Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Quick warmup over the draw bridge and back. Usually when I run here it's a 20 miler.

Some strides on the beach to stay warm. AP deduced this was a trail run and … sort of correct?

A few weeks ago my sister said "so do you want to run a half in a few weeks?" Twist my arm …

Also, I figured if I ran a half in late March it would make it snow (or cold rain = snow up north) during the race, and I could use some more skiing. And earlier this week that looked possible! But it turned out it was just windy, cloudy and cool so good running weather. Singlet, shorts, and gloves, of course. I probably could have gone one step thicker in the gloves, actually.

Apparently they had to shift around the course somewhat because of covid, maybe because the usual starting area didn't work for a rolling start. I had an exact start time but they just lined up 6 people per minute and said "go" every 10 seconds from two lanes (or something, I was in the second minute) so it wasn't really an interval start; as usual, only skiers and orienteers have really figured out interval starts.

The shift in the course put it onto the beach. Yes, the beach. Luckily it was low(ish) tide. So we ran 1/4 mile downwind which was okay because you could go out well below the tide line which also meant I was running in the literal, actual ocean, (to be fair, the literal, actual littoral) then ran back higher on the beach, in actual soft sand, for another 1/4 mile. I figure this cost me at least half a minute; it's hard to run 6:20s in the sand.

But then we broke out onto the roads and it was better, and up along the ocean we went. Depending on the angle of the beach the fetch was either a tailwind or a crosswind on the way out. Because it was a rolling start I pretty quickly put myself into complete No Man's Land and didn't see anyone for about five miles.

At that point, I was very slowly reeled in by someone who I think I passed out of the gate (taking the lower, firmer sand route) and ran behind him, although we're not really supposed to draft because covid, right? This was a no mask needed while running race and that's fine, the breeze was dispersing the disease. He went ahead as we turned into a cul-de-sac (again, I think added at the last minute because reasons) for a loop; I took the other way around the loop at the end than he did which prompted a chuckle. We saw some runners going out of the cul-de-sac when we went in, and a stream entering behind us, but only two other runners on our tail, a guy and the first woman (not necessarily the lead woman, because covid).

They caught up to me and we then ran mostly three-abreast for a mile or two as we turned back down the coast to the finish. Tailwind --> headwind when you turn around, and there were a couple of breezy miles! But I held 6:30s along there, and we reeled in the first guy who had passed me, who seemed to be struggling a bit. Around mile 12 I was feeling sort of okay, a bit of a stomach knot, but only 1600 to go, and the aspect of the coast changed so it was less windy. I put on enough of a kick to pass the other guy, and came into the finish under 1:25, so I guess that's nice after a winter with really not much running.

It's kind of weird to be racing but not racing, and of course I was thinking "so why did I pay the money for this when I could have done it around the block" but then again there's something about pinning a number on. I would not be surprised if some races keep the rolling starts for a while, although maybe with a bit more of a mass start option for people who want to toe the line and run in a pack. I would expect, however, they won't try to start many more races on the beach.

C • Nice race! 3

After warming up in a restroom, I jogged back to the car.