DSE Waterfront 10 Mile and KP Half Marathon, January 23 & February 6, 2011

RUNNING IS REALLY more a continuous process than the series of discreet events I make it.  Every event and training period emerges from the last one and flows into the next.  The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon (KP Half) is a perfect example of that. 

The short version of the story for the KP Half goes back at least to the California International Marathon (CIM).  Coming out of CIM I took most of a week off from running and gradually tried to return to a normal training routine.  The need for recovery dictated there would be no races or heavy training from December 5 to late January.  My plan was to return to racing with the KP Half preceded by the DSE Waterfront 10 Mile as a warm-up. 

Before the races, I attended the second of four training runs organized by the Pamakids for the KP Half.  The run was on a Saturday and I had the symptoms of a mild cold starting the previous Tuesday.  I did not think much of it, although I was more tired after the workout than usual.  The run included a 20% discount at Sports Basement for all participants.  I bought my shoes for the year -- four pair. 

MLK Day Pre-Workout

The following Monday (MLK Day) I attended a Pamakids Racing Team workout at Lake Merced.  Two loops (4.5 miles each) of Lake Merced with a seven minute rest in between.  The first loop was targeted at half marathon pace and the second was to be five seconds per mile faster.  I was five seconds per mile too fast on the first loop, despite trying to slow down the last mile and half.  I could not hold pace on the second loop and it ended up at race pace.  I reversed the loops.  At this point the cold that I thought was finished really kicked in and the workout totaled me out.  I ended up taking two days off from running.  The cold finally did start to break on the following Thursday. 

10 Miler

I went into the DSE Waterfront 10 Miler feeling better, but with lingering congestion from the cold.  I wanted to run this race at about a 6:25 pace and to avoid my usual pattern of going out too fast.  The race director for this race runs a production support company.  As a result, the race was very well organized and the facilities were grand. 

The Ferry Building

Mile 1 starts in Aquatic Park, proceeds through Fisherman's Wharf, past the Boudin Bakery with freshly baking sourdough bread and ends on the Embarcadero.  I ran it in 6:22.  A little fast, but not as bad as usual.  Mile 2 is along the Embarcadero and ends near the Ferry Building.  I ran it in 6:28.  A little slow.  I need to get this dialed in.  Mile 3 continues along the Embarcadero and ends just before AT&T Park (home of the Giants).  My 6:23 is a little fast, again.  We ran past the ballpark and through Willie Mays Plaza.  Mike G. is there directing runners.  He is joining us on the Devil's Slide Track Club this year for The Relay.  Then over the Lefty O'Doul Bridge and into the former industrial waterfront.  I like running in this area.  It has a sort of post apocalypse feel to it.  Some people find it either boring or depressing.  Maybe you have to be from Detroit to appreciate it.  I missed the four mile mark, but hit the turn around and mile 5 at 12:50.  Perfect. 

Approaching the Finish Line

There is a slight uphill leading to the turn around which means a slight downhill in Mile 6.  I run it in 6:21.  If I am going to pick up a little extra, this is the place to do it.  After that, I am not able to hold the pace I want.  The miles are 6:33, 6:36 and 12:58 (after missing the Mile 9 mark).  I finish in 1:04:32, an average pace of 6:27.  I was a little disappointed, having done faster 10's in my last two half marathons.  When I got home, I discovered it was my fastest 10 Miler ever.  So, I can't be too disappointed.

Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)

My support crew drove me to Golden Gate Park in the dark and left me with well wishes for the race.  This got me an extra half hour of sleep and avoided the uncertainties of Muni.  It was a beautiful clear morning.  I wore sweats over my running clothes, but did not need them.  That is good for the pre-race, but a bad sign for the race. 

I met the Pamakids near the Rose Garden.  After the usual visiting, a brief warm-up, dropping the sweats at the sweats check, a group photo and the famous "Go Green" pre-race cheer, everyone lined up for the race.  This race starts with a count-down and the ringing of an old cable car bell. 

My goal for the race is to break 1:25:00.  That is better than Napa to Sonoma, from last summer, but slower than Humboldt and Clarksburg, from the fall.  I figure that is about my fitness right now.  In the past, I have broken this race into two segments: Golden Gate Park and the Great Highway.  This year, it will be three.

Go Green Cheer

The first segment is from the start to about mile 5.  This is East through the park and along the Golden Gate Park Panhandle.  We turn around at the East end of the Panhandle, just before mile 2, and head West, back through the park, past the museums and over the start line.  Mile 5 is just past Transverse Drive.  This section is probably a slight net uphill.  I want to run it at my goal pace of about 6:25.  The miles come in at 6:31 (good for the first mile), 6:11 (too fast, need to slow down), 6:23 (better), 6:25 and 6:25 (spot on).

The second section is miles 6 and 7.  This is a downhill section along JFK Drive.  If I am going to make time along the course, this is the place to do it.  My goal is to let gravity take over and run as fast as I can, restrained only by the knowledge that I will still have half the race to run after this section.  The miles are 5:59 and 6:11.  DSE has the water station at the buffalo paddock.  They cheer and I wave.

Southbound on the Great Highway
Around Mile 9

The third segment is along the ocean on the Great Highway, roughly miles 7 to 13.  The goal is to try to stay in a 6:25 to 6:30 band, but that probably won't happen.  So, it is more a matter of just limiting my losses.  The weather report predicted winds of about 10 miles per hour.  I could feel the wind in the park, but it was not a factor.  When I made the turn South on the Great Highway, it felt completely still and I instantly felt the intensity of the sun.  I commented to guy next to me that "this is going to be brutal."  The stillness is the result of my running cancelling out the wind.  It means I do not get any cooling effect and the wind will be strong on the return.  Somewhere between miles 8 and 9 I pass Dan H.  I met him for the first time at the 10 Miler.  He will be joining us on the Devil's Slide Track Club this year.  After the race he told me the heat got to him on that stretch.

I reach the turn-around just before mile 10 and do, indeed, head face-first into a stiff wind.  However, I am in much better shape than 2010.  Although the heat and wind take a toll on my pace, I hold on better than the last two years.  The miles are 6:23, 6:34, 6:36 at mile 10, 6:41, 6:45, 6:53 and 0:43 for the last tenth.   

2011 KP Half Pamakids Team Pre-Race Photo

I finish in 1:24:55 gun time and 1:24:53 chip time.  I am 116 out of 5,923 finishers overall and 3 out of 129 in the 55 - 59 age group.  My average pace is 6:28 and age graded score is 82.4.  This turns out be my fastest race on this course, though not my fastest half marathon.  I am very happy with the results.  The high temperature for the day set a new all time record for THE CITY.