Sunday, November 18, 2007

Wet Wet Wet

I didn't run on Tuesday due to my head cold... thought that I would make it up on Saturday but that didn't happen. I spent the day with the family chillin' and relaxin'. We did manage to get out of the house though and went to a movie, Bee Movie. Very cute! We all enjoyed it ... albeit for different reasons - DH took a little snooze. :)

This morning I headed out in the rain for a 13 miler. I planned to do 7 and then return home to 'pick-up' my running partners. Despite the downpour, the family accompanied me for the final 6. The kiddos were comfortably bundled beneath a fleece blanket in the bike trailer - not a drop on them. Fortunately though, the rain let up for the second half and so DH was relatively dry himself. I, on the other hand, was soaked to the bone.

I was very pleased with my effort today. I averaged an 8:53 pace and thereby finished in 1:55. I felt good and strong the entire time. I soaked in a cold bath (even though I was already cold) for about 10 minutes, dried off, made everyone lunch, and then took a warm shower.

I really don't know what to expect for the CIM. GB ran it last year and provided this description, "It's got small rollers in the first half where the total of them might fatigue you if you run them too fast, but if you pace yourself you will get through them fine. No sharp inclines. There is one incline around mile 18 I think that you'll feel in your legs, but it's not super long so you recover fast. The 2nd half is very flat and if you've paced right, you can literally race the last 10K or even more. It's really a great course. The last stretch heading toward the capitol seems to go on forever, but just keep going and DON'T focus on the street signs. Just focus on your run and the people cheering for you!"

I printed out pace strips for both a 3:44 (~8:35 min pace) and a 3:55 (~9:00 min pace) finish. I don't know. My primary goal is to enjoy myself and finish. Yet, a part of me really wants to try to qualify. I keep waffling. I wasn't able to follow my training plan as closely as I had intended. Life happens. I'm thinking that I'll try to do 6-7 miles or so at a 9:00 min pace and then 13 at 8:40... racing the last 10k at 8:30 if it is in me. Just play it by ear or whatever. I don't know.

6 comments:

  1. It's hard to know if you haven't run the course before, no matter how good the descriptions are! Playing it by ear sounds good.

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  2. We'd thought about seeing that, maybe we'll give it a try then.

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  3. Play it by ear and go by how you feel. Take advantage of any downhills to pick up the pace a bit... It will be a great race!!

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  4. That was a great run. I agree with Wes, keep both pace strips handy and see you how you feel. Just have fun!

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  5. I've done CIM several times - the description your friend gave is very accurate. Be ready for bad weather, though - in past years it has been rainy, cold (mid-30s) and windy, but other years it's very pleasant.

    It's a great race. You'll appreciate it. And why not try to qualify? If you think it's within your reach, go for it! Temporary pain is a small price to pay.

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