Our Own Mark Raybuck Ranked #1 In The Mile

Disappointing Mile

First screen only showed top 6, but there were really 10 guys!

After 4 to 5 weeks of training including some speed workouts, I bettered my "season's" mile time from 5:30.7 to 5:21.99 today, in an indoor USATF track meet.  I was shooting for 5:16, but it just wasn't going to happen today.  I felt tired even after 200 meters.  I had trouble memorizing the splits due to fatigue, but as best as I can recall, they were about 79, 2:41, 4:02, then 5:21.99.

mid race in the pack (I'm No. 152)

I was 5th out of 10 guys (all over 40), with the top two guys under 4:53.

I felt like I pushed hard, and had to bend over gasping for breath for several seconds at the end.

Now one silver lining is that using age graded calcs, my time today at Age 54 was slightly better than my 5:17.8 at Age 52 (81.8% for today's race versus 81.57% two years ago).

But, I still like to think in absolute rather than relative age graded terms, so the bottom line is that I ran slower this year than in 2010.

I think in order to run a quality mile, I really need to train in the spring and summer instead of trying to do a single track race on the heels of trail and cross country season.  But unfortunately, clay court tennis season starts mid-May, so I have too many conflicts in the spring and summer, and really only start serious training in September, even October.

But overall, I guess I'm pleased.

Raybuck finishing (fatigued!)

Mark

Mile Prep Update

I ran a good track workout last Saturday, with 6 quarters, averaging about 81 to 82 seconds, and 4 220s, around 37 to 38.5 range.  I followed this up with a tempo run Wednesday night, total of 4.1 miles, with a 1.5 mile tempo segment at 6:44/mile pace.

The plan was to go back to the track tomorrow, for a final speed workout before the December 29 indoor mile run.  However, snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow, totaling 4 to 7 inches, and very windy.  The track may be covered.  So, will either try to find some bare patches of road and run quarters and 220s on the road, or wait until Sunday and see if the track might clear up by then. 

Stay tuned!

Reindeer Run 5K Results!



Raybuck near start (on left, all black)



My short road racing season (one race, well two, if you count the pre-cross season road race in August) came and went already!  An annual tradition for me, since about 2000, the Reindeer Run 5K is a great race, with a fabulous post-race buffet of Salen's hot dogs, decent local pizza, cake, cookies, fruit, etc.  Oh, and the race itself.



Raybuck at about halfway, face still relaxed (sort of).



A little disappointing, as I ran 18:46 (6:02 per mile average), 18 seconds slower than last year, with better weather, and a new, flatter course than last year).  I did, however, move up from 15th place in 2011 to 12th overall in 2012 out of 788 runners, but I moved down a notch in the always tough 50 to 54 year old age group, placing only 3rd out of about 40, compared to 2nd last year.  However, the top three in our age group were all together, 10th, 11th, and 12th overall, beating ALL the 40 to 44 year olds, and all but one of the 45 to 49 year olds (who was 4th overall in 16:59).  Also, any of us would have placed 3rd or better in ANY of the younger age groups, so overall, not bad for codgers.

Splits:  5:58, 6:06 (slight uphill included in 2nd mile).



Link to the results is here!  (click on the age graded overall link at the top right for fun).

GVH Mudslog Trail Race - Some Uncertainty

Hi, everyone.  This is another VERY late post, a trail race from October 21, 2012, so I'll keep it brief.  I ran in the annual 8.25 mile GVH Mudslog trail race on October 21, 2012, my sixth appearance in the 7-year history of the event.  Last year, I placed 9th out of 223 runners, and this year, although I felt my condition was similar, I only managed 17th out of 272, with a time of 1:12:07, about 2 minutes slower than last year.  The course, which is a rugged cross country/trail/obtacle race, was slightly different this year, and could potentially have been slower, but it is hard to tell for sure.  

Link to results is here!.



My colleague fell in!  His 2nd pond swim of the day!

 However, I did manage to win the 50 to 59 year old age group award for the second year in a row, so that was a bonus, and nearly a necessity, as I paid $40 to enter (forgot to enter early) and the skimpy goody bag was simply  a pair of socks.  The age group award was a $15 gift certificate to a running store, a $15 gift certificate towards a runner's ID bracelet (neither of which I used) and a bottle of wine.  As most of you know, I'm not a wine drinker, but we did break it out for Thanksgiving dinner.  I also won another running hat, which is always useful.



Top of a little hill......

 As it does every year, this race includes a 50-meter swim in a pond at about the 5-mile mark.  After a few years of doing this, I have figured out that "swimming" in 50 some degree water after running 5 miles, and with heavy running shoes and clothes on, is not easy.  Thus, I immediately grabbed the safety rope, and simply pulled myself along, quite efficiently, rather than true swimming.



climbing out of a creek bed



After swamp!



There were many other obstacles, including a set of barrels over another pond (see photo of my colleague and others doing the barrel crossing), fences, swamps (see photo of me shortly after the swamp), mud, hill climbs too steep to run, and even requiring grabbing trees and vines to climb up, fences, and then horse jumps in the corral near the end.



This is not a course for setting PRs, or even worrying about time.  I think I ran somewhere in the high 8 minute per mile range, not particularly speedy.

Would I do this race again?  Yes.

Indoor Track Season Begins!

After running a 5K road race last weekend (more to come on that in a later blog), indoor track season is now underway.  My indoor season will be comprised of a single race, a Masters only mile run at RIT on December 29, an official USATF meet.  Today, in preparation, I did my second track workout of the season, consisting of 8 quarters (not 400s), and 3 220s (not 200s).  Quarters were slower than hoped, as my last workout I averaged around 82ish. This time, it was raining, which might have slowed times slightly, and I only averaged around 83 or 83.5, although I really felt like I was working it.  The 220s were better, in 36.8, 37.58, and 37.55.  I thought it was a good idea to throw in the 220s, so that I get some feeling in my legs of running faster than my target mile race pace.  I'm shooting for around 5:15, which would be 2 seconds faster than I ran in this meet 2 years ago.  That may be ambitious, but we'll see.  I'm trying two speed workouts per week now, with one being on the track and the second something like a tempo run.  More to come!  I'm still behind on an October trail race post and last week's Reindeer Run 5k road race.  Both were exciting!

Autumn Challenge 5K Trail Run Results (late!)

Wow, this is a late post, since this race occurred on September 29, 2012!!  But, I was busy with real life and traveling earlier this fall, so here it is now.

Me holding my "loot" after the race.

I managed a 3rd place overall out of 131 runners in this relatively hilly trail race, and first overall masters.  The time was 19:39, my best time on this course, and over 20 seconds faster than last year (althouth the weather was MUCH nicer this year). 

You may remember that last year, I came in second overall, but because the first place guy was on a father-son team, I sheepishly had to accept the overall male trophy.  This year, the very same guy, who is in his 40s, won the race outright (time of 19:11).  He was battling it out with a younger guy in his 30s the whole way, and I watched with great interest from about 100 meters back (no chance of catching them).  Because the older guy won, that gave me the overall masters trophy!  I like this guy!! 

Autumn Challenge 5k Trail Race Results are Here

Cross Country Season Finale!

On November 18, I ran in the GVH and USATF championship cross country race, an 8K in Black Creek Park, Chili, New York.  It was quite a humbling experience, running 31:37 for 8K, quite fatigued at the end, and only barely cracking the top half, at 68th out of 140 runners, and only 14th in the 50 to 59 age group!  But to be fair, some of the masters and veterans runners in Rochester are not only tops in the state, but near the top in the nation as well, placing in national events.

Raybuck with 1/2 mile to go! (Photo compliments of L. Raybuck)

Anyway, I love cross country, thanks to Gary Truce and my old college teammates, including Eric Kaplan, the Fusc, the Freshman Sensation (Rob Neenan), Fred Lazarre, Neil Schutzman, Kevin Hardwick, and many others.

Results are here at this link.