 What is "the perfect race?"I don't think there is any one definition. Each runner will have his own, and that definition can (and should) evolve. I think my own definition changes with each and every race. Before today's Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon, I would have defined My Perfect Race thusly:
1) I woke up at about 5:30, feeling pretty good. Jen and I went to dinner at Quiessence for her birthday last night. (Great food and great atmosphere, incidentally.) I was afraid that would leave me hung over and tired, but I felt neither this morning. FIVE POINTS. 2) When I woke up, I went out to get the newspapers. I was annoyed that someone had stolen our New York Times, but happy to find it delightfully chilly. I could even see my breath a little. Perfect! FIVE POINTS. 3) The forecast called for rain this morning (and I DON'T do rain). The headline on the Arizona Republic yesterday even said "Shitty Weather In Store For Valley This Weekend" (I'm paraphrasing a little). It was a little overcast, but not a drop of rain in sight. Awesome! FIVE POINTS. 4) Maintaining a consistent pace throughout the race. In my previous two half marathons, I had to take a few walk breaks. That ended up making my time slower than I wanted. I was determined to run a consistent 8:15 - 8:55 pace this time. From the start of this race, I did exactly that. I had to stop at about mile 1 to tie my shoe, and I took two 15-second walk breaks when my knee started feeling sore. Otherwise I was right at 8:30 - 8:40 for most of the race, except for mile 11 - 12. Even at the end of the race, when I felt like I was running out of gas and that my pace must have slowed, I checked my Garmin and saw that I was still on pace. 4.5 POINTS. 5) Finishing without feeling like I had been the loser in a street brawl. After my previous two half marathons, I felt completely drained at the end of the race. I wanted to walk away from this one feeling better physically. I also wanted to keep on track for running my next half marathon, the PF Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Half Marathon in January, so I didn't want to incur any injuries. At the end of the race, I felt tired, but not overly so. I was a little worried about my knee at one point, but now it feels like normal post-race soreness. Greg even commented at the end of the race that it looked like I hadn't even broken a sweat. 4.5 POINTS. 6) Finish without having to stop for a bathroom break. I was hugely successful at this today due to a much more intelligent hydration strategy. I drank tons of water on Friday and Saturday. I knew I was adequately hydrated because I was having to pee every 15 to 30 minutes, and it was a very pale yellow. I went a couple times before I left the house, and once more at the start area. I didn't drink any water before the race, and I drank only enough to keep from getting dehydrated during the race. 5 POINTS. 7) A finish time faster than 1:58. I didn't train very hard during my trip to Paris or in the weeks after, so I wasn't expecting a sub-1:50 here. But I still thought the flat course and nice weather would contribute to a new PR. Indeed, I finished in 1:56:11, a good 4 minutes faster than my previous PR, which I set at The Other Half in Moab only 2 months earlier. I was stoked about my time. 5 POINTS. 9) Have fun. I had a blast today. I rode to the race with Barry, and we ran into Greg and Brant. Barry finished at 1:38:11, only 9 seconds behind Greg's 1:38:07. That's amazing because Barry has been distance running since May! Brant finished at about 2:12, which beat his goal time by about 3 minutes. I saw and talked a woman I know (Kronos Kim) during the race, and we ran into another woman we work with (Meredith) at the end of the race. All during the race, I was alternately right behind or right ahead of a Navy Seal. We took turns pushing each other at various points during the race. There were various other people that I ran several miles with that made the run enjoyable. The small field (about 1000 particpants) meant there was plenty of room, and I didn't experience the annoying Five-Abreast-Slow-Walker phenomenon you see at larger races. All in all, I had a great time today! 5 POINTS. So 39 points out of 40 is 97.5%, which is pretty damn close to The Perfect Race! Incidentally, and apropos of nothing, my new favorite Radiohead song, and, increasingly, one of my favorite songs by any band, is "Reckoner" from their last album, In Rainbows. It's a beautifully haunting (or hauntingly beautiful) song. Enjoy the video: Activity
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon
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