Seal Beach 10K race report

In article said:

Anyway, my overall time was 52:12.34, off by 15 sec from
my previous PR, three weeks ago. Bottom line, I think I
went out too hard, and since miles 1-3 gave a mild
incline, I think I left too much there. Here are my
splits, compared to my previous race, and with HR numbers.
See anything unusual?

I don't think you went out too hard at all. In fact if
anything, you probably went out a little too slow. On the
Daniels or WAVA charts, assuming 52:12 is your best possible
pace, you were pushing really close to your 5k limit on the
last 4 miles.

If anything, you may have pushed a little hard on mile 3 or
4, which would explain the slight slowdown in mile 5 and 6.

I'd recommend trying to get to the 2 mile mark in less than
17:00 (but no faster than 16:30) for your next 10k race.
Pace yourself right and you'll PR.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

Well, I ran the thing, too (looked for eNo on the course
after I finished, but somehow missed him). It was my first
10k since about '90, and my slowest ever. I've been racing
ultras for the last couple of years after a very long hiatus
from racing.

Let me trot out the excuses right away: I'm 52 now, no
speedwork in months, sick last 3 weeks, etc, etc. I was
hoping to average about 7:00/mile, as a gentle re-
introduction to road racing.

I thought the course was easy; since a typical ultra around
here has about 5,000' of climb in it, the 20-30 foot rises
had no real effect.

Running a 10k after all these years was a weird feeling,
like being Rip Van Winkle -- I'm thinking, "what are all
these people doing ahead of me???" I used to hit the mile
in about 5:20 with the leader just up ahead, but now the
guy with the watch is reading 6:55 and I can't even see
first place. Can the ladies pushing the strollers be far
behind! Arrgh!

I couldn't get myself to work much harder than I do in the
last few miles of a 50 miler, it was like I was stuck in
economy mode, and I was afraid to find the pain point I used
to know and love 20 years ago.

Coming up on 5 miles, and feeling kind of dissapointed, I
decided to breathe harder, two breath cycles every 5 steps
or so. This let me pick up the pace considerably, I could
have kicked myself for discovering this so late in the run,
but it would have slowed me down even more. The people who
were stuck 40 yards ahead came back to me. I still wasn't
hurting much, it was nothing like the pain I remember in the
old days, but I didn't want to push it so soon after kicking
this bug I've had. (Am I becoming a wimp in my old age?)

At the 6 mile point, I accelerated again, and dropped some
more people. With about 100 yards to go, I kicked it in, and
this is the only time in the race where I felt the old zing.
I'm sure I max'd my heart beat out at the end. The guy I
passed looked like he was moving in slow motion (I love
passing people).

I finished in 44:07, 10:32 slower than my pr set in '83.
According to my WAVA score(80.3% in my prime) I could be
running 38:02 at my age and that's what I'm going to shoot
for. Forget the ultras for a while; I can't wait to hit
the track!

--Dan (with a new goal)

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

eNo said:

Anyway, my overall time was 52:12.34, off by 15 sec from
my previous PR, three weeks ago. Bottom line, I think I
went out too hard, and since

miles

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1-3 gave a mild incline, I think I left too much there.
Here are my

splits,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

compared to my previous race, and with HR numbers. See
anything unusual?

I don't think you went out too hard at all. In fact if
anything, you

probably

Quoted message said:

went out a little too slow. On the Daniels or WAVA charts,
assuming 52:12 is your best possible pace, you were
pushing really close to your 5k limit

on

Quoted message said:

the last 4 miles.

If anything, you may have pushed a little hard on mile
3 or 4, which would explain the slight slowdown in mile
5 and 6.

I'd recommend trying to get to the 2 mile mark in less
than 17:00 (but no faster than 16:30) for your next 10k
race. Pace yourself right and you'll

PR.

Thanks. I'll keep this in mind next time. But you want to
know what I think did me in? I was wearing my HR monitor,
set at a max of 195. When I started beeping at me, and I saw
196-197-198... I fell apart psychologically. I bet I could
have gotten those 15 seconds, or at least a good chunk of
them, if I hadn't slowed down a hair for fear of seeing that
white-lit corridor 🙂. My friend who is a physical trainer
told me later that I shouldn't have been afraid and lost my
kick. Lesson learned. Next 5K/10K, no HR monitor.

--
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,-
,ø¤º eNo "If you can't go fast, go long." ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°-
`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º

"Dan Stumpus" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, I ran the thing, too (looked for eNo on the course
after I finished, but somehow missed him). It was my first
10k since about '90, and my slowest ever. I've been racing
ultras for the last couple of years after

a

Quoted message said:

very long hiatus from racing.

Let me trot out the excuses right away: I'm 52 now, no
speedwork in

months,

Quoted message said:

sick last 3 weeks, etc, etc. I was hoping to average about
7:00/mile, as a gentle re-introduction to road racing.

I thought the course was easy; since a typical ultra
around here has about 5,000' of climb in it, the 20-30
foot rises had no real effect.

Running a 10k after all these years was a weird feeling,
like being Rip

Van

Quoted message said:

Winkle -- I'm thinking, "what are all these people doing
ahead of me???"

I

Quoted message said:

used to hit the mile in about 5:20 with the leader just up
ahead, but now the guy with the watch is reading 6:55 and
I can't even see first place. Can the ladies pushing the
strollers be far behind! Arrgh!

I couldn't get myself to work much harder than I do in the
last few miles

of

Quoted message said:

a 50 miler, it was like I was stuck in economy mode, and I
was afraid to find the pain point I used to know and love
20 years ago.

Coming up on 5 miles, and feeling kind of dissapointed, I
decided to

breathe

Quoted message said:

harder, two breath cycles every 5 steps or so. This let me
pick up the

pace

Quoted message said:

considerably, I could have kicked myself for discovering
this so late in

the

Quoted message said:

run, but it would have slowed me down even more. The
people who were

stuck

Quoted message said:

40 yards ahead came back to me. I still wasn't hurting
much, it was

nothing

Quoted message said:

like the pain I remember in the old days, but I didn't
want to push it so soon after kicking this bug I've had.
(Am I becoming a wimp in my old

age?)

Quoted message said:

At the 6 mile point, I accelerated again, and dropped some
more people. With about 100 yards to go, I kicked it in,
and this is the only time in

the

Quoted message said:

race where I felt the old zing. I'm sure I max'd my heart
beat out at the end. The guy I passed looked like he was
moving in slow motion (I love passing people).

I finished in 44:07, 10:32 slower than my pr set in '83.
According to my WAVA score(80.3% in my prime) I could be
running 38:02 at my age and

that's

Quoted message said:

what I'm going to shoot for. Forget the ultras for a
while; I can't wait to hit the track!

Hi, Dan. Sorry we missed each other. Oh, well. By the time I
finished, you were probably showered and having breakfast
🙂. No PR for you or me, but still a fun race, wasn't it?

--
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,-
,ø¤º eNo "If you can't go fast, go long." ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°-
`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º

Quoted message said:

Hi, Dan. Sorry we missed each other. Oh, well. By the time I finished, you
were probably showered and having breakfast 🙂.

I jogged back on the course looking for you right after I
caught my breath, but I was chatting to another old coot who
finished just behind me, and must have missed the clydsdale
with the yellow cap.

Quoted message said:

No PR for you or me, but still a fun race, wasn't it?

I'd been avoiding the short stuff, and it was good to get my
butt kicked. Now I'm motivated--nowhere to go but up! A fun
race, mild (but not quite PR material) course, and I loved
jogging on the soft sand for 20 minutes after the race.

I saw gaggle of what I believe were arctic terns (which are
the ultra champs among birds, migrating from the antartic to
the arctic for the summer, and heading back in our winter.)
That cheered me up.

My PR course is the Venice/Marina Christmas run, by the way,
also at the beach, and flat as a pool table.

I'd ignore the heart monitor. As a fellow stat monkey, I'd
enjoy looking at the stats, but wouldn't let it interfere
with how I ran the race. Some people's hearts can rev up
over 200 -- I have a talented friend whose max is 240! My
highest was 205, and my highest as a 50 y/o is about 195.
But I worked so hard at the finish that I probably would
have broken the thing.

I went for a 15 miler up to the top of Mt. Wilson today, a
4,500 ft climb, and felt great, btw. Completely different
muscles, I guess. I'm still sore, which is good -- I'll be
growing some 10k muscles.

See you at the next one...I'm going to be doing 5 and 10k's
as part of my training week for awhile.

PS: on a secure channel, I'd appreciate getting your email
and name...

Regards,

Dan