The Blarney Blitz Race Report

1 year ago, the Blarney Blitz 2020 was canceled, falling as one of the first victims of the Covid 19 pandemic.  This Saturday, the race returned, and I was able to run my first official 5K in about 15 months.  I came into the race with a good taper and feeling fresh.  Spent the whole week pretty much running easy with 5, 5, 4.5 milers on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; All at extremely easy pace.

I woke up at 5, about 3 hours before race time which gave me plenty of time to get a little food and coffee, get my digestive system in order, and walk and stretch for a bit.  

The event was in downtown Peoria, by the river, and I arrived at 7:20 for the 8:00 race start (officially 8:01 for me since they were doing 1 minute waves of 25 people due to Covid restrictions).  Even at 7:20 I was one of the first people there.  I parked the car in a convenient spot and then started walking the course.  At around 7:30 I started running to get a warm up in.  I ran the course slowly picking up the pace from 8:30 to 7:30 pace over 2 miles.  It was good to see the course and visually tangents, hills, and strategies.  

I was done warming up by 7:45... went to the car and swapped into my Vaporfly Next%s.  Then headed towards the starting line.  Groups were staggered to avoid clustering at the start line but largely the protocol were being ignored by most participants.  I was one of a few people still wearing a mask.  Things almost felt back to normal, which was a good feeling.

The first wave started at 8:00.  I was in wave 2 and they started us at 8:00:35 after it was deemed there was ample spacing between us and the first group.  My goal was to take the first mile somewhat easy at a 6:10-6:15 pace and then negative split the race.  I tried to stay relaxed and felt I did an okay job executing.  I caught most of the first group pretty quickly... assuming they were running 8:00 min mile pace it only takes about 400 meters to catch up with a 30 second head start.  

Didn't have much problem passing most of the first wave.  I got passed by a couple runners in racing singlets who started in my wave at the 800 meter mark. I briefly considered latching on but figured that I didn't know how fast they were going out and really wanted to stick to my plan for once.  As I ran down the initial straightaway several bystanders clapped and cheered... I thanked them as I ran by.  I really enjoy racing and always have a blast, although sometimes I wonder if I should be hurting more and sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting energy.

 I got to the first mile in 5:53 according to the official chip time but in 6:03 according to my GPS watch.  I'm not sure which is true.  I know I probably started out fast for the first couple hundred meters but I settled in so maybe 5:53 does make sense.  I still felt good at the 1 mile mark and approaching the turnaround point I passed one of the guys in racing singlets.  There was a small downhill leading to turnaround and I sprinted down it.  From there the course continued on a somewhat winding path by the river.  I started to feel a bit of a ache in my gut for a moment but it passed quickly and I continued on at my pace.  I passed the 2nd mile in 5:58 pace according to Garmin or 6:03 according to the course clock.  

After mile 2, I set my sites on a woman ahead of me from wave 1.  She was running pretty quickly at a 6:10 pace but was slowing down the last mile and I was speed up.  Passed her with about 800 to go as we weaved through some cones and under a brick archway.  They was laboring at this point and I pretty much blew past her.

After that it was pretty much a straight shot to the finish line.  I ran by the camera man and started flexing and pretty much goofing off.  When I got to the end near the finish line I really started sprinting and had a ton left in me.  I leapt across the finish line with a 5:58 last mile (5:52 per Garmin).  

Final Stats:

3.1 mile (5K)

0:18:32

5:57 pace

So I may or may not have negative split the race...  or I went out a little hard but calmed quickly and ran a pretty much even pace (which is what I've did on my previous 3 mile race and 5K time trail before that).  I have been using my Garmin to control the pace at least for the first mile so that seems to help.  No matter what, I felt pretty great for 98% of the race and never really tired.  I finished with my fastest kick in a while and felt like I could have probably ran that pace for another mile.  

I never really go to the well any more in races... with the stakes low and no one to compete against it's hard to quite see the use... if anything leaving a little on the table makes me feel more confidence in my future.  I came in 4th overall.  One of the guys who passed me in the race singlet at the beginning came in 3rd and beat me by 12 seconds.  I made up 7 seconds on him after the 2nd mile marker.  I wonder if I had gone full out if I could have caught him.  I also wonder how it would have played out if I went with him when he passed me.  I was committed enough to my pacing strategy that I contained myself but now I'm left wondering.

My cadence for the race was 185 average which was my highest cadence I've measured.  Normally I'm closer to 180 when racing so I think this is a improvement.  Not something I did intentionally anyway.

Pretty excited moving forward...  At this point I haven't really done hardly any race specific training so 18:32 seems great for this point in the season.  Definitely plan on going sub 18 this year if I can keep putting in the miles and don't get hurt.

Shorts and a t-shirt

ran outside in shorts and a t-shirt for the first time this year.  I was a bit chilly at the beginning but overall okay.  Hard to know if it's better to be a bit chilly at the beginning of a run or a bit hot at the end?  It was nice to be able to do it anyway. 

8 miles at a medium easy pace of 7:45 per mile.  Did 4 X strides during the last mile at the park. Its been a good week, but daylight savings is about to hit.  Always a bummer to just start to enjoy spring and then get plunged back into darkness... trials and tribulations of an early riser.  I'll probably wind up waking up early and running with the team.

My Garmin VO2 max took a jump up to 57 today.  Partly attributable to the fact that I've been wearing a chest strap HR monitor again recently so my HR data is probably a lot more accurate than the wrist based monitor.  Also, I did the speed workouts.  The speedwork had an almost immediate effect on my Garmin VO2 estimate last year too... not sure if it's due to me getting more fit or if the workouts significantly effect the calculations in their algorithm.  Regardless, it's nice to see the number back up as I get into race week.

Getting back on track

This weekend, I finally got back on track... Saturday I ran my first workout of the year on the track.

I warmed up for 2 miles, picking up the pace as I progressed.  then stopped once I got to the track for a couple minutes of light stretching and mental focusing.  

Then the workout:  4 X 400m with 200m recovery, 1 X 800m with 400m recovery, then 6 X 400m.

The plan was 6 minute pace (or ~90s 400s).  I nailed my pacing pretty darn good at the beginning and was able to drop the pace slightly for the 2nd half of the workout.  Original plan was 12 X 400 but I decided to combine laps 5 & 6 for an 800.  Considered combining laps 11 and 12 but was tired enough by the end that I figured I'd be better off keeping them at 400s.  

Was happy that I was able to complete the whole workout as planned and hold the pace.  Still getting used to running that fast but it doesn't take too long for me to adapt.  

Finished the cooldown section way too fast and stopped it too soon, just to keep the average pace for the entire workout under 7 min miles.  This was my 4th time under 7 minute pace is 12 days (since not running that fast since Thanksgiving where I just barely eeked a 5 miler at 6:59.4.

My right groin, hip, quad, hamstring, ITB has been a bit aggravated since last Saturday but it's starting to feel better.  Hopefully just a natural adjustment to the faster pacing.  Natalie was kind enough to massage my leg on Saturday and Sunday and I believe it helped!

Sunday I ran an easy 12 miler at 8:29 pace.  The pacing really felt good and I kept the HR in the 130s pretty much.  Now that I'm working harder I need to remember to keep the easy stuff easy.  This was the easiest 12 miles I ran in a long time and took almost nothing out of me... a nice feeling, especially coming off a hard Thursday and Saturday.

45 hard minutes on the bike today.  12.3111 cal/minute was the hardest I've gone this year.  Followed that up with sets of 16, 16, 16, 15 at 135 on the bench sandwiched between 2 sets of 20 push ups... later that hour I did 2 more sets of 50 push ups and 3 sets of 12 pulls ups.

2021 GOALS PROGRESS UPDATE:

1. 10,000 pushups:  3160/on pace for 17214... getting more benching in too to keep it interesting.  

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups:  2024/on pace for 11026...  Had a good weekend of pull ups and have been consistent for over a week which is building up the pace. 

3. 26 Hours on the Bike: At 15:12 and have been hitting the bike twice a week for the last 6 weeks

4. 2021 miles:  434.35.32... 63 miles ahead of pace.  Currently on pace for 2366 miles for the year.  3rd 40+ week in a row plus biking  

 

Building it up brick by brick

Today was an easy day.  45 minutes on the bike at a good effort, followed by 2 miles on the treadmill at 7:30 pace.  Consistency on the biking, makes the biking less strenuous and way more enjoyable.  Consistency of the running following the biking makes the transition much more natural. I've been averaging over an hour a day of aerobic exercise since November.  The consistency is making a tangible difference in my fitness.  Adding workouts back in seems to be causing a quick payoff as well.

There's a feeling I get when my fitness reaches a certain level.  Where I can sprint in the middle of a longer run and it doesn't even phase me.  Where I can pick up the pace effortlessly and it feels like I'm flying.  I'm starting to get that feeling and it's only March.  

I'm really excited to race a 5K in 8 days.  Not exactly sure what to expect.  I'd like to break 19 minutes but we'll see.  

Early Morning Eight

Been about 6 weeks since my last early morning adventure on what I am now minting as "the course".  32 degrees and not much wind today.  My legs were a bit stiff waking up but I foam rolled them out and they felt better.

I was running solo again today so it was all up to me to keep it honest.  I started off a bit slow but eased in pretty quickly and worked up to a solid pace by the 1 mile mark, logging the first mile in 7:20.

I kept the pace strong and steady for the next 4 miles through the rolling hills logging a 6:58, 6:54, 7:02, & 7:06… Once I got past War Memorial I bore down for the last 3.  

I starting pushing on mile 6 upping my effort but still keeping things comfortable.  I threw in some short light pole to light pole surges to really get the pace going... This seemed to work in boosting the pace without effecting my overall effort.  I ran mile 6 in 6:37.  Mile 7 is uphill and I let up slightly but not too much... I got up the hill to the turnaround point at the 2nd fire hydrant and once I turned around I started pushing it again.  Mile 7 was clocked in 6:51.  Kept on the throttle for mile 8, throwing in more surges but not holding it for too long.  Clocked Mile 8 in 6:36.  

Final Stats:

8.01 miles

0:55:29

6:55 pace

Happy overall with the effort and how my fitness is progressing.  I'm at the point where the hills really don't take much out of me aerobically and I can throw in surges without suffering.  I really felt like I was in control for the whole run.  It was my 6st fastest pace on "the course" but the perceived effort was lower than in the past.  Also, 11 seconds per mile faster than what I ran 6 weeks ago.  

I feel really fit right now and I haven't really been doing many workouts so I think that I should have some pretty good room for growth.  Would really like to hit one of these runs at sub 6:40 pace.

 

Beautiful day

The sun was rising and I was out the door by 6 am this morning.  No clouds, no breeze.  Just a nice brisk 32 degrees.  It's funny how in the fall, 40 degrees feels cold but in the spring 32 degrees with sun feels amazing.

Another easy 8 miles today.  I started out in the 8:15 range but then consciously slowed down a bit to the 8:30 range for the middle few miles before picking it up for the last couple miles.  Hit the last mile in 7:30 which included 4 strides/sprints sprinkled in. 

Mostly just good to get a decent run in outside during the week.  I really tried hard to enjoy the run and my surroundings;  the sun rising over the fields and trees and the birds and the fresh air.  Feeling like winter is almost over and pretty soon I'll be outdoor full time.  

My legs are still somewhat wrecked from last week.  My ITB felt tight last Sunday and I've been feeling it ever since.  Not enough to really be of concern yet... just some tightness.  Hoping with some recovery plus stretching and foam rolling it'll pass... I plan on going harder tomorrow so we'll see how that goes...  How hard will depend on how good I feel. 

Final stats:

8.01 miles

1:06:16

8:16 pace

A super productive weekend

The weekend weather was beautiful.  50s on Saturday and 40s on Sunday.  I got in 20 miles at good effort between the 2 days.

Saturday was my first attempt at speedwork for the year.  I intended to hit the track but when I scoped it out, there were still some patches that were covered with ice and snow so I opted for the road.  

Started out with a  2 mile, brisk warm up at a long tempoish pace.  Ran the first mile in 7 minutes flat, was feeling good and ran the 2nd mile in 6:47.  After 2 miles I stopped momentarily to regroup and shed my long sleeve over-layer.  It was finally t-shirt weather!  After about a minute stop, I was ready to go with my first 400.  

I took off fast... maybe too fast.  I didn't exactly have a goal although 6 minute pace was in my head.  I ran the first one in 5:26 pace.  Then slowed down and recovered for 1/4 mile at 7:05 pace... then repeated that 8 times (for 3.75 miles)… my repeats kept getting slower at each interval as did my recovery.  Still mostly kept them under 6 except for the last one which was 6:11.  I stopped again for about a minute and then ran a tempoish mile at 6:57 pace, finishing with one more 400 at 5:58 pace.

This really was a killer workout that got my heartrate going. I was bouncing back and forth between the 160s and 170s for most of the run.  The hard efforts hurt, and I was counting the highway stripes... the limiting factor was definitely the legs as I wasn't breathing exactly hard.

Final stats:

7 miles

47:32

6:47 pace

New PR for the 7 mile loop (if you don't count my 2 minutes of stopping).

I finished with a 1 mile cooldown at 8:30 pace.

Sunday was still nice although not as nice as Saturday.  It was in the 40s but damp and windy.  I opted for a long sleeve shirt and shorts this time (first time in shorts this year).  After Saturdays effort I was tired but I opted to run at a general, comfortable pace... easy but not recovery pace.  

Final stats:

12.01 miles

1:34:08

7:50 pace

Pacing was consistent.  I ran my first mile in 8 minutes but mostly ran in the mid 7:40s to mid 7:50s after that.  The pace felt easy after Saturday's effort and I didn't have much problem maintaining it.  I was focused on keeping a good pace but not pushing it.  My cadence was 176 which is faster than a normal easy run.  I can immediately see the results of speedwork in my mechanics, at least for a few days.  My only real issue was my right hamstring and ITB were a bit tight.  Didn't really effect me, but I could definitely tell.  Didn't really feel injured, just tight/tired.   Good to get 12 miles in.... my longest run in February.  

Today, I hit the bike.  40 minutes at a fairly easy effort although I picked it up some at the end.  

2021 GOALS PROGRESS UPDATE:

1. 10,000 pushups:  2737/on pace for 16650... 12 at 155lbs on the bench today.  Then bumped up the weight to 165 and did 12, 12, 10, before dropping  back to 155 for 14 more.  

2. 7500 pulls ups:  1728/on pace for 10512...  haven't done too many for the last 3 or 4 days with my focus being on tuning up for the 5K but still working them in here and there.  

3. 26 Hours on the Bike: Smashed through the  halfway point and am not at 13 hours and 42 minutes.

4. 2021 miles:  344.32... 50 miles ahead of pace.  44 miles last week and slowly building back to 50.

Diet:  February did not pan out to the point that I've been bingeing a bit.  Haven't really gained weight.. maybe a pound or two at the most.  I plan to refocus for March.  The nice weather and running workouts are motivating me to step it up.