Run the Bluegrass Half Ironman Report

Saturday was the Run the Bluegrass half marathon at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.  I first did this race last year and was surprised by the amount of climbing we had to do and ended up with a 2:09.  Not my best effort but I thought it was reasonable for the course.  So my only goal this year was to beat that time with no other real expectations.

Friday night was the elite 8 of the NCAA basketball tournament and both my alma maters played late so the games ended a little past midnight.  I figured that would only add to the torture of the race as I would be going on about five and a half hours sleep.  Got up early and several tri club friends headed to Lexington with our new concern being the weather.  We started the drive at about 50 degrees, but by race start, the temperature had dropped a bit and we were dealing with some drizzle.  The radar indicated that we'd be in for certain rain by the end; it was just a matter of time.

I decided to go out with the 2 hour pace group and see how it goes.  Here is a visual of the elevation:

You can see that there is hardly a flat spot on the course.

The pacers went out a bit fast, and our first few miles were:  8:46, 8:57, and 8:52 but I felt good so I was ok with building up a bit of cushion on the two hour mark.  The next few miles were:  9:08, 8:39, 8:50, and 9:02.  Miles eight and nine were both 8:55 and then the rain really started coming down.  At one point, I think we had a bit of sleet to go with the sideways rain and wind.

Mile ten is the hardest mile in the race as you climb something called the "corkscrew," which is just as it sounds.   It was 9:15, but I knew I had 2:09 beat and was in great shape for a sub-2.  I also started wondering what my overall half marathon PR was.  I thought it was somewhere near 1:58, but I wasn't sure.

The last few miles were 8:59, 8:40, and 8:44.  With the wicked rain, wind and cold, I was ready to be done and thank goodness the finish was in sight.  I ended up with a total of 1:56:39, and as it turns out, it was nearly a two minute PR.

My next big race is the KDF Marathon in a few weeks and if I can pull off a 1:56 in those hills, can a four hour marathon be possible?  At this point, I know I can finish it, so I might well go for it, right?

Papa John's 10 Miler

Yesterday was the Papa John's 10 Miler, the 3rd leg in our local Triple Crown of Running.  After a successful Rodes City 10K, in 51:19, my running partner Scott and I decided to give it a good go at coming in under 90 minutes.  Last year, I tried for sub-90 but just missed it, in still a PR, at 1:30:19.  So just like the Rodes, we set our watches for a good pace and went for it.

The race starts out nearly flat, with perhaps a very very slight uphill grade until you reach Iroquois Park where the hills begin.  Then you go back to flat or very slightly downhill until you reach mile nine where there is a bridge then into the football stadium for a finish on the field turf.  So essentially it's about 1/3, flat, 1/3 rolling, 1/4 flat, and then that last hilly mile over the bridge. 

We were going to try to pace ourselves better with our watches set to 8:25 pace, or coming in at 1:25 for the whole thing.  The first 3 miles were: 8:11; 8:11; and 8:30.  Then we headed into the park for the rollers. As we entered the park, we decided to try to "break even," neither gaining or losing any time.  Then we could see how we felt as we headed for the final four miles. 

The in the park miles were: 8:20; 8:20; and 8:27--just perfect for our pacing goal and successfully breaking even.  That left us with four miles and a nice cushion. 

Miles seven through nine were: 8:06; 8:23; and 8:22.  With our goal pace being 8:25, we knew we had it, even with the mile over the bridge still in our way.  The final mile was 8:34, for a grand total of 1:24:33, or a PR by nearly six minutes. 

One thing I've noticed as I've gotten faster over the last couple years, is that my HR data shows that my aerobic health has finally started to sync with my legs. In the past, I've found that my legs are moving about as fast as I can go but my HR was very low.  I guess that's good in a way, as it shows my aerobic fitness.  But now that I'm able to push my legs a lot harder, my HR isn't staying so low.

Saturday is a half-marathon I did last year.  It's very hilly so not expecting a PR, but I am expecting to best my time from last year. 

Rodes City Run 10K Report

Saturday was the Rodes City Run 10K, the second leg in Louisville's annual triple crown of running.  I had wrestled with the idea of chasing a PR, but with a marathon looming and of course Ironman CDA in June, I wasn't sure if I should go for it.  After consulting my PR spreadsheet, I was going to need about an 8:40/mile pace to have a secure shot at a PR.  Since this wasn't much faster than I've been running over shorter distances anyway and a pretty flat course, I decided to go for it.  I figured the worst that would happen is I wasn't feeling it, and I could take it easy if need be.

The weather was nearly perfect, about 40F or so with hardly any wind.  I paired up with my pal Scott, I set my Garmin to my goal pace, and off we went. 

(From the event, a double shirt and a little breeze made me look like a total fatty haha)

The first mile was flat or even slightly downhill, and we knocked it out in 8:25.  A little fast but felt good.  Mile 2 is slightly uphill and we were still cruising:  another 8:25.  Scott said it's the fastest he'd ever run that little uphill section.  Mile 3 had the last and the biggest of the hills, but even faster, 8:09!

As Scott said, we know we had plenty of time "banked" so it was just a matter of holding a good pace until the end.  Miles 4-6 were 8:20, 8:07, and 7:50.  We were flying.  Now it was just hanging on for the last stretch, knowing we had a PR secured.  Off we went!  We ran the last .2 at a 7:19 pace. 

Final tally was a 51:19 (8:11 pace), a PR by nearly 3 minutes.  I'd always assumed that Scott was faster but it was a PR for him as well.  What a great day.  We finished up by running the course backwards in order to get our long run finished for the week.  Took that 6 miles nice and easy.

In addition to the 10K, I'm still keeping up with my Ironman training.  Long rides are about 3 hours, long swims about 2500 meters, and of course the long runs are part of marathon training.

I can't end this post without a charity plug.  My donations have essentially ceased, what's the deal? I'm not asking for millions here! Please give.  ANY amount will do, and I mean ANY!

I’m competing in 2014 as a “Blazeman Warrior.” In 2005, Jon "The Blazeman" Blais raced the big Ironman, in Hawaii, and completed it even while suffering from ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His family started the Blazeman Foundation for ALS. I’m raising money for them and in honor of Jon, I plan on rolling across the finish line in Coeur d’Alene just as Jon did when he finished. A famous quote from Jon is, "Even if I have to be rolled across the finish line, I'm finishing," so you often see Blazeman Warriors rolling across Ironman finish lines.

I also lost an Aunt to ALS so this charity is very personal to me. Any help would be appreciated.

An Ironman is 140.6 miles so even if you donated just 10 cents per mile, that would be $14.06. You can donate at the following link:

http://www.active.com/donate/teamblazeman/blazemanJJohnso