Being more than a year since the last time I joined the BTR Tuesday tempo run, I thought it might be fun to hook up with these shorter distance speedsters. It was a turnout of 10 folks. I ran a bit over three miles to get to the start, at Dowdy Draw. I timed my arrival almost perfectly and only had to wait sweating in the heat for maybe five minutes. We exchanged pleasantries and confirmed names, though only remember the three guys I recognized from runs last year.
The warm up ended with a slight pause at the trail junction not too far past the bridge and we were off with three guys off the front like rockets. A quick dip and then the jagged climb to the ridge. I was running fairly conservatively and listening for the folks around me to get to a point of heavy breathing where I knew they were pushing the edge and realized I was actually practicing racing, something I don't do normally. This forced a smile on my face, confirming that I'm interested in showing up for races ready and with intent.
The rest of the 4.1 miles of the tempo portion I just bounced between easing up and launching to catch others, more of a fartlek run for me. I cruised it in to the finishing spot hovering in last place but happy with my control and energy. After goodbyes I made my way off to other trails along Flatirons Vista and Marshal Mesa for another 10 (17+ total) miles. I'll easily hit 80 miles this week, then taper through next week with no more than 30 miles leading into Saturday and tagging along with Tim W. at Leadville for 50.
Glad you are not competitive, still hate racing, and desire to run only for the pure enjoyment of it. Isn't it great? Make sure you practice your lines for the LT100:
ReplyDeleteIt's been twenty minutes Tim - what flavor gel would you like?
Better yet, how about a gel and some electrolytes?
It's less than a 2% grade, should we run a little bit?
Just in case you forgot, I have more....
I think you should have several lines from Tool and Disturbed memorized too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing back the nightmares, Steve!
ReplyDeleteHey Brett, that's funny because I was thinking about that last night on my run. I don't think Tim will need much motivation. My hope is that we're in a competitive spot to place well and that will propel someone like him to push through the pain.
If I recall last year correctly it was the dawn of the dead for the top 3 and all of them thought they had the win at 1 point or another. Things can change quickly the last 30 miles of a 100 so even if he's 'way back' (for him) he could pass massive amounts of people by just moving consistently. I hope you all have a blast!
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