An Ras Mor: 2016 Race Report

I had been looking forward to running An Ras Mor for quite some time.  After my mile and 3k PRs on the track this winter, I was looking forward to hitting the roads and testing my fitness against a larger group of runners.  For my indoor season, I think I would have benefited from getting into a fast heat and holding on, but that situation never presented itself.  Fortunately, that isn't an issue at the USATF-NE Grand Prix series.

The race was also exciting since it would be the largest contingent of CSUers racing since I've been a member.  This time last year, the weather was brutally cold and windy, but fortunately this year the club lucked out with an incredibly mild and comfortable day.

I had limited my runs the previous few days to get my legs out of the 'walk like an old man getting out of bed' zone.  On the morning of the race, the easy miles did the job and I felt good.
I ran along the river from home, getting in a sufficiently long warm up (~10k+) and a few strides.  I was able to get to Central Square at basically the same time Elizabeth was parking, and I was able to drop some things off at the car and head to the starting line feeling fresh and free of any nerves.

The starting line was extremely crowded, and I didn't see any familiar faces or teammates.  When the gun fired, I stuck to the left side of the road in order to stay tight on the left turn onto Mass Ave.  The first mile plus is a very gradual uphill, and I passed the first marker in 5:15.  I was expecting to get out quick, but I was still a little nervous as this was totally uncharted territory for me.

About a tenth of a mile after that marker, we took a sharp left downhill onto Linden follwed by another quick left onto Mt. Auburn.  I wasn't paying attention to anyone around me still, and I used the downhill to keep the legs moving quick and also take a few deep breaths.  I had a bit of nerves after the mile marker and that downhill came at the right time.  I refocused and made sure I wasn't slowing down too much (something that frequently occurs during the middle miles for me).

Once we took a right onto Putnam, I knew there was still plenty of race left, but it felt a bit like the home stretch.  I've run this road many times before and it has the perfect elevation profile for this spot in the race.  It's mostly level to slightly downhill, and it's a great spot to find a smooth stride.  Just before the two mile mark, I was passed by two familiar faces - Jose Ortiz and Jake Barnett.  Both of these guys have always been far ahead of me in any race that I'm running.  So when they passed me with just over a mile to go, I had a nice boost of confidence.

I stuck on Ortiz' shoulder for maybe a quarter mile before letting him go.  He wasn't totally hammering it, but the pace felt just a touch too hot for me and I made the choice to stick to my own plan.

I had uneventfully passed the second mile marker in 5:17.  I was zoned in, but I made a mental note that I was pleased to have only slowed down by 2 seconds.  For the next half mile or so, I felt like I was both chasing down and being chased down.  For the most part though, I wasn't passed - I just felt like someone was aiming for me.  And it turns out I was right!

Shortly after turning onto Brookline, I saw the black and yellow colors of the Somerville Road Runners.  I took a peak and noticed that it was the Pickleman!  I've never beaten Pickleseimer, and frankly he's dusted me at every single Pub Series race.  Once he got on my shoulder I put in a pretty good surge.  I was surprised to see him there and I wanted to give myself just a bit of room to breath and try and think.  This was the final throws of the race though, and I didn't have much oxygen going to my brain so my strategy was simply, "don't let him pass you!"  In the end, and to my surprise, it was a good strategy and it worked!

Mile 1 - 5:15.04
Mile 2 - 5:17.34
Mile 3 - 5:17.36
Mile .1 - 25.23
Final Time: 16:14

Here is video of the finish.

Results
Jim Rhodes Photos
Scott Mason Photos