On Saturday, I ran in the Snowman Shuffle. It was pretty good day. I finished well considering my huge gap in training. First, I'll talk about how the run went, and then I will finish with what lessons I learned.
The day was cold, somewhere around 35°. But it was clear and sunny with no significant wind. Therefore, once I got running, everything was just ducky. I warmed up fairly quickly, and I stayed comfortable until I finished thanks to the perfect clothes for the weather. I had a short sleeved wicking shirt on underneath a fleece pullover. I also wore a pair of cotton running gloves [which was the free goodie for that particular race] and a stocking cap. On my legs I wore shorts. Despite their exposure, they weren't cold. In fact, I did not get cold at all until after the race when I froze off my huevos because I was all sweaty.
The first part of the race is downhill. It was very tempting to surge ahead, but I did my best to keep my pace steady. In fact, if there's anything I can say about the whole race, I kept my pace steady as a rock. At the bottom of the hill, there was about a three-quarter mile stretch of flat road that took you off the main loop, to the turn-around point, and back. The run was downright pleasant up to that point, but once I got back to the main loop, the knowledge of what was next really kicked me in the butt.
Between the one mile and three mile split points, the course was relatively flat or gradually inclining. But around the three mile point, it starts climbing up toward what is colloquially called Dog Hill, so named because it is the place where all the cool dogs tell their owners to take them so they can go play with dozens of other dogs. The course climbs about 80 feet at this point, and the slope is so relentless, I wondered when it would end. This hill beat me. This is where I had to stop and walk a couple times. I almost stopped to stretch my legs, but I kept moving. Once I reached the summit, I was physically fine, but mentally I felt defeated. Still, I pressed on.
Then the course starts to go back downhill for a while before the final push uphill to the finish line back at Hogan's Fountain. The downhill bit after that murderous climb was just what I needed. It helped me get the momentum [even if it was only in my head] to climb that last hill, which I did without much trouble. In fact, I was shocked at how easily I ascended the last hill given my performance on the big one.
I finished with an official time of 42:55, which is nearly a personal record for me for four miles. It would have been a PR had the race been exactly four miles. Officially it was, but when I sketched it out on Google maps [at Runningahead.com] with a high zoom, it turned out to be 4.1. No big deal unless you are a huge data geek like me.
What I learned loud and clear in this race was the benefit of running with other people. Normally, I am not the most sociable guy in the room. I'm shy, and I find it hard to chit-chat with people that I've never met before. However, I came to the race with some people from the running group I just joined. Two of the people were fast runners and took home prizes. Two others ran at my pace. The three of us stayed together and talked for the first mile or mile and a half. That was really good for a number of reasons. 1) We kept each other going, 2) Talking helped me regulate my pace and keep it steady, and 3) Talking helped pass the time. I didn't bring my iPod knowing that I would be among people, and I was worried that I would get bored. I didn't until we split apart at about the 1.5 or 2 mile mark. It started when the faster of the three of us took off and made her move. Then about half a mile or a mile later, the slower of the three of us dropped back. I was in the middle. All three of us finished within a minute of each other.
It was very heartening to have people cheering me on at various parts [and of course I returned the favor when I could], and having people to trade high-fives with afterward at the finish line was great. I'm glad I joined this group, and I look forward to running with them next Saturday.
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