Egg Nogg Jog - Dec 11, 2011 - PB and 2nd in AG

Having run the Nogg Jog the past three consecutive years I had a pretty good idea how to run this race. The plan was pretty simple , blast off and take advantage of the very generous 2K downhill right off the start , make it through the 5K or so of gaining back the elevation then go like stink of the last 4K with a very fast final downhill at the finish. I really mused over the race plan as well as what to wear in the days leading up to the race. I even publicly announced that I “Wouldn’t over dress”. Sleep was very restless the night before, that’s usually a good sign. I dreamed that I was running an Ultra through an urban setting. All the usual OUS characters were in the race. The thing that was quite unusual was that twice I woke up and when I fell back asleep I went right back into the same dream. Shook the bed at 5:00 am, hit the hot tub had breakfast then I was off at 07:15 a m stopping in Varney to pick up Grant. We made it to Terra Cotta with time to spare so I drove the course…dry and snow free! The temperature was -5C but it was forecasted to rise above freezing. The Sun was out and there was very little breeze making it feel allot warmer then it was. Finalized my race attire and ended up with Shorts, Mizuno Breath Thermo Long Sleeve Compression Shirt , Gloves and my Compression Toque from the Sulphur Springs 100 miler. I brought my Mizuno Ascend 6 trail shoes but opted for my Saucony Paramount 2’s , a great road shoe but a wee bit miled out. Stayed in the Car with the heat cranked until 12 minutes before the race then headed to the start line.

Seeded myself in the second row. Race start is Gun time and I planned on blasting off so I didn’t want to be weaving my way through traffic. When the gun went off so did I …my first K was the fastest ever in any race I have ever done doing it in 3min34 seconds. The next K was a little slower and was done in 3min41 seconds. It was a little unusually to be 2K into the race and still have RMer Robbie-T still insight. 2K in is also where the climb begins and I was about to switch gears. There was about 20 out in front of me and I fully expected in the next few K to be the one being passed but another 20 or so and I wasn’t disappointed. Starting the climb I was a little worried because I was totally winded , legs were great and wanted to go but I just couldn’t get enough 02! The next few Ks were a fairly gentle climb with a few rollers thrown in and were done in 4min57sec, 4min52sec and 4min51sec. 5K in I was still totally winded and was still struggling to get enough air. There is about a half K flat section at 5K just before a steep but short climb. Backed down the pace a bit and for the first time that I started I felt like I had a wee bit of O2 to spare although I was still breathing very heavy. The hill at 5.5K was tough and slow but I managed to get past it logging my slowest K of the day 5min36sec. There was one more climb to go , not as steep but once concurred it was more or less flat to downhill to the finish. Covered the 7th K and final hill in 5min1sec. OK , now it was show time , after 5K of watching my average pace climb it was time to head it the other way. I quickly fell into a comfortably fast pace that seemed to settle out around a 4:20 pace. Breathing was heavy but manageable , I was running at probably 98% of my 02 capacity. Logged the 8th , 9th and 10th Ks in 4:36, 4:21 and 4:15. The final half K or so was a really steep downhill to the finish, one last opportunity to push back the average pace. Garmin said I covered the last 696 meters at an average 3:46 pace a very fitting way end the race just like it began.

The surprise of the day was my time. My goal was to cover the 10.8K in under 50 minutes. When I crossed the finish I tripped the clock at 48min24sec, a PB by 90 seconds beating my 2009 time by 80 seconds and 2min35sec better then my 2010 effort.

The official results stated that I covered the 10.8K in 48min24secs for an average pace of 4mins29sec/K. I placed 46th out of 609 entrants 39th out of 227 Men and 2 out of 39 in my AG 50-54 years.

I received a $20.00 gift certificate to a local running store that just so happed to have a table at the event. I quickly turned my wind fall into 10 packets of Gu Gel. I also won a much needed and very nice door prize … a pair of Sunglasses. It was a fantastic way to wrap up a truly amazing year of running. My only trepidation is how high I set the bar for next year’s Nogg Jog !