2020 ZENA ROAD RUNS 15K RACE REPORT

A few minutes before the race!

Finally it was time to do the Zena Road Runs 15k again! It is one of my favorite smaller races but I hadn't done it since 2016. Hopefully it can become a near-yearly tradition again. It is a great challenge and something to look forward to in the dead of winter. It is not $5 anymore like the first year I did it, but it is still very reasonable at $25 and included a Zena wine glass!

It actually had an earlier start than it used to, 10am instead of 11am. Even sleepy Thomas is okay with 10am though. I woke up about 8am and was out the door a half hour later. The drive was a bit longer than I remembered, about an hour, but not too bad. It is through some nice country backroads, and with some coffee and some dry public radio news, I was happy as a clam. As expected for a race this size, packet pickup was a breeze. The weather was perfect, sunny and about 44 degrees. Katie and Tony were doing the three mile race, so we hung out until it was time to start, which came pretty quickly!

THE FIRST THREE (7:42, 6:54, 7:23)

The race had us starting in a gravel lot right next to the road. Once the gun went off, six mile and 15k runners went to the right, three mile runners to the left. Everyone seemed to line up in the right spot and it seemingly went off without too much chaos. I knew I had to attack these first three miles, as they contained the majority of the downhill in the race. That first mile actually was mostly flat, technically even a little uphill overall, so even though I was running hard I only managed a 7:42. Honestly though, I think that was the right pace given the terrain and my heart rate.

So that second mile... wow. This was "the mile" in the race where I'm sure everyone was licking their chops. Almost 400 feet of elevation loss! And while I don't have exact splits to compare this mile to the previous races (we start in a different point now, even though the course is exactly the same), it compares very favorably back when I was at my fastest. So I am pretty proud of this mile, even if it is hill aided! I mean, the only time these days I'm throwing down these speeds is when I am doing 400m repeats.

About 250 feet of loss in that third mile. So while I couldn't quite maintain by sub-seven speed, I was still trucking along pretty good. I was feeling pretty confident at this point in the race, and as you'll see, it was a false confidence! Things were about to get a lot tougher. Back in the "olden days," this race started with two killer, uphill miles. There was then a flat mile. Then two miles downhill. Then four "rolling" miles to the finish. Well, now we start at that "flat mile" and go from there on that same course. Which meant the two "killer" uphill miles would be the last two of the race.


THE "ROLLING" FOUR (8:15, 8:53, 9:04, 8:59)

Looking back at my previous race reports, I appear to always be surprised at how "rolling" these hills are. I think when you are looking at the overall elevation chart the two majorly downhill miles and the two majorly uphill miles really stick out. But these smaller bumps? Those must be easy! Well, climbing a 100 foot hill is no joke. Especially when, like me, you haven't really been training for that. Back in the day I used to run the "rollercoaster" in the winters at PRC, often times at tempo speed. It prepared me great for something like this. Now? Any speedwork I do is flat. And while I don't avoid hills, I am not quite doing them like i used to.

Anyways, all of that to explain my complete cratering of times. I was hoping to be at sub eight minute mile speed before the final two uphill miles. That was kind of a goal. Let's just say, by the time mile six hit, I was a couple seconds a mile above that. By the time mile seven hit and the hills started... well, an 8:59 does not bring you closer. I was surprised at how tired I felt as I ran these miles. It was easy to blame Miami the week before, and that was certainly a factor. But I also think I ran the first three miles too fast. I just really trashed my legs.

Long story short, I was not having fun during these miles. I was keeping my heart rate up though, in the low 180s. It was a proper effort. That 9:04 mile was basically all gently uphill for a total gain of nearly 100 feet. The people around me were also not really passing me all that much. I think my experience was pretty common. I used to be the one passing people in these situations though... not anymore! Anyways, while I wasn't looking forward to climbing uphill the last two miles, I was looking forward to the race being over.

THE FINAL UPHILL TWO (11:03, 10:37)

I looked back at my old times on this stretch and I simply cannot believe I used to do these in the 8s. What kind of wizard was I? Well, having fresh legs certainly would have helped! I think you could honestly shave off a minute from each split, at least, if I had fresh legs. I literally had nothing left at this point. Frankly, I am surprised they are as low as they are. I felt like I was doing a 13 or 14 minute mile. My pace, at times, was in the mid-12s. I mean, this hill is steep. It's brutal.

Chugging up the hill like a slow moving freight train. This was my life now. A whole BUNCH of people around me were walking portions of this. I made it a point of pride to NOT walk. It was going to be a fun test... would my chugging beat their energy saving walking? I ending up yoyo-ing with a few walkers. They'd walk the steep parts, then when it flattened out a little, they'd start running with a spring in their step, pass me... but then it would be steep again, they'd walk, snf I'd slowly move past them. On and on it went.

The second mile is more more rolling. It allowed us to go back and forth a number of times. I was convinced they would eventually win out because my running on the hills was not much faster than their walking, but it turns out there was a sustained hill right before the downhill finish. And I passed them toward the bottom of it as they began to walk. And when my watched beeped for mile nine, even though I couldn't see the finish line, I knew it was close. So I shifted into another gear and never looked back. Finally the hill crested and I was able to sprint downhill the final few hundred yards and through the finish!

FINISH AND THE AFTER PARTY

I was a little shocked at how "terrible" my time was. I was not prepared for that. I was expecting something like 1:18 or so. What I didn't quite factor into my prediction was how the starting point of the race would change the course so much. It was a LOT harder than the previous configuration. Having to do those final two miles on trashed legs versus fresh legs is a big deal. And while maybe doing the downhill fresh is faster, it in no way makes up for those final two miles.

So honestly, I am pretty happy with my time! If I end up here next year, and the course start point is the same, it'll be good to compare those two times. All told, it was a solid effort and another good race. They had some good snacks and post race cheer. Katie won first place in her age division, which was awesome, so she got a ribbon for that. Otherwise, after some munching, it was back home for a hot bath and a lazy day.

Official Results: 1:20:58.7, 8:41/mile. 46/96 overall, 36/54 male, 9/11 M30-34.