Our first week of the FLRC Challenge is in the books, and it has been a fabulous start! We have 64 people signed up so far, and 23 people have completed at least one of the two open courses: the East Hill Rec Way downhill mile and the Pseudo Skunk Cabbage half marathon. And oh, the results on the FLRC Challenge leaderboard have been so much fun to watch!
Overall, Aaron King (@aaronking32) and Gabrielle Woo (@gplwoo) have cruised into the points lead with the fastest times on the Pseudo Skunk Cabbage course and the third-fastest times on the East Hill Rec Way. Pete Kresock (@Petorius) is atop the Most Miles standings thanks to running the Pseudo Skunk half marathon twice in the week, and following it up with an East Hill Rec Way mile.
We’re certain to see some fast times on the East Hill Rec Way downhill mile this year, and right now Bill Watson (@billwatson) and Jullien Flynn (@jullfly) hold the top spots with a 4:59 and 5:58, respectively. Adam Pacheck (@apacheck) has focused hard on that course, notching a whopping 10 efforts this week.
Team-wise, the lead keeps wiggling back and forth, but the @Terrific-20s-Teens have pulled ahead of the @Thundering-30s thanks to Gabrielle Woo’s Pseudo Skunk time. Meanwhile, anomalies related to having too few runners and too few courses are skewing the rest of the team results. Charlie Fay (@crf1) has single-handedly put the @Super-60s-70s in third place with his single 7:18 mile boosting the team’s average age-grading, with the @Fabulous-50s and @Fantastic-40s close behind.
In course news, I’ll be checking out the Waterfront Trail this weekend and will start the process of getting our sign posted if it has melted sufficiently, as I suspect it has. I am planning to reroute it slightly due to the old Haunt being torn down and thus there being a construction zone at the turnaround point. The Cornell Botanic Gardens course is not yet runnable—there are still two shady spots with dangerous ice covering the entire road—but with luck, it will melt in the next week or so too. After that, the question is when the South Hill Rec Way and Black Diamond Trail will be clear enough to run.
I ran the East Hill Recway mile 3 times this week and didn’t even get an honorable mention. I wish I had the ability to step up my game, but I am already giving my best efforts, and I cannot compete with the elite runners. Fingers crossed that some more 50 year olds join the ranks to help me out.
Karen
Here’s something I found interesting after my run on the EH Rec mile course today.
I ran the mile course 15 miles into a 20-mile run, during which I started to fade only 12 miles in. Holding a pace faster than 8:30 felt like a chore after it had felt easy for the first 12. Running with my phone, I made my way over to the Rec Way mile start and scanned the code to start the timer and continued moseying on.
Fast forward about 10 seconds. Something clicked, I picked up the pace without thinking about it, and all the sudden a 7:00-ish pace was easier than running 8:30 down Forest Home. I think I had it in the back of my mind that with the clock running and the results to be published, my time would somehow be judged. A stupid thought for sure, and not something I was actively considering, but I have no other explanation for the rapid change in perceived exertion. I breezed through the mile in about 7:12 and felt better over the next few miles of the long run than I did before that mile.
Has anyone else experienced something like this on these Challenge courses, in races, or elsewhere?
Don’t worry, Karen—those efforts will add up throughout the year and everyone contributes to the team effort, regardless of individual standings. I’m sure that once we @Fabulous-50s get our aging legs in gear, we’ll be moving up the standings.
Yep. I’m far from in racing shape, but on my pass through the EHRW today, I found my pace dropping well below what I’d been running until that point, though it still felt controlled. Great to hear that the pickup made you feel better afterward too.
But remember, not every effort has to be fast—which is why prizes also go to the best average time and most efforts as well—and there’s no harm to your average or standings by running a course slowly.
I’m in the opposite boat as Pete: after 6+ years of retirement, I apparently forget how to race, and after my first sub-6:30 mile since 2015 yesterday, it now hurts to laugh!
Let me preface by stating I am not fond of roads, nor have I run more than 7 miles in one day in several years. However, I challenged myself on the pseudo skunk course today, and was pleased with some lovely scenery. It was tough and hilly, but I finished. Now for a hot shower, chocolate milk, and bacon…not necessarily in that order.
I’m in the opposite boat as Pete: after 6+ years of retirement, I apparently forget how to race, and after my first sub-6:30 mile since 2015 yesterday, it now hurts to laugh!