pair of runners that seem to be running the same pace as you; you're doing great!  Isn't this fun?
3	the big hill begins until waypoint 5, people will be dropping to the sides here and walking a bit where necessary - the climb is only 45 feet	start counting the people you can pick off on this hill; yell the number out as you do (if you want).  Don't worry.  It's not you.  It's the "Jerry Rice" inside of you!
4	Water table and half way point	take it wide and avoid the crowd
5	Top of the course, with a good downhill portion until the next waypoint	It's all downhill from here baby!  Pick up the pace, and get the heart beating, shake out some of the cob webs.  This is a warm-up for the finishing sprint.  Feel the power in your legs, the long, confident stride, the way the body works together to drive
6	pancake	Good, you're warmed up for the finishing sprint, keep your eye on the pace, you should be on target now; more on target - even better.  Visually check your shoe laces, how's the Santa Suit pieces, what can you fix to make sure your sprint has nothing to take your mind off of being awesome.  Keep an eye on your pace, relax, take some good centering breathes.  Feel the body cleaning out the muscles of waste and refilling them with fuel.
7	downhill home stretch	I can see the final turn to the finish, the runners are very scattered here, there's probably about 800 runners ahead of me at this point - I'm going to start passing more runners here.  My body will respond.
8	10 heart beats away	I've built up a lot of momentum - but man! I've got so much energy - I lean forward and run on my toes, my muscles tight and powering like the Olympic 100-meter-race.  My feet tap out a continuous acceleration.
9	The finish	28:59

I'm looking at running to an overall average pace of 5:48/km (9:16/mi) by the time I'm between waypoints 5 and 6.  Waypoint 6 to 7 is run-up circle checklist stuff.  Waypoint 7 and on is take-off.

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Race starts tomorrow at 9 am.  The RD says there are still some walk-up registration places available.  Here's the race info page: Running Room.

Visualization

When things get tough.  You either grow or you grow a tumor.

What can be said for people that artificially make things tough for themselves?  Why would someone run outside on the icy roads in bone-chilling rain or in death-inducing heat with salt and dust baking into your sun-burned skin?  Why do we run?

On Monday I had one of the more difficult runs I can remember: 6 miles easy with hill sprints, and then 2x20 second drills.  The distance was doable.  That's a normal run for me on a weekday.  The hill sprints are awesome.  I can pull my inner "Jerry Rice" out on demand.  The drills at the end are refreshing.  I love the looks I get from the kids walking their dogs, or the retirees looking through their bedroom windows as I do karaokes or skipping for distance.  No it wasn't even the chilling freezing rain, the fact that I had a painful wind blowing into my face for a good 45 minutes of the run, or the fact that I was drenched through to my toes and fingers.

It was difficult because I began to doubt.

I began to tell myself that running faster is hard.  That there is a barrier of PAIN that waits for me when I want to improve.  That I can't achieve this goal that I am seeking.  That I haven't trained well.  I haven't eaten well.  I haven't had the right mental attitude.  I left my front door on Monday's run, thinking the enemy was outside; that the enemy was the world; that the enemy was the elements.

No.  The enemy was me.

* * *

I'm a practicing Roman Catholic.  I pray for many reasons and in many forms and styles.  But I never pray for running.  I never use the tools that have gotten me this far and apply it to running.  I never pray for the runners, the race organizers, the volunteers.  I never pray for my wife and family because they have helped me to be a runner.  I have been simply animistic to this point in time.  I have simply let my body worship at the Church of running with no spiritual commentary.  If I have added anything, it is a bit of intellectual flowering in collecting numbers and setting target.

It may be too late for this race on Saturday, but I vow before all of you to find a technique that is suitable for me, which will help me visualize and be totally present in my running.  I've approached my running as if I was a lab rat in an experiment.

Help me out.  What do you do to visualize your running?  How do you spiritualize your running?  What books do you read?  How do you prepare for running?  How do you prepare for racing?

Bye Bye Mo

Our team (of three gentlemen) raised $2080 for prostate cancer this last month, or at least that's what Peter told me this morning.  I can't log into the prostate cancer web page myself.  I think I'm back to my old wannabe self after the shave, but we'll see if the aerodynamics will have improved for my run tonight.

* * *

Progress Overview

I made a little info graphic to show the progress I've been making in my 5ks.  My hope is that I can alter the trend that happened over this long summer and drastically increase my speed in a moderate way.  Similar to last years increase over the same time period and season (from my birthday to the Santa Suit Run).

My coach has my training pace in this last period as 5:57 min/k (9:31 min/mi).  Does that mean I should be able to do a 29:45?  Simply phone it in?  Running is hard.  I thought it would start getting easier, but it hasn't.  One thing I have noticed in myself is that when I want to bite off that big-ass goal, I have a lot more courage and consistency than when I start doubting myself.  

I think I'm going to spend the next 9 days, before this 5k, on visualizing that 28:59 and preparing myself for the wave of doubt I get once those muscles begin to ache.  Did I say that?  I mean once those muscles begin to feel alive and burn with awesome power and DRIVING FORCE!

Have a good one today runners!  As always I'm still a wannabe! :)