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Rock the Creek added hills

September 29, 2019 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 70s and some humidity and sun, pretty good, all in all

Comments:
This year's team was:
Mark: 24:35
Matt: 31:46
Ethan: 27:40
Anthony: 27:47
Zeke: 30:18
Mark: 25:35
Total time: 2:47:39 We set a new course record by beating last year's time by a few minutes (although admittedly we'd lost about 7 minutes last year with wrong turns and stoplights.)

I wasn't particularly emotionally invested in racing, and butterflies were at a minimum. We'd jogged an easy mile or so at Lake Needwood around 8am and I jogged another half mile at most with a few rushed drills and stretches one 1.5 striders before I took the slap bracelet at the southern turn-around at the elementary school. Burns charged impressively up the hill and I got out fairly quick with Lauren Stub-her-toe beside me on you bike and a decent series of down hills in that first 1200 meters. Started taking splits once on the Rock Creek bike path. Caught a pair of leaves in rapid succession in "the enchanted forest" and thought back many times to the tempo runs I ran on this stretch of bike path in high school. splits that I managed to capture were 3:13, -, 6:27, 3:26(had to have been long?!) and 3:07 (had to have been short?!) Pace was probably around high 6:20s for most of that bike path. I could have started out a bit sub 6 with the downhills in the first half mile. The fourth leg had changed from past years. I'd seen the new route in the course description and confirmed with the race director afterwards that I'd done it correctly despite the total lack of signage once I got to Cedar Ln. Either way, with Lauren supporting me, I jaywalked diagonally off of the bike path and up Cedar for a few yards and onto Parkwood. Turns out there is a tremendous, curving, totally unexpected hill there. Saw one young guy up ahead which reassured me that I wasn't the only one going this way as opposed to staying flat for the next 1200m on the bike path. The hill eventualy crested after 60-90 seconds and then dipped and then was follwed by at least one more significant hill. I was catching up to the guy ahead and yet it was very unclear when my final left up the expected final hill would occur. Even as we got to that corner, I still had to peek up the two block hill to confirm this was the street I wanted. I was just a couple of steps behind the guy as we turned and he noticed me. Pretty sure he had that look in his eye of, "How did this old guy get here and why does he think he can pass me?" He took off and I did too. Tried pacing myself up the hill, but he was going strong and maybe opening up an extra meter or two. I allowed him to get to the left sidewalk before me, but glanced up enough to see Zeke was still in the street. I went to a full sprint and was pretty sure I reached Zeke a stride or two ahead of him reaching his teammate. Admittedly, it was satisfying to dig deep when I'd spent most of the race feeling sorry for myself that I'm slower than when I was young. The half mile I'd spent thinking my pace had dropped to near 7 was humbling, but realizing the mile markers weren't necessarily accurate had helped me regroup mentally. Honestly, having Lauren near by and giving me form advice when I asked her to, was such a powerful factor in remaining focused.

Leah helped me map my run afterwards and it appears my route was 4.42 miles, which means my 27:46 works out to something like a 6:16 pace. I sort of doubt this as those nearly 6:30 miles can't have been all wrong and while I finished with more focus and effort than along the flat, I doubt my pace was any quicker on those three final absurd hills (expect maybe the last one in full sprint). My first mile was surely faster with the downhill, but I don't see how I could have brought the average down to 6:16. Alas, I'll take it. As I told myself repeatedly during the race, I was working hard for where I am today fitness wise. All in all, I'm satisfied. Plus, I had a blast with a great team around me. Run Good Mt. St. Albans Hoppers!

Oh yeah, and on my cooldown I ran for about 7 painful minutes through the neighborhoods after my leg and the team car couldn't find me. after I gave up and tried to thumb a ride to the next exchange zone, they drove up having given up on me. Worked out alright, although Mark had essentially no time to warm up for his second leg. Oops. Also took 9 more minutes after the whole thing ended to jog with the team.