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September 30, 2007
Great Race Indeed
This morning the Great Race took place in Pittsburgh. O and I were both going to run it but when I was sidelined with my hamstring, O was on his own. Apparently he didn't need me.
O has been training hard (probably harder than he ever has) with his cross country team with lots of interval work on the track and distance runs that are perhaps a bit faster than he is used to. And then he usually does my long run with me on Sunday. Perfect breeding ground for a PR. Add to that a point to point primarily downhill race and you're really set up quite nice. It was a beautiful morning, cool and calm and while O has previously never broken 40 minutes for 10K I was predicting a 38:23. (don't ask me how I come up with these things - just trust me).
So we headed down to the race this morning with roles reversed - O as racer, me as equipment manager. The logistics of this race are somewhat challenging given it's point to point course so I dropped O off near the start and drove down to as close as I could get to the finish. I got a great position to cheer and then stood there and waited. It was then that it occured to me that waiting and cheering and watching a triathlon must be torturous. Over 2 hours of waiting...or how about 5 hours for a half IM?! I was bored waiting the 30 minutes I had to wait for a 10K!
Regardless, it wasn't too long before the winner came flying around the corner in just over 30 minutes. And then the top women in 34 minutes and change. Then...wait...I think I see O and the clock is still in the 36s?! Holy cow! I'm yelling and going crazy and watch as he crosses the line in 37:23 (later to find that his chip time was 37:16!)!! HUGE PR and quite an impressive time! He was thrilled, I was thrilled, it was all quite thrilling! He ran smart and strong the whole way and basically even splited even though the 2nd half of the race is tougher (with a subtle but LONG uphill stretch that seems to go on forever around mile 4 and 5).
But then it hit me. I was no longer the 10K record holder in the house. What. The. Heck?! I have never run 10K that fast - O now has the standard. Yikes. I told O that next year, no triathlons, no swimming or cycling. I was going to train soley for the 10K so I could get my name back on the placard! I still have the marathon record although O is thinking of trying to get a Boston Qualifier next fall which would require another record effort (he needs a 3:10). I have no doubt he can do it. I'm just glad O can't swim... :)
So that was our exciting morning. When we got home I knew I had a long pool run ahead of me. Yuck. Especially since it was such a nice day outside. But oh well, there are worse things in life. So off to the pool I went for 1:40 of aqua-jogging. I think that's a PR for me (we are all getting PRs today!) because although I've done plenty of long runs in the pool I haven't done any since college and I think my longest long run in college was about 90 minutes. To tell you the truth it wasn't too bad and it went by relatively quickly. I think my tolerance for long, boring workouts has increased greatly since I started triathlon. Try following a black line back and forth in the pool for 5000 yds or could I interest you in a 3:30 ride on the trainer? Yeah - my attention span has improved exponentially. :)
So that was our day! We are now watching the Steelers try to somehow get a win down 7 with 1:49 left. Come on guys - Penn State already lost this weekend - we have to get a win somehow!
Posted by beth at September 30, 2007 6:50 PM
Comments
Nice run Oscar! It certainly was a Great Race for you. Have a nice weekend. Go Steelers!
Posted by: Nadine at September 30, 2007 7:52 PM
Awesome job O.....
Posted by: Kranky C Dale at October 1, 2007 9:06 AM
Alright O! Not to take away from a great PR but, I mean, I wonder where the inspiration came from :-)
Posted by: at October 1, 2007 10:38 AM
O! Congrats on a big, big PR! Huge PR! Are you handicapped with soreness today?
Beth, thanks for the hamstring update from a few days ago. Thinking oh-so-good thoughts for you!
Posted by: Meghan at October 1, 2007 12:33 PM