Heart Mini Marathon
Well, another Heart Mini has come and gone. 3030 runners took on the hills of Columbia Parkway for the 30th running.
I know it seems that I obsess about the weather. Most of my posts have at least a mention about the conditions of my runs and almost all of them is bitching about the conditions. So, I hesitate to comment on the weather today. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not going to hesitate... It was hot!
It was a perfect day for the thousands of people who lined Columbia Parkway to cheer the runners, but it was at least thirty degrees warmer than ideal for those competing. When I crossed the finish line I noticed a clock/thermometer that flashed 75 degrees.
But, I shouldn't complain. It's not like it was hot for me and pleasant for the other 3029 runners. It was one of those uncontrollable factors that you really can't prepare for.
For each race there is always going to be the possibility of one or more of these factors. No matter how you train these factors can have an affect on the race. Weather is just one of these factors. Not feeling well is another. There's nothing more frustrating than training for five months and waking up on race day not feeling your best.
Injury is another factor. Similar to feeling ill, if you are nursing an injury you know you're not going to perform your best. With an injury or illness, you basically have two options: one, suck it up and run. Or two, bow out and hope to feel better for another race.
Back to today's race. I was happy with my results. Even with the less than ideal temperatures I PR'd. My best Mini prior to today was in 2005, when I ran 1:02:50. I beat that time by thirty one seconds. My time of 1:02:19 placed me 71st. It was my first Top 100.
I have to say that I give a lot of the credit for my time to writing this blog (and Jim Urbaitis). It was constantly in my mind that I would have to write about the race and my time. I was recently made aware that some 1,800 people read this blog each week. I didn't want to have to admit to everyone that I had a bad race.
If you have not seen the results yet, Chris Reis won and there wasn't a close second. He ran a 46:51. While I was happy with my time, that puts things in perspective for me. He beat me by over 15 minutes. He had time to finish, find his car, drive home, and grab a bite to eat before I crossed the finish line. Nice race, Chris!
I don't have much time to feel good about today's race. We are scheduled for a track work out tomorrow. I think we are doing eight 800's. Not looking forward to it.
I would like to thank all spectators who were out this morning. Your cheers of encouragement really do help. I needed all the help I could get, especially on Torrence and the mountain we had to climb right before the finish.
I know it seems that I obsess about the weather. Most of my posts have at least a mention about the conditions of my runs and almost all of them is bitching about the conditions. So, I hesitate to comment on the weather today. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not going to hesitate... It was hot!
It was a perfect day for the thousands of people who lined Columbia Parkway to cheer the runners, but it was at least thirty degrees warmer than ideal for those competing. When I crossed the finish line I noticed a clock/thermometer that flashed 75 degrees.
But, I shouldn't complain. It's not like it was hot for me and pleasant for the other 3029 runners. It was one of those uncontrollable factors that you really can't prepare for.
For each race there is always going to be the possibility of one or more of these factors. No matter how you train these factors can have an affect on the race. Weather is just one of these factors. Not feeling well is another. There's nothing more frustrating than training for five months and waking up on race day not feeling your best.
Injury is another factor. Similar to feeling ill, if you are nursing an injury you know you're not going to perform your best. With an injury or illness, you basically have two options: one, suck it up and run. Or two, bow out and hope to feel better for another race.
Back to today's race. I was happy with my results. Even with the less than ideal temperatures I PR'd. My best Mini prior to today was in 2005, when I ran 1:02:50. I beat that time by thirty one seconds. My time of 1:02:19 placed me 71st. It was my first Top 100.
I have to say that I give a lot of the credit for my time to writing this blog (and Jim Urbaitis). It was constantly in my mind that I would have to write about the race and my time. I was recently made aware that some 1,800 people read this blog each week. I didn't want to have to admit to everyone that I had a bad race.
If you have not seen the results yet, Chris Reis won and there wasn't a close second. He ran a 46:51. While I was happy with my time, that puts things in perspective for me. He beat me by over 15 minutes. He had time to finish, find his car, drive home, and grab a bite to eat before I crossed the finish line. Nice race, Chris!
I don't have much time to feel good about today's race. We are scheduled for a track work out tomorrow. I think we are doing eight 800's. Not looking forward to it.
I would like to thank all spectators who were out this morning. Your cheers of encouragement really do help. I needed all the help I could get, especially on Torrence and the mountain we had to climb right before the finish.
Neighborhood:
2 Comments:
Glad to see I'm not the only one bit...um...complaining about the heat. Hard to believe we have issue with 75 and sunny - who complains about that?
Good job on your race! You had time to drive home and have a bite to eat before I finished.
Nice to hear the blog lit a bit of fire under you. Though I'm sure you'd have finished strong even without it.
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