Browsed by
Tag: race report

Byxbee parkrun 28

Byxbee parkrun 28

Comments 3 comments

My in-laws stayed with us for the past two weeks, hence my not wanting to spend a bunch of time inside, on my computer. Between seeing much of my side of the family in June and then getting to see my in-laws later in the month/early in July, life has begun to feel more normal now than it has for the past 18 months. It was amazing. 

And! Adding to the “everything is slowly beginning to feel normal” list is that I got to run a race on July 3rd, my first since December 2019! It was hard and glorious and lovely and honestly, just … great.

Sometimes it is difficult to convey how much we can miss an experience like racing — an occasion that by and large, isn’t a very comfortable place to be in — but I’m telling you, all of it felt so new and so familiar at the same time. 

Again: it was amazing.  

For I don’t know how long, I’ve been aware of the parkrun in Crissy Field, in SF, but I’ve never partaken because let’s be honest: I love SF, but I don’t want to drive all the way there for a 5k, if I can help it. I had never participated in parkrun before but knew from Strava buddies elsewhere how it works: it’s local, free, and after registering in their online system once, you pretty much just show up with your printed-out barcode in hand to get an official time. There aren’t any fees, bibs, chips, swag, corrals, seeded starts, water stations, nada. 

You show up to the designated spot, line up along the literal line in the dirt, and run as fast or as slow as you want between the start line and the finish line. That’s it. 

It’s a race, yes, and it’s a time trial with a bunch of strangers, and it’s whatever you want or need it to be. 

For as much as I loved doing all the PA XC races a couple years ago for the “primacy” of that type of running — the no frills, just-hard-work variety of you running against the land — parkrun, too, has that same type of appeal.

It’s a wonderful reminder that running is as complicated as we make it, and sometimes, less is much, much more. 

The parkrun at Byxbee Park, in the Palo Alto baylands, was a short drive from home (shorter than SF, for sure!), and I arrived with ample time to park, use the bathrooms a million times, and do a couple-mile warm-up along the course to check things out. Byxbee is pretty much pancake flat and completely exposed to the elements, but luckily, last Saturday was thick with cloud cover, so we weren’t getting roasted while trying to run fast. 

The Byxbee parkrun is two out-and-backs on the measured gravel-y path (that’s open to other trail-goers) in the baylands, and it has three hairpin turns from the two OABs. Last weekend’s race was only their second time back post-COVID, and I guess organizers had to alter the original course due to some construction on the trail.

I’m really glad I learned about this when I did because I was in the market for a 5k to do a TT, since I’d be missing the Morgan Hill PA race on the fourth of July, with my in-laws visiting and all (and us going to Monterey and Santa Cruz that day). I was definitely nervous going in, after not racing for so long, and because, well, 5ks are brutal! I slept poorly the night before the race, I barely had enough watch battery to last for the ~10 miles I’d run that morning — you’d think I was new at this stuff, ha! 

Having my first go back at parkrun was an excellent way to transition “back” to racing, and honestly, the vibe was just great. Other participants were super welcoming, the volunteers (who run the show at parkrun) were all lovely, and it was just a really nice morning of running. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone to do, and I plan to return as both a runner and as a volunteer in the future. It is fantastic to know that it’s always going to be there on Saturday mornings. 

And as for my race? Well, 5ks are brutal. They’re also pretty satisfying and fun. Coach Lisa predicted around 6:45s, and that’s about what I did. For maybe the first time in my life, I didn’t go out blazing, like a maniac, and felt really good and in control. The small field (~35) meant that I didn’t have to jockey for position very much, and I quickly settled in around 5th/6th OA in the field/F1 among a group of high schoolers and a couple guys with whom I leapfrogged a few times. 

I went 6:39-6:44-6:56-6:10 for .18, about a 21:25, and admittedly felt a bit annoyed that it wasn’t faster given how I felt. I tried to find a higher gear in the second part of the race, and I couldn’t. It happens. That said, I had that really intense throat-burning sensation for about 12 hours post-race, so I think I may have done as best as I could on the day. I feel like I have faster in me — there, perhaps, but also on roads and/or the track eventually — but hyping myself up to suffer is a tough bargain, ha! 

It’s so good to have finally done something that I’ve missed so very much.      

cooldown cheesin
2019 Matt Yeo Memorial Aggies Cross Country Open race recap – Martinez, CA

2019 Matt Yeo Memorial Aggies Cross Country Open race recap – Martinez, CA

Comments 0 Comment

The Matt Yeo Memorial Aggies cross-country race up in Martinez was one of the only XC races I ran last year. Going into it last weekend, I felt excited that I knew what I was getting myself into (for once this season!), but I also knew that the course’s very, very, veeeeeeeery flat profile could easily lend the race to a level of discomfort that I haven’t really had this season.

In other words: flat running (in theory) means fast racing. And we all know that fast racing — while absolutely exhilarating — can be *quite* uncomfortable, particularly if you haven’t done much of it lately. 

In the absence of CIM training this season, I’ve been running pretty much all of my training runs at really comfortable GA or recovery paces. The only exceptions are the almost-weekly XC races, wherein I try to dial it up as much as I can on the (typically hilly) courses. Each week, I’ve been running on hilly trails more in the past few months than I have in a very long time, so while my endurance is definitely refined, I’m in the dark about any speed in my legs. Racing at Martinez, thanks to the aforementioned super flat nature of the course, would shine a light for me on what’s going on with the stems and hopefully give me a good idea of my fitness right now … in theory, anyway.

Everything about this year’s XC race was virtually the same as it was last year — same type of weather, same racing order, same fielding-two-full-teams aspect — and just like last year, I came into the race with a week’s worth of stroller running under my belt since my preschooler was on fall break. (Read: my already pretty slow-going running has been even slower the past week, thanks to pushing 90+ pounds of kid and stroller!). As the gun went off, my nerves were nowhere to be seen, and the only thought looping on repeat was something along the lines of just show up and work hard. 

somewhere early on (look how flat!) (PC: WRC)

The 4.2 mile, 2 loop-course was just how I remembered it, but the most significant difference from my ‘18 to ‘19 race was in how I felt in the thick of it. By the end of my first loop last year, it was abundantly clear that I had gone out waaaaaaaaay too fast and was going to “run-of-shame” it in to the finish line with hopefully some semblance of my ego in tact. This year, I made a conscious effort to get off the line more comfortably than in ‘18, and I knew that patience would be my best friend. Never once did I look at my watch while I was racing — even when it beeped at each mile marker, I ignored it — and I try my damnest to stay in it and to keep picking off women ahead of me. Lisa and Anica were far ahead, but Janet and Heather were within close range. All of us sporting Wolfpack neon made the visuals fantastically easy. 

a small group of us all working together after miles 1 and 3. (BTW, that official is really nice and was super enthusiastic. We chatted for a while during the men’s open and masters races). (PC: Jeff)

As is always the case, it seemed like the wind had picked up significantly during the race from how it was during the warm-up miles. For a good portion of the first part of the race, I was working with other runners in a pack, each of us taking turns leading and tucking in. One of the very last things Coach Lisa told us on the starting line was to go for a negative split on this course. While I never looked at my watch throughout the race, I stayed as mentally dialed-in as possible, negotiating and renegotiating my pace and effort and wondering if I had enough left to pick it up over the second half. I didn’t remember my piss-poor pacing at last year’s race until I just re-read my recap moments ago, so I can’t help but wonder if something deep in my psyche told me to not race again like an idiot.  

I am almost always racing with the woman behind me (kinda fun little bit about XC). She’s very sweet. (PC: Jeff)

Somewhere in the final 1.5, I began to slowly close the gap between Janet, Heather, and me, and I picked off another 3 or 4 women that were between us. It made for a really fun finish, with Janet, Heather, and me finishing in succession (and with only 19 seconds between us). I’m forever working on that strong finishing kick, and this time I got down to a 5:15 pace and over the last two minutes of the race, I threw down as much as I could. It was work, to be sure, but it was so, so fun.

that pretty pain face strikes again (PC: Alex)

Even with the super flat and super fast course that is Martinez, runners still have the fun challenges to navigate, like a grass starting and finishing area, a couple bridges, a couple sand spots, a scribbly course, and variable terrain throughout. I mean, it is XC, after all. Regardless, if you are looking to get your feet wet in XC but aren’t super comfortable with hills yet, this course is an excellent foray into this fun world. (Mark your calendars for next year!) 

I learned much later that I paced myself in a way that was night and day better than last year’s race, and even though ‘19 was a little less than one minute slower than ‘18, I’m calling ‘19 a huge win. This is one of those times in running and racing where we can pick our outlook; I could be sad or embarrassed or whatever that I ran a little more slowly than I did in ‘18, or I could be elated that I ran as evenly and as well-for-me as I did in the absence of any real fast running or speedwork for several months. I will happily select the latter, and it’s the latter that’s getting me hyped about marathon training in ‘20. I was (and remain) so, so happy with how I ran at Martinez, and it makes me smile when I think about how I felt during the race. It was one of *those* types of mornings, gang.    

keep showing up! (PC: WRC)

We (incredibly) only have one more meet this weekend before the PA regional championship in mid-November, so as usual, local friends, here’s my blanket invitation for everyone to come play XC this week at Excelsior’s meet in Daly City. Hope to see your smiling faces there.