Fits Do Race Reviews: The MDRA 15k

Last Sunday, I ran the MDRA 15k.

This race is part of the USATF racing circuit that I participate in with the Calhoun Beach Running Club.

There are only two more races left in the racing circuit this season. Unfortunately I won’t be participating in either of them.

The first is the City of Lakes Half Marathon, which I won’t be doing because we are going to Colorado.

The second is the TC 10 Mile race that is the same day as the Twin Cities Marathon. I know people love the TC 10 mile, but I would rather cheer for the full marathon at various points along the course as we have done the past few years, than participate in a race myself that day. I love cheering at TCM too much to do the TC 10 mile that day.

So, the MDRA 15k was my last race of the “season.”

This race is the Minnesota USATF 15k Championship so it attracts a very competitive field. Even though it is a fast crowd, it is still a small race with less than 250 finishers. But with regards to the “fast?” Well, the winning men’s time was 47:27 or a 5:05 min/mile and the women’s winning time was 56:58 or a 6:07 min/mile. WOW!

Location/Time:
The race starts promptly at 8 am at Crosby Farm Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota. There is free parking near the start, either in a few different parking lots or on the streets nearby.

The start line was very low key. This race wasn’t chip timed, but just clock timed with old school bib tear-offs for the finish.

I had never been to Crosby Farm Park before the race; it was really nice!  They had plenty of porta-potties at the start as well as a few flushing toilets nearby.  There was water at the start too. There was same-day registration, which was a good thing, as Dustin forgot to register!

Course:
The course is a loop course beginning in Crosby Farm Park. It runs along the wooded paths of Crosby Farm Park and Sheppard Road. It begins near the marina on Crosby Farm Road and runs east into the park, where participants run a 1.5 mile loop, then it travels along a larger outer loop which includes Crosby Farm Park and Sheppard Road.  The course enters the registration area at 8.5 miles, and then will conclude with a smaller 1 mile loop.

There were significant hills on the course- both uphill along Shepherd Road and in the park, as well as a big downhill into Hidden Falls Park. There were two water stops along the way as well, at mile 3 and mile 6.  It was a hot day though, and I probably could have used a bit more water, but that’s just me.

Race Goodies:
All registrants received a MDRA 15K hat (pictured above) but otherwise the goodies are limited. In fact, the bibs were actually old bibs from the Victory 10k in 2014! That didn’t really bother me though. I do save my race bibs in a box, but I write the race name and my time on the back, so it didn’t matter what the front said (though I did hear a few other people complain about it).

My Performance:
As I mentioned in my weekly recap, Sunday was HUMID. We arrived around 7:30 and did 2 miles to warmup. I could tell right away that the humidity was going to be a factor for me.

It was. I melted!

Here are my splits. You can see when I started to melt in the heat…

Mile 1: 7:55
Mile 2: 7:55
Mile 3: 8:16
Mile 4: 7:57
Mile 5: 8:06
Mile 6: 8:30 (this was a hilly mile!)
Mile 7: 7:59
Mile 8: 8:50 (definitely melting in the heat/humidity)
Mile 9: 8:39
Last 0.33: 6:52
Total: 1:15:05, average pace 8:14

My coach had “suggested” a goal pace of at least a 7:45 min/mile…my average was 8:14. 

I take solace in the graphic I shared the other day regarding temperature as I have never been able to perform very well in the heat.

I am hoping it doesn’t mean I’m not in PR shape for Richmond. I’ll see how the Women Rock 1/2 Marathon goes on the 29th- hopefully a little better.

Though the humidity and heat were factors for me, apparently, they didn’t affect Dustin much! He was able to keep the pace that his coach wanted him to, finishing in 1:01:31 or a 6:36 min/mile. He said he felt great and was happy with his performance.

I don’t know if I have mentioned it, but he is also working with Antonio Vega from Zoom Performance for the Richmond Marathon- the same coach as me.  It has been interesting to see how our training plans vary. Obviously our paces are way different, but even the types of workouts that Antonio gives Dustin are often different than the types that he gives to me, though the emphasis on high mileage is there for both of us.

Overall, I thought the MDRA 15k was a good race, but that’s because I really like this kind of race- low-key, affordable, no bells & whistles, just a runner’s race. There’s a time and place for the other kind of race too of course- those like the Esprit de She and like the Team Ortho Women Rock 1/2 Marathon with the medals and fanfare. But for a random Sunday long run/race, I really enjoyed the MDRA 15k and I will definitely look at racing it again next summer if it fits into my schedule.

Just for fun, here are a few random articles I thought I’d share with you guys!

First, my hometown is the location of a small private college called Beloit College. Every year, they publish a list of things that the incoming class of college freshmen don’t know…It’s always fun!

Beloit releases annual mind-set list what freshman know and don’t know

Second, I’ve mentioned here before that I consider myself an introvert…I thought this article was kind of spot on in terms of being an “extroverted introvert!”

19 Real Life Examples of an Extroverted Introvert So You Don’t Get Confused