Hobby Jogging: 4/2/11 - Raleigh, NC - St. Timothy's Spring Sprint 5k

So this was it. Race number six in the Second Empire Grand-Prix. One last chance to lay one down to solidify my claim to the top 5 in the overall standings. That's about all I did today. Didn't feel great, didn't feel terrible, but did what I needed to do to hold serve to secure an overall podium spot at the Second Empire Awards Luncheon in June. The St. Timothy's Spring Sprint is no doubt, the hardest 5k course in Raleigh. I rode what I thought was the course Friday afternoon (per the USATF Course Map), but once the gun went off and we made the second turn, I realized it was totally different.

After battling some injuries, I have finally gotten in a few weeks of decent training. Now I am not out of the woods just yet with some serious shin splints being the injury du jour, but some of the hamstring pain has subsided and lots of rolling around on a tennis ball has dulled the literal pain in my a$$ that is Piriformis syndrome. I am hoping this bodes well for my upcoming return date with the Boston Marathon. It could be a nightmare, but if you know me, you know I will be going in with a positive outlook!

Got to the race about 45 minutes early and did an easy 2 mile jog with John Simons. Knocked out a few strides and got to the line with hopes that my shins would make it. I felt great doing some Yasso 800's Tuesday, but during my recovery lap jogs, my shins would kill. They felt ok on the flats, but hurt on the hills. And there were a ton of hills. About a half mile in, we started climbing for the first time. Over 200 feet in that next half mile before a short, steep downhill at the mile. Got through the first mile in 5:35 or so and didn't feel great, but kept slogging along, picking off some of the high schoolers. At the turnaround, I was slowing and two people passed me.

Getting passed mid-race doesn't happen a whole lot these days as I keep a pretty steady pace, but today was one of those days. Did my best to latch onto the back of the train for the second half of the race before I had to dig deep and make a hard move that would make me feel warm inside and keep my man card intact. The second mile was hard and hilly and the third mile was worse. Per the garmin dump, my second and third miles were 6:02 and 6:03. Ouch!

Now I have been beaten by plenty of women (and some girls) in my lifetime and it happens. No shame in it. Not this season though. As I trailed the lead woman over the last mile and a half, I was having a serious conversation with myself. "How bad do you want it?" was what I kept thinking as I slogged up the last 2 hills. When we got to about 1/4 mile to go, I started to pick it up. We then made the turn onto Rowan and I could see her just ahead, starting to struggle up the last hill. This is where I went for it. Sprinted the last 200 meters hard to pass the first female and finish 9th overall in 18:30 (although I had 18:26 on my watch). Tough day, but all the times were about 30 seconds slow, so I'll take it. Most importantly, I will hold onto 2nd place in the Grand-Prix standings and should finish no worse than 5th when the last 2 races are done and my competitors have gotten in their 6 scoring races.

All in all, I am happy with my efforts during the Grand-Prix series. My goal was to finish on the podium (top 5 overall) and it looks like that dream will become a reality. Now on to Boston. There is no finish line!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20110402StTimothys5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 3/12/11 - Raleigh, NC - Run for the Oaks 5k

Race number 5 (of 6 to score) for the Second Empire Grand-Prix is in the books! Today was a nice bounce back after a lackluster effort last Saturday. The weather was cool and the course was deceivingly tough, but I was still able to throw down a decent time to hold serve in the Grand-Prix standings.

I got up to the race at Moore Square in Downtown Raleigh about 45 minutes before the gun and picked up my number and chip before heading out on an easy 1.5 mile jog with John Simons. Felt decent. Was a little worried as my runs this week consisted of an easy Sunday 9 miler with Mary Aiken Barrow, a moderate 6.5 miler Monday in Winston (with 2x800 pickups in the middle at just under 6:00 pace) and an easy 6 miler at Umstead on Thursday (with 2x800 and 8x100 strides at the end of the run). I threw in Ab Ripper X on Wednesday because my leg hurt too much from the pounding to run, but wanted to do something physical. 30 miles per week ain't gonna play if I want to run with the big boys, so I will focus this next week on healing before ramping it up again for my last Grand-Prix race and of course my return to the Boston Marathon.

Got in a few strides and got over to the start on Person Street. The whistle blew and we were off. I drove the course last night and realized there were a bunch of long, little hills. I wanted to make sure I had the juice to finish strong, so I went out fairly conservatively. About a half mile in, I was already a good ways behind John, Brent Hale and Rodney Scott and was a little worried I may not have it again. Started to dig in on the slight downhill and began to separate from the B-pack that was right on my tail. Hit the mile in 5:38-ish and made the turnaround at 2k into Mordecai to head back uphill. Mile 1.25 to 2.25 was the hardest section of the course, but I stuck to my plan and soldiered on past the 2 mile at 11:27 or so before the slow rolling last mile. I wasn't gaining much ground, but I wasn't losing any either. At 2.6 miles, I was at 15 flat. I really wanted to break 18 and knew I'd have to run a 3:00 last half mile and change for whatever tangents I didn't run (Garmin measured 3.12). This is when I shed my gloves and dug in. Started to gain ground on Rodney and made the last turn to hit the 3 mile in 17:25 and roll the last .12 at 4:52 pace (per the Garmin dump) to finish strong in 17:56 for 6th overall and 1st in the 30-34 age group.

I can stand strongly behind this race as my effort was strong mentally and physically and it was my 3rd consecutive 5k under 18 minutes (4th if you count my 17:51 solo tempo on the track). I will be able to hold onto 2nd in the Grand-Prix standings when they are released and have all but clinched top 5 barring a collapse at race #6 in 3 weeks (St. Timothy's Spring Sprint). Good day in Raleigh, NC!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20110312RunfortheOaks.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 2/26/11 - Raleigh, NC - Torch Run 5k

Today marked the third race of the Second Empire Grand-Prix. It was the Torch Run 5k and was the same course as the Free to Breathe race at NC State's Centennial Campus, just in reverse. This made for a very long uphill second mile. This was also my first race running in The Athlete's Foot Racing Team singlet (and shorts). It's a great new partnership that myself and my fellow Bromar Track Club teammates are entering into!

After a week of travel for work, I was a little tired going into the end of the week and ended up taking off Thursday (per travel) and Friday (per an ailing shin and hip). This was smart as I needed to heal up! I was a little worried going into the race, but those nerves calmed when the gun went off and I felt great. I wasn't able to cruise the first bit with my training partner, John Simons, as he was sitting today out due to the recent birth of his new daughter Liza. I was able to pace off a consistent competitor, Brent Hale, and was rolling for the first half mile before we hit "the hill."

As we crawled up the long hill on Centennial Parkway, I realized the on course mile splits were off. My Garmin had me at 5:38, which seems about right. Brent and I were sitting 4th and 5th with a small pack of 5 behind us going up the hill. By the time we got to the top, we had caught the guy in 3rd (Rodney Scott) and ditched the pack. As we went down the hill at the roundabout and hit the 2 mile (11:37 per Garmin), Brent and Rodney started to pull away from me, but I kept pushing hard. The last mile was solid (5:39) with a lot of rolling hills, and I was able to muscle through and throw down a decent last .14 at 5 minute pace to finish 5th overall; just under 18 in 17:59. It also should bump me up to 2nd in the Grand-Prix standings when they are released as a few guys sat out today.

All in all, I was very happy with today's race. I went in a little dinged up and wore the Oxysox again to support my sore shin. I competed hard the full race and can tell the consistent long runs, tempos and long intervals are paying off. I am very excited for the 10k next weekend, as there are so few offered these days and hope to throw down a good time as I believe the longer distance will play to my (current) strengths. I am also excited about the Run for the Oaks 5k in 2 weeks, which is a good deal flatter than the first 3 Grand Prix 5k's. I was also pleased with my splits today, considering there was a 124' elevation gain from 0.5 to 1.5 miles per the Garmin dump. For my efforts, I was able to win a nice hand knitted scarf, a medal and $10 worth of Moe's bucks!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20110226TorchRun.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 2/13/11 - Raleigh, NC - Run for the Roses 5k

January was an exciting month. I had an excellent training block that was filled with 252 miles (my most ever) and ended with a fast 5k tempo on the track. After a true down week (20 miles) to recover and heal up from some nagging injuries (hamstring), I was back at it this week (48 miles) with a solid mile repeat session on Wednesday and was excited to race. John and I jogged the Run for the Roses course yesterday to get a feel for it and I drove it twice this morning to prepare for the rolling hills and wide tangents that would be presented to us at 2pm today.

Run for the Roses is the longest standing race in the triangle (31 years) and it was also the second race in the Second Empire Grand-Prix. It was also my first race as a once again Raleigh resident (thanks to a new job). The weather couldn't have been better as it was mid 50's at the start with the sun shining down. No gloves, no undershirt; just my Bromar singlet, shorts, flats, garmin, shades and oxysox (as I have been battling some shin splints). Got in an easy 2 mile warmup, some strides, and then got to the line and was ready to roll.

The gun went off and I got out well. Slight uphill to Delway where we headed up towards Blount Street. Looped up to Person and headed into Mordecai. The first half mile was slightly uphill and then we had a nice mile or so of slight downhill. I believe the mile markers were off a little bit as I crossed the official mile mark in 5:23 (my garmin had .96 miles and 5:33 for the full, which was more like it). Towards the end of the second mile, we hit the first big hill. It was a long one that I was able to pick a few people off on before heading down and around the roundabout at the 2 mile mark. Hit the course 2 mile at 11:07, but my Garmin had me around 11:18. This is where it got tough.

The last mile on the Run for the Roses course is brutal. If you take a look at my Garmin dump, you can see we rose (no pun intended) 100 feet in elevation with many ups and downs. What you can't see is the excruciating wind. My last mile (according to my Garmin) was 6:06. Not too sexy considering my other splits, but I continued to gain ground and passed a former Division I runner with about 600 meters to go. Hit the 3 mile in 17:25 then ripped the last .11 at 4:35 pace to finish 12th overall in 17:55 (and 3rd in the strong 30-34 age group). Thanks to Inside-Out Sports for being a sponsor and awarding the gift cards!

The competition was much stronger today than the Run for Young, but John and I held serve against the guys that competed in that race and should hold onto 4th and 5th overall in the overall Grand-Prix standings (when they are tabulated). It felt great to compete again and I felt my effort was 100% the whole way. It has been nice having two excellent training partners in John Simons (Raleigh) and Tyler Pake (Greenville). Strong tempos, long intervals and strong long runs at Umstead are paying off. Looking forward to the rest of the Grand-Prix season and of course, my return to Boston.

PS. On a side note, one thing I noticed today was that the race was a "no headphones" race. When I first started running again in the mid 2000's, albeit slowly and very sporadically, I joined the North Carolina Roadrunners Club (before leaving to help form Bromar). One of the last things I remember was a big fight on the email list about them DQing one of their own for wearing headphones in this race. It was kind of childish, but I thought it was a good stand to take and wish more races would outlaw headphones. Cheers to NCRC for sticking to their guns in iPod friendly times and for putting on an excellent race with great volunteer support.

PSS. To the woman that kept yelling at her approximately 7 year old son to sprint out front at the start so she could get a picture, you are setting a bad precedent. Luckily he didn't listen to her as he would have gotten trucked (as the start area was very small). Let the kid enjoy the race. Get a good photo of him finishing!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20110213RunForTheRoses.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 1/8/11 - Raleigh, NC - Run for Young

Today marked the first race of the 2011 Second Empire Grand-Prix Series. It was the Run for Young 5k, which is in remembrance of Sadiki Young. The Grand-Prix is something I have been hoping to complete for a while and I think I can get in 6 of the required scoring races (out of 8) before Boston this year if I do them all. After being in Chicago for a few days this week and enduring 8 degree weather Thursday night, 37 degrees at 10am this morning felt pretty warm! Luckily, my training partner, John Simons, decided to show up and compete as well. This proved extremely helpful! We got in a nice 2 mile warmup and some strides, changed into singlets and flats and were ready to roll.

The gun went off and the first quarter mile was flat down Edenton Street before hitting a small downhill and then going up the ramp to merge onto Hillsborough St. We got out pretty relaxed, but 4 guys had gotten away early and there were some high school kids that soon would slow after their typical sugar buzz start. We rolled up the 2nd hill by St. Mary's and hit the mile very relaxed in 5:53 or so. Then came the big, long hill in front of the YMCA to Oberlin that continued upward around the new roundabouts. This was quite a long hill and we worked it well. We had passed #4 right before the mile and John began to pull away from me at the roundabouts (Greenville hurts for hill training). After that, we got some relief coming down the hill and hit the second mile in 5:54-ish (there were no mile markers or people calling splits anywhere. For a Grand-Prix race, this has to happen).

At this point, we had the a few more hills to go and with a half a mile left, the pace really picked up. I ran very strong up the last quarter mile hill before it leveled out. This is where I really dug in. I could hear footsteps behind me and was holding strong in 5th and didn't want to give it up. I was gaining on John and my turnover was rolling. I kept one gear in my back pocket just in case the sixth man caught up. Finished strong in 18:10 (official results) with a 5:44 last mile that had 2 good uphills. Felt totally fresh at the finish and John and I knocked out a good 4+ mile cooldown to each hit 50+ miles for our down week.

The awards ceremony was right on time, just the way I like it. Coming in 5th overall got me first in 30-34. John was 4th and first in 25-29, which netted us both $25 gift certificates to The Athletes Foot (Age Group Awards went only 1 deep, so they were good). The shirts were pretty cool as well and I got a student discount for entry, which is always nice. A good effort on a challenging course and some good points are on the board for the rest of the season! Satisfied...

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20110108RunForYoung.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 12/5/10 - Greenville, NC - Reindeer Dash for Cash 5k

If you are ever going to do a road race in Greenville, NC, the Reindeer Dash for Cash is the cream of the crop. Dawn Cash-Salau does an excellent job and really works hard all year to put on an excellent event. Every year it draws a larger and larger crowd and this year there had to be 700+ (most races here have ~100). It was a very cool day for a race after we got an unexpected coat of snow last night. I was a little worried about the wood bridge finish being slick, but then realized the Army helps put this race on and had it swept and salted by 0700. Now the cold didn't really bother me today, but the wind, that's another story.

Got in a good warmup and got to the line with 5 minutes to spare. The start was called on the bullhorn and off we went up 1st Street. Got out good and controlled and started to settle in on Evans before turning up 5th. By the time we got a half mile in, I had settled in with my buddy Nic Boerio and Adidas Raleigh's Heather Magill, both who were running the 10 mile. Ran up the hill on 5th and went through the mile pretty comfortably in 5:42. I started pressing the pace a little on mile 2 as it was slightly downhill and felt pretty good doing it. Legs didn't have a lot of pop, but was hoping to just maintain what we had going. When we turned left onto Brownlea, the wind came cranking hard right at us (~20mph). I'd like to say it didn't bother me, but it did. We got through the 2 mile in 11:30, which was right about where I wanted to be. I started pressing again, but just didn't have it. Slogged up 1st and started to lose touch with Nic and Heather a little, so started to go into maintain my place mode and be ready to kick if you hear footsteps.

Hit the 3 mile in 17:31 and the last .1 turned into .14, but came home a solid 3rd overall in 18:13. After coming in 4th last year, it felt great to get an overall award. Afterwards, grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel with Kevin Sheehan and jogged home to throw on my compression pants and pullover to cooldown and see how Heather and Nic were doing. The funny thing about the Dash for Cash is that Kenyans show up every year and rip it in the 10 mile. I think they don't realize the race is in Chris Cash's memory and not a race director making it rain. This year there was indeed prize money for the top 3 in the 10 Mile, so 3 Kenyans took some money home and Heather took the title on the womens side for a nice $200 payout. My teammate, Erin Duke, should have come up as she would have gotten 2nd and $150. No money in the 5k, but got a nice medal, tech shirt and tech hat (things I can use!)

After Nic and Heather got done, did a good 2 mile cooldown with them before some more coffee and the award ceremony, where I met my old friend Laura MacLean, who I know from back in the day when I ran a couple days a week and couldn't break 20 in the 5k. Was good catching up with her and she took home the masters title in the 10 mile (and is doing what I think she told me was her 13th marathon of the year next weekend at Thunder Road). She's a maniac.

As for me, I need 65 more miles this year to join the 2000 mile club. That's my final goal as I am done racing this year and am looking forward to the Second Empire Grand-Prix Series in the Spring and a return to the Boston Marathon in April. So I'll log some easy miles, then take about 10 days off to heal up before getting ready for the 2011 season. My legs are lacking pop and I think a little break will get that back as I get back into Jack Daniels style training in 2011 that I had a lot of success with in early 2010. Can't wait!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101205DashforCash5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 11/27/10 - Charlotte, NC - Foot Locker Cross Country Championships

Being from Charlotte, during high school I either ran in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships or worked at them from 9th grade on. I even did my high school senior exit project about the event as at the time it was the only true high school national championship. It was fun coming back and running them at 32, even though it wasn't really my day. I've been training pretty hard for the past few weeks getting ready for my last race of 2010, which is the Reindeer Dash for Cash 5k in Greenville next Sunday. Hopping in the open race at Foot Locker South seemed like a great idea...

It started off as a great idea. Felt pretty good after waking up at 6 to grab a shower, Powerbar and some water. Drove over to McAlpine Park and got in a good warmup with my buddy David Willis. Got lined up right in the "trail" section of the start and everything was looking good. Gun went off and I settled in to a good, but not too fast pace. Went through the 800 in 2:47-ish, 1000 in 3:28 or so and the mile in 5:37-38 and felt great. Was picking people off and felt well within myself. Kept cruising through the 2000 and that's when things got off on the wrong foot. The hill absolutely ruined my race. The insane drop off downhill at about the halfway point took a little bit to recover from. I ran the hill wrong and too slow and didn't get my way about me until about a k to go. If you look at the Garmin dump (and ignore where it dropped out of coverage), you can see I was rolling the first 2k and the last k. 2-4k were not my finest. Finished the last 200 strong to hold off a few challengers in a modest 18:26 (5:38, 6:05, 6:02).

That's ok. Just another piece of the puzzle. Had a good time watching the races with Dave after ours was done and was happy to see Raleigh's Wesley Frazier qualify again on the girls side as well as future Tar Heel Blake Williams qualify on the guys side (along with Scott Morgan and Thomas Graham). A strong NC showing. Now back to business for one more week before my last race of the year!

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101127FootLocker.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 11/13/10 - Greenville, NC - Boys and Girls Clubs 5K

Last week was a short course and this week was a long one. Now it wasn't terribly long, but after driving the course a few times and racing it and then running it in reverse on my cooldown, it was a good 100 meters long (~20 seconds) if you cut the tangents as close as possible. Oh well, at the end of the day it's a race and that's truly all that matters unless you're on a track and you are told to run an extra lap (been there).

The Boys and Girls Clubs 5k was just another step in getting some speed back in my system after a summer and early fall of marathon training, with the goal to run some fast races in the Spring. I knew my legs would be a little heavy today after a race last weekend and a good 4 mile tempo on Wednesday with my friend Tyler Pake. All this in mind, I went in with a goal of 17:45-18:00, similar to last weekend. The race got out to a wild start as a high school kid sprinted off the line like nothing I had ever seen before. He had 100 yards on us within a quarter mile. Without racing the kid before, I had no idea what he was capable of, but kept it steady and watched him turn his head every 200 meters or so and look back (rookie mistake, but the kid was 15, so I'll give him a break!). Another guy was right on my shoulder and started to pull away from me a little before the mile mark. I went through in 5:39 or so and wanted to run a good sub 6 second mile. This course was out at Metrics Inc, which is some kind of industrial park in the middle of an old cotton field. It would be a good place for a tempo run, but not a great place for a race.

We had to run through a few parking lots and had to do a 180 degree turn right after the 2 mile mark. This being said, after running through a parking lot and by a cotton field I hit the 2 mile pretty strong in 11:32 (5:53 mile 2). The guy running with me earlier had just passed the high school kid and was pulling away with a very strong 2nd mile (about 100 yards up). Seeing this I made my goal to go get the kid. After the hairpin turn, the wind was right in our faces for the last mile or so but I was working it and caught the kid with about 600 left. I was really starting to dig in and the last mile kept going and going and going. I think the sponsor wanted to have it end at a certain place in their parking lot so that the finish would be right in front of the DJ and the moonwalk. This is Greenville, NC people!

No worries though, I finished strong in 2nd in what I though was 18:08, about 9 seconds back from the winner.  Another quarter mile or so and I would have gotten him as he was fading and probably didn't know I was coming after he passed the kid earlier and he was blasting his headphones. About the 18:08, or 18:10 officially: every East Carolina Road Racing race I have ever run has been 2 seconds off of what they tell you at the finish line (and what my watch says) and what comes out on the results sheets. Again, not a huge deal, but a little bit of a pet peeve. I am guessing it is a software glitch as everyone else that frequents these races acknowledges it as well! My old high school friend who lives in Greenville now, Brandy Gamboa (pictured below), who won the womens race joked about it before what she thought was a 19:48 PR quickly turned into a 19:51.

All nit-picking aside, this was a well put together race. Kip Sloan does a great job and was nice enough to email me the map this week (as he does with about every race I run down here so I can study the courses I am not familiar with). The post race spread was awesome with Jimmy Johns subs, Gatorade bottles, Powerade Bottles, Goldfish and Bruegger's Bagels. They also had great looking shirts (a rarity) and excellent awards, as I got a nice plaque to hang on the wall. They did have an interesting DJ at the finish, but that's a whole 'nother story I'll have to tell you about in person!

Photos taken from the Greenville Reflector: http://www.reflector.com/slideshow/scene-around-boys-girls-clubs-fun-run-nov-13-174217

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101113Boys&GirlsClub5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 11/6/10 - Raleigh, NC - Free to Breathe "5k"

The schedule I have been following post-marathon has been great. My legs are coming back to life and thanks to Heather at Back to Basics, my hamstring is too. I had a tempo on the schedule today, but opted to run the Free to Breathe 5k in Raleigh as I knew there would be some competition, being that it was part of the Second Empire Grand-Prix Series. Goal was to run a little faster than my last 5k and hopefully be in the 17:45-18:00 range. This felt like a safe goal considering I haven't done any real speedwork aside from a few mile repeats. I nearly missed the race...

I misjudged my warmup a little and found myself with 4 minutes to spare and about a half mile to the starting line. After finishing my strides and changing into my race gear and flats, I hustled over to the line, probably too fast, but made it about 30 seconds before the gun went off. I got off the line well (as my heart was beating fast for fear of missing the start) and then settled in about 200-300 meters in before the first hill. The first mile has 3-4 good climbs and I was hoping to go through around 5:45-5:50. Thought I heard 5:48,49 at the mile mark, but it was 5:28, 29. Ouch, too fast, but I was competing. This is where it got weird.

I rode the course 3 times last night to get a feel for the hills. I generally do well on hilly courses, but less than 4 weeks out from the marathon, I wanted to prepare myself mentally for where it would hurt. Right after the mile, I was probably in the top 15 or so and was ready to run the down and up part of Oval Dr. After running the tangents to the T on mile one, I angled to hit right and cut the corner perfectly. One problem, the police car went left and everyone followed him, cutting approximately 600 meters off the course. At this point, it was time to just compete and run well on the downhill section.

Went through the 2 mile in 9:29, a 4 flat second mile! I'm the man! Haha, I knew what was going on. Now my goal was to break 16. Was it really breaking 16? No, but sometimes you can get in the top corrals of other good races with times like these. Was it my fault they screwed up the race? No. Might as well take it for what it is. I paid $30 to run ~2.7 miles (UPDATE: Race Director remeasure was 4.34k)! With that in mind I rolled the next half mile and then hit the half mile to go sign with one final hill. This one hurt and I was competing with one other guy at this point. I was laboring and he passed me with 400 to go. I rallied and got it together for the last 100 meters to pass him back and finish 12th in 15:29. "PR"!

All the guys were kind of laughing it off in the shoot and no one seemed too mad. Seeing the joy on the masses faces when they came across the line was a lot of fun as I imagine most people aren't as geeky as I am and don't wear a Garmin to know something was up. "I PR'd by 2 minutes!" was heard often. 2 things I do know: I legitimately ran the first mile in sub 5:30 and the last 1.1 in 6 flat. The middle, who knows! Probably a 17:45-50-ish effort (UPDATE: A 17:50 effort according to race director remeasure).

After the race, cooled down with Aaron Hale and grabbed some bananas and bagels before throwing my compression pants and pullover on. It was pretty chilly this morning, but felt great to race in. Took 2nd in my age group on my last day as a 31 year old. Tomorrow will be my double sweet sixteen and I got an awesome cake of me sitting in a hot tub, one of my favorite pastimes!

More info is available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101106FreetoBreathe.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 10/23/10 - Washington, NC - Lifestyles 5k

So believe it or not, my legs have been feeling very good after the marathon. Hamstring still hurts a bit, but everything else has been feeling A-OK just a few weeks out. I have been doing some swimming and have been following Hal Higdon's Post Marathon Training Guide to get back to where I need to be. I'll also be having my first A.R.T. session Friday to do some work on the hamstring. Thanks to Leo Manzano and my friend Scott Williams for the advice on that.

I had a tempo on the schedule today and saw there was a 5k in Little Washington that would suffice. I had run one race here before and it is a beautiful town on the inland coast about 30 minutes from Greenville. Figured it would be easier to try and throw 3-6 minute miles together in competition than by myself in Greenville during Homecoming. Last year I did my last 20 miler before NYC during the Homecoming Parade and accidentally ran over a drunk guy who was swaying on a bike at 18.5 miles (I couldn't sway at this point due to muscle memory). It was an excellent decision to head east.

It was a little chilly this morning, clocking in somewhere around 40 degrees at the start. I wore some gloves until about a mile to go (that I luckily was able to recover on my cooldown). The race started (and finished) in the grass field beside the NC Estuarium on a gravel trail (similar to McAlpine Park in Charlotte) before heading off onto the slightly sloped roads of Washington. Went out pretty relaxed and hung behind a few younger guys for a half mile or so before they began to fade. After that it was just me, the lead biker and the volunteers with the pointing signs (and 2 unchained dogs that needed to get some strides in). Hit the mile in about 5:53 going over the bridge before heading onto a greenway path. Wasn't hearing as many footsteps at this point and the kind locals were cheering me along back to the bridge and 2 mile mark around 11:53. I crossed the bridge and was getting cheers from the people heading into the loop the first time while continuing to follow the lead biker down Main St. With about a half a mile left to go I threw off my gloves and picked it up a little before hitting the 3 mile in 17:48 and then finishing up in 18:22.

All in all, it was a nice run. Didn't kill myself, but ran strong only 13 days after the marathon and it was definitely exciting to win a race. Initially, I put on twitter that this was my first road race win since 1990. Well, it was actually 1991! The good ole Eastover Elementary Mile Fun Run. I also wore my new pair of Brooks Green Silence today. I have trained in the first edition of these for some track work, tempos and even a 22 miler at Umstead. I got the second edition via UPS yesterday from Running Warehouse and they felt great. A few minor modifications have been made that have made it a better shoe. Will look forward to doing more in them. Great day!

More info is available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101023Lifestyles5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 7/17/10 - Winston-Salem, NC - Beat the Heat 5k

I decided to hop in this race a few days beforehand to see what kind of shape I was in and because it was the NC USATF 5k Road Championship. After coming in 8th in the USATF Road Mile Championship in the fall, I was hoping for another top 10. The course was described as "predominantly flat and fast." That must have been a joke. It had plenty of turns and hills and was anything but flat and fast. What was fast was the competition. I lined up upfront and when the gun went off there was quite a bit of pushing and shoving in the first 200 meters or so before starting to level out. The first hill came just 1/4 mile into the race and lasted for a half mile or so. Being on a program that is gearing me towards marathon success in the fall made the first mile in 5:30 seem much faster than it really was.

The second mile started up a hill before flattening out and then headed up that first hill again at about 1.5 miles. I was pretty cooked at running a fast pace at this point and just tucked in behind my Bromar teammate John Simons. Hit the 2 mile about 11:22 at the end of the long hill before a flat stretch before the last big hill heading up to 2.5 miles or so. My recent strength training began to pay off here as I began to roll past people on the last hill. The last half mile was fairly downhill, but I really couldn't get my legs turning over like I did at the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k in March. I was able to muster a little bit of a kick over the last 50 meters or so to pass 1-2 more people to finish 31st overall and 12th in the USATF comp in 17:44. This was only 15 seconds off my best since I began competing again and was significantly faster than my training has been. It was also a treat having my whole club there competing (Bromar Track Club). The race was well put on and the post-race spread was nice as well with tons of water, fruit, pizza and (free) beer. This will likely be an annual event!

Bromar TC (Joe, Erin, Me, Mary Aiken, John)

Video from Mile 1:

Video from Mile 2:

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20100717BeatTheHeat.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 3/6/10 - Raleigh, NC - Get Your Rear in Gear 5k

This was the race I opened with last year (that was my first 5k since returning to competitive running). It was also my first race in Raleigh this year. This is a nice event that is well put on. After a few good races lately and some great training, I was hoping for a good one. This course is tough as you have the big hill up Peace by Cameron Village on the first mile and some rolling hills on Clark before you head back down the big hill.

Got out good and tucked into a pack. Felt pretty controlled going up the hill and hit the mile in 5:42 or so. Picked it up a little over the rolling hills and made a conscious effort to really hammer the second half of the race and let go down the hill. Hit the 2 mile in 11:26 and really started to push. Gained good ground on the 2nd place guy and ran the 3rd mile in the 5:20's. Charged home hard in 17:29. A nice negative split and a strong race. Felt great as the weather was awesome. Hoping to hold onto this fitness through Boston!

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/
20100306RearinGear.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 2/20/10 - Greenville, NC - Kappa Delta 5k for Kids

Decided to do this race last minute as I needed a tempo run this week and it was only $15. Was a chilly day, but sunny. Wore my toboggan, gloves, and shades, but no compression shorts today. Got out behind my buddy Nic Boerio again and he was killing the first mile (4:56). Had to go into my own pace early, which was still a shade too fast. Hit the mile in 5:28 before the all uphill second mile. I was once again in no mans land as I had opened up a gap on the 3rd runner. Running up the hill on 5th street was tough and once I hit the 2 mile in about 11:27-8, I started to pick it up. Got faster and faster on the last mile before hitting the last hill with 400 to go at 16:30. Sprinted the last hill then cruised through the last 250 meters or so to hit 17:53. First time under 18 since 1997!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20100220KD5k.htm

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