
The Salem Lake 30K is put on by the Twin Cities Track Club and held at Salem Lake in Winston Salem, NC. I hadn't done a 30K before and decided to do this as part of a workout leading up to the Richmond Marathon. The plan for the workout was to do 1.4 miles easy before the race then run the race with the first 15K at marathon pace followed by a progression run the final 15K. This would be my 4th 20 miles or longer run of this cycle.
The weather was warm and humid and the cloud cover quickly burned off as the race start time of 8am approached. The race started and I went out with the leaders before trying to dial it back and run marathon pace and not race the 30K. I was in 4th and enjoying the trail around Salem Lake. The surface reminded me of the Tobacco Trail or bridle trails in Umstead State Park. It was smooth and flat. I was in third place with two guys way ahead of me.
The 30K course goes around the lake counter clockwise for 6.5 miles before continuing on the greenway next to Salem Creek before turning around at 9.3 miles. I was feeling good and like I was on marathon pace but was actually running too quick. My Garmin pace was off and was telling me I was running in the 6:30s but I realized by the mile markers I was running closer to 6:20 and under. I felt good enough that I could sustain this pace so I kept rolling along.
The weather was warm and humid and the cloud cover quickly burned off as the race start time of 8am approached. The race started and I went out with the leaders before trying to dial it back and run marathon pace and not race the 30K. I was in 4th and enjoying the trail around Salem Lake. The surface reminded me of the Tobacco Trail or bridle trails in Umstead State Park. It was smooth and flat. I was in third place with two guys way ahead of me.
The 30K course goes around the lake counter clockwise for 6.5 miles before continuing on the greenway next to Salem Creek before turning around at 9.3 miles. I was feeling good and like I was on marathon pace but was actually running too quick. My Garmin pace was off and was telling me I was running in the 6:30s but I realized by the mile markers I was running closer to 6:20 and under. I felt good enough that I could sustain this pace so I kept rolling along.

There are some rolling hills on the trail but the steepest hill is on the greenway just after existing the trail. It's only about 200m but it's steep. My splits for the first 15K were too quick according to my race plan at 6:22, 6:11, 6:24, 6:20, 6:20, 6:17, 6:22, 6:24, 6:24. Opps! I knew that would make a progression the final 9.3 miles tough so I focused on just maintaining my current pace and having a quality 30K. The leaders were several minutes ahead of me when I saw them coming back from the turn.
I was able to maintain my pace for three more miles running splits of 6:20, 6:29, 6:24. I was now 12 miles in with 6.6 miles to go. I started feeling the heat and humidity after 12 miles and the too fast pace I went out at. I started to blow up during the next four miles running splits of 7:08, 7:02, and 7:01. After that I decided to go ahead and shut it down and save it for another day. I had blown the workout already and was using too much effort running 30+ sec slower than marathon pace. Final 1.6 miles were 8:01 and 7:33 pace for the final 0.6 miles. One guy caught and passed me during the final 2 miles when I was dying. At the time I thought that put me in fourth but one of the top 2 guys had dropped out so I finished 3rd overall in 2:03:10.
I was able to maintain my pace for three more miles running splits of 6:20, 6:29, 6:24. I was now 12 miles in with 6.6 miles to go. I started feeling the heat and humidity after 12 miles and the too fast pace I went out at. I started to blow up during the next four miles running splits of 7:08, 7:02, and 7:01. After that I decided to go ahead and shut it down and save it for another day. I had blown the workout already and was using too much effort running 30+ sec slower than marathon pace. Final 1.6 miles were 8:01 and 7:33 pace for the final 0.6 miles. One guy caught and passed me during the final 2 miles when I was dying. At the time I thought that put me in fourth but one of the top 2 guys had dropped out so I finished 3rd overall in 2:03:10.

I learned several things from this workout gone bad. First, stick to the race plan and trust it. Just because you're feeling fresh and strong early doesn't mean you can sustain a pace that is 10 sec per mile too fast with all the mileage on your legs from marathon training. Secondly, don't be so dependent on the GPS for pace. A lot of GPS watches struggle at Salem Lake and mine did as well even having me run a 3:10 third mile haha. I was relying on the incorrect data from my watch on pacing the first half when it was 10-20 sec per mile slower than what I was running. Lastly, it is really hard for someone as competitive as me to run a workout in a race environment. I thought I could dial it back and stick to the plan but I failed miserably at that Had I stuck to the plan I might have won the race as the winner ran 2:00:25. He was much father ahead of me than 3 minutes at the turn so he also slowed down and struggled the second half. If I could have executed my plan and done the progression I may have been within striking distance with a couple miles to go and probably fresh enough to challenge for the win.
The Twin City Track Club put on a great event. It is a very pretty area for a race and they hold other races there like the Frosty Fifty 50K, 25K, and 50K relay in January. There could have been a few more aid stations on the course as I could have used more water especially the second half when the heat and humidity increased. Starting the race at 7am instead of 8am would have been much nicer. I loved the clay finisher's medal and handmade pottery bowl for the awards. Trail races usually have the best and most unique awards. It's still a great race and a great distance to do as a tuneup for a fall or winter marathon.
Race Gear
Socks: Smartwool Men's PhD Ultra Light Low Cut Socks
Shoes: Reebok Floatride Run Fast
Shorts: Rabbit Men's FKT 3" Short
Singlet: Duke Blue Devils Singlet by Adrenaline Promotions
Road ID Wrist ID Slim
Watch: Garmin 920XT
Sunglasses: Rudy Project Tralyx
The Twin City Track Club put on a great event. It is a very pretty area for a race and they hold other races there like the Frosty Fifty 50K, 25K, and 50K relay in January. There could have been a few more aid stations on the course as I could have used more water especially the second half when the heat and humidity increased. Starting the race at 7am instead of 8am would have been much nicer. I loved the clay finisher's medal and handmade pottery bowl for the awards. Trail races usually have the best and most unique awards. It's still a great race and a great distance to do as a tuneup for a fall or winter marathon.
Race Gear
Socks: Smartwool Men's PhD Ultra Light Low Cut Socks
Shoes: Reebok Floatride Run Fast
Shorts: Rabbit Men's FKT 3" Short
Singlet: Duke Blue Devils Singlet by Adrenaline Promotions
Road ID Wrist ID Slim
Watch: Garmin 920XT
Sunglasses: Rudy Project Tralyx