Round-Up Race Plannage

OK, this is a bit long. I get to thinking about the race, and the course, and I'm not thinking in terms of brevity...

As far as the course goes, it's a pretty fair one - some uphills, especially on the 10K, but some downhills, as well. There's a map at http://www.texasroundup.org/Events/~/media/0D11A328ECF04002874294CD74DD3EED.ashx

You'll all start near 9th and Congress, at 8am. We've got a wider start this year, and a separate 5K finish line, so the start should clear a bit quicker than in the past.

Congress is downhill to the bridge, then again down to Riverside, so let's really emphasize the first rule of racing: DON'T GO OUT TOO FAST. This ties in completely with another rule of racing - run your own race. There's going to be a lot of people out there tomorrow with no idea what they're doing. Some of them have never even run the distance before. They'll be excited, and they're going to take off from the start.

Then you have people who should know what they're doing, but they get all excited, or they're not awake yet, and they take off too fast. I am still occasionally one of these.

Ignore all those people, and just find your own right pace.

At the beginning of these big races, it's crowded, with some people walking, and some people darting in and around other runners. So, first, be aware of your surroundings. Don't step or wander in front of someone passing you.

Don't get sucked into trying to run around a lot of people - it burns a lot of energy and time, and it adds more distance than you might think. If you feel completely held back, try to get to the left side of the pack. Look ahead, and pick a line through the crowd that doesn't require a lot of zig-zagging.

People will often hear you coming and slide over a little. It's OK to go through a gap between people, but nice to let them know. Sometimes, someone (usually someone wearing damned headphones) will start drifting over in front of you. I find the "accidental" very light brush of your hand on their elbow will usually wake them up and get them to slide over.

The 5K course turns on Barton Springs just before the one mile mark. The 5K course will be splitting off to the right, so be on that side and ready. It's not fun getting either "pinched" or pushed out in corners, so stay in the middle of the pack going into the turn. Watch for other folks cutting you off, and try to not do the same.

You should still have an easy time on Barton Springs, turning slightly right onto Riverside, then onto South First.

Let's stick with the 10K course for a second. 5K folks can skip down to where it says "5K AND 10K COURSES"...

10k people, you've got some fun ahead, going up South Congress. I think anyone running the 10K, though, has done this bit before. You're getting the first few miles of the marathon/half marathon course here, so get used to it.

South Congress is really not so bad. Really. It's split up into sections, sort of terraced. I'll cheat and paste in a bit of the marathon race plan:

As for the hill on South Congress, it's not as bad as it looks, if you treat it with respect. It actually breaks into several chunks, with short flats in between. Treat it as multiple short hills, and enjoy those little recoveries. Use these first hills to set the precedence for your hill-climbing form for the day. Head up, hips pressed into the hill ahead of you, arms relaxed but setting the pace for your legs.

The hill first lets up a little when you're running past Doc's/the big limestone wall on the right for the School for the Deaf. When you hit these little relative plateaus, relax. Shake your arms out, hold your pace, and let your breathing and legs recover a little. Don't do this by letting up or slowing down - just be patient.

The next relatively steep chunk hits by the Austin Motel, and takes you up past Guero's. It's still just not that bad, though.

When you get to about Mary Street, it seems to level off, but you still have a very slight grade all the way to the turn off on College Street. When a race starts on hills like this, it's hard to get into a groove. It's easy to get down on yourself and think you're not running well, and that you'll never make your pace. The dragon that is this course gets help from the dragons of fear and doubt that reside in us. You've got to do battle with them, too. Accept the course for what it is, know there will be ups and downs, and be confident in all the work you've put in.

College Street will take you to Oltorf. I'm not sure what the condition of the road is there - there's been a lot of construction in the area. Just watch for potholes gravel, and other roughness.

You get a little downhill - stay conservative, though - you still have almost 4 miles, and a lot of hills, to go.

On South First, you get a lot of downhills. I've never felt particularly fast here, but the times say otherwise. I think for everyone here, you should just work on holding your pace. Again, even though this is 20 miles shorter, we can steal some bits from the marathon race plan:

I want you to think again about relaxing, shake your arms out, loosen your neck and shoulders, then focus on settling into an easy pace. This is where I think you should start feeling like you're running a race, which just means getting your head together and settling into a rhythm.

Do not try to make up time. This is another stretch where people are going to ruin their day by failing to be smart and mature. If you run it properly, and with some restraint, you're going to get some time back, and you're going to bank some energy, as well. On some of the steeper downhill portions, you might even put the brakes on a bit – but not too much. You need to control your pace, minimizing impact, and keeping your turnover rate from getting so high you're actually taxing your lungs and legs. But, you don't want to be really jamming on the brakes, either, because you'll burn out your quads. It's like driving a car down a mountainside – you have to finesse the brakes so you control your speed without burning them up. You've all worked on finding that balance – do it.

You'll come down onto level ground past Whataburger, and you're about to rejoin the 5K course...


5K AND 10K COURSES:

Both routes rejoin at South First and Barton Springs. The first 10K people will hit here a bit before 8:20 - it's mile 4+ for them. I think all of our 5K runners will be clear by then, but you'll get to see some really fast elites blazing past you here. There will be fencing separating the merge point, so you shouldn't have to worry about anything. And, I believe we'll have some sort of separation between the 5K and 10K runners for the rest of the race - I'll confirm that and let you know.

You'll get a little rise crossing the bridge, then you veer off onto Lavaca. You've got a very mild incline that you might mistake for flat - a "false flat" - but it shouldn't be a problem for you. The real hills don't hit until Sixth Street. Again, they come in waves, and you guys have all run harder, longer hills, for more times than you're about to do, so don't sweat it. Mile 2 for the 5K is around 7th street. Mile 5 for the 10K just before 9th.

Going into a hill, relax, shake your arms out, then pop that head up, push your hips into the hill, and take it on. Around 9th or 10th, you'll be through the worst of it. I think that this is a good point for people to check themselves and decide if they have more left in them. If you do, now's the first time to consciously pick up the pace a little. Remember, it doesn't take much to make a difference, and you don't want to "go" too early and burn up.

You get a little down slope, a little flat, and a little up slope to 15th, where you'll turn right. From here on out, it's like the finish to the half marathon. Here's a downhill that's late enough in the race that you can let it carry you a little more. This can be the second point at which you pick up some pace. You still have to be sensible about it - you each still have around a half mile left, including a good, long, steep hill. On the other hand, that's two laps of the track. You should all be starting to get a feel for how much you can push yourselves. Now's the time to do it.

So, the downhill is steep enough that you can let it carry you a little. Remember, do it with proper form, hips under you, and quicker turnover, not longer stride. your stride will lengthen naturally with speed and gravity, anyway. Stay relaxed!

You'll turn right on San Jacinto, and it starts to slope up. Ignore the gradual slope, and hold your pace. When you hit the real slope, use your form and your will, and just power through it - it's not as bad as it looks. Just think, people ran up this in the last mile of the marathon and half marathon. You can do it after 3 or 6 miles. Look at it as just one time running up Pressler, with the crazy man yelling at you.

A couple of different strategies for getting up this and to the finish... If you need to, if you're really struggling, then break the hill up. Pick a spot a little ways up the hill, and run to it. Then pick another, and get there.

If you're working hard, and want to power up the hill, then pick someone ahead of you, and decide to gradually catch and pass them. At this point, choose your prey wisely, and pursue them patiently.

You turn right on 11th, and 5K folks, if you want, this is your last "go point". Pick someone ahead of you, and catch them and pass them. Then another, and another. If you're giving it all you've got, make sure you stay relaxed, and you're just picking up your turnover to pick up speed.

The 5K finish is at Brazos. The 10K finish is the rest of the way down the hill and around the corner on Congress. I'll be there when you finish - grab your water and food, and come back to cheer for your teammates!

You're all ready for the distances you've chosen. Run smart, run strong, and you'll be fine.