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Race Result
| Racer: |
Mike Guzek |
| Race: |
Cherry Blossom 10 Miler |
| Date: |
Sunday, April 4, 2004 |
| Location: |
Washington, DC |
| Race Type: |
Run - 10 mile |
| Age Group: |
Male 25 - 29 |
| Time: |
1:13:16 |
| Overall Place: |
748 / 8056 |
| Age Group Place: |
454 / 2242 |
| Comment: |
High winds and light rain. |
Race Report:
I came into this race with good bit of running miles under my belt so I felt great about my strength and endurance. The only problem was that all the running I had done was long and slow. I had no idea what that would translate to in the race, but I figured that I'd be disappointed if my finishing time was above 80, I'd be satisfied if it was 75, and I'd be shocked and awed if it was under 70. I ended up coming in at 73:16. My strategy was to start conservative and pick up the pace as I saw fit if I felt like the legs responded well to the faster tempo.
The day was extremely windy and overcast. Temperatures were cool and I started off with a long sleeve shirt and shorts. I stayed with the Kenyans as long as I could, but I just didn't quite have the gas in tank on this day finish with them.I started the race running with my buddy Dave Huffman and we ran the first few miles around a 7:30 pace as we weaved our way around runners who were pretty generous with their self seeding. We crossed over the Memorial Bridge around mile 3 and I lost Dave. The wind over the bridge was fierce and I did my best to draft off other runners….although there were not too many 6'5"ers around :( I drank Gatorade at each aid station. I picked up the pace after the bridge and started running something around 7:15 minute miles and I crossed the halfway mark in just under 38 minutes. A short time later we hit the turn around and I crushed a gel and stepped up to 7 minute miles. I held that the rest of the way and finished up in 73:16 with a second half split of 35:03. Dave came in about 3 minutes later.
Within 5 minutes of being done it started to pour down rain. I was happy at that moment that I was a 7:15 miler….and not an 8:15 miler. The rest of the peeps I knew all split in a hurry and Dave and I recapped in the finishing tent before doing the 20 minute walk back to the car.
When it was all said and done I was happy with my result. I should have more speed in my legs once I start working some speed workouts into my training. It's all hypothetical, however, until I actually post some results, but for now I feel good about where I'm at and where I'm headed.
http://mguzek04.tripod.com/cherryblossom04.htm
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