April 1 – April 7, 2013 (with CUCB Ten Miles Review)

I started the first day of April with a day off.  It was two days after my 24-miler run and was still feeling to soreness.  It was much better day on Tuesday and out running around tidal basin for about 46m’20s’ approx. 6.7 miles during lunch.  There was no blossom yet.  As I leaning toward marathon and I have Cherry Blossom Ten Miles on Sunday, I planned to run a quick workout on Wednesday night.  I planned to run a 6 reps of Lasso 800s at CB10 racing pace and it's 3m' per rep in this case. 

I got to the MC track early that evening; it was pretty windy and cold.  I got my warm done, and then started my workout.  I hit pretty good marks on the workout, I ran

02:58.7	(01:29.1,	01:29.6)
03:02.3	(01:30.1,	01:32.2)
02:55.4	(01:28.1,	01:27.3)
02:55.6	(01:27.0,	01:28.6)
03:00.4	(01:32.5,	01:27.9)
02:56.0	(01:26.8,	01:29.2)

After the sixth, I felt good and did additional two reps of quarter at 

01:27.2

01:26.0

Not bad at all and feeling strong for Cherry Blossom Ten Miles.

Thursday was lovely day for running, but pollen was getting heavier and I got in approx. 8.3 miles for an hour.  I volunteered in the PR booth in the expo on Friday and again for CB organizer on Saturday.  Before I went downtown on Saturday morning, I did a short 4.25 miles run as my pre-race day jog.  Before I gone to bed on Saturday night, I read there were going to have 10 miles wind on Sunday morning, and was dreaming for good day to come.

Sunday morning, I down next to startling line pretty early, and Linlin was watch over my gear while I set out for a warm up.  I stroll down Independent Avenue and didn’t feel too windy; so I thought I did have a good dream. 

When time was come, we all press forward, and I felt great.  I clocked 6m’08 at mile one and I thought ‘a little slow, but that’s okay; it’ll get better.’  Then clocked 6m’03 at mile 2 and MarathonFoto snapped this photo of me as I was seeking my competitors/rabbits to hunt down.

 

 

 

With target in mind, I chased forward by clocked 5m’56, 5m’54, 6m’00, and 6m’06 for mile 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.  I logged 30m’43 at half way, which is about 3 seconds per mile slower than my PR pace; I knew I had some work to do.  As the pack of five or six of us rolled toward Hais Point and wind was pick up and blew directly at us.  I tucked myself behind a couple of guys and hurdle forward. 

Considering a 10 MPH headwind and when you are running sub-10 miles per hour, then you are running into 20 miles strong headwind; no wonder I slow down, way down.  I clocked 6m’19 and 6m’20 for mile 7 and 8, respectively.  Around the Point, I dug out the old gear and press it toward the finished by clocked 6m’08 and 5m’58 for mile 9 and 10, respectively.  As I climb the last speed bump toward the finished, I heard GRC head coach Jerry Alexander (or maybe some other GRCer) yelled out from my left, ‘Good job Frank! Push it!’

I dug deeper and dash forward like mad a man.  I finished 2013 Cherry Blossom Ten Miles with a time 1h’01m’42s’ (net time), that is 26 seconds shy from a new personal best, but not too bad for a time leading up to marathon. I placed 146^th overall, 137^th in Men, and 40^th in M30-34 Division. 


Even I was running every tangent I saw, I still got additional 0.16 mile after tenth mile.  Detail can be see here:

It was not good enough for an individual race, but I am very happy with the fact that CB10 was 12-day away to Carmel Marathon on April 20, that was a good hard tempo for it.  I must take it real easy for the next few days, and then another battle will begin just few mile north of the Circle City.