Sunday, January 13, 2008

Dave's 10 Mile Shoe Run Race Report


It's all fun and games at the start until you've run your second Ohio Turnpike overpass in the race at mile 4.5 out of the 4 overpass crossings in the race with the last being at mile 8.5! Ok, individually the race went well and I exceeded my expectations for myself. As far as me in relation to the rest of the field of runners... let's just say 79.07% I only saw from the rear by the time I finished. These Toledo RoadRunners really take their running seriously and... are seriously fast! We left for Delta, Ohio about 12:15, after Tammy pulled her homemade apple pie out of the oven. Lindsey and Tammy accompanied me, which I was SO grateful for! I ate a PB&J on the drive there and downed a bottle of water. Got to Delta about 1:00ish. The race setup was great in that we were able to use the Pike-Delta-York High School cafeteria for a staging area and there were several available restrooms in adjacent halls (which I frequented like 3 times before the race!) and we had access to the locker rooms off the gym. I did a warm up jog and stretched and decided on what I would run in clothing-wise. It was about 39 and light drizzle, perfect for running a race. The race started on time at 2:00 p.m. There were like 172 runners, 135 of which pulled away from me immediately! My intentions for this race was to go out at like a 9:00 min/mile pace for the first couple of miles and then ramp it up to about 8:30/mile for the remainder if possible, but NOOOOO.... the other runners just had to be so freakin' fast that they made me go out at 8:30/mile. Through the first couple of miles I just focused on holding that pace and getting into a comfortable (yea right) stride at it. People were passing me periodically, although there weren't too many folks left behind me other than those running the race with walkers! We went over the Ohio Turnpike a total of 4 times. The first time was only about a mile into the race. Not so bad. The second time was starting at about 4.25 miles. I started getting a pretty bad sub-sternal pain at this point which then moved to my right upper quad in my abdomen. GAH! I NEVER get stitches like this! It was so bad that once I crested the overpass and started on my way down, I was considering bailing on the race. WOULD NOT! Thankfully there was a water station at mile 5 which saved my life AND my race. I walked through the station and slowly drank the cup of water to make sure I didn't upset any contents to air ratio in my tummy which would cause me to lose my PB&J and water. I started back up again and tried pacing 8:30 - 8:45 for the rest of the race. I was tired, but getting increasingly optimistic after getting through that race hiccup at mile 4 - 5. When I got to 7, I felt pretty good and was actually picking up my pacing and passed a few of the fine folks that had been showing me their bums for most of the race. Mile 9 to the finish was tough, and seemed long, but I just focused on finishing strong at this point. I passed one or two other runners and then saw Tammy at about 9.75 miles and started hammering it home as best as I could with what would lamely be called "my kick" telling her "I need help!". Lindsey was right at the finish cheering me through and taking my pic - the one in the sidebar at the right, which is in stark contrast to the one above! I finished in 1:26:23, about an 8:39 min/mile pace and better than my goal time of 1:30:00. I was happy with my effort, but astonished at the speed out there in the field today. I finished 136/172 runners and probably last in my age group, but that was a long and fast race for me and I don't think I could have run it any faster. They had some great eats, ham and turkey sammiches, chicken noodle soup, and apples afterward and we chatted with the Calhoun family (the girls all ran and kicked MY butt - and many others' too though - Kate 1:08 something, Kelsey 1:16 something, Errin 1:20 something), I changed into dry clothes and we headed back home. Thanks Tammy and Lindsey for going with me... it meant the world to me! I love you guys!

14 comments:

Jim Lange said...

Rick, you are a running machine and you are my hero! I love you bro!

Rick said...

Hey, Jim! Thanks for the compliment and... it's a two way street my friend. You're one of my heros too! Thanks for dropping in and leaving me a note.

Anonymous said...

Way to go Rick!!!!
Cindy

Mar said...

Rick!! Look at you in shorts!! Makes me cold just lookin' at ya.
Great job on the run and what an awesome time!!!

And a big thumbs up to Tammy and Lindsey for their support. It makes running so much more worth it when you have someone waiting/cheering for you at the finish:)

Anonymous said...

Rick, good job on the race. Great time! One step closer to Glass City. Love ya
Jeremy

Sara McCarty said...

Congrats on your race and beating your time goal!! What is up with all the super fast runners at races this weekend? I felt the same way you did about watching everyone's behind through my entire race! And very cool that you had your own personal cheering section too - what a difference that makes! Great job!

Rick said...

Thanks Cindy and Jeremy! I love you guys too!

Mar, it was perfect shorts weather. Heh! I AM glad I wore the hat though, which I was not going to initially.

Sara, I totally felt like a turtle in that race compared to the others, but am happy with my time personally. That was fast for me and I could not have ran it any harder. I think I was actually red-lining which is what my body was telling me at 4.5 as I was trying to keep pace with the rest of the field.

The support of Tammy and Lindsey was priceless! They truly are the best!

Thanks guys for leaving me a note! Oh and Jim, I love you too bro!

Mar said...

tsk tsk tsk...2 days and not a single new post...

*poke*..your 'nagging' friend is here:)

Anonymous said...

HEY, GOOD JOB, KID! PAPA PUTZ SAID IT'S NICE TO SEE A RUNNER SMILING! tHEY USUALLY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE IN AGONY!
lOVE YOU LOTS!!!

Rick said...

That was at the very start of the race, Mom. If you look at the pic in the sidebar to the right, at the finish = no smile and "look like I am in agony". It was a little purposeful compare and contrast in the pic posting on my part. Love you too, Mom & Dad.

I know, Mar. Gettin' on it.
:-P

Tim Wilson said...

Great job with the 10 miler Rick! I see you are putting some big miles in, you are doing great in preparation for the Marathon!

Rick said...

Thanks, Tim! And, thanks for stopping by the blah, blah, blog. Heh! My youngest daughter still tells me my posts are too long!

Tim Wilson said...

Mine are also way too long as you have seen :)

Rick said...

But we know long is relative, Tim. Like 8 or 16 milers, 10 or 20 milers - depends on the individual and what they're training for whether it is "long or not.
;-)