PLU Invitational Race Recap

Cross Country Season has arrived! The PLU invitational was not only my first time running a club cross country race, but was also both my first time running in a collegiate cross country event and first time racing the 8k distance. Go big or go home, right? When my friend Daniel reached out in early May to see who might want to run for the small Super Jock N' Jill cross country team Darkhorse (and no, sadly it is not a Katy Perry reference...), I told him I was definitely interested. Unlike the 5k road races I have been focusing on this year, Men's XC events cover 8k or 10k distances and usually include a generous a**-kicking in the form of mud and hills. Fortunately, the PLU XC course was a flat and fast loop and the weather was supposed to be pleasant. Thus, my biggest concern was how my body would handle the longer 8k distance.

The Men's 8k event was set to start at 10:00 a.m. while the Women's 6k event was set for 11:00 a.m. A group of us met up at the SJJ running store at 7:30 a.m. and carpooled over to the PLU campus in Tacoma where we met up with the rest of our team. While walking up to the registration area beside the school track we received a legit size-up/stare-down from some of the PLU cross country team. Code red! Level 5 awkwardness alert! After metaphorical claws were retracted and the Secretary of Homeland Security dropped the the awkwardness level down to Level 3, I began my pre-race routine. I pinned on my racing bib and headed off to warm up with about 40 minutes before the start. The course loop was about 1.8 km and I ran the loop twice at an easy pace, trying to memorize the turns and other landmarks. I found the rest of my team at the starting line and joined them in some last minute strides. Teams grouped up along the starting line and the race official called the final countdown. Breathe in - I am. Breathe out - here now. Unlike familiar road races, there was no music or announcer on speakerphone and the last seconds before the start became so unnervingly silent that I could literally hear the slight breeze blow past as the runners toed the line in anticipation.

Start of the 2014 PLU Invitational Men's 8k!
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

The start was explosive. The wide starting line quickly funneled into a narrow path and everyone was rushing for position. The adrenaline hit me harder than any road race I have run this year, and I didn't even realize I had passed my teammate Zak who I was going to use for pacing. Big mistake. My senses came back to me when a volunteer yelled out my first mile split of 5:41. If this was a 5k road race I wouldn't be too alarmed but knowing I had four miles left to go instead of two, I was on the verge of a panic attack. I immediately backed off the pace by what felt like 15 seconds. 

As I cleared the first loop I was greeted by words of encouragement from my teammates along the sidelines. I remember one teammate, Amanda, pointing to the group of guys a little ways ahead of me and yelling "That's your pack! Catch them!". After mentally forcing myself to slow down the pace, I was hesitant to try to pick it back up. I had two choices. I could either play it safe and maintain a slow but steady pace for the remainder the race, or I could try and keep up and pick off runners from the group in front of me with the possibility of burning out at the end. Seeing my team in matching racing kits reminded me that I wasn't racing alone out there on the course. I had a team with me and I was there running as part of that team, not as an individual trying to set some time PR. Although I was racing against so many fast runners around me, I was also racing for and with other great runners. The only way I could help my team would be to try to catch up and pass as many runners as I could.

Finding my pack and setting targets.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

With this in mind, I fully committed myself to catching up with the group ahead of me. I also began to pick out potential marks to aim to pass. With this new found resolve, it was time to activate our team's secret weapon. Turning the corner into a brief patch of sunlight, my singlet unleashed the glorious reflective power of a thousand suns! With the immediate ground-zero area most likely blinded, I passed my first mark.

Yes, even with a mostly overcast sky our singlets are pretty bright.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

I cleared the second mile in 6:06 and I could see my teammates Zak and Karsten a good 30 seconds ahead of me at this point. As I finished my second loop I saw Amanda point to an Olympic College runner a good ways ahead of me and yell "that's your next mark!". 

I surged forward and closed the distance by a couple yards. He noticed I was coming up on him and increased the pace himself. The battle was on. I was somehow able to keep on his heels through the third loop but I was definitely hurting at this point. Daniel shouted that I had only one more loop to go with a small add-on to round out to 8k. There was still time to catch him. I was unfamiliar with the add-on section and so I decided to make one final move and put in one final kick with what I estimated was a little less than a mile left to go. My Olympic mark was still keeping an eye on me apparently because he answered my kick and sped up to match my pace. I was surprised when we passed another Olympic runner as a result of our push and I used that mental reinforcement to help block the mounting levels of misery and pain and continue my push. I gained a couple precious yards on my mark but realized that was as close as I would get as he had just crossed the finish line. I followed shortly after with an official time of 30:50 (6:12/mile avg. pace) which placed me 30th out of 53! 

Holy cr** what a fun race! Although I would have liked to break under sub-30, I was more than satisfied with my first 8k performance. It was freeing to run with no watch, using the other runners around me as a guide. I am honestly not sure if more strategic pacing would have affected my overall time, but I know that I needed to run a race like this. After a build up of technical racing over the year, it was awesome to be able to just go out there and have fun running with a team, simply trying to catch that next guy in front of me!


Post Race/Women's Race:

I joined up with the rest of the guys and we headed off for a quick cool down jog. The Women's 6k event would follow shortly and so we headed to the start line to cheer on our teammates.

Start of the 2014 PLU Invitational Women's 6k!
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

The women's team rocked it and my friend Sayaka was even able to grab the "W" placing 1st!

Post race team photo.

Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

Closing Thoughts/Comments:

1. I knew cross country would be a very different experience from the road races that I am used to and that I should step back and look to define a distinct set of goals specifically aimed at cross country and ask myself what I wanted to get out of the XC season as a whole. This is definitely a work in progress and my PLU Invitational experience has certainly helped provide perspective.

2. It was encouraging how much non-discriminating supportive the spectators provided. From what I noticed, most people cheered on runners regardless of what school/team they were running for. I remember a couple times where PLU alumni and parents/friends of other college runners cheered whenever I passed, yelling out something along the lines of "keep it up Darkhorse!" ( although admittedly sometimes turning to the spectator next to them and asking "who is Darkhorse again?").

3. Throughout the race, I tried paying attention to my running form and posture. I have been trying to pinpoint what muscle groups/areas tire out first so I can begin to focus in on strengthening specific weaknesses. 

4. I was able to meet 2x Olympic 800m runner Nick Symmonds last month during a book signing held at SJJ. Very humble guy, definitely fun to get a chance to talk with him.

I almost wore the same t-shirt Nick was wearing. How awkward would THAT have been?
Photo credit thanks to Sayaka Yoshinaga.

5. My next race will be the Emerald City Open on Oct. 18, 2014 hosted by Seattle University. There should be a healthy mix of University and Club XC teams participating so I am looking forward to facing off against so much local talent.

6. A recent Jasyoga blog post asked "What does teamwork mean to you?". Teamwork is a way to grow as an individual. It is human nature to focus through the perspective of "self" and it is easy to take for granted or pass up opportunities you can achieve by simply expanding your way of thinking to include others. I see teamwork as a crossroads or connecting point. It's where multiple roads of individual experience and individual goals can meet and transform into a shared experience and shared goals.