Thursday, May 21, 2009

B2B Redux

I have been slacking big time on my running... supposedly because of my PS (piriformis syndrome)... more on that at the end...

So I signed up for Bay to Breakers early hoping I could break 50 (as I ran 51:16 in 2008)...

BUT, I was not counting on being injured... suffice it to say, that the injury has improved (meaning it does not hurt nearly as much)...

I had a very conservative goal (7 to 7:10 pace)... ALAS, the day dawned warm... warm enough that my 1.5 mile "jog"to the start had me sweating...

I start right behind the elites and the centipedes (the fasts ones any way)... BUT there is this 70ish looking woman in front of me (WTF?)...

There must have been about 200 runners in front of me... BUT when the "gun" went off, I must have gone through that many people... Did they jump in? Most likely... so I found myself weaving for the first mile, 6:58 (6:48)... parentheses show last year's splits... I find myself in oxygen debt, NOT A GOOD SIGN...

I am already hurting and I try to slow down to "feel" tempo effort... find myself at mile two in 7:17 (6:53)... and I am okay as I think I can recover to have a decent showing... then the Hayes terraced hills hit me and I struggled as I never have struggled before in a race (and I am being conservative)... I want to walk so badly, my EGO hurts... I see what appears to be the end of the hills and I "jogged"it in... BUT there is one last slope, one that is so short I know I can take...

THEN, there is this short sharp downhill, that my legs are not ready for and the third mile split comes at a disappointing 8:24 (7:52)... ahh, but the terrain can only get easier, right?... no, there is a mild upslope on mile number 4... so I just "sustain" the effort... BUT my legs are spaghetti by now... mile four in an embarrassing 7:46 (7:05)... I plod on as my legs and lungs are begging for mercy... a few runners pass me... BUT I hold my place... mostly.

Mile 5, 7:43 (6:53)... WTF? I am not recovering as much as I should be... I am really hurting... was it the lack of strides? METHINKS so....

Mile 6 is a slowish 7:17 (6:28)... and I think that I should be able to knock a "noble"sub-7:15... BUT no, I can only muster a 7:24 (6:28)... and I want to give up right there and then... my EGO screams at me, telling me that there is less than half-a-mile to go... so I muster any left-over energy and finish with a 55:55, 3:06 for the last stretch (2:49)...

It takes me about 30 minutes to get back to normal as I left everything I had on that day behind...

I am NOT disappointed as I did not have it that day... MAYBE I can redeem myself on another race...

Thanks for reading...

PS: it appears that the injured muscles were the aBductors along with the piriformis... I have been stretching the culprits, and the pain is almost gone :-)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Kara and Me

Last year I signed up early for NYC... who decides to run HER first full Mary there? Yep. KG.

Then on impulse I sign up for Boston... who decides to run HER second full Mary at B? Yep. KG.

I signed up for Berlin early this year... who's also running it? Yep. KG.

Coincidence? I think not. She's stalking me. No.Doubt.About.It.