Corrida de Los Locos Race Report

Corrida de Los Locos is a 9k-ish cross-country style race out at the Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe golf course. Aside from a very short section of pavement the course is run on gravel and dirt paths. Therese, one of the race directors, had posted that coffee, hot chocolate, doughnuts, and possibly breakfast burritos would be on offer... all of which helped convince my very pregnant wife to come along. The race is somewhat infamous for freezing temperatures. Thanks to La Nina and a mid-morning start the temps weren't too bad and the sun rapidly warmed the Saturday morning air.

Approximate course:



I had hoped I could wear short shorts and that the snow's glare, reflected off the whites of my winter legs, would disorient my competitors and allow me to run away with the win. Alas, the lack of substantial snow on the ground meant I'd just have to run hard instead. Given my focus on hills the last few months I had no idea how my legs would respond to a drag race. I hoped to run about a 6:45 pace and finish the 5.5 mile out-and-back in 36-37 minutes. After recognizing several local speedsters (including all three Big T winners from 2008-2010 plus the 2006 Duke City Marathon champ) I figured I'd be lucky to sneak into the top 10.

Me with a stupid-ass grin on my face before the start

And we're off: I think about 80-90 people lined up.

I was foolish enough to try following the speedsters and went out way too fast for the first mile. After seeing my split I made a very deliberate effort to cool things down through the second mile. It paid off as I hit the turnaround working hard but feeling back in control. I think I was in tenth place at that time. The course was deceptively tough. It was basically a bunch of small rollers strung together, which means the ups are short enough that you run all of them hard but the downs aren't long enough to really recover. These types of courses are always a challenge for me mentally: demoralizing at 5-10k pace, and rhythm breaking at marathon pace.

Me crossing the line. Thank my wife for the 
photo of the race director's rear.

But back to the race. On the return leg I felt pretty good and was able to push again. I had kept the distance close to the runner who had passed me around the three mile marker, and I caught back up to him as we neared the end of the rollers. But then on the last downhill he gapped me as we passed the five mile marker and I was d-o-n-e. I crossed the line drooling copiously in 35:04, good enough for 11th place and below my time goal by a good amount.

Despite the so-so placing, this was the fastest pace I've run in a race to date, so I was pleased with my effort. I felt like I was able to push closer to my limits than in previous races, hold things there, and deal with the physical discomfort. My legs were definitely burning hard yet feeling strong just about the whole way. Fortunately, and despite preliminary indications to the contrary, the previous night's Szechuan Beef and Sweet and Sour Chicken twosome didn't entertain us with an encore appearance after I finished. Today I am feeling the soreness that I usually do after a short flat race. I took the dogs out for an easy trail run yesterday afternoon and that really helped clear the lactic sludge.

I opted to wear my La Sportiva Crosslites rather than my Nike Lunar Elite road shoes and it was a good choice. There were several tight turns plus a short sandy section where I appreciated the firm foot placement. Also I think some of the mile markers were off. My splits were 5:54, 6:59, 7:05, 6:46, and 6:28.... and if you add those up it means I ran under two minutes for the last half mile. Yeah, that didn't happen.

As is characteristic of races hosted by the Santa Fe Striders, this was a very well organized event. The food spread was nice, as was the long sleeve organic cotton race t-shirt. About the only hiccup was the larger than expected turnout.

I'm starting to become a fan of scheduling training races at the end of my recovery weeks when possible.  They add some fun to what would otherwise be a pretty mundane week, and they provide feedback on the training cycle immediately prior. This race in particular seems to have increased my flow of competitive juices and fueled my excitement for Salida and Jemez.

My weekly numbers (everything done at recovery run pace except the race):

Mon: 5.3 mi / 450 ft.
Tue AM: 5.9 mi / 700 ft.
Tue PM: 30 min core workout.
Wed: 5.3 mi / 450 ft.
Thu AM: 30 min core workout
Thu PM: 6.6 mi / 1100 ft. A little Jemez 50 course recon.
Fri: 3.0 mi / 500 ft. Winsor out-and-back.
Sat AM: 7ish mi / 300-400 ft.  Race plus warm up and cool down
Sat PM: 3.0 mi / 500 ft. Winsor out-and-back.
Sun: 30 min core work.

Total: ~ 36 mi / 4000 ft.

Now it's six weeks to go until Salida. My goal is to try to focus on long runs through February, and then take 7-10 days of easy running immediately prior to the race. What will make things interesting (in a wonderful, life changing sort of way, mind you) is kid #2, due in mid-February. Fortunately I'll have lots of family in town and about a month off of work, so I think I'll manage. I'm just going to have to be opportunistic and take what runs I can get, when I can get them.

Thanks again to the Striders for putting on yet another great race!

ETA: results