The Reindeer Dash For Cash is the biggest race in Greenville, NC. I knew the course well for never running the race before because I have trained on most of the course over the years. The first 5K of the 10 miler was a loop on 5th and 1st streets with some small rolling hills. I decided I would raise money for the Cpt. Christopher Cash Memorial Foundation of North Carolina. I ended up raising $200.00 and got a free entry into the race as a result. Thank you so much to all those that donated. I truly appreciate it.
I chose to do the 10 miler and my goal was a sub 1:01:00. That is 6:06 pace and I felt I could hold that for 10 miles since my half marathon personal record earlier this year was 6:08 pace. I did a tempo run the Wednesday before Dash for Cash in Brook Valley and went 6:04, 6:02, 6:02, 6:03, and 6:05 with my friends Jarrod and Sarah. Brook Valley has more hills than the Dash for Cash course so I was confident I could reach my goal for the 10 miler on Sunday, December 4th. I went to packet pickup with my girlfriend Jamie the day before the race. I donated a lot of G Series Pro 02 gatorlytes, which is specially formulated for cramp prone athletes, and runners were able to take those as part of their race packets.
Race day arrived and it was going to be warmer than it had been all week. I was not excited or happy about a high temperature of 65 degrees for a 1pm start for the 10 miler. I had been running in temperatures in the low and mid 50s all week leading up to race day. After arriving at the start with my Dad and Jamie I ate a cool mint chocolate Cliff Bar and drank 16oz of water an hour before the start. Jamie had to switch from the 10 miler to the 5K because she's been battling some knee pain recently. I talked with friends and took a team picture with Tim Garriss and the rest of GoRun. I was on one of the GoRun teams for the 10 mile race with Tim Garriss, Scott Elliot, and Jason Honeycutt. I did a short 10 min slow jog before the start of the race. I lined up on the front with my friend Tim Meigs from Raleigh. It was hot, no breeze, and no clouds in the sky. I still felt pretty good as we waited for the race to start.
I chose to do the 10 miler and my goal was a sub 1:01:00. That is 6:06 pace and I felt I could hold that for 10 miles since my half marathon personal record earlier this year was 6:08 pace. I did a tempo run the Wednesday before Dash for Cash in Brook Valley and went 6:04, 6:02, 6:02, 6:03, and 6:05 with my friends Jarrod and Sarah. Brook Valley has more hills than the Dash for Cash course so I was confident I could reach my goal for the 10 miler on Sunday, December 4th. I went to packet pickup with my girlfriend Jamie the day before the race. I donated a lot of G Series Pro 02 gatorlytes, which is specially formulated for cramp prone athletes, and runners were able to take those as part of their race packets.
Race day arrived and it was going to be warmer than it had been all week. I was not excited or happy about a high temperature of 65 degrees for a 1pm start for the 10 miler. I had been running in temperatures in the low and mid 50s all week leading up to race day. After arriving at the start with my Dad and Jamie I ate a cool mint chocolate Cliff Bar and drank 16oz of water an hour before the start. Jamie had to switch from the 10 miler to the 5K because she's been battling some knee pain recently. I talked with friends and took a team picture with Tim Garriss and the rest of GoRun. I was on one of the GoRun teams for the 10 mile race with Tim Garriss, Scott Elliot, and Jason Honeycutt. I did a short 10 min slow jog before the start of the race. I lined up on the front with my friend Tim Meigs from Raleigh. It was hot, no breeze, and no clouds in the sky. I still felt pretty good as we waited for the race to start.
Start of the 10 Miles Race The race started and I was out fast, a little too fast, with Tim just ahead of me and the two Kenyan runners way ahead of me. I felt good as I went through the first mile in 5:56, 10 sec faster than goal pace so I tried to settle down. I went through miles 2 and 3 in 6:01 and 6:07 passing runners that went out too fast. I was in 6th place overall and still felt pretty good. It was hot but I wasn't feeling it yet.
I started to catch 5th place between miles 4 and 5. I ran those in 6:05 and 6:09. I had slipped off goal pace on mile 5 so I picked it back up and ran a 6:03 for mile 6. The course was dead flat at this point as me and Ron Fleming ran side by side for 5th place overall. I could have used a couple hills around miles 5-8 to drop other runners. I like hills in races because your muscles get a chance to lengthen and shorten more thus allowing your muscles to recover some opposed to a race that is mostly flat where you use the same muscles over and over. Miles 7 and 8 were 6:08 and 6:15. I tried picking the pace back up but I was tired and didn't have much left. There was a small hill about a tenth of a mile up after the 15K mark that I used to gain some ground back on Ron after he pulled away from me on mile 8.
I started to catch 5th place between miles 4 and 5. I ran those in 6:05 and 6:09. I had slipped off goal pace on mile 5 so I picked it back up and ran a 6:03 for mile 6. The course was dead flat at this point as me and Ron Fleming ran side by side for 5th place overall. I could have used a couple hills around miles 5-8 to drop other runners. I like hills in races because your muscles get a chance to lengthen and shorten more thus allowing your muscles to recover some opposed to a race that is mostly flat where you use the same muscles over and over. Miles 7 and 8 were 6:08 and 6:15. I tried picking the pace back up but I was tired and didn't have much left. There was a small hill about a tenth of a mile up after the 15K mark that I used to gain some ground back on Ron after he pulled away from me on mile 8.
Finishing I made the left hand turn back onto 1st street and was running past Town Common nearing the finish. I was ready for this race to be over. I was tired, hot, and just trying to hold onto 6th place overall. I feel apart pace wise on the last 2 miles and ran miles 9 and 10 in the 6:20s. It was still good enough for a 6th place overall finish in 1:02:18. I won my age group, males 25-29. My friend Tim Meigs finished 3rd overall with a time of 58:31. I don't think many people ran their goal time because it was so hot. I would much rather take 40s to mid 50s over 65 for a run and especially a race.
Jamie ended up running a 27:58 in the 5K and was on the winning team along with Tim's wife Gina. My team finished 2nd in the 10 miler team category. GoRun had teams place 1st and 2nd in the 5K and 2nd and 3rd in the 10 miler.
The Reindeer Dash for Cash is a great race. It is well organized and has plenty of course volunteers. It was my first 10 mile race so it was a personal record. It was also my first race raising money and running for a charity. It was my last race of the year and I looked forward to a little break before starting an 18 week training plan for the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012.
Jamie ended up running a 27:58 in the 5K and was on the winning team along with Tim's wife Gina. My team finished 2nd in the 10 miler team category. GoRun had teams place 1st and 2nd in the 5K and 2nd and 3rd in the 10 miler.
The Reindeer Dash for Cash is a great race. It is well organized and has plenty of course volunteers. It was my first 10 mile race so it was a personal record. It was also my first race raising money and running for a charity. It was my last race of the year and I looked forward to a little break before starting an 18 week training plan for the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012.
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