Today I ran the 39th annual Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run, completing the 8 mile course in 80 minutes (full results). This is a demanding course at the base of the Rincon Mountains; there is one monster hill and continuous rolling hills over the rest of the course (there are really no flat sections). Lots of crazy people like to get out there at dawn and sweat like, uh, crazy; once again, I was one of them.
I've been focused on this all during the month of August, building up my ability to run it non-stop, and then running the course three times. So 80 minutes was good for me: a low-intensity pace for the first six miles, then stepping it up a little once I knew I could finish. At the end, I was running hard, trying to get under that 80 minute mark, and was only a second over. Next year, I'll try to keep a constant, higher intensity and get it down to an hour. The best runners are at about double that pace. Some of those dudes out there look like they're about ready to sweat blood or have a heart explode, and I'm not interested in that level of effort, but now I know I can do slightly better.
Last year at the same event, I really struggled. I wasn't in very good shape and showed up late and didn't know where to register. I felt bad and walked much of the course. Unfamiliarity with it made everything worse. So starting in late July, I started running it in portions, starting near the end. Sooner than expected, I could do all eight miles. So I kept the pace I was comfortable with, starting near the middle of the pack and not passing many runners.
The next event I'm doing is a 10-miler in downtown Tucson in October. The course is much flatter, so I'm working towards 8-minute-miles. Following that, who knows, eventually a full marathon?
