Friday 071510

AM  - 7 miles easy. 

Apparently Tony is out of BTMR.  Ought to move Nick up into the top ten.  Putting my picks as: 
1.) Carpenter
2.) Gates
3.) Nichols
4.) Parker
5.) Haefer
6.) Cox
7.) Clark
8.) Selig
9.) Romero
10.) Boettcher
Next tier: Maksimow, Ricks
I think the top five are pretty solid, and unless something goes really awry, will be tough to crack. Next five to ten could be quite a shuffle.  I might have Maksimow too low, but that is to get the east coaster types worked up.  Top 8 break 1:40. Carpenter to Barr Camp again in 56, and hence has a two minute headstart on everyone on the descent.  Might be a touch cooler than in other years, as the weather is only supposed to be 77 at 9AM based on the extended forecast. High that day of 92.

Took a peek at my results at this race from prior years.  Whatever the reason (not as effective training, age, being soft, less focus, etc), my expectations for Sunday’s race don’t align particularly with those results.  Breaking 1:50 would be off the charts for me right now, and so I think a sub 2 is more in the cards.  There is a part of me that is not particularly content with that, but the broader brain recognizes what it is and what I can / cannot do about it.

Oh by the way, it is fun to geek out at cross comparing the results across different years here.

In any case, looking at those results, I can see I need to be careful in the Ws.  Frankly, I have proven multiple times that while I can run the W’s hard, I pay in spades for it up to No Name.  If I am running smart, however, I can really roll to the 7.8 sign, and the down.  Times might be different but tactics need to be the same.  The biggest mental challenge for me has always been that first damn road … it is just that you are with everyone so it is easy to get pulled into someone else’s race and the excitement of the race.  As the the course description states:  The hill that starts at Hydro Street is the steepest on the course and it is silly to take the chance of blowing your race on such a short section. Indeed, this one section has probably been the cause of more poor performances than any other on the course.

I was recently talking to someone about PPA who has an itch to run around 2:45.  The whole conversation reminds me about child management:  as a parent, you are an expert on how someone else should manage / lead / discipline their kid.  Conversely, you are a complete moron, idiot when trying to do the same to your own.  Same thing with races … it is easy for me to tell this person, “just to Barr Camp like you wanted to run a 2:50 Ascent.  Then when you get to Barr Camp, run like you want to run a 2:45.  And when you get to A frame, run as hard as you can.  When you start to walk, get back to the run.  Compete.  Catch people.  Push to the finish.  Everyone will be hurting, it is what you want to do in that hurt that makes a 10 minute difference.”  Easily said.  Kind of like what I say about how other should parent.

Just catching up on this and these race shots where Eric Blake encounters a bear are pretty cool.

I found this post by Nick Clark, particularly his tone in the video posts, regarding HR to be very insightful.  That insight is that HR is nuts.

New SP tune for dl.

PM – easy five