McKirdy Mile #2

Two weeks ago, I ran the first McKirdy Mile (of four) in and around Horner Park in 5:36. In that attempt, I went out way too fast in the first quarter mile (5:15 mile pace) and paid for it on the next three as I had so slow down (5:43 average mile pace).

In the ensuing two weeks, I really didn't up my training load, but since I went out too fast last time, I thought with a slower first quarter mile and gradually increasing my speed thereafter, I should be able to run a few seconds faster using strategy alone.

Pre-Race:

I've decided to try and race on Saturday using Sunday as a backup. Probably a good thing to do going forward, since that way I leave myself a spare day if I'm not feeling it or the weather is bad. It's also nice having a backup day in case something comes up unexpectedly on Saturday. If I wait until Sunday and something comes up unexpectedly on Sunday then I'm out of luck.

Anyway, the weather was good on Saturday with temps around 65. When I woke up, I did a two miler really slowly to loosen up/shakeout. Then I rested for a few hours and at around 11:30am jogged over to Horner Park for race #2. Initially, I was going to run from south to north along Horner Park's western edge on the sidwalk along North California Avenue. I was timing the lights at Irving Park Rd and California Ave. (so I could hit the intersection when it turned green), when I suddenly noticed that there was a slight wind coming out of the north. It wasn't a strong wind, but it was enough for me to question why I wouldn't want to have that wind as a tailwind instead of a headwind. So, I walked a mile north so I could run with the breeze to my back. 

After a 15 minute walk along Horner Park and across Montrose Avenue, I arrived at a spot just far enough away that I was able to see the traffic lights at Montrose and California. That way I could time out my start, so that when I ran up to the intersection the lights would be green.

Starting point for McKirdy #2.
This time starting north and heading south

I rested a bit, and let the lights cycle a couple more times and when the lights turned red, I took off!

The Race:

Mile 0.25:  I started out quickly (once again) and glancing down at my watch I once again saw a 5:05 pace. I knew that I needed to slow, and I did a better job at doing this than last time. I crossed Montrose Avenue, just as the light turned green (i.e. perfectly) and was now running along Horner Park. I felt good and felt good about how much I had slowed down. Looks like I'm getting better at pacing, but not perfect as this was my fastest quarter. 1:22 (5:15/mile pace).

Mile 0.50: Suddenly I felt a pain in my right hamstring. I was wearing racing flats which I never run in except to race. I guess somehow I overstretched my hammy by my sudden and quick start in "new" shoes, I slowed down so I could get a sense of just how bad of shape my leg was. 1:26 (5:36/mile pace).

Mile 0.75: I figured I was already halfway through and though my right leg felt uncomfortable, I sensed it wasn't a bad injury so I just kept hauling. The pedestrian light at the intersection of Irving Park Rd and California Avenue was counting down 15, 14, 13, 12... as I approached. Would I make it in time? 1:26 (5:52/mile pace).

My McKirdy Mile #2

Mile 1.0: As the traffic light flashed 5, 4, 3..., I burst across the street and made it to the other side of Irving Park Road with no time to spare. This surge may have taken a little out of me and I still had a quarter mile to go. There were a couple of people ahead of me so I dropped down off of the sidewalk and onto California Ave hugging the shoulder. A final burst of speed and I was done! 1:25 (5:43/mile).

Stats:

Official Finish Time: 5:39

Official Pace: 5:39/mile

Garmin Pace: 5:39/mile
1/2 mile splits: 2:48 and 2:51

Place AG: 8th out of 41 (as of Sunday night)

Relaxing Post Race

Analysis:

Although I was three seconds slower than two weeks ago, my splits were more even. Instead of a nine second swing between my fastest and slowest quarter, this time it was only four seconds. I had a three second positive split this time, vs. a 10 second positive split for Mckirdy #1. Who knows why I was slower for this race, although a lot of it may have been being slightly hobbled mentally by pulling the hammy mid-race and perhaps I subconsciously leaned towards preservation rather than extending myself. As for strategy, my first quarter was still my fastest, when it should have been my slowest. Maybe a slower start will also help keep my legs healthy for the entire race? Oh well, I have two more chances to get it right. Think negative splits for #3!

McKirdy Mile Race Pace Comparison "Living life a quarter mile at a time"
Quarter Mile	Race #1 5/2/20	Race #2  5/19/20	Race #3 6/6/20	Race #4 6/27/20
1	1:19	1:22	*	*
2	1:24	1:26	*	*
3	1:28	1:26	*	*
4	1:25	1:25	*	*
Total	5:36	5:39	*	*

                                                                 *TBD

Post Race:

Again, it's virtual race so just a walk home. Womp!

Next Up:

McKirdy Mile #3 on 5/3

McKirdy Mile #1

The McKirdy Mile is a free race series of four one mile races spread out over eight weeks. Each race is virtual with a few rules meant to keep a level playing field since there are prizes. For example, the mile can't be run on a track, the net elevation drop can't be more than 1% and GPS data must be submitted with your race time as proof. Otherwise, the only other rule is that on the weekends of a race you have from Saturday at 12 a.m. to Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to complete your mile. 

Since I'm only running short distances a few days a week to keep my fitness up during the pandemic, I thought racing a mile would be fun to do so I could at least be able to participate in a race and not have to wear myself out with any extra training. So, last week I signed up for the first race in the series meaning I had to run my first mile on either May 2nd or May 3rd. The race also had a race prediction contest, so I put down 5:50 for my time which I thought was safe given my low mileage.

Pre-Race:

I debated whether to race on Saturday or Sunday. My first thought was that if I ran it on May 2nd and things didn't go well, I could always try again on May 3rd and submit the better of the two times. Then I realized this would not be keeping with the spirit of an in-person race - meaning typically you only get one shot at it. Therefore I would only give myself one opportunity to do it.

Anyway, the weather was good on Saturday with temps in the low 60s and I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to run it on Saturday. I tried to figure out the best place to run and decided that since Horner Park is 1/2 mile in length it would give me a nice place to run a straight shot with minimal turns. Then I realized that turns don't matter as much in GPS measured races since your watch is keeping "perfect" distance and you don't have to worry about running the perfect line. Turns do slow you down a little though, so I was hoping to keep it to just a few.

When I got to Horner Park at around noon, the wind was out of the west and as tempting as it was to find a new course which would allow me to run most of it with the wind to my back, I decided just to keep with my plan of running from south to north on the half mile stretch so the wind would be (for the most part) at my side.

To give myself another 100m of "straight" distance I walked across Irving Park Road and walked to the front of McFetridge Sports Center. I timed the stop light so that I would hit the crosswalk just as the light turned green.

My starting place in front of McFetridge Sports Center

After waiting for the traffic light to cycle one more time, I clicked "start" on my Garmin and I was off! 

The Race:

Mile 0.25:  I started out quickly, and I even glanced down at my watch and noticed that I was running at a 5:05 pace. Much too fast. I crossed Irving Park Road timing the lights perfectly and was now in Horner Park. I was blazing way too quickly for my fitness and was risking a premature crash. I kept telling myself to slow down, which I was able to do, but only at the end of this quarter mile. 1:19 (5:15/mile pace).

Mile 0.50: Near the beginning of this "lap" I could really feel my lungs burn and lactic acid accumulate in my legs. I was slowing down whether I liked it or not. 1:24 (5:36/mile pace).

Mile 0.75: I was nearing the end of my straight-away and was really slowing down but wasn't in too much pain. I made my first turn of the race on Montrose and headed to the east - happy to have a tailwind for a moment. 1:28 (5:52/mile pace).

My mile (in red)

Mile 1.0: After running a hundred yards with the wind to my back I made the turn into the park and ran back into the wind. I gave it all I had and actually was able to speed up a little. My watch beeped indicating I had run my fourth quarter mile and I was done! 1:25 (5:43/mile).

Stats:

Official Finish Time: 5:36

Official Pace: 5:36/mile

Garmin Pace: 5:36/mile
1/2 mile splits: 2:43 and 2:53

Place AG: 6th out of 69

Post Race

Analysis:

I ran by feel and ran too fast to start. Maybe I could have shaved off 5 seconds if I had tried to run a little slower out of the gate. Luckily I have three more races in the series to redeem myself! Most of all, I really enjoyed getting back and running a race. I spent the days before looking forward to it and strategizing - just like I do before an in-person race.

Post Race:

Since it was a virtual race, there was no after party - well no official one anyway. So, I ran/walked home.

Next Up:
McKirdy Mile #2 on 5/16!