November 22, 2009
4.5 mi. - 1st/74 - 26:14
6.09 mi. - -
This past Sunday I ran the DSE Lake Merced race. DSE offered a single loop and double loop race. I ran the single loop race because my feet weren’t feeling 100% during the Turkey Trot Saturday and I wanted to be as competitive as possible during the PA Champs race later in the day. The weather was very cool and there was a heavy mist, almost rain.
I considered the possibility of winning the race before I got there because I knew many faster runners, including some regulars, would be at the XC race in Golden Gate Park. The fastest person I recognized before the race was Ian Macnider and we the exchanged information that we were both running the single loop before the race. Ian and I go back and forth during races as well as week to week because we run about the same pace. The eventual winner is usually the one of us who is more rested from our higher priority events, me – Saturday Ultras and him – prep and racing his first marathon (Chicago).
Both events started simultaneously and Ian and I found ourselves in 5th and 6th places. There were 2 guys out in front, then 2 young kids strung out, then Ian and me. We were both surprised that so many people started out that fast. Around a half mile in I sped up hoping to at least catch the high school kids. I passed the first quickly but didn’t get the second one until a little over a mile in, just after we started the longest downhill of the race. At that time I noticed I had closed on the lead 2 guys so I made a move to try and catch them.
I overtook 1st place just before the 2 mile mark but gave it up a little after the 2 mile mark as we started up the longest uphill of the race. The person that passed me was Will, one of the high school kids that started faster. I thought it was odd that I went by him on a downhill and he went by on an uphill. Usually the opposite happens when I race high schoolers. As we got to the op of the hill near the 3 mile mark Will began to fade and I went by him. I was hoping to have it easy from there but I looked over my shoulder at the 4 mile mark and saw one of the 2 early lead guys 10 yards in back of me.
I ran hard to the finish and only then found out that both guys that took an early lead were in the double loop race. Also, Ian had passed Will near the end and took 2nd. The lead guy in the double loop race came with a group from Finland and Germany (explains why I didn’t recognize him). After the race I had big purple grapes and Fred’s homemade cookies. I only stayed until 10:20 because I had to leave to go to the PA Cross Country Championship Race.
I arrived at the XC race almost 20 minutes before race time. I had to enter the race but was already warmed up. Tyler Abbot found me just before the race and announced me to be the #5 guy. I’m not sure if he meant the 5th Excelsior runner to arrive there or the eventual 5th place guy on our team. Either one would have been correct.
The misty air started to clear as the race began and eventually gave way to a partly sunny sky. The course is 3 laps with each lap being slightly over 2 miles. It is mostly dirt path with a significant potion of grass and one small log jump.
I started on the back row as usual and tried to make a push to be in the middle pack. I held on to the middle for a while before getting passed by a couple people as the middle pack started to split up and gain ground on me. I was asked by a runner who I couldn’t identify if I was running the Quad next weekend to which I replied “yes”. I don’t know many runners that would run both the Quad Dipsea and a XC race a week apart but he must have been one of them.
I finished the first lap in about 12:16 and thought that was good. As the weather started to get better I felt better although my running time didn’t get faster. Sina (Excelsior teammate was cheering me on by saying to catch a Pamakid runner right in front of me. Not only did I not catch him, but another Pamakid passed me on the 2nd loop which I finished in about 26:20. I tried to stay with both of them on the third loop. I passed one of them before the 5 mile mark, passed another runner after that, and passed the other Pamakid at about 5.75mi. He made a last minute push to the finish and I saw his feet next to me in the sprint at the end but I held him off. After the race we both agreed that we had our sights set on a guy in orange one place in front of me but it just wasn’t happening. I must have sped up on the last lap because my finishing time was about 39:42 (official results not in yet).
I always get my butt kicked in these Cross Country races but I like them because they are short and they are some of the handful of races that I go in without any possibility of getting top placing overall or in my age group. I was also pleasantly surprised that they had warm shrimp pasta salad by the time I finished. It was prepared by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and it tasted very good. I also got to have a good XC conversation with Russ Kiernan after the race. It’s always great to talk to Russ because he can give you stories and perspectives that you can’t get anywhere else.
I considered the possibility of winning the race before I got there because I knew many faster runners, including some regulars, would be at the XC race in Golden Gate Park. The fastest person I recognized before the race was Ian Macnider and we the exchanged information that we were both running the single loop before the race. Ian and I go back and forth during races as well as week to week because we run about the same pace. The eventual winner is usually the one of us who is more rested from our higher priority events, me – Saturday Ultras and him – prep and racing his first marathon (Chicago).
Both events started simultaneously and Ian and I found ourselves in 5th and 6th places. There were 2 guys out in front, then 2 young kids strung out, then Ian and me. We were both surprised that so many people started out that fast. Around a half mile in I sped up hoping to at least catch the high school kids. I passed the first quickly but didn’t get the second one until a little over a mile in, just after we started the longest downhill of the race. At that time I noticed I had closed on the lead 2 guys so I made a move to try and catch them.
I overtook 1st place just before the 2 mile mark but gave it up a little after the 2 mile mark as we started up the longest uphill of the race. The person that passed me was Will, one of the high school kids that started faster. I thought it was odd that I went by him on a downhill and he went by on an uphill. Usually the opposite happens when I race high schoolers. As we got to the op of the hill near the 3 mile mark Will began to fade and I went by him. I was hoping to have it easy from there but I looked over my shoulder at the 4 mile mark and saw one of the 2 early lead guys 10 yards in back of me.
I ran hard to the finish and only then found out that both guys that took an early lead were in the double loop race. Also, Ian had passed Will near the end and took 2nd. The lead guy in the double loop race came with a group from Finland and Germany (explains why I didn’t recognize him). After the race I had big purple grapes and Fred’s homemade cookies. I only stayed until 10:20 because I had to leave to go to the PA Cross Country Championship Race.
I arrived at the XC race almost 20 minutes before race time. I had to enter the race but was already warmed up. Tyler Abbot found me just before the race and announced me to be the #5 guy. I’m not sure if he meant the 5th Excelsior runner to arrive there or the eventual 5th place guy on our team. Either one would have been correct.
The misty air started to clear as the race began and eventually gave way to a partly sunny sky. The course is 3 laps with each lap being slightly over 2 miles. It is mostly dirt path with a significant potion of grass and one small log jump.
I started on the back row as usual and tried to make a push to be in the middle pack. I held on to the middle for a while before getting passed by a couple people as the middle pack started to split up and gain ground on me. I was asked by a runner who I couldn’t identify if I was running the Quad next weekend to which I replied “yes”. I don’t know many runners that would run both the Quad Dipsea and a XC race a week apart but he must have been one of them.
I finished the first lap in about 12:16 and thought that was good. As the weather started to get better I felt better although my running time didn’t get faster. Sina (Excelsior teammate was cheering me on by saying to catch a Pamakid runner right in front of me. Not only did I not catch him, but another Pamakid passed me on the 2nd loop which I finished in about 26:20. I tried to stay with both of them on the third loop. I passed one of them before the 5 mile mark, passed another runner after that, and passed the other Pamakid at about 5.75mi. He made a last minute push to the finish and I saw his feet next to me in the sprint at the end but I held him off. After the race we both agreed that we had our sights set on a guy in orange one place in front of me but it just wasn’t happening. I must have sped up on the last lap because my finishing time was about 39:42 (official results not in yet).
I always get my butt kicked in these Cross Country races but I like them because they are short and they are some of the handful of races that I go in without any possibility of getting top placing overall or in my age group. I was also pleasantly surprised that they had warm shrimp pasta salad by the time I finished. It was prepared by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and it tasted very good. I also got to have a good XC conversation with Russ Kiernan after the race. It’s always great to talk to Russ because he can give you stories and perspectives that you can’t get anywhere else.
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