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. 

​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 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 

This was my first time doing the Blue Ridge Conservancy 5K in Blowing Rock, NC.  The Blue Ridge Conservancy is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization that has protected over 20,000 acres in Western, NC.  The race course is a beautiful loop staring in central Blowing Rock with a challenging climb up Wonderland Trail Road before a fast downhill final mile mile to finish.  I knew it was going to be a tough course to race and it got tougher when my coach added a workout immediately after the race.  I am training for the Richmond Marathon after all so it made sense but I hadn't done a workout following a race before.  I felt pretty bad ass that it was on my training plan because only the likes of the Zap Fitness Elite team, Galen Rupp, and other elites do workouts after racing.  My girlfriend Kristin decided to do the race too so it was the first time we both would be doing the same race.  

I didn't have a goal time for this race as I knew the course would be tough and I was coming off 81, 64, and 81 mile weeks the previous three weeks.  I just wanted to race the course, felt good, and nail the 3 miles tempo workout after the race.  The weather was great but a little warm for Blowing Rock standards in late September.  It was in the low to mid 60s, full sun, but a little humid.  I did an easy 2.5 miles before lining up for the race start.  

I got off to a fast start following Zap runners Johnny and Pardon.  I knew they would soon disappear so my goal was to stay in third place and make it a Zap singlet sweep on the podium.  The first 1.5 miles is all uphill so it's a tough start to a race.  It's a challenging climb but the views on the course especially on Wonderland Trail Road on a clear day are beautiful.  I opened with a 6:02 first mile with 128 feet gain before slowing to a 6:18 on mile two that had about 108 feet gain.  I was running with a group of 3 other guys up until then when two pulled away from me.  I was looking forward to opening up the stride and seeing what I could do on the downhill mile three.  Even with all the marathon mileage on my legs I was able to pick it up and run mile three in 5:33.  Downhill or not it was good to have that speed.  I didn't gain on third and forth place though but I distanced myself more from those behind me.  The last 400m into the finish is a little tough too as you have another climb.  I finished in 5th overall, 1st in my age group in 18:19.  Pardon won the race in a blazing 15:07.  Johnny was second in 15:13.  

I talked to a few people after I finished while getting some water.  I did a mile easy in 7:50 to Moses Cone Memorial Park where I was going to do my three miles tempo workout around Bass Lake.  Surprisingly I was feeling pretty good and I nailed the tempo.  Bass Lake has a flat 1500m loop around it perfect for tempos and intervals.  I did the 3 mile tempo in 18:19 with splits of 6:07, 6:06, 6:06.  Running low 6 min tempo pace felt pretty easy after closing a 5K in 5:33.  I did a mile easy cool down back to the race finish just in time to chill before the awards ceremony started.  Kristin completed the toughest 5K she did ahead of her goal time and just 10 seconds slower than what she ran the flat Gasparilla 5K in Tampa, Fl back in February so she was happy with that and surprised herself.  

The race was a lot of fun and the course is beautiful.  It's a great cause to support as well as we need to protect our natural lands.  The post race sticky buns, cookies, and coffee were delicious too!  I also got to met a new friend, Melanie Brender who used to run with the Brooks Hansons group.  The next morning I met Melanie and the Zap team for a long run.  I ran with Joanna, Nicole, and Melanie as their paces were close to mine.  We had a great 20 miles together then I added on another 4 miles to finish my long run and give me 85 miles for the week. I really appreciated the aid station head coach Pete Rea set up for us for the run.  I really enjoy the Zap team and getting to run with them.  They're such a friendly and welcoming group.  

Race Gear

Socks:  Smartwool Men's PhD Ultra Light Low Cut Socks
Shoes:  Reebok Floatride Run Fast
Shorts:  2XU MCS Run Compression Short
Singlet:  Zap Fitness Reebok singlet
Watch:  Garmin 920xt
Road ID Wrist ID Slim
Sunglasses:  Rudy Project Tralyx​