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Babcock Farm 5-mile

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Location:

WA,

Member Since:

Feb 10, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

I was an 800/1500 runner in high school and college, with PRs of 1:55 and 4:08. I've run as fast as 16:15 for 5k and 1:20 for a half, but my bests in recent years are 17:07 5k (Dec. '11), 37:40 10k (Jan. '12), 1:23:49 half (Sept. '08), 2:53:12 marathon (September '10), and 4:45:06 50k (March '10).

Short-Term Running Goals:

Late 2015/2016 races: 

— Seattle Soltice 10k (Dec. 19)

— Nookachamps half marathon (Jan. 16)

— Toyko Marathon (Feb. 28) 

Personal:

I'm an editor at a newspaper in Bremerton, Washington and head coach of the Bremerton Jaguars youth track and field team.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
17.00
Race: Babcock Farm 5-mile (5 Miles) 00:29:21, Place overall: 3, Place in age division: 2
Total Distance
7.00

Since it was pouring Saturday night I made the Babcock Farms race a game-time decision. It's the first 'official'  race in the Roots Rock Trail Series circuit, connected with the 25k I did in March. But the sun was out in the morning so I headed up. 

Small crowd again, maybe 50 people. Sunday mornings just don't draw a big crowd, which is too bad because these races are well-run and use a beautiful forest. This one starts one road down from Port Gamble, by the Hood Canal Nursery. Someone forgot to unlock a cow gate, so the start had to be moved up about 200 meters. Didn't want to turn the beginning of the race into a steeplechase, I guess. 

Because of the altered start, we basically began at the base of a hill. So it was straight uphill, a pretty steep 400m or so through a grassy field. Then you wind through the backside of a farm, like an English style cross country course. Ups and downs, little ravines, etc. I was the third guy up the hill, and stayed there through the farm and into the woods. In the woods I stayed on the tail of a guy I've raced before. I was pushing him until the first single-track loop, where he missed the turn. I yelled at him and thought he followed me and another guy who had caught up. I led through that single track section, which was a blast. The other guy took over for me after we came back out on the road, and he led through the second single track section, which was mainly downhill. We were screaming through tight little turns and dips, jumping logs, etc. Pretty fun, but ankle-twisting territory. Still, we had a pretty quick pace going, I wanted to make sure to stay until 6/minute miles.

Then the race emerges back onto the logging roads toward the finish. The guy leading me made a great racing move on a big downhill. There's a long curve on the hill, and as soon as he stretched out a 20-25m lead he put on a big surge. So I was near him and tried to freewheel and keep up a good pace, thinking I'd still be there all the way down the hill. But when the road straighted again he was up 100m or so. Nice surge when I couldn't see, and after the race he told me that was his plan.

So he was a little farther ahead than I could go for at that point, but I kept a good pace to hold off what I thought was the guy we left at the single track. He never caught up, then at the end claimed he got lost (while insinuating he definitely would have been in second place. (C'mon guy, learn to follow the course.)

So I took third, which I was pretty happy with. It'll be a good start if I do the series. 29:21 overall, though it was about 200m short. So right around 30 minutes, which his what I wanted. And considering the big hill at the start and the windy route, that's pretty good.

One mile warmup and one mile plus cooldown.

pearl izumi trail

Comments(4)
Total Distance
5.00

Real rainy week so far. Instead of running yesterday morning I was pumping water out of the basement. No floods today, so I went up to the YMCA for five on the treadmill. 7:40 pace. After the race Sunday my left achilles was bothering me, kind of stiffened up. I worked on it during the afternoon, massaging and stretching, and it hadn't bothered me since. A little sore today after the fourth mile, so something to watch. 39:00. 

supernova glide

Add Comment
Total Distance
5.00

Calm morning for the Slugs, just about everyone did the same five mile route to Waterman Dock and back. It was a beautiful morning, mountains out and the sun off the water with the tide going out, and we ran slowly in small groups and then had a good breakfast meeting. Just felt like a break that everyone needed. I sure did, this week was wildly out of control at work and my running suffered for it. So today was to clear my head, relax, take some stress off my body. Good day to turn thing around. 38:00

supernova glide

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Total Distance
17.00
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