High Tides and Soft Sands

Well, it looks like 7 miles of the half is on the sand. Leave it to the SEALS! I usually love running on the hard packed sand along the beach, and it is one of the things I miss most about living in Santa Barbara. So, initially I thought, GREAT! Then, I looked up the tide chart and saw that right around 9:45am is the peak of the high tide at +4.85ft. That may cause some complications. Usually when the tide is that high, there is not very much hard packed sand left. Just spongey, soft sand. So, time might not be the priority in this race. It is a bit disappointing because my training has gone so well, and I think I am capable of a fast time. On the other hand, it will be a great challenge and I think, although it may be frustrating, it will be fun to run wet. It is good to know these things going in because you can prepare yourself for a different kind of suffering.

Yesterday was a good day and the legs are feeling strong. I ran an easy 5 miles, with 3 of them at 6min pace. The pace felt so easy and relaxed. I thought I was running 7min pace. So, I am ready for a good race, and looking forward to setting something up after this race. I am still a bit away from being able to race at 5min pace here in Denver, but it is around the corner. I think that if I keep on the same plan, that a couple of months from now, I should be pretty solid at 5min pace. Right now, I can run that pace at threshhold for a mile at a time. That means a 5k is probable at 15ish, but nothing farther yet.

This will be a good test. I leave for San Diego Friday and hang with the family for a couple of days prior to the race. It should be nice!

Finch