2014 GATE River Run - USA 15K Championship Race Report!

The first "A Race" of the 2014 schedule is behind me and it did not disappoint! This is my 3rd GATE River Run, in Jacksonville, Florida. This race is, hands-down, my favorite running race. It's the outstanding expo, the amazing course, and the first-rate community support that make this one so special!

The GATE River Run is the largest 15K race in the United States and once again served as the USA 15K Championship with America's top Olympic athletes competing! The course starts at the stadium, the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, runs through the heart of downtown Jacksonville where the race crosses the St. Johns River over the Main Street Bridge, runs through historic San Marco, down Atlantic Blvd to the beautiful and scenic St. Nicolas area, and then crosses the river for the second time over the"Green Monster", the Hart Bridge, and features a one mile downhill to the finish at the stadium.

The Hart Bridge, a.k.a. - The Green Monster

While my training has been going well, I just didn't know if I would be faster, this year. The real hesitation came when I began developing a head cold/sinus infection on Monday afternoon, only a few short days before the race. Being that this was the first "cold" I've had in quite some time, I was duly concerned. So concerned that I actually skipped a few workouts to rest up. (Those knowing me well will understand the gravity of the situation when I'm skipping workouts! LOL!) Fortunately, I w
as feeling better by Thursday and decided to go ahead and do a short, ~3 mile run just to see how my lungs and legs felt. Everything checked out and I thought there might be a chance to make my goal.


My amazing coach, Coach Sandy Holt, of TriAttic (http://www.triattic.com/) was either hedging her bets or trying to motivate me to greatness by telling me, in my race plan:

"Ron - you will have to work for a PR on this one. But you CAN do it! Have fun and race hard!"

I don't know if I was reading between the lines or not, but in my head, that screamed, "Yeah, you probably can't do it!" LOL! So, that is where my head was. However, I was feeling like I was probably over the cold and headed into race weekend with at least a chance.

Just me and 15,500 friends!

Race morning arrived after a night of fitful sleep to reveal PERFECT conditions. It was sunny, mid-50s, and hardly any wind. This allowed for the optimal clothing of a singlet and running shorts without having to be concerned with arm warmers, gloves, etc that another 5 - 10 degrees colder or windy conditions may have dictated.

My coach has me training by heart rate. My 15K was broken up into three 5k "races". No higher than 173 HR for first 5K, no higher than 180 HR for second 5K, and let 'er rip for last 5K!

I wrote my goal heart rates for the 3 segments
of my race on my hand before the race.

After reviewing the Garmin data, I could not WAIT to post my workout for my coach! The data showed my first 5K average of... 173 (!!!) and my second 5K average of... 180!!! That's right, NAILED IT!!! YES!!!

The end result was beating my GOAL of 1:14:30 with a 1:12:28. That's an improvement of ~3:30 over last year, too!

I beat my seeding of 1291 by finishing 1,176/15,500 overall. 98/753 in my 45 - 49 Age Group. 947/7151 out of all Males.

This just reaffirms that I need to keep doing what my coach tells me and the results will follow. I'm also hoping that this is a harbinger of what the rest of this year will be like?!

Just a few of the AMAZING athletes from Tallahassee's Gulf Winds Track Club,
 who also participated in the 2014 Gate River Run!!!