KINES Club 5K

You can always count on bad weather for this race, and yesterday was no exception. It was pouring down rain when I drove into town, and it kept raining while I went into the IM Building to warm up. Everyone else had the same idea, and we hid in the hallway near the door until about 3 minutes before race time.
It didn't let up after the start, either. I even heard a peal of thunder during the first half-mile. And all the puddles and running water on the roads made it seem more like an adventure race than a 5K.
I ran the first, mostly-downhill mile in 6:55. The mostly-uphill second mile was a bit tougher, and I felt like a few times I lost control of my breathing a little, and my pace faltered. I did that mile in 7:44.
Just after the two-mile mark, as I climbed the last uphill, the rain finally let up. At this point, however, I was totally soaked from head to toe. My shoes and soaks were completely waterlogged, so it was like running with ankle weights. I tried to finish strong, but there was just no extra push. Nevertheless, when I got to that final, long straight to the finish, I could see the leaders way in front of me.
With about a quarter of a mile to go, I heard footsteps coming up behind me, and that gave me just enough push to hold him off. I did the third mile in 7:40, and finished in 22:55.97, good for 39th place overall.

You can see the full results here.

Tussey Teaser #2

I had wavered on whether I was going to do this run right up until Friday. I have volleyball tonight, and it's the finals, and I didn't want to get too worn out. But in the end I was really looking forward to it; fatigue be damned.
I started strong: I was second after the first mile. Then the serious hill started, and soon I heard footsteps behind me. Next thing I knew I was 5th, then 6th.... Anyway, I just kept plugging away up the hill, knowing that I long, long downhill was waiting for me. Maybe I could catch some of these guys.
I started getting a side stitch, so I had to ease up a little, raise my arms, and just try to work it out. Or suck it up, as needed. Boy was I suffering up the last switchback! Finally I crested the hill in 30:10, or almost a whole minute slower than I'd done it a month ago. But hey, only 8 miles to go!
I was still feeling sluggish for most of the fourth mile, when suddenly, out of nowhere, my legs seemed to catch up to me. I wasn't running as much as gliding, taking long quick strides effortlessly, and the trail vanished beneath my feet. I did the next mile under 7 minutes. Between mile 5-6 I blew past one of the guys who had passed me on the way up. On a long straight-away near the 7-mile-mark, I could see one of the other people who had passed me, maybe half a mile ahead. I could tell I was gaining, and the running felt really good. I had a chance to catch him if I kept up my pace.
Then, out of nowhere, just past the 8-mile mark (3 to go!) my back started to tighten up really bad. I think it was because the road was tilted to the right, and it was putting a lot of stress on my right back. I tried everything I could think of to loosen it up, but it wasn't happening. The running became harder and harder, and I knew I was slowing down. Somewhere between the 9- and 10-mile mark the guy I had flown past a few miles before passed me again, and I had nothing to respond with. From here, it was just a question of holding on.
I somehow managed to keep going the whole 11 miles, and I finished in 1 hour, 29 minutes: my goal had been 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes, for an 8-minute-mile pace), and considering all the things I had overcome, I can live with that time very happily.
Now let's see if I can still play volleyball.