Freedom Run "at the Ranch" 2011

This is a tongue-in-cheek race report, but since I got everyone excited with my lofty goals when I posted about this 10k in the calendar section, I figured I'd follow up.

The preposition is in quotes because I didn't run the actual race, so this "race" gave new meaning to freedom run. Basically, free to start when I wanted, set my own course, and run it a day early. Yep, I bailed on the race as planned and did a 10k time trial yesterday instead.

First 2.1 miles were an average of 2.2% uphill (240' gain). I knew I was going out too fast, but I didn't care. It was PR or bust, and I'd rather blow up and walk it in than finish with 1oz of energy left. Averaged 6:20s for those miles.

The next 2 were around a man-made lake, lots of people on the path, and I had to do some strategic dodging and surging to not get caught up by the path monsters. At the end of that section, I crossed an intersection, but had to make a sharp turn up the street first to let a car by, then cut back down and across. I'm sure that added a few seconds onto my time, but oh well. Averaged 6:17s for those 2 miles (20' gain/loss total).

The last 2.1 started pretty poorly. I was beat from the first 4.1 and it took a good quarter mile for my legs to come back. I then just threw open my stride, threw my head back, and gritted my teeth until the bridge, which I figured was between .5 and 1 mile from the finish. It was .5 from the finish, so I started building to a sprint, hitting the redline at .25 to go, holding off that lovely I-want-to-vomit-and-cry feeling until I hit 6.2 and mashed the lap button on the Garmin.

38:25 total time, 260' gain/loss for the course, and temperature averaging around 79. Not what I wanted, but given that my only 2 race-specific training runs were both failures (and I was hoping to have 6-7 successful ones...), not too shabby. I'll take it, and I'll hope to improve upon it in another time trial in a couple months.

Happy 4th!

Very nice job of weaving around the trail hoggers and fantastic race time for the conditions, Mike.

Really good job on the time trial, Mike. Now you need a real race and you'll go even faster! Good concentration.

Definitely impressive for a time trial, which is never going to be quite as fast as the real thing. I think you'll be at 36 sooner rather than later.

Very nice!

Impressive but if you are going to TT, why not do it at the track?

Again Mike great job on the TT! Keep it up and you will be right were you want to be! Dream Big is the only way

Great job!

That's a great time, giving the hill,environment and temperature, Mike! At this pace, dodging people is a disaster.

Thanks all. Regarding not running it at the track/not racing it:

1. I haven't run on a track since college, and even then, I was just going every couple months to calibrate my stride length (pre-Garmin, I wore a pedometer to run). Never done a real workout on one. And I like hills
2. Yes, a track would've likely given me the best possible time, but I was using this TT as more of a benchmark, just to make sure I was near where I wanted to be, rather than to smash a huge PR. Originally, I wanted the best possible race. Then I realized I wasn't working for it, so expecting some miracle without the training to back it up would be pretty stupid and, most likely, lead to a huge disappointment. I'll actually RACE a 10k when I've been training for it.

Young man, get yourself to a track one of these upcoming weeks and do a workout there. You are developing yourself as a up anc coming runner and you don't want to be one of those runners who says I will never/always run hills or never/always run in heat or never/always run alone. Mix it up a lot and put yourself through a speed workout at the track. 20 x 400 with 1:30 rest intervals. Try it, you'll like it. Let us know how it goes.

Great job Mike. Excellent time for a TT in those conditions.