I ran in the All Day 25K endurance event portion of the Carlsbad 5000, running in 5 consecutive 5K races, with anywhere from 30 to 45 minute intervals in between. I had rehearsed the sequence of runs back in February, so I knew I could do it. I didn't want to just run a marathon training pace to get through the 15.5K. I wanted to try to run these at a quicker tempo, especially the first event, which was my division: Men's 40+.
I prepped the day before by not running at all and having my car packed and ready to go the night before, getting to bed at a reasonable 10PM. The alarm went off at 4, and I took an easy 30 minutes to wake up and become alert, eating a banana, an English muffin with veggie sausage patty and some water (and a little soy milk). I was hoping to use the bathroom before leaving since I dread having to rely on a pre-race port-a-potty pit stop; but alas, nothing was moving so I headed out to Carlsbad a little after 5AM.
I arrived at a quarter to six and found a great parking spot on Jefferson, just 2 blocks off of Grand. The starting line was right there at the Jefferson and Grand intersection, so how perfect was that? I could gear up and transition between races right there at my car without too much of a hike.
The first order of business was to collect my race bib. The volunteer table was supposed to start processing pre-registered racers at 6, but they were a little behind and didn't start up until about 6:10. The first race was scheduled for 7:05, so I had plenty of time to get my goody bag, souvenir t-shirt, and yes, hit the john. It was great since I was the first user of that particular unit. My fixation on this reveals how crucial this aspect of race day was to me.
I lined up with the 8-minute milers in the first race, not really knowing what to expect. When the announcer had runners toe the line, the crowd started to move forward. I didn't really get that, figuring why crowd the starting line. So I stayed put, which means I was probably starting closer to the 9-minute mile pack. Later, I would rue that decision since I missed out on being one of the first 250 to cross the line and get a finisher's medal. As it was, it didn't matter since, even had I moved up with the mob, I still didn't run fast enough to be amongst the first 250, and being an All Day 25K participant meant I wasn't eligible for a medal anyway since we 25Kers were getting our own special medal.
But next year, I plan on running in just the Men's 40+ race and I want to "medal." Based on this year's results, I'll need to be able to finish in about 20:30...a minute quicker. I know I'll be there by then. I'd like to be breaking 20 minutes before the summer is out.
My chip time this time was 21:31. That's not bad for me. It's my fastest "official" 5K time since high school. (I've done 5K unofficially a few months ago in 21:23.) I didn't run all out since I knew I still had four more races to go, but I put in a good effort since that was my proper divisional race. I ran in just a touch under a 7-minute mile, and starting further back in the pack kind of helped psychologically since I spent the whole race passing people. It was kind of fun to control my breathing and not appear to be laboring as I stair-stepped past runner after runner. I was passed in the final stretch by a couple late sprinters, but that was okay. I was pretty happy with that run and felt very fresh.
It was a little chilly but not too bad. I wore a long sleeve running shirt with a tank underneath. I would wear that same set up for the first 3 races since it only grew slightly warmer through the first half of the morning. There was a bit of wind coming from the southwest that would hit as you turned south on Carlsbad Blvd and out of the village, becoming exposed to the coast. It wasn't a big hindrance, though, and actually proved to help dissipate the body heat. It was noticeable at the turnaround point at around 1.25 miles, because with the wind at the back, suddenly you could feel the internal heat.
The day remained overcast throughout. It didn't make things as pretty as it was during the Carlsbad half marathon, but I didn't mind at all. As long as there was no rain and it wasn't too cold, I was grateful for the lack of burning UV rays.
I ran race #2 with the 40+ women and slowed down a little to a 7:30-ish pace. I would hold that pace through the next race too, finishing both in 23:14 and 23:19 respectively. I wasn't racing the other racers anymore. I was just trying to keep an endurance pace. The 3rd race was the mens' 30-39, and there were some very good runners there. I purposely maneuvered to the inside lane at around the 1-mile mark to watch the leaders cruising northbound. I was jealous of their ease of stride. I would like to run like that one day.
Things changed for race #4 (womens' 30-39). I stiffened up after #3 and found myself having to work to try to stay loose. My ankles and hips were feeling the effects of the exertion and pounding, and I was starting to wonder if I shouldn't have been trying to run easy. I backed off a lot on that run, keeping a steady 8-minute mile pace.
I did the same thing on #5 (mens' and womens' 29 and under), focused simply on finishing well. I was really afraid I wouldn't even be able to get out of 1st gear on that last run, but I wound up actually feeling a little better than I did on #4.
Even with the slow down, I still kept the final pace a hair under 8-minutes. #4 scored at 24:30 and #5 came in at 24:46. For the rest of the day, my legs were dead. Not as bad as the day I ran the rehearsal, but still pretty dead. Today...not so bad. I'm giving them a rest anyway for recovery, but I think I bounced back much better than I have been after other particularly strenuous days.
Met the family for calorie-laden late lunch at Pizza Port in Solana Beach. I really needed that.
Next weekend is to be a 22-23 mile long SLOW attempt, followed by the La Jolla Half Marathon the week after that. I've got to get back to logging my daily workouts and thoughts. I don't know why I've gotten away from that. Maybe I'll backfill.
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ViaSat Leads the Pack (grin)
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