Chilly Dawg 2015 Race Report

This year's Chilly Dawg 5K didn't quite live up to its billing like it did last year when the temps were in the teens. The rain had stopped earlier in the morning and the clouds were clearing, so it was damp and cool, with some wind to make it a little brisk outside. Temps were in the low 40s, so the fireplace at the pavilion was still a popular spot, though it wasn't nearly as cold as it was in 2014.

I had run some decent 400 repeats recently, and Wednesday's run went so well that I hoped to sneak in under 22:00.

Snazzy long-sleeve cotton race tee.
 Same design as 2014, but last year's shirt
was an ice blue color instead of the red seen here.

Prerace meal was a cup of coffee, a slice of wheat toast with Nutella, a banana and some water. I went with two layers above the waist-- short-sleeved tech shirt with arm warmers under a long-sleeve Athens Road Runners tech shirt. Also two layers below, with tech briefs under running tights, topped off by my wind pants. Feetures! quarter-length socks and my Asics Gel-Lyte 33 shoes rounded out my outfit. I hadn't raced or run in those shoes in a long time, since I have other shoes to use as everyday trainers. I don't run with music anymore.

The wife's department at The University of Georgia sponsored the race-- Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, so she served as a course marshal and did a fantastic job. The course at Sandy Creek Park was exactly the same as it was last year.

I have trouble starting out too slowly and having it cost me at the end, so I put the hammer down early this time and had a first mile right at 7:00. I felt a little winded already at this point and didn't know how long I could hold the pace. Didn't have any trouble with traffic except for taking an elbow to the ribs right at the start. If you're not going to start out fast, don't get to the front of the starting corral.

Another runner soon appeared on my left hip as I realized I was pacing someone with a heavy footstrike. I don't know when this guy showed up, but he seemed to think I was at a good pace for him and he wasn't interested in passing. So I just kept on doing my thing. It could be a reason I ran so fast-- I felt like there was a herd of buffalo chasing me!

My second mile was 7:04, and I was red-lining it-- I had to remind myself that this would all be over really soon. Part of the 'pain is temporary, pride is forever' school of thought. There are no hills on this course, just a few rises. But when I was breathing as hard as I was, they felt like Everest.

I was able to keep on trucking through the third mile, but as I came back from a turnaround, I developed a side stitch and felt like I'd finally run out of gas. Oh well, I thought, I ran hard and gave it my all. I told the guy for whom I was rabbiting to go and get it if he wanted it, that my tank was about empty. He just told me to keep going, that we were almost home. This little bit of encouragement got me to the end. That, and realizing that he was observing proper etiquette by not smoking me at the end. I made the last .3 of a mile with his encouragement. I shook his hand at the finish, but I lost track of him after that.

21:49 was my finishing time, a personal best by :22, better than last year's 22:11 at last year's CD5K. I had really red-lined it-- I felt like I'd given everything I had to give. The finishing official handed me a card with the number 17 on it, so I was happy about that. I was also pleased to see that I was at the top of my age group, just as I was last year. I had hoped to win a master's championship, since I missed by :32 in 2014. As it turned out, I ran the exact time that the master's winner ran last year. The thing is, the guy who actually won it in '14 ran :05 faster than me today, so he defended his title like I defended mine. I was within range at the end, but I had no hope of catching him. So I did whittle the difference from :32 to :05.

Race number and Shiny Metal Object
for winning 40-44 for the second straight year

I just can't stop being happy about my effort. I ran harder and faster than I ever have before. I still won a Shiny Metal Object, got to see some of my running friends, and had a wonderful brunch with The First Lady afterward.

So life is (and always has been) good.

I don't have anything on my race calendar now, though I think I'll head back out there in 4-6 weeks just to stay active. I'm pretty sure I'll alternate fast 400 repeats along with some 800s. Maybe someday I can run a 5K in under 20.

This week

Not a lot of running happening this week, but what I've done has been pretty good.

I started out on MLK Monday wanting to check out the Ramsey Center on the UGA campus, since I could park for free because of the holiday. Getting a workout after class during the week, especially on Friday, would be very convenient. However, I would have to pay to park if I arrived before 4 pm. To use a fitness center I'm already paying for. Thanks guys.

Anyhow, if there's a treadmill in the place, I couldn't find it. It is an impressive place, though. It's where the Swim Dawgs swim and dive, and in another part of the complex is the court where the Volley Dawgs play.

I would up getting a five-miler in on the eight-laps-to-a-mile indoor track. There wasn't a big crowd at this point, so traffic was OK. This was probably the easiest five I've ever run-- no inclines, no hills, no weather. My 1/8 splits, courtesy of the clocks at the pool next door, were right around a minute, then closer to 57-58. Wound up right at 41:00. Later on in the day, when your legs are energized and you remember what a good thing you did earlier, I could barely tell that I ran. I did do a little core work, and I guess the 8:12 pace helped with turnover, but I didn't feel like it took much effort.

My second run of the week came after class Wednesday, and after walking Beasley (the official dog of Team Woodrow Racing). Temps were right around 60, so it was short sleeves and shorts (the week of weather had been pretty nice until today). It was five-mile time trial day, and I was very happy with this effort. Since I started back after my back injury, I'd had trouble getting through one 1.5 mile loop under 13:00. This time, all three loops were under 12:30-- 12:25, 11:59, and 11:56. So I was pleased with the times and with the work I did. 40:53 all together.

So now all the hay is in the barn for tomorrow's Chilly Dawg 5K. Supposed to be chilly and wet, though the rain should have stopped before the 9 am start. It won't be cloudy and mid-teens at the start like last year, thankfully. I won the 40-44 age group last year, but who knows what the crowd will be like. I feel like I can put up a time in the 22-minute area, and I'd like to sneak in under 22 if it's possible. I'm not really sure what to expect, since my weekly mileage is down.

I'm just eager to get back out there, see my running friends and compete against myself to see what I've got.

Priorities

In looking at my running logs over the past few months since returning from my back injury, my weekly mileage has been all over the place. It's been as low as 11.5 and as high as 23 the week of Christmas, when Santa brought me a snazzy new pair of Tifosi sunglasses. Most weeks I've run in the upper teens.

I'm OK with it for now, since I'm in the process of reorganizing my priorities, and I've also begun my second semester of graduate school. I like that running is still high on my list of things to do, and I still like how I feel after a run. But I'll have to get used to shorter daily runs (cutting a few miles from the 6 or 7 I used to do) in order to fit my schedule, and I'll also have to adjust to being a little more winded, since my conditioning isn't what it used to be.

Two weeks until raceday. Might have to start adjusting my expectations since the last few runs haven't felt all that great.

400 repeats

I'm getting ready for my first 5K of 2015-- the Chilly Dawg race on January 24.

This means I've added speedwork to my training, namely quarter-mile repeats. I did faster 800s getting ready for my 8K PR last month and it made a difference. So I've started doing 400s at the high school track which is in my backyard. I could hop my fence out back and go through the taller wooden picket fence (the students don't have any problem with it) and get there in less than five minutes. However, I go the long way around and it's 1.5 before I start. There are also the loops in the neighborhood that could add to the warmup, but today I left that part out.

We returned from our annual football bowl trip last night and stayed up too late and drank too much mineral water, and I paid for it. Last week I did 12x400 and it was good, solid work. This time I could only muster 7x400. The times are a little misleading, since the track is like .27, but my laps were 95-97, which is a little faster than last week. I broke things down into three-minute intervals, doing the repeat and then rest for the remaining time.

So I have a few more weeks of that before the race. I will likely keep some form of speedwork going for a while, since my base pace has been around 8:30 for several years, and I'm ready to change that up. I don't really know how it'll go since I'm starting to place a greater importance on other things in my life besides running. I hope to keep weekly mileage at about 20. It's nice in a way, since Saturday can be the long run and speed day both at the same time.