2/25/09

Do I alway run like that?


Do I always run like that - Hagg Lake race report


Hagg Lake 50k was an absolute blast. The conditions were great: not too much mud on the trail, the temperature was nice and cool, and the sun was shining. The run went really well, actually it was my first sub 5hr 50 km. In light of my new PR (personal record) I'll list the positive aspects of the race for me.

its go time

Things I did well on Saturday
1) Run slowly. I ran a faster second lap than I did the first. Negative splits are great because they generally allow one to pass people in the second half of the race as opposed to getting passed in the second half of the race. In this case I passed about 5 or 10 people on the 2nd lap (not counting the early starters).


whos the maniac now?
2) Pay attention to my breathing and my body. Early in the race I found a great rule of thumb to know whether I should pass or not pass someone and whether I should pursue someone who is passing me. Listen to their breathing. Compare it to mine. If they are breathing harder than me, then I don’t pay any attention to them. It’s a possibility that I'm running too slow, but more likely they don’t know how to properly pace themselves and won't finish anywhere near me. If instead they are breathing easier than me, then they're probably more experienced and more fit than I. In this case I'm probably a little further up in the pack than I should be and I should be slowing down.

I should also mention some other aspects of this race… Take a look at the last three pictures here (ignore for a moment that I’m basically just walking in the first few). Am I a weirdo or what? What in the world is that grimace on my face? Do I always run like that? In light of this I think that I should probably alter my training plan to include a weekly run where I pull the treadmill in front of the mirror and practice making normal people facial expressions for a few hours.

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