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SRRC Race Reports

Just a Short Run , Pittsburgh, PA —Saturday, March 28, 2009
by Kathy Hoenig

Casual options . . .

"Just a Short Run" isn't just short. This race had an options for 5k, half-marathon, and 30K (about 18.5 miles).  The half-marathon was the 5K plus two 5-mile loops.  The 30K added an extra 5-mile loop.  This may sound monotonous, but it was great for pacing…so you would think!

This was the weekend for my last long training run for Boston, but  I was going to be visiting my in-laws in WV.  There is no way I could run 18 in bob’s old neighborhood—you are either going up or down—so I thought this race was a great opportunity to get in my 18 miles. 

We got to WV around 9:00 p.m. on Friday night after 6 hours in the car—not too bad— and I got to bed by 11:00. We share a loft with the kids. Thank goodness they all slept through the night! I woke up super early to leave myself lots of time. The race was a little bit over an hour away, so I was a little nervous about getting there on time. (I can be neurotic when it comes to races.)

I did my typical pre-race routine then got in the car to leave.I tried to start the engine.  Nothing . . . .   I tried again.  It was a no go! Trying to stay calm at 5:45 a.m. on race morning when the car won't start, I frantically pulled bob out of bed! The car was in lodged in one car garage, so we couldn't pull a car around to jump it. I tried to put it in neutral to roll out, but the steering was locked, so I had to read the manual to figure out how to release it. Now we needed tools! As the clock ticked, we found tools, unlocked the steering, and put it in neutral, so Bob could push the car down the driveway to the street where his parents' car was parked. Steering locked again, so we were in the middle of the street, in the dark with no lights hoping that no car would come along and ram us.

Feeling more smart than neurotic for having gotten up so early, I was in the car driving to the race by 6:30 a.m. with plenty of time until the 8:30 start. I was still nervous, tough, because they advertised very little parking, and you had to take a shuttle to the start.  I left the neighborhood and headed into a fog so thick that couldn't see two feet in front of me. Since I had no idea where I was going anyway, I relied on my GPS AND my Brother in Law who I called twice to make sure i was going the right way.  The fog lifted as the sun came up about 30 minutes into the trip.  I arrived in plenty of time.

Running . . .

The race was VERY laid back. They had to add on a half mile to the half marathon course, so they said, "Start back here by the mailbox." No chip timing, either. As I ran the first half-mile, I heard something bounce off the pavement.  As I looked back at people charging toward me, I saw my iPod on the ground about 10 yards back.  Running backward against the stampede towards the start to retrieve it. I had to run 18+ more miles!  A mile into the course, I felt something else drop—this time it was my gel.  Again, I ran back about 10 yards to go get it.

I was wearing both my Garmin and my Timex. I use my Garmin to watch my current pace since I tend to start out too fast in races, and I mark my Timex at each mile mark to coincide with the race times.  My Timex started off saying i was going too fast , but Garmin said i was right on track. Trees surrounded us, so I think my Garmin may have occasionally lost its signal. 

Finish!. .

It turned out the mile markers were "approximate." It took me until the second 5-mile loop  to really confirm it. By the markers, I had run miles in 9:15, 8:45, and then finally 5:30, which verified what I suspected.  So, I just ended up running hoping I was on pace for what i was planning to do.  After the finish, I checked my Garmin while I waited in line for a massage, and it confirmed my overall pace and distance.  I couldn’t believe it. I ended up averaging what I planned.  But, when I tried to check my splits later on that day, it had lost my history.

At the race, I looked at the unofficial results and I placed 4th in my age division, but a week later they posted the official results with splits.  Apparently the unofficial results included some people from the half marathon run, and when they were removed it put me in 2nd place in my age division. I get a medal.  Most importantly, my mile splits were consistent, and I even ran a slightly negative split for the race.   All in all, despite all of the obstacles, it was a lot of fun.  I just hope Boston goes a little bit more smoothly.

April 2009

The SRRC would love to hear about your running, racing, or crewing experiences! If you would like to submit a race report, to be posted on the SRRC website, please email srrunner@srrunners.org.