First, congratulations to a very worthy opponent. Biggtree, you ran a great race and I promise you'll get your rematch. First I'll have to heal up and dig myself out of the huge training hole I've now put myself in.
BiggTree has already told his side of the story and now I shall share my own. But lets back up a bit as it will help you understand what transpired today. Word of warning, this will be a VERY long post.
Training 1 week out
Contrary to what has been written it was actually I who was challenged -- I just happened to take it to the next level and the result was a classic blog post by BiggTree. It was the perfect bulletin board material. As soon as the challenge was accepted the wheels started turning on how to beat a big lumbering stick. He had a fairly significant height advantage so I automatically assumed this would mean he would be able to out sprint me if it came to that. So the attention turned to could I simply just outpace him? Now, we had been sharing training data via Voomaxer and it appeared that if I could run a 9 flat (average of 9 minutes per mile over the course of the run) that I would stand a chance of winning or at worse not getting completely embarrassed. So off to the gym I went to see if I could run a 9 flat. On Monday (3/2/09) I was all amped up and made my first attempt and to great relief I found I could run that fast. I wasn't willing to rest my entire strategy on a single data point. So after a day of rest, I made my second attempt. Probably more amped up than on Monday. I'm about a half mile into the run and as I perform my normal body scan I notice my legs haven't loosened up, especially my shins. At two miles into the run my shins began to feel like they were going to shatter, by two and quarter it was simply determination keeping me on the treadmill. At two and half I made the decision to shut it down thinking it best not to jeopardize Sunday's performance. Unfortunately, the pain in the shins was now so great it was difficult to simply step off the treadmill. At the time, my ankle really didn't hurt. I suppose it was because of the pain in my shins. I log my run details into voomaxer after lunch and because of the shins never even thought of listing it. Looking back I should have mentioned it but oh well. I took the next day off but I was icing my shins every hour and stretching. Two days after the accident I was back on the elliptical machine and felt pretty good. The thing about elliptical machines is they are lower impact, so while the ankle was hurting it felt like it was something that medication would allow me to run through on Sunday. At this point I was still icing the ankle and now using heating pads as well. Even during the evening hours.
The Day Before
Having not run for 4 days I figured I better test it. So I took the dog with me as I knew she would hold me back. She did her part of the deal and together we finished a 1 mile run. My ankle was tender but over all not bad. I considered my strategy options: 1) Out pace him at a constant rate , 2) Out pace him using a series of inner run sprints, or 3) Out sprint him at the end. It was at this point the strategy was set. I would let him set the pace the first half mile as my body warmed up, but never allow him a lead. I would then try to out pace him using a constant rate. I tried to take a nap but was too amped up. I managed to force down a very late lunch at around 3pm. Gonna sound silly but by dinner time, the nerves had gotten the best of me and I was sick to my stomach. Just way over amped. By the time I landed in "Enemy Territory" I was back to feeling ok and loosened up as I hung out with BiggTree. We decided we would get up around 8 the following morning. We hit the hay around 11:30, which with daylight savings time change was really half past midnight.
The Morning of the Race
At around 6am I woke up for a trip to the bathroom. I tried to go back to sleep but really just tossed and turned for the next two hours. At 8, I took the four ibuprofens I had set out the night before, dressed, and started heating the ankle with the heating pad I had brought with. It was stiff and a little achy but manageable. After about 15 minutes, it was time to head up to breakfast. I brought *most* of my usual breakfast with me - oatmeal. I forgot to bring my usual whey protein for a protein shake. Oh well. Pretty soon it was time to go to registration. We got to registration with plenty of time and got our first glimpse of the course we would be running. Looked like a standard loop with one small section that doubled back on itself. BiggTree did comment that it wasn't the route he thought we would be running but this would work. Little did I know he'd actually run a critical part of this course before. After signing up we hung out in the VFW with the other runners. The race had a pretty good turn out and as a result the VFW was packed! One funny side story here was that I needed to use the restroom and of course the women's restroom had a line a mile long. The men's had no wait, as the last gentleman came out of the men's room, I was approached by a young lady who begged and pleaded to for me to guard the door while she used the men's room. I eventually agreed. Ok time to head outside for the race.
The Race
Ah the moment we have all been waiting for. Now, BiggTree and I knew we wouldn't be setting any land speed records. So according to runners etiquette we knew we shouldn't line up at the very front of the group. As it turned out we lined up almost at the complete rear of the group, at the corner of Water St. and 7Th.
BANG! The starter pistol cracked, signaling the start of the race. To be honest, it really caught both me a BiggTree off guard. I had barely loaded my playlist on my iPhone and had to hurriedly start RunKeeper Pro. If you'd like to follow along with the story the telemetry from my run can be found here. (BTW Don't trust the data on there 100% as my GPS signal wasn't the best). Luckily the sea of bodies had barely started flowing. It occurs to me at this point that the crowd represents an opportunity and a problem. See this is what's called a "Fun run". A large number of people in the sea of bodies could give a rip about where they actually finished. So some of these individuals are in no hurry. The risk here is I could get caught in a jam of people and BiggTree could end up with an early lead. I couldn't let that happen, so some manners went out the window. I wasn't rude, but if I saw the slightest crack between two bodies, I went through it. I think if asked BiggTree would agree that I did the better job of navigating through what felt like an endless sea of humanity. So much for the 1st part of my strategy.
I had a moment of free running space as things opened up at Niagra and 8th Ave. I knew BiggTree was behind me in the mess. Then suddenly out of the corner of my left eye he comes sprinting up. He'd caught up.
Another body of people were in our way as we made our way to 9th Ave and Broadway. Again, I used the crowd to my advantage and opened up a lead. We turn left onto West Grand Ave. Finally the course opens up! Then I see it. A big freakin hill that starts on the opposite side of the river. As I started climbing the hill, who should happen to sprint up on my left, but BiggTree. Now going into the race my mentality was to never ever let him have the lead. I wanted to lead wire to wire. Not because I wanted to say that, but because I feared if he ever got the lead I wasn't getting it back. So with him by my side, I said to myself -- "DO NOT LET HIM PASS YOU ON THIS HILL!!" about a thousand times. Luckily I didn't have to increase my pace to make that happen. Three quarters the way up the hill he began to fade. Ahhhh. 1st major challenge thwarted. I say first as the previous time he caught me he seemed more interested in just staying shoulder to shoulder. It never occurred to me that this was part of HIS strategy.
We make the right onto Carson Park Drive. Its covered in ice! Had to be very careful not to wipe out. During this stretch I get my first glimpse of the race leaders as they are coming back from the turn around point. At this point I would say I've moved to the middle of the pack. At about the 1 mile mark I do a check of the body. Breathing, heavy but not labored. Legs, loose.. feel ok. What about the Ankle? It sore but manageable. At this point we've now crested the hill so I decided to use the down hill side as a chance to recover from the climb up. I'll be giving back ground but I need to recoup some of the energy I've spent. I even let my pace drop below 10 flat.
At the turn around point I made the decision to look for BiggTree. I'd lost the feel for where he was. I knew he was behind me, just not how far. I come around the point and there he is about 50 yards back. Not the biggest lead but acceptable. Then I realize -- "Crap, I just came off the crest of this hill and now I'm going back up it!". "Ok... don't panic.... focus. Just pick a point at the top of the hill and get there." And I did. At the point where West Grand and Carson Park meet up, I glance over my shoulder to see if I've extended my lead. In my estimation I did. I think to myself -- "Ok, your going down hill use it your advantage." Turn on the jets and extend it a little more". And that was probably my fatal mistake.
Interlude
Flash back to last Wednesday when my shins felt like they were going to explode. I was running on the treadmill and during the course of that, running very close to the control panel which is just about directly over the front of the tread. Days after the injury I looked around to see how others were running and those that were running close to the control panel tended to planted their foot with their toes first. Those further back on the treadmill planted their foot heal first. Now this is all theory on my part, but I wonder if running that far up on the treadmill prevents one from fully striding out and there by putting undue pressure on the shin and ankle. Its just a theory.
Back to the Race
Back to the race now and as you'll recall we are now coming down Carson Hill and I'd made the decision to turn on the jets. The speed went up to 7.1 miles per hour. This was uncharted territory for me. I had never tested this speed before, but it was game time. Now because it was slick, guess what, I wasn't striding out. It was more like a rapid succession of little steps. All of them landing toe first. The two mile marker is pretty close to the bottom of the hill and also represented another time to perform a body scan. Lungs: Labored. Legs: Loose.. feel great. Ankle: HOLY MOTHER OF ... you get the point. It hurt. Alot. Now image taking that inventory and at that precise same moment realize that your opponent caught you while you turned on the gas! After the race BiggTree did tell me there is a certain technique to running down hill I wasn't aware of and he'd used it to great advantage.
It was gut check time. I knew we still had about a mile to go. Just stay with it another 9 minutes. Don't look back from here on out. Now a good friend of mine is reading the book "Unleash the Warrior Within" (mental note to self - read this before throwdown #2) and in it the author has a catch phrase --- "Not Dead, Can't Quit". From this point, to the finish line, I'm screaming those words in my head. NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT!
We turn onto the railway. I was wearing a Polar FS1 Heart rate monitor during this event. I look down at the read out on my right arm and it confirms what I already know. My heart is at 188 beats per minute. There are two things I know at this point. 1) That rate can't be sustained for long and 2) it's really not safe in the first place.
NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! Now, I had the volume low enough on the iPod that I could hear people's footsteps. BiggTree's had faded. Ahhh. Major attack #2 thwarted. Focus. But as I tried I could hear him gaining ground. I'm screaming to myself, PUSH IT!! YOUR 6 MINUTES AWAY! I look to my left arm and the speed is now at 7.2. This is insane! I'm way ahead of my personal best time at this point. The footsteps fade again as I hear the crowd start cheering at the finish line for the race leaders.
NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! ..... and then my body invoked executive privilege and over ruled the brain. Between an excessive heart rate and the excruciating pain in my right ankle, my body decided it was time to bring things to a halt by going through the motions of vomiting. I'd maintained 180+ beats per minute for about a half mile and a hurting ankle for much longer. When it happened, my first thought was do it fast. You can make up the lost ground. You can still win this. Two quick heaves and I tried to mount the comeback. My ankle on the other hand had other designs. It would no longer flex and pushing off was excruciating. The race was lost.
I kept moving, walking at first. Probably about 50 yards and then this older guy grabs my upper arm and says "Lets go. Your almost there!" We latter figured out that this was the same guy that BiggTree mistook for me earlier in the race. Weird how life plays tricks like that.
So I gathered up what little was left of my pride and said "I will not let BiggTree see me walk across that finish line" and it was back to the NOT DEAD, CAN'T QUIT! chant. Albeit now at a 10 flat pace. But I finished it at a run.
Post Game Commentary
Am I disappointed I lost? You bet. Am I disappointed in how I performed? A little bit. I wish to hell I would have been able to push through that wall at mile 2.51. But it just didn't happen.
I am proud of the fact that I finished. There are tons of people in this world who can't. I can.
I am proud of the fact that despite the problems I had along the way, I still set a personal best for average pace at this distance.
I am proud of the fact that my opponent had to run a personal best , to beat me.
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