Had a poor race last Thursday night. 4 miler in the heat, downtown Wilmington. Went out too fast, especially in lieu of the conditions, and the course. Several steeper one to two block in length hills.
Knew it early on too. Glanced at my watch maybe .2 or .3 into the thing and was running a 5:57 pace. Didn't feel that fast, and I tried to kind of down shift a bit out of it, but I think some of the damage had been done. Had been planning on trying to run 6:15 miles. Which coming off an 18 minute 5k last month, and a 4:48 1500m last Saturday, I should have been able to do.
But I knew I had blown it out a mile or so in. Then it becomes a death march, and an exercise in trying not to fall back or lose too many places. Finished in 26:43. Still won my age group, and was still in retrospect not a bad time... but just not a smart or good effort
Though I shook it off quick and like a ball team on a win streak that can use a loss, overall it may have been a good thing. I'm not bullet proof and ten feet tall. I'm fallible again. I think part of what lends to the mistake is being a victim of my own shape. What I mean by that, is similarly 2 years ago I was in real good shape going into the Tri-Span 10k and did the same thing. I did not think I needed to adjust as much to the heat and the hills of the course, because of my perceived conditioning.
Onto training for the Iron Mountain 30 mile race Sept 5, a little under 12 weeks away. Saw Natasha Thurs night at the race which got the both of us amped again for what has become an annual pilgrimage to the mountains of southwestern Virginia.
Plan is for 10 solid weeks of running, then a 2 week taper. Ideally would love to average close to 70 miles a week for 10 weeks; perhaps five weeks on, one down, then four back up? We'll see. The best laid plans of mice and men. Need to also amp the ancillary work back up, ie core and strength.
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