Greasy-Gooney 10k 2016

“Faster turn-over. C’mon!” I screamed internally. I knew my legs had more to give, but I just couldn’t get them to go. My lungs felt great, as did my core. My legs - or leg rather - just wouldn’t stride like it should. It was then that I knew a come-from-behind finish wasn’t going to happen.

The first half of the Greasy-Gooney 10k (Browntown, Va - Shenandoah Valley area) was surprisingly pleasant. Sitting comfortable in 5th place along with my running friend/coach Jeremy, I powered up the hill. My splits were consistent and my heart/breathing rate were on point. A newbie to the area closely followed. I made references to Jeremy about the other guy, and talked a little louder than usual trying to mentally break him. We continued to surge and hoped to finish the first 5k in strong fashion.

By now, the top 2 secured their positions. Mario (another running friend) in third looked more confident than ever and was creating a buffer between him and us. Newbie seemed to falter a bit. At the 2.5 mile mark, the hill increases its grade. Jeremy pushed ahead, but I stayed close. By the time we crested the top  (also the 5k mark), I tried to do my old cross country tactic - keep pushing past the top to break your competition. I lengthened my stride and glided passed Jeremy. This worked for about 15 yards, and then I heard the footsteps.

“All right. Let’s go, Jere…” Only it wasn’t him. Newbie came alongside, almost effortlessly. I did the only thing I could think of at them time. Ask short questions that would hopefully produce long responses to wear him out :)

We chatted a bit. He was from Arlington. Originally from Tennessee. And he went by Josh. Hey, a connection.

We ran about a mile together, and then Josh slowly pulled away. His new target, Mario, slowly got closer to him, but farther from me. It was about this time that Jeremy, who took a few extra puffs at the top, caught up.

We cruised together for about a half mile, and I made a comment on how the new kid was pretty good and might catch Mario. Jeremy must have taken it as a personal challenge. He glance at me and stated, “let’s see what I can do about 4th place.”

Game on. We were now coming off the downhill section (still slightly rolling), but hit a flat spot. If I could increase my turnover and be a bit lighter on my feet, I could reel all three in.

“Go!” I spurred, but with no results. My right foot continued to drive hard into the ground and without much forward propulsion. There was no pain, just an uncomfortable tightness. My stride felt as half as long as it should. This “injury” is really starting to get annoying.

The wind decided it wanted to get in on the action around 5.5 and almost knocked me sideways. It’s going to be one of those finishes...

From the strong uphill 5k and a steady 5:55 descent, I knew my position was secured, and I wouldn’t be able to catch the three ahead of me. A 10k PR was out of the question, as was the course record for my age group. Time to enjoy the countryside.

The Blue Ridge Mountains were more spectacular than I expected. The fall foliage really snuck up on me this year, and I have yet had much time to enjoy its beauty. As I swung around a few bends in the road, I said good morning to the spectating cows and to the woman on her cell-phone. I assumed she was watching the race, but as I jaunted by I didn’t even receive a glance.

“Good morning!” I proclaimed. “Good job,” she stated halfheartedly without a look away from her phone. Meh, priorities.

At the 6 mile mark, I decided to open it up a bit. If nothing more than for a terrible photo that I am eagerly awaiting to see (to be fair, it isn’t the quality of the photo or the photographer. It is definitely the subject and my inability to get a good race picture).

I crossed the finish line in 6th place (1st in my age group) with a time of 39:14. Not too shabby for running and winning a half marathon 2 weeks before, and getting a new marathon PR the week before that.

I sauntered toward the crowd of finishers. I learned that Mario also succumbed to Josh’s (no longer Newbie - he earned my respect) speed. Jeremy never caught them, but he came close.

The four of us went out for a 1.5 mile cool-down together and patiently awaited the awards ceremony. I won a random prize of miniature snickers. Josh received a pumpkin.

Overall, the race was great. Just outside my hometown, dirt cheap ($10), and beautiful scenery. I was able to run with my part of my running team, met a new runner, and even met a few people that I only knew online via Strava. I will definitely be running it again next year and for many years to come!

Winter Series #1 - Mystery Through History

Another year, another Winter Series. TL;DR – 8 races, points based on finish, high quality courses, cheap entry fee, and a lot of fun!

The mystery through history is kind of the odd ball race in the series. Most of them are 5Ks, but that’s not the case with this one. In fact, the distance changes year to year (anywhere from 3 to 5 miles)! Fortunately, this year I was paying attention before the race and heard the director state the distance. Well, sort of. I knew it was 4 point something…

In addition to the distance, the course was described. From the grunts and groans that filled the air, I realized that the hills would be a challenge. However, being from Front Royal, I thought maybe this was just the flat landers and treadmillers talking.

NOPE! Have you ever heard your grandfather talking about how he used to walk up hill, both ways, to and from school, in a foot of snow, barefoot? Welp, I found the hill he was talking about.

The first mile went well. I started out slower than usual (a new thing for me), and was hoping to build up the pace. I had the lead pack in sight on long straights and knew I was around the top 10. “Good,” I thought. I can settle in, work the hills, and then crush the finish.

NOPE AGAIN!

Alright… it’s been a while since I did a hill workout. Hell, I took a long time off from running in general since the Richmond Marathon. And the “workouts” I did were not intense at all. But these hills were tough. They weren’t huge. They weren’t long. But they were constantly rolling. I’d recover on a downhill and then my heart rate would spike again going up the next knoll. All I could do was focus on the 3 people ahead of me, and hope to stay with them.

Fortunately, one of those three was Brenda – a staple to the SVR running events. I passed her early on and then she reciprocated the favor around mile 2. I hate being passed, so I needed to stay close.

Climbing back into the woods before the finish, I felt refreshed and ready to rock. But so did Brenda. I followed in her shadow as we reeled in the other two guys ahead of us. She then slowly pulled away with every stride, but with less than .75 of a mile to go, I knew I had the guts to pass the other two.

(Heading towards the finish. Photo by Karsten Brown)

The woods section is enjoyable, but deceivingly long. Fortunately, I remembered my trail shoes as the trail is chunky rock. I blew by the two guys (whom I later found out went out EXTREMELY fast and gassed out) and focused on my finish. Though Brenda was now out of the picture, I opened up my stride on the straight, downhill finish. As I crossed the finish line and looked at the time, I wasn’t impressed; but I was still happy. 

4.1 miles, 27:24 elapsed, 6:34 pace, 8^th overall, 1^st for my age group 20-29.

2015 Apple Blossom 10k Recap

Apple Blossom weekend always seems to be super chaotic. Being newer to the area, I am not familiar with all the road closings and secret spots to park. Rest assured (after 15 minutes of driving around) I found an amazing spot just a 2 minute jog away!

Expecting to wait in lines, I rushed down a hill and then patiently waited for my precarious wife to take the same jaunt. When we finally made it to the registration tent, I was in awe! The “I” to “L” line had no one else in it! Every other line had a minimum of 4 people waiting. I guess it finally pays off to have the Ilnicki surname (that, and knowing when a stranger/telemarketer is calling). Time to stash our shirts and goodie bag and take off for a warm-up run.

Sara led the way down a side street. We chatted briefly as we cruised just over a quarter of a mile around an 8:20 pace. With the start time edging near, we changed directions and headed back.

With about 10 minutes before race-time, my body decided it was round two for bathroom breaks. I said “Good luck” and “love you” to Sara, and her the same. My main squeeze now my main competition  J My number 1 goal, don’t let my wife beat me!

Seeing that the line for the main section of Johnny Blues,  Ed’s Heads, Port-a-Johns or whatever your region calls them, going about 20 people deep, I recalled on my previous year of experience and went an eighth of a mile behind the grandstands. There were at least 10 bathroom stalls, no lines, and plenty of toilet paper! I finished up my paperwork, chatted with a friend on goals (mine being anywhere from 7:00 to 7:15 pace. His being much faster)  and to the line I went. As I was getting my second warm-up in, the national anthem started. Fortunately, I found a spot roughly 4 rows back from the start. “I got this,” I thought, as I scanned the start for my running buddies. I saw no one…

Mile 1

The first mile is always an interesting one. There is no true sectioning of predicted paces, and with many people wanting to get noticed by photographers, friends, family, or just because they think they are the next Meb, everyone is intermingled. This year, it didn’t seem nearly as bad and most actually seemed to know about pacing! With the race jitters on full blast, I took off. Glancing at my watch, I was cruising at a 6:00 pace. Hmmm, let’s pull back on the reins. I started to slow after the second turn and let the waves of people pass me. Then, we start heading up the hill by Handley High School. One by one, I start to pick them off. I also get picked off by a few. However, I do start to fall into my pace. As I crest the hill, a running friend passes me. We are exchange pleasantries and discuss pace and goals. The others surrounding us are in complete silence. We fly down the downhill and cross the grandstands again. Another rush of energy enters my body as I see my parents and daughter cheering me on. Man, she’s a cutie. 6:29 first mile! Whoa!

Mile 2

Mile two seemed to go by just as fast. The vigor of the crowd makes one forget how fast they are actually going.  I kept glancing at my watch, trying to slow down. I was able to slow down a bit, but I felt so good that I decide to keep the fast pace. Not much to say about this mile. Lots of people, both runners and fans. Pace was a 6:44 mile.

5K Mark

The fastest that I was hoping to come through this point was 21:30. This would have put me almost exactly at a 7:00 pace, which would have helped me push even harder. To my surprise, I was pushing it faster --- 21:06. I know 0:24 doesn’t seem like much, but at this moment of this race, I was flabbergasted. This is when I started to believe in myself that a sub 7:00 pace was possible. Up until the start of the next mile, I started doing math in my head, seeing how much I could slack off and still maintain a 7:00 minute pace. Oh, and a coworker, Mike, passed me. His goal was around a 7:00 pace, too. I just wanted to keep him in my sights.

Mile 4

This was by far my least favorite mile. Right before the marker, there was a switchback. On the way to the switchback, I got to see all of my (now much faster) running friends. I cheered them on, which in return made me continue a quick pace. After rounding the corner, I saw my wife and one more friend and his son (whom he was helping pace). The rest of the mile was just me, my thoughts, and a head-wind as the road slightly inclined. Seriously, I had no one to truly pace off of, and Mike was much farther ahead of me than I liked. I needed to turn it up, though my pace was still good - a solid 6:56.

Mile 5

Powering up the next hill (thank you Front Royal), I was able to increase my pace and carry it over into the downhill. I was now way out of my training speed. I started to pass people as I pushed to a 6:30 pace to catch Mike. Cresting the first little knoll, I was slowly reeling him in. I’m not sure if he picked up his pace, too, or what, but I needed a boost badly if I was going to make it happen. I did a quick form check, focused on my breathing, and thought what else I could do. Then, I remembered RunningDad.com ‘s Jeremy Sanders’ posts. He always gives out high fives when he runs. I grabbed a cup of water, doused myself with it, and headed towards the fans. Like a match made in heaven, a little boy roughly 8 years old caught my eye. He knew immediately what to do. He threw out his hand, and I gave him the weakest high five of my life. Yet, the joy on his face put a smile on mine and the run became slightly easier. I pushed onward to run next to Mike. Mile split 6:59

Mile 6

Just over halfway through the last mile, I was able to catch Mike. We talked about the pace, how we both were hurting, and how I had nothing left. I tried my best to keep up with him, but he slowly pulled away by a few strides. This was probably for the better. If I am running next to someone, I feel obligated to talk to them. From this little “break,” I was able to regroup. I did another form/breathing check and focused. Then, like an angel glistening in the sun, I found my next power boost. I girl was holding a sign that read, “Push Button for Power.” Boy, did I push that button! Mile time 6:52.

The last 0.2

Holy crap! I made this far with every mile under 7:00! I definitely didn’t imagine this. As I rounded the corner to get on the home stretch, every muscle fiber was screaming. My form went to crap, and my breathing was now an inconsistent struggle to gasp. I was done, ready to bonk. But then, just when I thought I was going to slowly cross the finish line like a slug on a hot day, I saw Estella. Man, she’s a cutie. With her cheering me on, I pushed aside the pain, threw a smile on my face and charged onward! I was even able to pass Mike (even though his net time still had me beat by 0:01)! Crossing that finish line was pure bliss! My official finishing time was 42:36!

After thoughts

As I sit here typing this, my wife is mocking me about my usual sayings, “If I would have ran a little more” or “if I trained a bit harder” yada yada yada, I completely think of the opposite. I’m darn proud of myself and what I accomplished. To come back on such a short amount of time and with not much training, I was still able to push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of doing. My body was riddled with toxins and most cells were either dead or dying just a few weeks ago. I’m still recovering, yes; however, I am still a contender. A few more training runs and some core workouts and I’ll be back to my old pace. With that said, watch out running world, Ilnicki is (slowly coming) back! 

(My amazing wife, Sara and myself after completing 

the Apple Blossom 10K. Photo credits to Kim Ilnicki)