kmwest's Indy Mini Report

[kmwest]

cross-posted from my log:

My original flight out of Washington National was at 7:30pm, to arrive in Indy at 9:30. I got off work early on Friday, paid $25 to get on the 4:30 flight to Indy out of Reagan, and was in the Circle City by 6:15. Not a bad deal. Ate at a buffet place with my family and tried to fall asleep around 10. Naturally, I can never sleep easily the night before a race. I think I got 5 hours sleep that night, maybe 6.

My phone's alarm went off at 5:30, far too early for a weekend. I got dressed, shaved, and ate a less-than-optimal breakfast of a banana with PB, and a half bowl of Cookie Crisp. (When I was my nieces' age, at least we had Froot Loops. That at least had the appearance of being somewhat good for you.) My parents and I took two cars and dropped one off at my mom's work in downtown Indy, then we went in my dad's car to the race site. We parked a block behind the "Z" corral (I was to meet Dave and Jim at a spot between C and D.) Got up to the meeting site and didn't see them, and as the race start came very close I decided to actually be in the corral at the start. So I hopped in the faster end of B (My bib said A, but there's no way I am that fast anymore) and took off. It was pretty humid but not too hot, but definitely no-shirt weather.

I enjoyed the first couple miles, high-fiving the poor saps dressed in Zoo animal costumes and giving the "shocker" sign to deserving musical acts. I was running in the middle of the road when somebody to my left said my first name. I look over and yep, it's Jim (twins). He introduces himself and we run together for a few miles. I thought I'd have a hard time keeping up with him, but he wasn't feeling it (he said so.) So after about a half-mile inside the track, I got some distance on him and didn't see him again until the race was over.

I maintained 6:50-7:15 miles throughout, most of them within a second or two of 7:00. Faster than I'd planned on, but I told myself that if I can keep getting 7:10 or faster per mile I wouldn't back off. The race exits the track around mile 8.5, and around 9 or 10 I was starting to hurt in my back and I was getting a side stitch. Also, the vaseline I applied to my legs before the race was wearing off and I was wondering if I had bloody thighs. But the race had truly begun, so I dug deep and kept laying down sub-7s. The last half-mile of the race lasted for a solid seven or eight miles, then I crossed and waited for Jim in the chute.

After hearing his litany of excuses for not beating me, we wandered around a bit and waited by Dave's gear check spot (gear check was in FedEx trucks, assigned by your bib number.) I met the man, the legend himself, and after waiting fruitlessly for Jamie to answer his phone (and confirming that he did, indeed, finish the race, in the results tent) the three of us departed for Taco Express in the, uh, "economically diverse" east side. Taco Express is such a high-class place, they don't have soap or towels in the men's bathroom. After making a poor decision regarding some "homemade" hot sauce (see Jim's race report) I bemoaned my choice and regaled the table with the story of my first and only experience with dip.

Jim dropped me off at my dad's car, then I went to my parents' house for the evening. I felt like crap for a few hours, but after laying down and wishing I could vomit, I felt better. I'm pretty sure the hot sauce did it. Then I flew back to DC on Sunday morning. I'm satisfied with my time, although I did the 2006 Mini in 40 seconds faster per mile. But I'm getting back to where I used to be.

The stats:
DIVISION: M2024
OVERALL: 647
DIVPL: 50/672
SEXPL: 593/13973
TIME: 1:32:14
PACE: 7:03
5Mile: 35:05
10Mile: 1:10:51
Last5K: 21:23 (wow, I actually sped up at the end!)

The pics - including too-far-riding-up shorts!