I cannot make this as entertaining as Alan Bennet's race report last week (I am sorry you are hurt, Alan, but that was a GREAT report!!)
I did the 3k at the Oregon Twilight meet yesterday. You all know I've been logging miles, doing one "workout" of sorts a week and trying to lose some weight since my injury. I'm down 10 lbs I guess. I feel it, but sadly, I don't think you can see it. Anyway the last few weeks have been hectic and several times, I've skipped a more intense workout in favor of drills, hills or a tempo run. I can't remember the last time I did repeats of 3-6 minutes. I did go to the track last Friday to do some 200s, but I knew that physically those would not help me in the 3k.
I estimated that I could run 12 flat for 3k, using my best 5k xc time from this fall. Yes, I know, for most people the track is faster than xc, but it was a flat course and I figured it didn't matter. Privately, I was hoping for a bit better, though.
I did drills on Wednesday and managed to make my hips really sore and on Friday night I somehow cramped my foot and was really afraid I broke something, so my mind was somewhat stressed at racing. Day of race my hips were still sore.
Since it's a big deal meet (even if the race is rather low-key - 18 competitors, including 2 women, both of us 52), we had to go through the formalities of strict check ins, hip numbers, etc. I checked in 20 minutes before, but was told to come back and get my hip numbers at 5 and I did, but was then "late" and had to rush to get them on. I was nervous and felt like I had to pee and they barely let me do that with a woman grabbing my arm and pushing everyone in the ladies room aside so I could go! We still had 15 minutes before the race, even.
As they paraded us from the check in area to the start, I noticed I'd forgotten to put on the compression sleeves I've been wearing to protect my calves. Uh oh. I had spent quite a bit of time contemplating what to wear (clothes and shoes) as I didn't have track spikes. (8 pairs of xc spikes of various ages, but no track spikes). My road shoes were "dead" and too flat to wear. My options were a pair of xc "flats" or a pair of my daughter's xc spikes (which weren't quite as dirty as mine). One of my toes hits the top of the shoe funny (where there is a layover) in the flats, but in the end, I thought that was my best choice. But I really should be wearing those sleeves.
I fretted about it the whole walk and after a few strides, I asked an official if I could scale the fence and go up into the stands (15 rows up) and put them on - he kindly said "sure" as I had 10 minutes and I scrambled up and got them and quickly put them on as the clerk was reading off our lane assignments. (Apparently two of us had picked up hip 15, so they made the other guy change his -- he got me back by passing me with 800m to go).
The officials were really nice to us and joking a bit, so that was really reassuring. (The guy reading the splits said "I'll read your splits, but if you don't like them, it's not my fault!" ;-) )
There were a couple of 65+ year old guys, so I figured if I hit 12 flat or better, I'd beat them. There was another 52 year old woman, but she'd run a sub 6 mile a few weeks ago, so I knew she'd be out faster and I'd probably not catch her. (She told me she went out in 80 in the mile and I told her it would take a rocket attached to my butt to run ONE 400 in 86. She thought I was exaggerating. I was not.)
While I didn't immediately realize it, I was in dead last by 100m and stayed there for at least 600m, despite running a 94 first lap (sub 12 pace). I passed a few of the guys, but still slowed on the 2nd lap (3:11). By the 3rd lap, I think I was mostly running alone and didn't really pay attention. I kept telling myself not to push too hard and to stay relaxed. (not the best mental thought process, eh?) I could see the other woman, but she was out a lot faster than me and had hooked into running with another guy. I'm pretty sure I was lapped by the leaders in the 3rd lap as I crossed the 1600m in 6:23 - still a few seconds under 12 flat pace (96s), but obviously slowing.
After that, I completely lost my ability to do math in my head and just worked on maintaining effort - which of course, meant I was slowing. The track felt nice and bouncing and my legs felt good, but I was definitely not wanting to push into any kind of "discomfort" beyond what I'd feel in a tempo run.
I did pass another guy during the next couple of laps as he faded badly and then, with 800 to go, some old guy goes by me and for a minute, I thought he must be lapping me -- but he didn't look that fast. I see in the video that he must have been lurking behind me (that guy with bib #16) and unleashed a really strong final 800 as he gapped me by more than 15 seconds and passed the other woman, too.
I managed to avoid getting lapped twice (one of my other big goals - not being last and breaking 12 were the others), but I just couldn't will myself to really start pushing at the 600m to go mark - which is generally where I'll make my push to the finish. The other woman was still just a bit too far ahead to catch and no one was near me and I was getting a little tired. I had thought I'd kept up my pacing well and had that little cushion at half way.
But I was jolted when I heard the split at 2800m - 11:14!!! Gahhh! I only had 45 seconds to run that last 200!!! Crapcrapcrap!! Fortunately, after doing all those 200s the week before, I knew I *could* do a 45 if necessary and so I tried. I probably wouldn't have bothered as even though I was catching the other woman, I wasn't going to pass her (she finished 10 seconds ahead), but I really, really didn't want to run just over 12.
Coming down the final stretch, I really tried to turn my legs over and after I crossed the line, I looked at my watch and saw 11:59 and then saw that I hadn't stopped it. So while i was pretty sure, I had to wait until the final results to see if I made it - and I did. 11:57.9. So that last 200 was about 43 seconds - or as I had told the other woman, pretty much as fast as I could go.
It wasn't quite as embarrassing as I thought it would be (last place ended up 50 seconds behind me) as I pretty much forgot the crowd (although I heard one or two shouts for me). But later, three separate strangers came up and complimented me on my race and I was utterly amazed that they'd bothered to watch. One person said I had really moved up, which is funny because I had been slowing down, but compared to everyone else it looked like I was moving ahead.
It's on video actually, but I'm hardly in it at all other than the beginning because they obviously focused on the leaders. Sadly, I can't see how I ran the last part, which is really the only bit I did well.
I have been offered a free entry to a half marathon in two weeks. I'm as equally unprepared to race a road half as I was to run a track 3k, so I'm really still deciding. I had a lovely long trail run today, followed by lawn-mowing. Will continue the dieting for a few more weeks - I was disappointed that my time wasn't better partly because of the weight loss. It was about the same as my xc times, but I guess I'd been doing harder workouts and racing back then.
Anyway, if you read this far, thanks! You are all very encouraging! ;-)