HAPPY CANADA DAY!

July 1st Post-to-Post 10K Race Heart Chart - Happy Canada Day!

Sometimes, what we do as runners can simply be expressed as numbers in columns. I give you -

177 (order of finish overall) 147/394 (order of finish among males) M 20/63 (order of finish in my age-group)M4044 (my age-group 40-44) 45:19 (my official chip time) 7:18 (my pace - minutes per mile)3584 (my bib number) Vince Hemingson (me, just in case I forget) Vancouver, BC (and where to send me home)

Now, I took my time and entered it into the Race Predictor on www.marathon guide.com Which spit THESE numbers out.

http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalcs/predictcalc.cfm

Based on our calculations, you could perform at these times over these distances. If you are in much better shape than expected in our theoretical model, then your times will be less spread out. Conversely, if you are in worse shape then your times may be more dispersed.

5K - 0:21:38
5M - 0:35:43
10K - 0:45:19
10M - 1:14:48
Half Marathon - 1:40:29
Marathon - 3:30:27 - Yeah, Baby! This is what we're talking about!

(The marathonguide.com race predictor also calculates a Marathon time of 3:25:07 for a 44:10 minute 10K - cause for more hope - or unrealistic expectations...?).

I have to confess, that I was a little disappointed with my time. I was hoping for something closer to 42-43 minutes (42 minute 10K hints at a marathon in the neighbourhood of 3:15). The conditions and weather was perfect for a race on Friday morning. My legs felt a little heavy, and I probably should have had more of a warm-up. My wind, especially in the second half felt great. A closer examination of my heart rate chart probably reveals that I was a little too conservative in my pacing. My heart rate is not as elevated as it was in my fast 8K of two weeks ago, where I had a sustained ten minute surge to 184-185 for the last two K. My POLAR S625X did show a maximum attained heart rate of 186 during the race, however.

At about 20 and again at 30 minutes, my heart rate and speed trail off, but I also grabbed a swig of water and there were a couple of sharp corners that might account for that. Also, unlike the Tuesday night tempo runs, or the Gibson's race where I ran with Rachel, I was mostly on my own this Friday. I battled a few people, but had no really sustained stretchs where I was "battling" to stay with someone, or fight someone off or try and catch someone.

Rachel and I did a 44:10 minute 10K in the first half of the Gibson's Half Marathon on April 1st, and that coupled with a 34 minute 8K two weeks ago had me salivating over getting closer to a 40 minute 10K. Alas, it was not to be...

Hugh finished a full minute ahead of me after doing a 1:39:00 Half Marathon in the Scotia. What a performance in back to back races! Unfortunately, I never saw Hugh in the starting pen, as I would have loved to have given chase and pursued him over the course of the race. Don't think it would have made much difference in the end, but who knows!? It is amazing how a hard fought battle with an equally or closely matched opponent will energize you over the course of a race.

My appetite for speed over a distance which I can more easily recover is now fully whetted.

So I am now going to try and lure and many people as I can into what should be a very fast 10K along the Seawall on Saturday, July 23rd. A full three weeks in which to prepare!

Summerfast 10k - Sat Jul 23/05, 8:30 am

Location: Ceperley Picnic Area at Second Beach, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Contact: Simon Cowell (604) 251-3255

Fees: $17 by July 12, $22 late, $27 day of race; Bone-Dri T-shirt add $25

Features: Scenic, flat seawall course. Home baked goodies after your run.

Details: On this site - online registration

http://www.bcathletics.org/RRSeries/summerfast_details.htm