maze 30k
redemption is sweet.
Two years ago, I had to bag this race at mile 15 and walk the final 5k in due to a calf injury. Little did I know that this injury would send me into a two-year spiral, keeping me from racing this distance until today. The past four months have been excellent, keeping most all miles at a slower pace on deeper long runs, complemented with plenty of swim and core work.
I've missed the trails, and it was a terrific feeling to enter the start line and see the familiar faces from years past. I knew the front pack would be untouchable, so I set out with the goal of three decending 10k splits. with the course being a 10k loop, it would be a fair judge of my pacing strategy.
the first 10k sucked. i just felt cold, stiff. the pack shot out ahead--contenders and pretenders--and i let them be. i was easy on all uphills, and just collected course information for future reference. i was a touch disappointed with 49.25 minutes, but at least knew that i didn't go out too fast.
the second 10k, in contrast, was terrific. legs filled with blood, my stride opened up and i felt light. the second loop was littered with 10k and 30k lap traffic, which i LOVE. you exchange a quick positive note with everyone you pass, and it's a mutually encouraging distraction from the course itself. every now and then, the person you passed would be taller, leaner and meaner looking than the others: you knew you just caught a fish and moved up a spot. downhills were taken at blistering speed; uphills were still played conservatively. was very pleased to see 48.3 minutes at the lap, although the legs were growing a bit weary.
the third 10k gets tough for many reasons, aside from it being the final six miles: all the lap traffic disappears and there's a high sun warming the park. a negative split here was going to be difficult. i told myself to push hard for the first 5k, and reevaluate from there. alone, i attacked the first half of the loop: ascents were still conservative, decents were blistering, but the pounding began to take its toll. the cold water crossings that brought refreshment during the first 90 minutes now induce minor cramps in my calves. true to word, i get to the 5k aid station at around the same pace as the second loop, but thoughts of a negative split are quickly fading.
not soon after, the isolation breaks with the sighting of a 30k runner ahead. the maze truly is a maze: you repeatedly pass people nearly shoulder-to-shoulder going in opposite directions, and have no gauge to what the gap between the two of you really is. after 5+ minutes i could finally gauge that i was within 20 yards of eddie, who looked back to see me within striking distance. gassed and on the verge of cramping, his look told me to strike: i skipped a gear and took off at 5k road race pace for 400m around some blind turns, placing him 20 yards behind me. adrenaline uncorked, i decided to hold the high tempo--after all, there was less than 20 minutes left to run.
that's when the cramps uncorked as well. any climb or hollow would induce locking in various leg muscles; my only recourse was to keep thinking positively, all the while being chased. during a 400m climb, one of my big toes cramped hard, curling itself tight under my arch for 30+ seconds. all i could do was stop and wait, knowing that eddie was edging closer. from that point on, the race became a series of 200 yard bursts, followed by a locked muscle needing to walk. trying to work out cramps while being chased is NOT the recommeded way to work out cramps.
i held eddie off at the finish (to the tune of over a minute, much to my surprise). without him, i wouldn't have gotten my negative spilt on the third lap (if but only by five seconds). cramps continued for the next 45 minutes after the race; walking to my car was out of the question. my solace was knowing the haunts of maze 2007 had been put to rest.
2:25:46 (750/mi) -- 14th overall
49:13 (756)
48:19 (748)
48:14 (747)
Two years ago, I had to bag this race at mile 15 and walk the final 5k in due to a calf injury. Little did I know that this injury would send me into a two-year spiral, keeping me from racing this distance until today. The past four months have been excellent, keeping most all miles at a slower pace on deeper long runs, complemented with plenty of swim and core work.
I've missed the trails, and it was a terrific feeling to enter the start line and see the familiar faces from years past. I knew the front pack would be untouchable, so I set out with the goal of three decending 10k splits. with the course being a 10k loop, it would be a fair judge of my pacing strategy.
the first 10k sucked. i just felt cold, stiff. the pack shot out ahead--contenders and pretenders--and i let them be. i was easy on all uphills, and just collected course information for future reference. i was a touch disappointed with 49.25 minutes, but at least knew that i didn't go out too fast.
the second 10k, in contrast, was terrific. legs filled with blood, my stride opened up and i felt light. the second loop was littered with 10k and 30k lap traffic, which i LOVE. you exchange a quick positive note with everyone you pass, and it's a mutually encouraging distraction from the course itself. every now and then, the person you passed would be taller, leaner and meaner looking than the others: you knew you just caught a fish and moved up a spot. downhills were taken at blistering speed; uphills were still played conservatively. was very pleased to see 48.3 minutes at the lap, although the legs were growing a bit weary.
the third 10k gets tough for many reasons, aside from it being the final six miles: all the lap traffic disappears and there's a high sun warming the park. a negative split here was going to be difficult. i told myself to push hard for the first 5k, and reevaluate from there. alone, i attacked the first half of the loop: ascents were still conservative, decents were blistering, but the pounding began to take its toll. the cold water crossings that brought refreshment during the first 90 minutes now induce minor cramps in my calves. true to word, i get to the 5k aid station at around the same pace as the second loop, but thoughts of a negative split are quickly fading.
not soon after, the isolation breaks with the sighting of a 30k runner ahead. the maze truly is a maze: you repeatedly pass people nearly shoulder-to-shoulder going in opposite directions, and have no gauge to what the gap between the two of you really is. after 5+ minutes i could finally gauge that i was within 20 yards of eddie, who looked back to see me within striking distance. gassed and on the verge of cramping, his look told me to strike: i skipped a gear and took off at 5k road race pace for 400m around some blind turns, placing him 20 yards behind me. adrenaline uncorked, i decided to hold the high tempo--after all, there was less than 20 minutes left to run.
that's when the cramps uncorked as well. any climb or hollow would induce locking in various leg muscles; my only recourse was to keep thinking positively, all the while being chased. during a 400m climb, one of my big toes cramped hard, curling itself tight under my arch for 30+ seconds. all i could do was stop and wait, knowing that eddie was edging closer. from that point on, the race became a series of 200 yard bursts, followed by a locked muscle needing to walk. trying to work out cramps while being chased is NOT the recommeded way to work out cramps.
i held eddie off at the finish (to the tune of over a minute, much to my surprise). without him, i wouldn't have gotten my negative spilt on the third lap (if but only by five seconds). cramps continued for the next 45 minutes after the race; walking to my car was out of the question. my solace was knowing the haunts of maze 2007 had been put to rest.
2:25:46 (750/mi) -- 14th overall
49:13 (756)
48:19 (748)
48:14 (747)
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