Mustache Mile 2014

While endurance racing is a challenging and enjoyable endeavor for a runner, sometime you need to try something a little shorter, to remind yourself that running is as much about speed as it is about longevity.  Many will run 5k's and 10k's to fill this urge, and I am no different, but there is one distance that is a unique challenge for any runner, especially an endurance runner.  That distance is 1600 meters, otherwise known as a mile.  What makes this distance challenging is how it must be run.  Unlike marathon's, 10k's, or even 5k's, a single mile will give the runner very little room for mistakes, cannot allow them to start slow, and punishes them for starting off too fast.  In a nutshell, there is a complex strategy that will need to be played out in that short few minutes of a race to achieve a successful 1 mile race.  The first part of that strategy is knowing the course.

 Potomac River Runners has hosted several 1 mile races over the last few years.  Initially they were known as 'The Nearly Naked Mile', to support burn victims, and recently 'The Mustache Mile', supporting prostate cancer.  Each of these utilized a course that looped through the Reston Town Center.  The course is broken up into two loops; the first is a 600 meter loop starting at the fountain and goes around the first block.  This loop starts downhill, turns right, then goes up two small hills, and then back downhill to the starting line.  From this point, the course continues one more block down before turning right and heading back up the hill, this time with a third hill section.  While an elevation map would say the course is flat, running it as short distance speeds would tell you otherwise.  Any strategy for this race must take into account the second half of each loops uphill.

Another part of a strategy for this short of a race is where you position yourself at the start line.  While this is a critical part of any race, positioning can make or break you for a mile race in the first 400 meters.  If a racer starts at the front, toeing the line with the fastest racers for that heat, expect to start out fast.  If you can keep up, then this is a great place to be, as you can mentally grab onto a fast racer and hold on, focusing past the pain to a fast finish.  If your a 6 minute mile runner in the heat with 4.5 minute mile racers, this would be a bad idea.  You will start off fast and you will try to keep up with the 4.5 minute milers, until your legs give out and you either severely back off or drop out.  Instead, starting a bit further back, allowing for a slightly slower start, will give you a much better chance at a strong finish and a satisfying race.

The last part of strategy is warming up.  As the races get shorter, you will need to take longer to warm up.  For a 5k, I tend to run around a mile or so as a warmup, and for a marathon, I tend to do a lot less, as I will use the starting few miles as additional warmup.  For a mile race, I tend to do 2-3 miles, making sure my muscles are as warmed up and loose as possible.  Each person will have a different amount of time and distance to satisfy their warmup need, but the faster the race, the more a runner will need to already be in the zone before the start.

Each year that Potomac River Runners have offered this race, I have taken the opportunity to race it, in the hope to achieve a sub-6 mile.  Each time I go through the above strategies before the race, and each time I have missed the mark.  Some of it is failing on execution of the above strategies (aka my attempt to keep up with Mo last year at the start being a prime example of that), but most if it is due to fatigue within the legs.  This has been due to the fact that each year I am coming off of a marathon and/or 10k within a week or two of the race.  This year was no different.  The Sunday before the race, I had completed the NYC Marathon, which fatigued my legs more then previous years.  Leading up to the race, I had run 4 miles in the morning to see how far my legs had recovered.  The run exposed the hamstrings as the current weak point of the legs, having not recovered as much as the rest of the legs.  This forced me to re-look at how I would run the race, as injury would be bad, and a DNF due to going out too fast on the first two hills would annoy the hell out of me.

I had agreed to help pace a friend for this race, as he had a previous PR for the mile of 6:40 and wanted to try to hit 6 minutes.  While I thought that was aggressive, I was willing to help him by pacing with him, hopefully driving him to a strong finish.  Once I met him at the race, I informed him of my concern on how I have recovered and stated that if my hamstrings were as tired as they seemed to be this morning, I would be happy with a sub-8 minute mile.  With that, I suggested that if he wanted to try for the 6 minute time, he should move to the front of our heat, the 6-8 minute heat, pick a runner, and us them as a focus point to pull him through the race and home.  I started near the back of the pack to make sure I didn't start too fast, and to make sure that I am not in the way of the faster runners.  Later, after reviewing the photos posted by PRR, I saw that my friend started at the line, and didn't try to find a rabbit until after the first turn.  This was a bad sign for him, as I observed later in the race.

My friend in the Superman shirt all the way to the right, and Lisa Johnston, the speedster ready to pounce all the way to the left.

When the "gun" went off, I followed the middle of the pack down the street to the first turn.  I had spent a good 30 minutes warming up (running, stretching, high knees and butt kickers) and knew that my hamstrings may not be as problematic as this mornings run foretold.  After the second right, the start of the hills, I started my normal hill mantra: "Same effort, no speed".  Hill running, even in short races, should be the same effort as you would use on a flat section.  For this race, it was a good idea, as you wanted to conserve some energy for the second loop, and those hills.  Two more rights and I was heading downhill to the start line, feeling great and ready for the second loop.  At this point, my friend was not in immediate site, so I assumed he was on pace for a 6 minute mile.

Passing the first loop and starting the second loop

As I got to the start line, I decided to kick up the pace.  If the hamstrings weren't screaming, lets see what was still left in the tank.  Using the downhill part of the course, I gained on the runners ahead of mean and started passing racers.  This always gives me confidences and helps me drive harder.  Two more turns to the right and it was time for the hills again.  While the first loops mantra was about pace, here I tossed that out for a different mantra.  Here I chose to start picking off racers as motivation, ignoring pace and speed at this point.  Focusing on passing people kept my mind off fatigue and pain that was expected at this point of the race, even for the fully rested racer.  Half way up the hill I caught up to my friend, who was breathing very heavy and laboring to get up the hill.  On like some of my friends, he has never liked motivational words or running with him to help push him. Instead, he prefers to get pissed off because you pass him, so I did, adding a solute and wave as I went by,   At the top of the hill, I decided to push it and sprinted the rest of the way to the finish line, ending with a 6:22 final time.

Sprinting across the finish line

My friend crossed at 6:40, a very respectable time, but once he caught his breath, he had one thing to say: "So, you weren't recovered from the marathon, your hamstrings were tired, and you didn't think you would get much under 8?  Dick!"  Now it was time to watch the rest of the heats and cheer on friends as they race through the mile course with a silly mustache and a smile!

Lisa finishing first in the women's 6-8 minute heat!

                       

Chip finishing at 6:40!    

Kim finishing strong, with her rocking mustache 

and sunglasses shirt!

Michelle finishing strong and waving back at us!

What I got from the race was the following:

1. Warming up properly can help loosen up sore muscles, and help protect them during a race.
2. Starting a race at the right point in the heat makes a world of difference
3. Having fun is as much of a goal as finishing by a certain time
4. Maybe I should do one of these races after resting a bit and not after killing my body on long endurance races

 Please NOTE!
While I got through the race with a smile, had fun, and finished strong, it should be noted that racing on back to back weekends, especially with one being a marathon and the other a speed-based race, is never a good idea.  It can put too much stress on your body and raise the likelihood of injury.  So while I may be a bit crazy, you should always race safe, have fun, and listen to your body.  There is never a race worth risking injury.