Damn. This was a fast field.
The course isn't really all that fast...it's four loops with one deceptive hill each loop (which seemingly gets bigger every time around) and one 180-degree turn (which kills all momentum). And yet...the winner ran 14:00.
That is quick. About 30 seconds quicker than the winner usually is here.
This was by far the deepest field in the Blast, and (with the exception of the Chicago and Boston marathons) one of the fastest fields I've ever raced against. Which, of course, is the reason I love the Blast.
Because the field was so fast, I can't say I'm too disappointed with my race. I ran 15:20-something to place just outside the top-10 (I can't say for certain, because I can't find the official results anywhere). As the leaders took off crazy fast, I ended up running most of the race on my own. I did finish in sight of 2:13-marathoner Craig Leon, so I can't feel too let down about this one.
That said, I really wanted better. This was the race where, after really struggling last year, I wanted to demonstrate a so-called return to fitness. Last year's disappointment was really the motivator for me to re-focus my training, and in that time period I think it's been very successful. I'm back on the right track, so to speak. So in a sense, this was a sort-of revenge race. Running in front of the home crowd made it that much more important.
But looking back, all that unraveled about three weeks before the race, when I did a 20-minute AT and then 10 x 200 to tune up for the Music City Distance Carnival. Coming off of a 14:33 5k at Lou Cox, I pushed the envelope on this workout a little too hard and strained my hamstring. Then I proceeded to run on it for another week, including the race in Nashville. That was stupid.
The rest of the time between Music City and the Blast was spent alternating between hesitant training and rest/recovery. I definitely lost a little fitness in that time, and it showed at the Blast. As I've been returning to regular training, I do feel a little out-of-shape.
But it's a good lesson, as always. One I should know, after 10 years of training experience, but one that requires a lot of discipline to adhere to. Race fitness comes from an accumulation of quality work. No one workout is going to make your season; however, one overdone workout can ruin it.
So this marks the end of my winter/spring season. I took some time off and now I'm building back up for the fall/winter racing season, hopefully culminating at the US Half Marathon champs in Houston in January. But more on that later.
In a sense, I don't mind ending the season on a bit of a disappointing race. It gives me some more motivation to improve training going forward.
The course isn't really all that fast...it's four loops with one deceptive hill each loop (which seemingly gets bigger every time around) and one 180-degree turn (which kills all momentum). And yet...the winner ran 14:00.
That is quick. About 30 seconds quicker than the winner usually is here.
This was by far the deepest field in the Blast, and (with the exception of the Chicago and Boston marathons) one of the fastest fields I've ever raced against. Which, of course, is the reason I love the Blast.
Because the field was so fast, I can't say I'm too disappointed with my race. I ran 15:20-something to place just outside the top-10 (I can't say for certain, because I can't find the official results anywhere). As the leaders took off crazy fast, I ended up running most of the race on my own. I did finish in sight of 2:13-marathoner Craig Leon, so I can't feel too let down about this one.
That said, I really wanted better. This was the race where, after really struggling last year, I wanted to demonstrate a so-called return to fitness. Last year's disappointment was really the motivator for me to re-focus my training, and in that time period I think it's been very successful. I'm back on the right track, so to speak. So in a sense, this was a sort-of revenge race. Running in front of the home crowd made it that much more important.
But looking back, all that unraveled about three weeks before the race, when I did a 20-minute AT and then 10 x 200 to tune up for the Music City Distance Carnival. Coming off of a 14:33 5k at Lou Cox, I pushed the envelope on this workout a little too hard and strained my hamstring. Then I proceeded to run on it for another week, including the race in Nashville. That was stupid.
The rest of the time between Music City and the Blast was spent alternating between hesitant training and rest/recovery. I definitely lost a little fitness in that time, and it showed at the Blast. As I've been returning to regular training, I do feel a little out-of-shape.
But it's a good lesson, as always. One I should know, after 10 years of training experience, but one that requires a lot of discipline to adhere to. Race fitness comes from an accumulation of quality work. No one workout is going to make your season; however, one overdone workout can ruin it.
So this marks the end of my winter/spring season. I took some time off and now I'm building back up for the fall/winter racing season, hopefully culminating at the US Half Marathon champs in Houston in January. But more on that later.
In a sense, I don't mind ending the season on a bit of a disappointing race. It gives me some more motivation to improve training going forward.
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| Running the Blast as I did most of the race -- alone. Also, look at that crowd around the square! Who says running isn't fun to watch? |
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