Super Sunday Traditions - Super Half
After dropping down to run the Game Day 5k last year, I was looking forward to another go at the Super Half Marathon. Unlike in prior years, the Super Half wasn't the target race. That didn't mean I wasn't hoping for a decent time, but just that the training hadn't been targeted towards the flat, fast running on the Santa Fe trail.so I had to temper my goals and expectations leading into the race. I figured that I’d be able to run about 7:15s easily so used that as the starting point. I also wanted to be more comfortable running at that pace without looking at my watch. Before the GPS watches, I was able to consistently hit a target pace during races. I knew what the pace felt like and ran at that effort. But now, I’ve noticed I’m second guessing my internal speedometer and adding stress to the race by constantly looking at the watch. So that was my other goal - only look at my watch when I hit the mile markers. Otherwise just run on feel and make an effort to run smart.
There was the usual social cluster before the race - taking pictures, saying hi, getting hugs.... Still getting used to being a part of things as opposed to just showing up to race. But it does make the events more enjoyable, so I will happily add in the extra time pre-race. New this year was the wave start. The race has gotten so big, that there's been some congestion in the narrow sections of the Santa Fe Trail. While I don't know the spacing for the waves, I do think it really made the race better. THe field was more spread out along the trail and there wasn't the pushing right as we entered the trail. But I digress. Back to the wave starts. The pre-race email stated that the waves would be self selected and based on the minute increments, with the first waves runners aiming for sub seven miles. Now, I knew that I wouldn't be running sub sevens, so I was planning on starting the second group. Nope! I found myself getting shepherded into the first group. There was a handful of other women around me, so I knew I was where I needed to be, even if it wasn't where I wanted to be.
And the the whistle. We were off! I held my pace back, not wanting to start out too hard. It's easy to do with the downhill start at the Super Half. First thing I noticed was the calmness of the start - the tight turns right in the first mile were easily navigated. I got some hi-fives from the volunteers and kids at the starting line and then focused on settling into my pace. Again, I didn't want to look at my watch. I just wanted to run on feel. That also meant not racing the other women. I was in fourth, dangling just off the back of the group of three ahead of me. It was tempting to try and surge to make up the gap, but that wasn't the goal.
My first mile was a little faster then I wanted - 6:40. But that was better then prior years and I felt really comfortable. Now came the hard part - staying inside, not getting in my head and just clicking off the miles. Even though I hadn't really trained for the race, I've done enough runs on the Santa Fe that I knew all the landmarks. I kept my eyes on the women in front of me, letting them gradually pull away. I didn't want to run any faster - the pace was hard, but felt sustainable. I was doing a good job of not looking at my watch except at the miles and was pretty happy with the pace. Just about 7:05, consistently. Unlike some races, I didn't even bother with doing the splits. I just ran. And the running felt good. I had a nice group of easy to run with people around me and could still see all three women ahead of me. This year, I remembered how far the turn around was from Costco and didn't get frustrated by how long it took to get there. And then it was time to start heading back.
It's easy with an out and back course to think it will be all climbing out and descending back. The Santa Fe is not that clear. There's actually a lot climbing on the way back. I was still maintaining a solid pace, with the turn-around mile being the slowest so far. The women ahead of me were slow gaining ground - but that was okay. While I wasn't in a position to be able to make up any ground, I was still making all my goals. Not looking at my watch, staying positive the entire time and running well. The staying positive part was made easy by the volume of Brewers Cup runners and other people I knew. One of the things I love about out and back courses - they are so socially friendly to runners of all levels.
I was hoping to avoid slowing more in the final miles, but was starting to getting tired. With bigger fish to fry in a week, I allowed myself to back off the pace a little. Not a lot - I was still hoping to break 1:35, if not 1:34. So I had to keep running hard. The pace dropped from my steady 7:10s to 7:30s for the last three miles. I always seem to struggle on those last three miles through the park. They should be the easiest - familiar terrain, lots of people around... But no. One more thing that made this year challenging was the wind. There'd been teases of the wind on the outward leg of the race, but nothing major. And there were enough people around that we could share the burden of breaking the wind. A few stronger gusts on the way back indicated that the winds of change were coming. As I crossed Mesa Ave for the last half mile of the race, I could see the swirls of dust in the distance. The wind was serious now and ready to make runners suffer. My visor was nearly snatched from my head a few times in that last stretch and at times I had to close my eyes against the sand onslaught - and I was wearing sunglasses! I was practically blown into the finish line with the first of many powerful gusts.
Once again, the people in the back had the brunt of the weather. I can't imagine trying to run against that wind for more then a few miles. I might have finished fast, but the people behind me were definitely tougher on this race.
There was the usual social cluster before the race - taking pictures, saying hi, getting hugs.... Still getting used to being a part of things as opposed to just showing up to race. But it does make the events more enjoyable, so I will happily add in the extra time pre-race. New this year was the wave start. The race has gotten so big, that there's been some congestion in the narrow sections of the Santa Fe Trail. While I don't know the spacing for the waves, I do think it really made the race better. THe field was more spread out along the trail and there wasn't the pushing right as we entered the trail. But I digress. Back to the wave starts. The pre-race email stated that the waves would be self selected and based on the minute increments, with the first waves runners aiming for sub seven miles. Now, I knew that I wouldn't be running sub sevens, so I was planning on starting the second group. Nope! I found myself getting shepherded into the first group. There was a handful of other women around me, so I knew I was where I needed to be, even if it wasn't where I wanted to be.
And the the whistle. We were off! I held my pace back, not wanting to start out too hard. It's easy to do with the downhill start at the Super Half. First thing I noticed was the calmness of the start - the tight turns right in the first mile were easily navigated. I got some hi-fives from the volunteers and kids at the starting line and then focused on settling into my pace. Again, I didn't want to look at my watch. I just wanted to run on feel. That also meant not racing the other women. I was in fourth, dangling just off the back of the group of three ahead of me. It was tempting to try and surge to make up the gap, but that wasn't the goal.
 |
| A mile or so in, trying to stay comfortable. Photo - Peter Maksimow |
My first mile was a little faster then I wanted - 6:40. But that was better then prior years and I felt really comfortable. Now came the hard part - staying inside, not getting in my head and just clicking off the miles. Even though I hadn't really trained for the race, I've done enough runs on the Santa Fe that I knew all the landmarks. I kept my eyes on the women in front of me, letting them gradually pull away. I didn't want to run any faster - the pace was hard, but felt sustainable. I was doing a good job of not looking at my watch except at the miles and was pretty happy with the pace. Just about 7:05, consistently. Unlike some races, I didn't even bother with doing the splits. I just ran. And the running felt good. I had a nice group of easy to run with people around me and could still see all three women ahead of me. This year, I remembered how far the turn around was from Costco and didn't get frustrated by how long it took to get there. And then it was time to start heading back.
It's easy with an out and back course to think it will be all climbing out and descending back. The Santa Fe is not that clear. There's actually a lot climbing on the way back. I was still maintaining a solid pace, with the turn-around mile being the slowest so far. The women ahead of me were slow gaining ground - but that was okay. While I wasn't in a position to be able to make up any ground, I was still making all my goals. Not looking at my watch, staying positive the entire time and running well. The staying positive part was made easy by the volume of Brewers Cup runners and other people I knew. One of the things I love about out and back courses - they are so socially friendly to runners of all levels.
 |
| Heading home Photo - Tom Dewane |
I was hoping to avoid slowing more in the final miles, but was starting to getting tired. With bigger fish to fry in a week, I allowed myself to back off the pace a little. Not a lot - I was still hoping to break 1:35, if not 1:34. So I had to keep running hard. The pace dropped from my steady 7:10s to 7:30s for the last three miles. I always seem to struggle on those last three miles through the park. They should be the easiest - familiar terrain, lots of people around... But no. One more thing that made this year challenging was the wind. There'd been teases of the wind on the outward leg of the race, but nothing major. And there were enough people around that we could share the burden of breaking the wind. A few stronger gusts on the way back indicated that the winds of change were coming. As I crossed Mesa Ave for the last half mile of the race, I could see the swirls of dust in the distance. The wind was serious now and ready to make runners suffer. My visor was nearly snatched from my head a few times in that last stretch and at times I had to close my eyes against the sand onslaught - and I was wearing sunglasses! I was practically blown into the finish line with the first of many powerful gusts.
 |
| Those aren't clouds in the distance - that's the dust about to sandblast the course... Photo - Nancy Hobbs |
Once again, the people in the back had the brunt of the weather. I can't imagine trying to run against that wind for more then a few miles. I might have finished fast, but the people behind me were definitely tougher on this race.
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| One of my favorite photos indeed! |
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