Moving On

Letting go and moving on is typically a lengthy process.  With five months of dedicated training, a huge trip, and a big race; there was destined to be an emotional down period regardless of the outcome.  However, I found a way to navigate quite well and there were several reasons for that. ........

I took a big picture approach to Boston.  I knew I had trained well, raced smart, and did what I could on that day.  Sure, I made some mistakes, but I learned from them.  The big factor on the day, the weather, was out of my hands.  The ability to separate clear thought from emotional thought was helpful and definitely something that comes with years of experience.

I also had done quite a bit of reading on elite marathoners and learned that many transferred their fitness from marathon training to set new PRs at shorter distances, even track races.  So, I had an element of excitement to see where I would go next.  The final piece of the “moving on” puzzle was having a new goal.

With all of that in mind, I created a schedule of training and races pursuing three things.  First, I wanted to break 16 minutes in the 5k.  Second, I wanted a new PR on the track in 1500m.  Third, I wanted to run in and win an event at the USATF Masters Outdoor T&F meet.

I took two easy days upon returning from Boston and set right into phase one of my training plan.  Yes, I should have taken a couple weeks off, but my selected races were coming up quickly, so I had to act quickly.  My training plan focused first on hitting hills HARD.  I did long hill repeats (8x500m) once a week, short hill repeats (10x200m) once a week, 3 recovery runs, a long run, and a tempo run.  The first day, April 19th, just three days after Boston was a workout long hills.

I put together a schedule of four 5k races.  They were:

May 5 – “Beat the Street 5k” in Nevada, Iowa

May 26 – “Cleats for Feet 5k” in Ames, Iowa

June 2 – “Dam to Dam 5k” in Des Moines, Iowa

June 9 – “Dash and Splash 5k” in Conrad, Iowa

Beat the Street had two purposes.  First, it was to get a baseline time on paper to see where I was and if I was close.  Second, the winner earned a $50 gift certificate to a local shoe store, so I hoped to collect on that.  My ‘A’ goal for the day was to run under 16:30, but I would have been happy with either the win or running 16:45.  I ran 16:27 and cruised to an easy victory.  Supplied with that information, I was confident I was on track to run sub-16 at my goal race on June 2nd.

The gift certificate came in very handy to purchase a new pair of running shoes for my lovely wife.  They were just what she needed.  By the middle of the summer, after some progressive planning of her training, she ran a new personal best 5k.  This came after having two children even!  Most importantly, though, she was finding enjoyment in running.

After the Nevada race, track season began to slow down.  We were down to our varsity 25 athletes, the regional (state-qualifying) meet, and the state meet.  This meant more rest, more family time, and more energy.  The last day of school was May 25th and I was ready to race May 26th.

This race took place at Ada Hayden Heritage Park.  One park entrance was less than a mile from my home and the start line was exactly two miles from my door step.  This allowed for several advantageous opportunities.  First, I was able to sleep much later than my usual 5:30 AM wake up for road races.  Second, the course was at the site of most of my tempo workouts including my 10k PR a couple months earlier.  So, familiarity and confidence played a big part.  Third, and most importantly, my whole family attended the race and cheered for me.

Posing post-race with my kids :).

It was the perfect storm of events.  I don’t recall the temperature that morning or if the sun was out, but I do recall the uplifting energy my family brought me both times I crossed the bridge.  The first time was roughly one mile into the race and by then I was already running all alone.  That first mile took 5:01, which is possibly a little fast (15:34 pace), but not so much that it would lead to disaster.

First time across the bridge, already a sizeable lead.  Looking tall and strong. A beautiful park to run in too.

The second time I saw my family was with roughly a half-mile to go.  At that point, I was hurting but inspired to keep going.  I had run that final portion of the figure-8 loop hundreds of times before.  I knew how far it was, how fast I could cover it, and that there was a slight downhill halfway from where I was to the finish line.  I knew the possibility was there to set a new PR.

Second time across the bridge and my red face shows I've been working.

So, I lifted my knees, pumped my arms and set out to cover the last half-mile as intensely as I could muster.  I also put faith in the downhill section restoring life to my legs at the crucial moment when I’d need those alive the most.  It was a bold move, but with my family supporting me, I have always felt I could do anything.  I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, and saw 15:56!!  Eleven years in the making, a goal I set my sophomore year of college and chased through the entirety of my 20s finally fell as a 31-year old.  More than once I was told that I was too old or too busy to set the mark, but determination, support, and consistent training led to an amazing outcome.

 

Post-race sharing a banana with my kids.

A little jog with Natalie for the start of my cool down :)

Now that I had met such an immense goal, I turned around the very next day and drove to Polk City to run another 5k where the top 3 finishers earn a pretty good cash prize.  My warm-up went poorly and my legs and glutes ached horribly, so I ultimately did not the race.  It was a good decision, but hard to do after investing a short night of sleep and several miles on the road.  I learned roughly six months later that one of my future runners ran in that race, which would have been a neat connection to share.

So, I returned my focus to the Dam to Dam 5k on June 2nd.  But, I found myself struggling to get excited for that race as well.  It had been circled as my sub-16 attempt because downtown Des Moines is pretty flat and Dam to Dam always has pretty good competition to help pull runners along.  Unfortunately, the course went near Capitol Hill, which zapped my legs just around the midway point of the race.  I battled as hard as I could, eventually swapping spots multiple times for third and fourth place.  As we neared the finish line, both of us went into a dead sprint and finished side by side.  We were both awarded third and fourth place depending on the measurement.  He got third on gun time and I got third on chip time.  He was a University of Iowa cross country letter winner just that fall.  I know I had run a good race, but my time was 16:17(chip) and 16:18(gun).  I ended the day happy with my performance and ready to move on.

Approaching the finish chute at Dam to Dam in a fierce sprint.

The next week, I started running repeat 400s in preparation for doing mile races on the track.  I still had one more 5k race to do the following weekend.  This one was in the little town of Conrad and it was offering $100 to the first person to set a course record.  I arrived knowing I would not challenge sub-16, because the course was too challenging, but still knew I would break the course record.  Surprisingly, I hit the 2-mile mark at 10:16, which is on pace for 15:57.  My third mile, though, was a train wreck.  My legs were still suffering from the repeat 400s I had done four days earlier and just did not have any lift left in them.  Still, I broke the course record substantially while running 16:30, but did not collect the prize because I took second overall.  The outcome was never in doubt; that dude was on another level than I.

Up next, my summer of 2012 pursuits.