So, it turns out that running buddy Barry is... MORTAL! He complained on Friday about some sharp pain in his lower legs. Sounds like good ol' shin splints. Since the only thing to do is rest 'em, today was just Bill and I. We decided to get in some hill work in advance of The Other Half, which has a decent hill around mile 8. We decided to do the same 10-mile loop we did 2 1/2 months ago on July 13. I woke up at about 4:45AM and was pleased to feel nary an ache, pain or soreness-- not even so much as a niggle. The weather this morning was a cooler but still not "cool" 75 degrees. I picked Bill up at his house at 5:30AM, and he informed me that he didn't get home until 2AM the night/morning before. Ohhhhhhhhh, man! I would have punted that morning's run, but Bill decided to man up and do the run anyway. After dropping off some water at about the 7-mile point of our route, we arrived at the parking area at a little after 6AM. A little stretching and we were off. Today's theme music was the new Runnerfunker Podrunner mix. It was about average as far as my appreciation of it. Once that ended, I got The Pound Podrunner mix, which has become one of my faves. It had been a while since we did this run and I was looking forward to tackling the tough hills. From the parking area, the first mile or so has a slight uphill grade, which is a good way to get loose. I took the lead and we settled into a mid-8:00 pace. I turned around to check on Bill every now and then, and he seemed to be doing fine. At mile 2, the downhill section starts. You lose a couple hundred feet of elevation over 2 miles. It can be a real killer on your shins if you don't mind your form. I was feeling GREAT through this section, and we maintained our mid-8:00 pace. I was glad to see we weren't going too fast through here, as it can cause trouble on the return. We turned west at McDowell Mountain Ranch Rd. This section continues downhill, and our pace increased to the low-8:00 range. I was feeling just incredible-- my breathing was good, my legs felt good, I was in good spirits, etc. When we got to the entrance to West World, Bill overtook me and said, "I wanna stop and Gu." I asked how he was doing and he said, "Not real good. You should go ahead without me." I noticed he looked pretty flush and sweaty, probably a result of the previous night. I said, "Nah, I'll stick with you. I'll push you up that hill. What's the worst that can happen-- you puke?" After all the outings where I'm the one feeling overheated or sore or slow or whatever, it felt great to be the one feeling great! We started out again, and Bill took the lead. We resumed our low-8:00 pace through West World. When we turned onto 94th street, which features a mile-and-a half steady climb, I found out what Bill means when he says he's not feeling well. He's still an animal! He buckled down and started plowing up the hill. He opened up a small distance between us. I tried to close the gap, but my quads disagreed with the notion. We cruised up the hill at a pace that varied between low-8:00 and mid-9:00. We both did well, with Bill arriving at our water stop about 10 seconds ahead of me. We stopped for a couple minutes to refill water bottles, empty bladders at a fortuitously-placed Port-O-Let and eat a Gu. After our break, we started out again, heading up Union Hills Drive. This is about a half-mile climb of about 75 feet, a good warmup for what lay around the corner. I led through this section. When we turned back onto Thompson Peak Parkway, Bill moved ahead and started attacking the hill. This is the section that makes this run so tough. From Union Hills Drive, there is a one-mile climb with an elevation increase of about 250 feet. I have dubbed this hill F**kyou Hill. As we started climbing, I yelled, "F**k you, hill!" a little louder than I intended. A poor fellow walking his dog was startled. We attacked the hill, and only stopped for a couple very brief walk breaks of about 15 seconds. Cresting that hill is VERY satisfying. The terrain over the last mile and a half of the run has some slight rising and falling. We ran side-by-side for most of the way back at a mid-8:00 to low-9:00 pace.  As we turned into the entrace to the DC Marketplace where we parked, I picked up my pace to about a 7:00 near sprint. As I made the final turn, I was surprised to see a giant inflatable FINISH line with a throng of spectators gathered 'round. "All this for our little ol' run?" I thought. It turns out there was a 3-mile walk to raise money for a kidney disease.We finished in 1:28:24, a full 9 minutes faster than the last time we did this run. I felt good from beginning to end and was very pleased with my time. I couldn't have asked for a better run. I think Bill was happy that we stuck together and I admire him for finishing this tough run with little sleep the night before. Hooray us! Activity
 Elevation (ft)  Pace (min/mile)  Splits
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Good Times in DC Ranch
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