I am running out of creative titles for Turkey Trot race recaps. (I am waiting for a warm year so I can use "Too Hot To Trot" - which would be a decent consolation prize for unfavorable weather.) Onto the race report.
As I just posted a few days ago, I have been training for a marathon and my build has been quite intense. Because I had to fit a lot of work into just seven weeks, I sacrificed VO2 max work in exchange for lactate threshold work and long runs. I figured I could probably run around 20:00-20:10.
Before the Race
The forecast called for steady rain so I planned my outfit accordingly the night before: short sleeves, long fitted shorts, arm warmers and a hat. But when I woke up, the rain seemed to have stopped and the hourly forecast was showing light rain. My outfit was already laid out, but I decided to abandon it in favor of short shorts, a fitted crop top and no arm sleeves.
I got dressed and we left the house at 7:05, arriving ten minutes later. I love how close this race is to my house! Greg is unfortunately still dealing with the injury he's had for over two years, so he did not race. Instead, he played the role of Instagram videographer, cheerleader, and gear holder.
The rain had picked up on our drive so we sat in the car until it was time to warm up. I had picked up my bib the day before so I didn't have to worry about waiting in line in the cold rain. We got out of the car and I immediately started running. I had a light rain jacket over my outfit and was very thankful for that! I warmed up two miles during which I took a Maurten caffeinated gel. My energy was high and I felt mentally ready to put out a hard effort.
About 5 minutes before the race started I handed my jacket to Greg along with my hat. The rain had mostly subsided and was now light enough for me to be hatless. It was 46 degrees, no wind and fully overcast. I give this a 9 out of 10 on my weather scale. Very favorable racing conditions with the rain being very light. The only downside was wet pavement which meant I needed to be more cautious with my footing.
Mile 1: 6:34
The race started and I went out confidently. I was hoping to run around 6:30 for the first mile and then have miles 2 and 3 be faster based on the elevation profile. Two women bolted out ahead of me so I was in third place. I stayed relaxed, didn't look at my Garmin and told myself to run really hard. About halfway through the first mile I was able to pass one of the women who was ahead of me. I was now in second place.
Mile 2: 6:40
During the first mile I thought it might be possible to catch the first woman, but she solidified a strong lead during the second mile. Even though mile 2 has a significant hill, it has less of a net gain overall so it's objectively faster than mile 1. I typically run this mile faster or at the same pace as the first mile. When I looked down and saw that I had run 6:40, I was discouraged, but vowed to keep the effort hard.
This is the fastest mile of the race and I usually crush this mile! Knowing that it was a fast mile perked me up and gave me the energy to really fight for it. But now my legs were not cooperating. Even though I felt like I had more energy and my lungs could do more for me, my legs were heavy and I couldn't get them going as fast as I wanted to. I was still in second place, and I didn't want anyone passing me during this fast mile.
My final 0.14 miles was a pace of 5:50 according to my Garmin, so I had a little something left in my legs, but it felt like I didn't have the power that I normally have.
After the Race
My Garmin clocked me in at 20:32, which was a far cry from the 20:00-20:10 I was hoping for. And shortly after I crossed, another woman crossed! She told me she had been trying to catch me so I am glad I didn't ease up during that last mile.
I heard the announcer say something about me running a time of 19:51, and I knew that was wrong. They did not have a finish line clock, which I assume was because it was raining. Even still, I knew my time was not 19:51.
The rain was starting to pick up again, so I decided I would run my cool down to the car and leave. Normally I like to linger post race and talk to other runners, but I wanted to get out of that rain as soon as possible.
Results issues
When I checked the results online, my time was 19:51. So I waited until later in the day, figuring they would be corrected. I was also listed in the results as the 3rd place female, with the woman who crossed after me coming in second. While she may have had a faster chip time (unknown due to result inaccuracies) the top three finishers are determined by gun time according to USATF standards. This rule is in place because runners should be able to see who they are racing against. If someone starts a minute behind you and you don't know they are there, you can't possibly "race" against that person. Age group awards, on the other hand, are often done by chip time.
The race results list gun time and chip time - but both of these are the exact same for all runners. So it looks like true gun time was not listed for anyone, just chip, in which case they should remove "gun time" because it's not gun time. What baffles me is that they clearly they recorded gun time-- so why not publish it?
Ultimately, my time was corrected to 20:30.56 which I believe is accurate because I stopped my Garmin a few seconds after I crossed the finish line at 20:32.
As of right now, the results are still wonky because the woman who finished in first place is listed as the 3rd place finisher in a time of 20:30.84. She finished at least 10 seconds ahead of me and I don't believe she started 10 seconds after me but it's possible. Seems way off. The woman who finished in 3rd place is listed as the 1st place finisher with a chip time of 20:01. If she started way in the back, then that's totally possible, but again, it seems odd to list her as first place when she was clearly third.
Having a clock at the finish line and using gun time for the top overall three finishers is the best practice and eliminates this kind of confusion.
In any event, I am listed as 2nd place with my correct time - so it works for me!
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I have to admit I was a little disappointed in my time. I do think I ran the fastest race I had in me, but I thought 20:00 was totally realistic for me going into the race. The more I think about it, I guess it makes sense.
Further, my legs have been feeling flat/stale for the past few weeks due to the high mileage. I packed a ton of mileage into a short timeframe and I realize this is not the ideal setup for a 5K. I suspect if I had a few more days of rest and easy running leading up to the Turkey Trot my legs would have had more power.
I ran a time of 19:58 on this course 9 days before running a 3:15 marathon back in 2018. And now I am hoping to run a 3:12 marathon! But this is not apples to apples because that previous training cycle included more VO2 max work. My marathon pace runs back then were not nearly as fast as they are now.
Overall it was a fun race and good mental toughness practice. The results are wonky, but mine are correct because I did finish 2nd and my time was 20:30.
This was my third fastest time on this course out of 15 so I can't really complain at the age of 46!
Now it's time to seriously taper (rest day today) so my legs bounce back for December 7.
Update at 3:30 on Friday:
The results have been updated and now include both gun and chip time. The overall three women are ranked in order of gun time. However, I am credited with a chip time of 20:25, which seems too fast given my Garmin time of 20:32 and starting at the front.
Good racing Zebra like you always do and yah I shocked you running tradition and not for PR...LOL!
ReplyDeleteYah that's a source of contention not using and making sure they record gun time for top finishers in race. I concur it is not proper practice to use chip time and one assumes all the top end runners racing that race will be right there at the front SL and take off accordingly.
The only quibble I have is you state you are an endurance based runner. True...you are....but the 5k is also considered an endurance race. The true speed races are the 100, 400, 800, 1000 and maybe the 1600 or 1-mile, but even that latter starts invoking aspects of running anaerobic too soon or too much. True speed is anaerobic, endurance running is aerobic....pushing the limits 2nd half in 5k and going anaerobic tail end.
Never be disappointed Zebra and relish in you ran to the best of your ability and ended up where you be....2nd based on chip time. Yah I hope that Greg recovers and gets back to his racing, but you have an awesome man that does all that support for you!
Zebra ran what Zebra does quite consistently over all the days I been following your blog. You are a Racer...in mentality and spirit and that is all that counts and what Zebra represents as your mantra. What more can I say?
Geez, that timing debaucle for the top 3 runners is mind-blowing! How does that happen? I bet the woman who won the race is very upset. Glad it worked out for you! Congrats on a strong race!
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