Monday, August 2, 2010

Preparing for the Dirty Sock Run

I've officially signed up for the Dirty Sock 10K trail race that takes place on the 22nd. This will be the third time I'll run a race that I had ran the prior year. With the other two races I'd repeated from 2009, my goal was to beat last year's pace and achieve a new PR. I did accomplish that in terms of pace for the Marcie Mazzola 5K but it wasn't a true comparison because the 2009 race was 4 miles. The New Hyde Park 8K was a true mystery to me. Last year I came out too fast and stayed that way until I hit mile 3 and suffered through the last two miles. This year my strategy was to go out slower and reserve more at the end. I did that and ended up running the exact same time to the second.


The Dirty Sock run poses some unique challenges for me. I'd like to improve on last year's time but I haven't run that distance in a while. Most of my weekend runs have been less than six miles because I've had so many problems with the heat. The other issue with this upcoming race is that I really worked hard to prepare last year and still had some struggles on the last mile. In fact that last mile felt as long as the rest of the race itself. I need to start focusing on my distance again and it's probably wise to do a training run on the course at Belmont Lake to prepare for the event. I really like that park so I look forward to following those trails and enjoying the views of the lake. A PR would be nice but a strong run and a better finish will be more than fine with me.

3 comments:

  1. Good luck.
    I also plan to run this 10K and improve on last years time, however, I'll probably do a day of registration just in case there is a summer storm.

    Any strategies, insight to the course as it pertains to the course ie. trails, open paths, passing, etc.?

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  2. Having run a "race" ages ago where the last mile killed me, it was because I started too fast, not knowingly, I felt amazing. The last mile, however, was crazy hard. Now I know to start what seems PAINFULLY slow if it's a decent distance 'cause a) I'm probably going faster than I think 'cause I'm excited and b) as you say, finishing well is fun. Excited to hear how it turns out (great race name!!). =)

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  3. I have been caught up in the sweep of other runners and paced a little too fast for comfort in the early miles. I think I've learned my lesson although it hasn't translated to better times! Yes, the Dirty Sock is a great name and a great race.

    In terms of strategies for that race, here are some thoughts:

    1. Start closer to the front if seconds matter. They compute both your gun and net times but official results are gun time.

    2. Best opportunities for passing seem to be around the northern lake. Much more open space there. The trail out was very congested through mile 1.

    3. The course was "puddle-y" in spots from the previous day's rain. Better to run trail shoes even though the paths aren't really technical.

    4. At mile 4 when the race officals are saying "it's all downhill from here" they are lying to you.

    5. Remember that the last mile seems to go forever, probably because it's really 1.2 miles. Reserve you kick for when you hear the announcers. You'll hear him minutes before you see the finish line.

    Let me know if you want to join me on a practice run!

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