2012 Run 4 Luck - Season Opener Race Report!
Lancaster's Run 4 Luck is a unique distance - 4 miles through a flat suburb of the city. Since the first time I ran this race, it has swelled from about 200 runners to more than 800 at this year's race!
In my case, I was using the race as a tune-up for the upcoming Boston Marathon. My previous PR at this distance was 25:13, but I was hopeful a good race could get me under 25.
Because it was my season opener, I was a bit nervous and kept a close eye on my blood sugar to make certain the adrenaline wouldn't push me too high prior to the start. Thirty minutes prior to the race I was 124, but not wanting to chance things decided to take about 12 grams of carbs.
One of my training partners and I had planned to go for 6:15 miles, together, but I had predicted this would be the race she finally beat me. If my Boston Marathon build could be called excellent, Mallory's could only be called amazing, and I expected this race to show that.
Despite my plan to run 6:15 miles, throughout, excitement and a downhill start got the best of us and we blazed through the mile mark at 5:57 (The official timer said 5:43 but I'm fairly certain he started his watch late). I went through the 2 mile mark around 12:06, but by then Mallory was a few seconds ahead of me, making my pre-race prediction come true. After that, it was a matter of not letting anyone pass me (and I didn't), and trying to keep an eye on Mallory. In the end, I limped home in 24:35 - my fastest time at this distance by 38 seconds. That said, it's important to note that the Run 4 Luck course has always measured a little short, so while it's definitely a 38 second PR at that distance, truth is it's not a true 24:35. My best guess is that I really ran an honest 25:10, which is what I've been plugging into pace calculators for Boston since last Saturday.
I was pleased to be the 2nd "Master" and first in my age group, though I'm still getting used to the idea of being one of the "old" guys at these races! I decided after the race to set a goal of picking up a Master's awards one of these days. By the end of the race, my blood sugar was 159 and I took a small correction bolus to compensate for the high. Results for the 2012 Run 4 Luck can be found here.
According to VDOT Calculators, a 25:10 4 mile translates to a 3:04:35 marathon. According to McMillan, it translates to a a 3:07:57 marathon. I still haven't settled on whether or not I'm going for a 3:10 or 3:15 at Boston. That decision will be made based on this Saturday's long run (a very cool, yet brutal workout, best saved for its own blog post) and on a local 5k I'm likely running in 2 weeks.
In my case, I was using the race as a tune-up for the upcoming Boston Marathon. My previous PR at this distance was 25:13, but I was hopeful a good race could get me under 25.
Because it was my season opener, I was a bit nervous and kept a close eye on my blood sugar to make certain the adrenaline wouldn't push me too high prior to the start. Thirty minutes prior to the race I was 124, but not wanting to chance things decided to take about 12 grams of carbs.
One of my training partners and I had planned to go for 6:15 miles, together, but I had predicted this would be the race she finally beat me. If my Boston Marathon build could be called excellent, Mallory's could only be called amazing, and I expected this race to show that.
Despite my plan to run 6:15 miles, throughout, excitement and a downhill start got the best of us and we blazed through the mile mark at 5:57 (The official timer said 5:43 but I'm fairly certain he started his watch late). I went through the 2 mile mark around 12:06, but by then Mallory was a few seconds ahead of me, making my pre-race prediction come true. After that, it was a matter of not letting anyone pass me (and I didn't), and trying to keep an eye on Mallory. In the end, I limped home in 24:35 - my fastest time at this distance by 38 seconds. That said, it's important to note that the Run 4 Luck course has always measured a little short, so while it's definitely a 38 second PR at that distance, truth is it's not a true 24:35. My best guess is that I really ran an honest 25:10, which is what I've been plugging into pace calculators for Boston since last Saturday.
I was pleased to be the 2nd "Master" and first in my age group, though I'm still getting used to the idea of being one of the "old" guys at these races! I decided after the race to set a goal of picking up a Master's awards one of these days. By the end of the race, my blood sugar was 159 and I took a small correction bolus to compensate for the high. Results for the 2012 Run 4 Luck can be found here.
According to VDOT Calculators, a 25:10 4 mile translates to a 3:04:35 marathon. According to McMillan, it translates to a a 3:07:57 marathon. I still haven't settled on whether or not I'm going for a 3:10 or 3:15 at Boston. That decision will be made based on this Saturday's long run (a very cool, yet brutal workout, best saved for its own blog post) and on a local 5k I'm likely running in 2 weeks.
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