Yesterday I ran the Great Columbia Crossing 10K in Astoria, OR. This course included a bridge over the shipping lanes but is otherwise perfectly flat. I consider it an easy course because the hill is one steady grade what goes up gets to come back down. At the start it was evident that I would not get the PR I was training for, anything less than 44:51 would have been a PR. I am used to running in the rain but I do not particularly enjoy it when combined with wind. Our race ended up being run in stormy conditions with a steady 10 to 15 MPH wind from the West / Southwest. The rain was coming down at a 45 degree angle and was heavy at times we had to wait in the rain with no shelter for an hour before the race started temps were in the 50s so that wasnt too bad. Last year I finished 69th out of 368 men with a pace of 7:14 in perfect, wind free conditions.
At the start I was just 8 lines back and was pretty much unobstructed. We ran dues west into the wind but were sheltered somewhat from the west for 1/3 of a mile, after this short distance we hit the headwinds straight on for the next ½ mile, I was not expecting such a struggle so soon in the race. Just before the first mile marker we head over the bridge and due south that is a straight shot of around 4 miles. I hit my first mile at 7:24 quite a bit slower than last year but not as bad as I had feared. The next 3 miles turned out lucky for me as the wind was steadily from the west while we were running south, this good luck continued through mile 4 or about ½ way to the top of the bridge deck were it became somewhat gusty, it took some effort to maintain a straight line but at least the rain had stopped. Once you crest the bridge it turns south and does a 360 in about a mile, we were headed directly into the wind for about ¾ of a mile my down hill pace was no better than what I had just been running. I hit mile 5 at 37:20 nearly 90 seconds longer than last year. To this point I had been passed by about 20 runners 2 in my age group but most were much younger. I was challenged on the downhill by 4 runners all of whom were breathing very hard; I kept my pace knowing they would slow as soon as we hit the flats. They did and I passed them all plus a few more within ½ mile. As I was laying on the final steam a young kid of around 18 or under (Ill know when the results are posted) began dogging me, pacing me and finally pulling ahead. This was the only time in the race where I was challenged we leap-frogged a few times increasing our pace by at least 30 seconds and both passed at least 6 other runners in the last ¼ mile. This kid end up beating me by a second or two but without his challenge I might have been 15 or 20 seconds slower overall. At the finish line I was beat, missed looking at the clock and didnt stop my own watch. I wandered around for a bit and finally stopped my watch a 46:20, right now I would guess my time to be in the 45:50 range or 1 minute slower than last year. I think its possible that my placement might be similar to last years I know I was in the top 100 at the very least. Ill post my final standings as soon as I have them later today I hope.
Even though the results are not in, I know that I ran the smartest race of my life using my heart rate monitor instead of split timing allowed me to maintain a steady effort of 93% of max. I never allowed myself to be baited by fellow runners and ran my own race through mile 5 where I picked the perfect competitor to challenge he never gave in and pulled me right along. As we were neck in neck for the final mile, not a single runner answered our challenge they simply let us go. At the end of the race I congratulated the kid on running a great race. I should have thanked him for pulling me along but I didnt hehehe!
At the start I was just 8 lines back and was pretty much unobstructed. We ran dues west into the wind but were sheltered somewhat from the west for 1/3 of a mile, after this short distance we hit the headwinds straight on for the next ½ mile, I was not expecting such a struggle so soon in the race. Just before the first mile marker we head over the bridge and due south that is a straight shot of around 4 miles. I hit my first mile at 7:24 quite a bit slower than last year but not as bad as I had feared. The next 3 miles turned out lucky for me as the wind was steadily from the west while we were running south, this good luck continued through mile 4 or about ½ way to the top of the bridge deck were it became somewhat gusty, it took some effort to maintain a straight line but at least the rain had stopped. Once you crest the bridge it turns south and does a 360 in about a mile, we were headed directly into the wind for about ¾ of a mile my down hill pace was no better than what I had just been running. I hit mile 5 at 37:20 nearly 90 seconds longer than last year. To this point I had been passed by about 20 runners 2 in my age group but most were much younger. I was challenged on the downhill by 4 runners all of whom were breathing very hard; I kept my pace knowing they would slow as soon as we hit the flats. They did and I passed them all plus a few more within ½ mile. As I was laying on the final steam a young kid of around 18 or under (Ill know when the results are posted) began dogging me, pacing me and finally pulling ahead. This was the only time in the race where I was challenged we leap-frogged a few times increasing our pace by at least 30 seconds and both passed at least 6 other runners in the last ¼ mile. This kid end up beating me by a second or two but without his challenge I might have been 15 or 20 seconds slower overall. At the finish line I was beat, missed looking at the clock and didnt stop my own watch. I wandered around for a bit and finally stopped my watch a 46:20, right now I would guess my time to be in the 45:50 range or 1 minute slower than last year. I think its possible that my placement might be similar to last years I know I was in the top 100 at the very least. Ill post my final standings as soon as I have them later today I hope.
Even though the results are not in, I know that I ran the smartest race of my life using my heart rate monitor instead of split timing allowed me to maintain a steady effort of 93% of max. I never allowed myself to be baited by fellow runners and ran my own race through mile 5 where I picked the perfect competitor to challenge he never gave in and pulled me right along. As we were neck in neck for the final mile, not a single runner answered our challenge they simply let us go. At the end of the race I congratulated the kid on running a great race. I should have thanked him for pulling me along but I didnt hehehe!
