Index
RESULTS!!
RESULTS!
Here are my splits:
Here's some more detail about the race. Yes, it was really warm. Everyone was comfortably milling about in shorts and singlets
before the race, unlike the usual routine. I thought I hydrated pretty well, but I didn't seem to have to pee an extraordinary amount,
so maybe that was a factor.
The cheaters who burst in from the sides during the first mile were downright scary this year. They must have been told by someone
to at least wait until about a minute after the leaders pass by to push through the barricades. I'm guessing this because at every point
where they jumped in, they were counting down ("5-4-3-2-1. . .") just as I arrived at each point, and I figure I was about a minute behind
the leaders. I didn't get bumped, but, as I say, it was definitely a worry. Maybe I need to run faster next year. . . .
I felt slow and hot during the first two, but was glad to start up the Hayes Street Hill because that's where I usually do very well. Not this
year. I felt like I was about to collapse when I got to the top - very different from past years. Also, whoever it was who was later spraying
the runners with water hadn't started yet, so I didn't get that benefit.
After the hill, I just could not get going, even on the long downhills, and that was pretty much the whole story. As I passed Pamela, Cameron,
and Kristina just before the finish, my only response to their screaming and cheering was to shrug ("Oh, well. . . .").
Too bad I didn't run well. I ended up 263rd place, which was about 60 spots worse than last year. Given that the heat should more or less affect
everyone the same, I should have gotten about the same place as last year (202nd), but with a slower time. Instead, I end up about 60 places worse,
and the women's winning centipede beat me by over a minute. Ironically, the thing that made this crappy race into a great day for me was the
weather. It ended up as a new record for this date in SF - 90 degrees!! It is an amazingly beautiful experience to finish that race and be able
to walk along Ocean Beach in shorts and a singlet. I predict cold foggy weather for next year - I doubt we could get FOUR straight years of perfection!
Last Minute Thoughts
5/21/00, Sunday
I didn't sleep particularly well last night, but I'm not worried about that. My legs feel good, with no hint
of the pinched nerve (if that's what it was) that was killing me only two weeks ago. I feel pretty fresh - one
worry I had was that all of the hard training I did would make me, well, tired.
I'm planning to shoot for a time under 46:00, which would be about 6:10 per mile pace. The way I
have things charted out, I wouldn't actually have to run any single mile under 6:00, but would expect
to be able to zip down the hills the last 3 miles right at 6:00 per mile. I don't have to go out especially
fast - about 6:10-6:15 the first two miles - but I do have to crank it up the hill a bit faster than last year. I
ran mile 3 in 6:55 last year, and would like to hit 6:45 this year.
That's it for my pre-race comments - wish me luck! Results to be posted tonight!
5/18/00, Thursday
I don't have any signs of my left-leg-pinched-nerve-whatever-it-was thing from 10 days ago, and I don't have any
remaining cold symptoms. What's more, it looks like the weather will be perfect for the third year in a row. Right
now (Thursday, 5/18, 8:35 AM - about when the first men will be finishing), it's perfectly clear, about 58 degrees, and
calm. It's supposed to pretty much stay like this through Sunday.
I may not have time to update this page before Sunday, so be sure to check back Sunday night or Monday morning
for a report!!
Preliminary Stuff
This just in. . .
I got my sub-seeded number last week, #507. Yee haw!!
They changed the sub-seeded qualifying time this year, so now you only have to run
under 40:00 to qualify, which I could probably do in a good workout. One minor problem:
I didn't complete a 10k during the qualifying period. It wasn't a problem, though,
since I ran last year's B to B and the Cal 10 race (10 miles) in January at a faster
pace than a 40-minute 10k.
My Training Program
My training is over. With my two colds the first two weeks in May, as well
as my mystery injury to my left leg (pinched nerve??!!), it wasn't ideal. The
distance work was excellent, and that was over in April. But I had hoped to
be able to do some pretty intense track work, along with several tempo runs,
but that hasn't worked out. I even missed seven days in a row at one point.
But over the last few days, I have been able to do some faster running. I ran
a couple of miles on the Lake Merritt course, one in 6:00 and one in 6:11.
Then, yesterday (5/14) I ran a few half miles in 2:59, 2:54, and 2:47. That
tells me I might be able to have the speed I need in the second half of the
race (down the hills). We'll see. . . .
Race Strategy
Overall race strategy is pretty simple: treat the race as a 2.5 mile race, which gets you
to the top of the Hayes Street hill. After that, the course is almost all
a very gently sloping downhill. The only thing to worry about in the last
5 miles is falling asleep in the gently curving roads. Running the tangents
is key in the park because the curves are so big and wide. Since I expect to
be somewhere in the first 200, I shouldn't have too much to worry about as
far as crowds go at that point (barring some idiot pushing me like last year).
More specific strategy (refer to the map and profile below:
Get out quick in the start because some people will
sneak in from the sides (lots did in '98, not so many in '99) - also, run
in the middle of the street.
Note that the first couple of miles are almost imperceptibly uphill, so you'll
feel a bit winded.
When you get to the hill, don't hold anything back - there's plenty of time to
recover on the way to the ocean. In fact, this is a great opportunity to pass
people. After the top, try to get those legs moving as fast as you can on the
2 blocks down to Divisidero - it won't take any breath to do it, so you might as
well.
The next part, I believe, is the toughest part of the race. As you turn onto
Fell Street, there's a very slight uphill, then it's pretty flat along the
Panhandle. Mentally, most people are ready for the downhill, but freak out when
they hit this part, which seems to never end. My advice is to use the crowds and
bands to help you along (someone will probably be blasting "Rocky" or "Chariots
of Fire" out their window). You can also think of this as a separate race that
ends when you get to the park, about a mile total (average grade about 2% up).
Once you hit the park, put the pedal to the metal. There are a few brief uphills
in the first mile, but nothing to worry about. THE DOWNHILLS ARE VERY RUNNABLE, so get
moving! The last 2.5 miles are about a 3% downgrade.
One last thing, be careful not to start your final sprint too early. If you plan
to really sprint, wait until you make the big left turn onto the Great Highway.
If you plan a longer kick, go ahead and start when you make the sharp RIGHT turn
before that, about the 7-mile mark. Of course, if you've taken my advice, you'll
already have been
kicking it in from the end of the panhandle - heck, that's what the Kenyans do.
Course Map and Profile
Here's a map of the course, including the profile. I split it into 2 halves so it
wasn't so wide. I created the map using
TOPO! software.
Last Minute Thoughts
Application Process, etc.
My Training Program
Strategies for the Race
Course Map and Profile
Ugh! Not much I can say about this one. Felt like crap from the "git-go," and it only got worse. My prediction
that the warm temps wouldn't have an effect was way off, as it was probably in the mid-70's the whole way.
My time was 2:45 slower than last year, and, worse yet, TWO naked guys beat me this year. Interesting point
that makes me feel less bad about my time: the men's winner, Reuben Cheriuyot of Kenya, was expected to
challenge the world best for 12k of about 33½ minutes. His winning time was about 35 minutes, or about
4% higher than expected. My time this year was about 6% higher than last year, so somewhat consistent
with the big boys'. Still, while
that knowledge gives me some consolation, it was pretty ugly from start to finish.
6:24
6:29
7:33
6:53
6:45
6:21
6:43
2:45 (6:00 per mile pace)
Total: 49:53.4 (6:42 per mile)
Well, it's 5:30 AM on Sunday, and I'm ready. I got up at 5:00 so that I could have something to eat and
start hydrating for the race. The big story for today is the heat. We're expecting record high temperatures
in the Bay Area today - 78 in San Francisco and 85 in Oakland. How will it affect the race? Not too much,
I don't think, since it won't be much warmer than 60 at 8 AM. It will feel warm with the sun on our backs
through the race, but it won't be like some races I've run, with temps in the 70's and high humidity (Pac
Sun 10k '98).
Well, here we are, just THREE days before the race. The work is over, as of my track workout on Tuesday, so now
it's time to just rest up. I'm feeling good, and I believe I'm ready for a good race. My workout on Tuesday went
pretty well, despite having pretty fatigued legs because I rode my bike to work (Bike to Work Day here). We did an
ascending ladder workout: 2x200, 2x400, 2x600, 2x800, 2x1000. I skipped the last 1000, but my 400s were in about
81 seconds (5:24 mile pace), my 800s in 3:02 (6:04 pace), and my one 1000 in 3:55 (6:16 pace). All of those were
pretty comfortable, meaning I could have run faster. This is a good sign, since I want to start out somewhere between
6:00 and 6:15 pace.
on June 22, 2000