Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Races

The few races I did this summer have gone pretty well. Given the minimal amount of training, I am pleased with my age group finishes in the Energy2Action duathlon (2mi/16 mi/2.5mi 3rd place), Blacksnake duathlon (2mi/20 mi/2.5mi 2nd place), and Tri-Indy duathlon (2mi/12.4mi/5k 3rd place).

The Fisher Area Sprint Triathlon (500m/10mi/5k)was my first tri, and I finished within a minute of my projected time. My swim was weak (expected, as my swim training consisted of swimming 40 laps in my pool two weeks before the race), and first transition ridiculously slow, but the bike (21.4mph avg) and run (7:17 pace) went well. I was 12th in my age group, but as a first timer (newbies were grouped by age as well), I was first in my age group.

I ran in the Cancer-Free Lungs 5k last weekend, a non-competitive race (meaning no timing, bibs, or chips), which meant most of the participants were walkers; there were a handful of runners, but none were fast. My buddy Mike and I led the whole race, crossing the finish line together at 21:44 (6:59 pace). He could have waxed me at the end, but didn't. I was running at near redline for most of the race, with my heart rate in the 170s (174 avg), eventually peaking at 181 near the end. Speed is not my thing, but it did feel good to push it a bit.

September has been my lamest month of "training"; it's more like I am training to be lethargic. I have two races coming up, for which I am not prepared. The Ft. Harrison mini-marathon is in a bit over two weeks, and while I have no concerns with the distance, figure my speed will be lacking. Worse, this race was supposed to be a final prep for the Monumantal Marathon in five weeks, with a solid taper in between. I should be running an 18-20 miler about next weekend, but I haven't even run a 10 miler since Labor Day. Yes, I am way behind, and will not catch up. if I hadn't already signed up for the marathon, I would probably skip it for lack of preparation. Not being prepared to run a mini is no big deal; I can fake it and just slow down. 26.2 miles cannot be faked. You are either prepared or not, and that is a major factor in having a good race or a bad race. Oh well, I just have to get off my arse and utilize the remaining time as best I can.

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