fort desoto 15k race recap + rebuilding mileage
I’ll cheat and say my official 15K race pace falls somewhere between 8:30 and 8:35. The chip time reflects this not. If anybody experiences side stitches, the debilitation halts and humbles. One mile, clocked two minutes slower than the previous seven, marred my steady performance.
All that fleshed out and laid bare, this race truly surprised me. I did not expect to ride the heels of the 8:30 pacer until 7.5 miles in. I had visions of draining my energy swamp in a last-minute surge to pass him and finish sub-1:20. When I stooped over the side of the road, heaving and jabbing at the pulsating spot beneath my right ribs, I watched that little hope prance beyond the bend.
But another jogged up shortly after. The third time I stopped, in tears and hiccups from truncated air flow, a man approached and asked if I was okay. I have a stitch, I said, I can’t run through that. He urged me back onto the trail and assured me: Walk with me, take it slow. What’s your name? Kellie. Are you doing the 15K? Yes. I was doing so well, too! He kept by my side for maybe a tenth of a mile, then: Let’s try to jog, just take it real easy. I ran beside him for a few moments, and the stitch subsided enough to be no more than background noise. He patted my back and I picked my legs back up to their previous pace, with him hollering You got this, I’m right behind you.
I had to write that out first, so I remember it most clearly before the more routine pre-race details surface. Races always exhibit some wonderful humility amongst the participants, and being the aim of one such moment gladdened me. I wish I would’ve remembered the guy’s face so I could’ve thanked him once my voice returned after the final .3 mile sprint, but alas – I’d imagine he felt I thanked him enough on the course by whisking off, recovered from a moment of weakness.
The 15K commenced about fifteen minutes later than scheduled. Fifteen minutes I wish I had to enjoy on the run before the sun crested the treeline. Miles 1-4 felt blessedly pleasant in the shade of the short brush lining the trail, but once I rounded the bend marking mile 4.7 and the return trip, the breeze vanished and the sun blared onto the asphalt. Suddenly all the sweat I hadn’t noticed blasted out of my pores and my skin blistered and glistened. Miles 4-6 were modestly downhill and the heat thus wasn’t as bothersome, but once the land flattened and I had no help from a slant, the fatigue really slapped me across the lungs.
After mile 8, my 10:24 disruption, my legs heaved forth and I struggled to convince myself my ribcage wouldn’t explode from the effort. The final mile and change proved at least five times harder than any prior. My breath slurped and sliced up and down my throat, heartbeat throbbed in my ears, an aura of daggered heat cut up and down my skin. Any inch of shade felt glorious, but those were few and far between.
Mile 9 arrived with the bump of finish line music, a faint breathy voice speaking over the microphone, runners either giving in to fatigue or busting their final bits of glycogen to cross the line. I developed tunnel vision here. If someone passed me, so be it (they might not be running the 15K, anyway, since a 10K and a 5K occurred simultaneously). I cycled between succumbing to a slightly slower pace and growling at myself until my feet picked up the cadence and 8:15-8:20 showed on my Garmin. My pace for the final .3 miles was 8:24.
Once I leapt over the timing mats and the announcer bellowed “Congratulations, Kellie Karbach!” one volunteer handed me the medal and another a sopping wet, cold towel. I slapped both around my neck and shivered. J found me and I, in my stupor, merely handed him my small water bottle and knelt for a moment to gulp some oxygen. Someone tried to discuss voter registration with me, or something like that. I waved him off, thinking, I can barely talk, damn it! I recovered blessedly quick, and we wandered first to grab my camera and then to the festivities.
Overall, I finished with an 8:43/mile pace, still faster than I figured (I estimated 8:55-9:05). My watch picked up 8:40 and 9.39 miles, probably from running tangents poorly or something. Either way, we approached the official time sheets and I nearly dropped my water: I took third in my age group! Small races, I maintain, improve confidence so much since placing is not impossible for the paces I tend to exhibit. Certainly motivates me to put more effort into completing hard speed workouts during any training cycle.
I left the course full of heart and overall happy with the race, in all its facets. Beginning late annoyed me, but I’m not privy to a circumstance that might’ve delayed it, so I can’t be too miffed. The sunrise edging the course offered a pleasing view of sand and water, and across the East Beach one could view the Sunshine Skyway and little cars dashing over its hump. I heard of issues during the 10K and 5K races – perhaps poor signage or similar which caused discrepancies in the final awards – but the 15K appeared well-marked and smoothly designed. I’m never enthused by post-race dining that is only meat or cream-laden pastas, but bananas and oranges were aplenty, at least, for immediate refueling. Finally, I love how the race shirt is a tank top – so practical in Florida!
What’s next on my race calendar?
November 2: Denis L. Fontaine Memorial Lake to Lake 10K
February 2, 2020: Tallahassee Half Marathon
April 26, 2020: Big Sur Marathon (my second year in a row!)
Any training immediately following a race – unless you’re elite, or otherwise very competitive – should be gentle and focused on stimulating fresh blood flow rather than piling on fitness gains. I’ve learned well that leaping headlong into tempo runs and intervals after hard efforts short-circuits my health. Usually, my cranky hip is first to go. Several guidelines exist as far as returning to harder efforts, but for the 15K I intend to wait a full week – or more if my body demands so! – before formal workouts return to my training.
My week of workouts post-race:
Monday, 9/30: 1,470 yard easy swim + 35 min gentle yoga
Tuesday, 10/1: 30 min easy elliptical (lvl 2-3) + 30 min gentle yoga & mobility
Wednesday, 10/2: 3.8 miles, 9:25 pace + 20 min hectic day yoga
Thursday, 10/3: 4.33 miles, 9:39 pace + 20 min gentle yoga
Friday, 10/4: 30 min incline walk (4-9% grade at 3.6 mph) + 30 min full body strength & core + yoga
Saturday, 10/5: 5.3 miles, 9:15 pace, including running up the Rocky steps!
Sunday, 10/6: 3.4 miles, 9:13 pace, to Falls Bridge overlooking the Schuylkill River
See all of my 15K training logs here!
