Weather @ Start: Cloudy, 50°F, 60% Humidity, Wind: SSW @ 7 mph; feels like 50°F.Weather @ Finish: Partly Cloudy, 68°F, 63% Humidity, Wind: CALM; feels like 68°F.
Pace: 8:40 min./mi
Course: 3.25 mile certified scenic loop, P-shaped, paved, traffic free.
Official Results: Here (with splits), completed by Score-This!!!
Pre-Run Observations: Given the amount of space devoted to my "quickie" preparations these past few days, there really is not much more to say. My alarm woke me this morning at 5:00 am. to allow for a cup of joe, a shower and the 80 minute drive to suburban Buffalo. After rolling out of bed, my knees, ankles and chest are achy--I'm not clear as to how much of it is psychosomatic, so I figure "what the heck, why not, let's do this."
The things that is of most concern to me as I pull out of the driveway is how well I will be able to drive the distance home after having run the six-hours (which is entirely way too optimistic, but like I said, "what the heck..."
Post-Race Reflections: As you can likely infer from my alteration to the post title, I didn't end up running for the entire six hours, but I did manage to complete the equivalent of a marathon, or eight loops of the 5k course. While my time was not anywhere near a PR for the distance, I was very happy to have accomplished the distance at a fair pace with too little training. The plan of :36:00 minutes per 5k loop would have worked, but I had difficulty maintaining the slower pace over the first half of the run and it came back to bite me in the hindquarters in the latter loops. I continue to marvel at those (other than I) disciplined runners who can sit back and pace themselves without awareness of where they "rank," content to bring the run to them and wait for things to balance out. There were many good runners there this morning and given the "p" shape of the course, I was afforded the unique opportunity to both run myself and see them perform too.
Though I would be less than honest if I didn't share that I was disappointed not to be able to continue for two more loops, and therefore have the run "qualify" as an ultra, the physical cost would have been too great, I think. After actually attempting the ninth loop and realizing that my knees were not going to allow me to run and my pride would not permit me to walk, I called it a morning.
My psychological approach of focusing and taking each loop as a unique stage and meditating on that stage, in that moment, worked to good effect--I've never felt more together following a race of this distance than I did today... so many positives can be drawn from the overall experience.
All-in-all, it was a very nice way to spend my last day of Spring Break. I woke up at 5:00, left the house at 6:00, arrived at 7:25, ran from 8:00 to just before noon, and was back home having lunch with my wife by 1:30--not a bad way to spend a day, for sure!
Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!
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