Back to Back Races

Before I transition to training that mostly focuses on mountain biking, strength, and core and less running, I decided to try a few more races. Some of my coworkers had signed up for the Scramble 10K on May 15th and then the Carytown 10K on Sunday May 16th. I decided I would also take the plunge so I signed up for both races. The Scramble was at 5PM on Saturday and the Carytown 10K was the next day at 8:00 AM. Completing both races entitled me to a special finishers medal plus a nice sense of accomplishment.

The Scramble is not a regular 10K. The race starts out easy enough on Browns Island in downtown Richmond. There is a wave start to keep the field from being too congested. I started in wave 2. The first part of the race goes down the historic canal walk before crossing the 14th street bridge and up onto the flood wall. There are a number of steps to climb and descend on the flood wall before it levels out on a nice gravel path with one of he best views of Richmond. After running along the flood wall we come to what locals call, "The Mayan Ruins." The only reason this part of the course has that name is because there is a huge staircase to climb. But they are not regular stairs. Each step is a foot or two high and they are uneven and there is lots of erosion. Going up the stairs is a real quad and lung buster. This year there was a new alternative set of stairs. There were more stairs but they were not railroad tie stairs like the other set. These were nicely constructed wooden stairs that were even and had nice hand rails. I took the new stairs. It was equally lung and quad busting as the other stairs but a little easier.

Once up the stairs, we made our way to the 22nd street stairs where we descended the 60+ steps (I did not count and forgot exactly how many steps there are). Once down the steps we ran along the gravel path that parallels the river. A little ways down the path, there is some two way traffic as runners in the first wave have reached the turn around and are heading back towards Belle Island. It is always interesting to look at the athletes who are faster than me. Most of them are younger, leaner, meaner, and much faster. The women in the front of the pack tend to show off their ripped abs and the men all wear professional looking gear.

After running down the gravel path and turning around, we darted into the woods to run on a trail that has lots of roots and a few rocky areas and a stream crossing. This year the river was way down so when I crossed the stream, my shoes got just a little wet. Last year, the water came up over my ankles when I crossed. After the crossing we made our way across a part of the river that is mostly dry. We had to hop across a lot of rocks and eventually climb up a ladder to Belle Island. We then ran up a hill to the top of Belle Island to run the loop at the top of the Island. The trails are mostly flat with a few up and downs, some log crossings, and a pretty fast descent on a rolling trail. When I got to this downhill, I was feeling pretty good and since I am very familiar with the trail, I was able to pass a few people before I got to the bottom. Once I reached the bottom, I knew that the hardest part of the race was behind me and that gave me a mental boost.

I made my way across the foot bridge and back to Browns Island. Once I could hear the crowds and the music, I picked up the pace and started to pass a few people. And then I had my kick and I sprinted to the finish passing a few more people. After I crossed the finish line, I walked around a little, drank my water, and met up with people I knew to chat. I felt pretty darn good considering I had not really been running hardly at all when compared to a normal 10K training plan.

One race down, one to go. After the scramble, I went home and took an ice bath. For my ice bath, I put on a few shirts, a sweatshirt, and a warm hat. Then, I sit in the empty tub and fill it up with cold water. Then once the water is up above my hips, Melissa piles in a few bags of ice and sets the timer for me. Taking an ice bath is very therapeutic. I can't tell you all the science behind it but an ice bath is key to quick recovery. All the elite athletes participate in the ritual of the ice bath after a long, hard workout.

The next morning I got up early and headed to Carytown for the 10K. This was a more traditional 10K on mostly flat roads. I ran into a few people I know and chatted for a few minutes before taking my position near the front of the pack. I was surrounded my ripped young men and women and some that looked slightly older. Before the race started, the announcer was talking to the crowd with the microphone. He asked who had run the Scramble the day before. A lot of people raised their hands. Then he asked who had run a marathon. Again, lots of people raised their hands. Next, he asked who had run the Boston Marathon. Once again, a lot of people raised their hands. Finally he asked if anyone had won Boston. An older guy at the front raised his hand. It turns out the Bill Rodgers was running the Carytown 10K. For those of you unfamiliar with Bill Rodgers. he won the Boston and New York Marathon 4 times in the 70s.

When the race started, I felt pretty good-for a little while. Then about 3 or 4 minutes into the race, my left knee got a shooting pain. I had to pull over and walk because it hurt so much. I massaged it a little and then started running again. After another few minutes the shooting pain returned. I slowed to a walk and massaged it again. I then went back to running but at a little slower pace. I had a few twinges of pain as I ran and I began to wonder if I would have to drop out. But I kept going and after the first mile and a half, I started to feel better and was able to pick up the pace. The rest of the race was uneventful. I concentrated on my form and my breathing and at the end, I kicked hard and passed some people in the home stretch.

My time for this race was nowhere near my fastest 10K time of 46.01 but I was pleased with the results given my circumstances. I have pasted the text from the email I received from the race organizers detailing my time, splits, placings, etc at the bottom of this post.

Now that I got my running ya-yas out, it is time to focus on biking. I am behind in my writing. I have been doing lots of biking. Next time I will fill you in on the next event which is a mountain bike race.

Congratulations James Rosen on finishing the Carytown 10K on May 16, 2010.
For your records, the weather at start time was mostly cloudy, 65 degrees F, 70% humidity, NE wind 3.5 mph.

There were 121 finishers in the Male 40 to 44 age group and 1528 finishers in the 10K Run Division.

Your overall finish place was 512, your age group finish place was 59 and your gender finish place was 383.
Your time was 53:12.05 giving you an overall pace of 8:35 per mile.

Your 4M split time was 33:53.31, Giving you a pace of 8:28 per mile, Overall place 488, Gender place 364
Your last 2.2 mile split time was 19:18.74, Giving you a pace of 8:44 per mile, Overall place 555, Gender place 400