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gretriever
Hipster Doofus
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Joined: 16 Jul 2003
Posts: 19385
Location: A moving target in a firing range.
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 Posted: 09/25/05 - 19:01 Post subject: Have A Nice Trip, See You Next Fall (race report)
Quad Cities Half Marathon
(Moline & Rock Island IL, Bettendorf & Davenport IA)
Going into this race, I was the only one of the Riff Raff who was going to do the race originally planned or entering the race healthy. You would not know this from the running commentary and, shall we say, interesting driving. To make one of the other three laugh right now... FLICK'S.
The course is the same (exactly) as when I first ran this in 2003. For just the half, one crosses the Mississippi and Rock Rivers four times, the first going on the I-74 bridge into Iowa. With traffic. As I have not run a half for time since the Valpo Mini-Marathon in early April, I wanted a simple goal of at least a pace of under ten minutes. I'd've been very happy if I got it under two hours - if it was over two and thirty, I would be in real trouble for Chicago.
As LC, JU, and JUJR (all of whom did the 5K - I'm sure their reports will surface here or elsewhere), and I waited before the race, the best thing that could have happend for me happened. At 7 AM, rain, which soon turned into a downpour. It last a good ten minutes, went away for five or so, then came back even better.
A little after 7:30, the race starts. It stops raining. And, boys and girls, what is the air like right after a warm-weather rain? That's right - HUMID  . I am still in the first mile, and even dressed for the conditions, I was overheated - not perspiring, but like I was burning up (and not in the good way). Nonetheless, I keep a nine-minute pace, a touch over, for the first five or six miles.
In the seventh mile, at probably the half-way point, I notice my shoe is untied. I start indicating I'm going to pull over to the right to get off the course, and over I go. And down. or the third time in a race, I get the bad heel clipped. And I go down on the bricks, literally. A quality drop and roll, just like the thousands of parachute landings I've done.  Seriously, this may have been the best thing I did. The injury was a pain for the next two miles, and cost me the two-hour goal. But if I'd tried to stay on my feet, like Chicago, it would have been very bad news.
By mile ten, I know I won't get the two hours, but I still have a good shot at the ten-minute pace. And for once, the feet were willing - the last four miles negatived nicely - 9:43.33, 9:42.19, 9:24.22, and 8:45.70. It was still humid at the finish, but I did get some positive lessons from this. The heel is in better shape than I had first thought, and it's been a good long while since I've gotten negatives so late in a long race.
If I can only figure a way to get the humidity to work for me, I'll be in fine shape. It had better be gone by Chicago...
As of the time I prepare this, no official results available. Watch time, 2:04:13, a pace of 9:28.93.
UPDATE - Official stuff.
Time - 2:04:16 (9:28.75)
Overall - 311 of 648 (a top half finish - truly surprising)
Men - 204 of 328
AG - 23 of 40 (close to the top half)
Last edited by gretriever on 09/26/05 - 07:33; edited 1 time in total
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Kimba90
Member
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Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 3594
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Posted: 09/25/05 - 19:26 Post subject:
Ouch!!!! You and that heel, maybe you should change your handle to Achilles.
Nice recovery there, though, and good on ya for sticking through the pain!
Did anyone get a picture of the tumble?
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As always lots of laughing and fun, good times. 
I can't wait till Chicago! And JUJR says she is coming too! You may regret this! 
