Utica Boilermaker 15K - a slight return

[Coyote Mas Loco]

My wife and I ran this in the early 90s. She got a top 10 overall and ran a PR there. I ran my very last PR ever at 33 on the Boilermaker course. So some history and good memories.

Traveled to NY meet our son who is starting his 3rd year of medical studies this summer, doing clinical rotations in upstate clinics. Great to see him and his girlfriend and to run around some in the lands of the Leatherstockings and Mohicans.

My goal was to really hammer this one and run 55 minutes or so. I felt pretty ready, although training has been down about 10% from the winter training cycle and much of last year. Just a lot of stuff going on, so I'm listening to my body. Nevertheless, had a solid block of training and averaged about 100 km/week over 2 months.

Race day was warm and humid (70 at the start, 88% humidity) and it warmed up some during the race when the sun came out.

Plan was for splits of 6:00-6:10 for 4 miles (climb about 280 ft) and then 5:50 or so to finish. Reality was 6:20 through 4 and 6:02 to finish at 6:10 pace (57:31).

Won the age group, and turns out that was 2nd best all time in the race's 42 year history. Also was 3rd best age graded masters on Sunda, behind a 4 time Olympian (Abdi) and a 45 year old Kenyan. The race has great crowd support and good logistics (downside being the race start is sort of a cluster, without enough portajohns, and a security bottleneck just to get into the start corral. But other than that, they nail it all pretty well. Best after race party at the Saranac brewery!



 

[Handsome Jack]

Congrats on a race well run, CML! Age group win!

A few of my friends were there and I had considered running it as well. Maybe next year.

[Fast Eddie]

Badass Coyote, badass.   

[diablita]

Congrats!!  Tough time of year to race unless you really really love the hot stuff.

Felt badly for Allie Kieffer. I bet it’s easy to push too hard at the start.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Thanks y'all.
I didn't see her splits but apparently had passed her along the way, because a guy 30 sec behind me said he ran by somewhere after 7 miles. It's an unforgiving course and those latter hills plus the muggy conditions kick you in the pants.

[diablita]

I can only imagine, and am guessing it was a gut punch for her considering she's been training in Austin where humid + hilly is the norm.  Will be interesting to see what she does next.  I'm going to Oiselle's big running camp next month and she'll be there.  Perhaps she'll share.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

That's great you're going to the Oiselle camp, should be interesting and informative. I sat on the plane with CEO Sally Bergesen on the way to Bend for USA Club XCs a few years back and we talked a bit. AllieK has time to pull it back together, but probably needs a coach for some guidance to get back and stay on track for the OTs.

[diablita]

I’m pretty sure she has a new coach — she either mentioned it on a podcast or her Insta feed.

[diablita]

Also, cool that you got to sit with Sally. I respect the heck out of Sally and Lesko as runners and business people.

And I love the Clean Sport Collective -  so good and so needed and their voice here is important.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

I saw something mentioned the other week, but a pro-level coach? Hudson has taken a lot of hits over this and other things but he's a knowledgeable coach. Someone was saying a club coach was working with her, but I didn't see who it was or anything beyond that.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

There is a picture of her running on a July 12 IG post with a guy on a scooter and she remarks about changing coaches - and hmmm, I wonder if that's Chris from Rogue? I haven't met him and only seen a couple pictures, but he's tall with dark hair and would be about the right age, and seeing that he just interviewed her the other month (somewhat exclusively for this year)… I think he's knowledgeable and level headed. Doesn't have a lot of experience with elite level runners from what I know, but he's been around them for a long time and some leveling is what she needs after the past 8 months or so. 

 

[diablita]

Interesting.  I wonder if that's the case; they had a very good rapport on the podcast together (though he tends to with most everyone he interviews).  I agree -- it would be an unconventional choice but she seems to like unconventional.

He (Chris) also had really good chemistry with Sasha Golish.  Not sure if she's been public about being injured and not running right now, but I'm hoping she might do more podcasts with him.  She's also Haute Volee and might be at camp.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Interesting.  I wonder if that's the case; they had a very good rapport on the podcast together (though he tends to with most everyone he interviews).  I agree -- it would be an unconventional choice but she seems to like unconventional.

He (Chris) also had really good chemistry with Sasha Golish.  Not sure if she's been public about being injured and not running right now, but I'm hoping she might do more podcasts with him.  She's also Haute Volee and might be at camp.

Sasha's interviews were really good, following up on the pair of guys (Witch Doctor) who had some interesting ideas but were also kind of out there. She breaks it down to more pragmatic levels. In her second podcast she did mention that she may have overdone it in her first visit to Austin a month or so earlier, so maybe the injury stemmed from that? Or is this even more recent.

[diablita]

I’m not sure but I think it’s stress fractures in her foot, so could be that she started with a stress reaction there and it progressed with her training load. Hate to see that but from her Insta feed it appears she’s working on a comeback. (And has just completed her engineering doctorate. Not too shabby either!)

[diablita]

Yes it was the stress fracture