The Mile and Hour Run Race Report

One race course each year is always perfectly marked and nobody gets lost. The race course is certified and is completely flat. It's the best place to really test yourself for time. Of course, I've been struggling enough lately to know that I can't always predict which Karen will show up on race day: the healthy one or the one that hacks, gags, and wheezes. 

This club race is one of the few each year where one doesn't have to decide on one distance. You can run all three here!  Race distances include the 400m, 1 mile, and hour run.  I decided on the mile and hour run, hoping to race the mile and then run the hour as a training run.

Mile Run

Being that it was the first time I had raced the mile, I could technically have a new PR just by crossing the finish line. I was hoping to somehow surpass my training paces, particularly that recent 6:44 I ran on mile repeat day at the other local college track.

The field was small and the boys quickly created a huge gap ahead of me. The race director called out the time at the end of each lap as a crowd gathering for the Hour Run grew. There was someone cheering on the opposite side of the track. It was exciting to have cheers and applause with every quarter mile. Normally these races are pretty quiet with little spectator support. You guys should come to my track workouts!! I thought.

After the first two laps, a painful dryness built in my throat and my lungs angered. Oh great. I held on as much as my body would allow and as I approached the final 200m, that same guy cheering offered his last bit of advice: "Start your kick now!" Ha, good one. What kick? 

The last 50m or so, I came close to lapping the woman that finished behind me. Catch her, Karen. You can do it. Get her. Mission accomplished.

Those three really cute kids on the right are hers. It was fun to watch them cheer for their mom and dad. They're becoming pretty fast little runners themselves!

6:49.

That's consistent with what I've been able to do in training. I was hoping for a little faster, but I think I went out a little too quickly in my first lap and then my lungs paid for it.

I spent the twenty minutes between races coughing and blowing snot bubbles out of my nose. Okay, that mile was a bad idea. This week, I had cut back my mileage in hopes of seeing some improvement in my asthma/allergies. In an effort to keep my quality runs intact, I cut nearly all the easy miles from my week. I had a long run, a decent 3x1 mi. track workout, and had planned the hour run to be my marathon pace run. I think I need to reverse my approach: more miles, no hard stuff. Speed seems to aggravate my body more than easy paced runs do.

Hour Run

This was my first timed race. I feel like it requires an entirely different mental strategy. Gone are my usual standbys like "The faster you run, the faster you're done." The faster your run, the farther away the finish line gets. Bummer. Eventually I decided that chatting with a buddy for a few laps and then switching it up with a few friends helped pass the hour. My competitive drive faded off pretty quickly, I'm afraid.

7.25 mi.
1:00:00
8:17/mi.
F 25-29: 1st!

It hurt. Each mile was progressively slower. Even our slow and steady runner, Ken commented: "Looks like you were flagging at the end. I was keeping pace with you." He seemed concerned, "Overheat?" he asked. It was a little warm, but not too bad. "Nope, asthma."

Despite my issues, it was a pretty fun day. I did spend the next few hours coughing the first productive cough in weeks. Maybe something's finally clearing out? Maybe I had a bug I didn't notice?

I'm finally scheduled for the tests my allergist ordered. I had the chest x-ray on Thursday and am waiting to hear back. Full pulmonary function test is in a few days. If they don't find anything, the next step is probably blood work. I'd love some answers soon (easy to fix ones only please!). This is getting old.

All photos included in this post: Y. Kim, SRRC credit.