Run for the Ivy 5K Race Report

Goal: 17:59-18:30

With the disruption in training in the last few weeks, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I decided that I keep my goal flexible for the last race of my spring season. I knew I may have a chance of placing, and placing was more important than time, especially because I felt I wasn't capable running sub-18.

The course was pancake flat. The weather was great: 50 F, cloudy, but there was strong wind. That surely cost me some time, but not a whole lot. I had to drive a little over an hour to this small town of Indiana (Columbus), so I had to get up at 5AM in the morning. Nothing too unusual on a race day. My preparation and drive was uneventful; I was on site at 8AM, registered, did an extensive and relaxed warmup, and lined up at the front. The race started at 9AM.

The 5K and 10K started together, but it was a very small event, so it almost felt like a friendly group run. I hadn't realized it was such a small race. I talked to a fast-looking 10K runner before the start, who said he was about to run a 6:30 pace, so I told him I would probably be faster.

We were off, and the this 10K runner followed me. We were leading the race by a good margin after a half of a mile. I looked at my watch, I saw we were doing a 5:45 pace, so I told him ``This is not a 6:30 pace, more like 5:45.'' He said ``It will be fine.'' We ran together, and I only left him just before the first mile marker. (He finished third in the 10K.) I controlled my pace, because I didn't want to give up a potential victory for an epic blowup in a PR attempt. So the first mile felt fairly comfortable.

Mile 1: 5:52 (GPS), ~5:56 (mile marker)

I was alone, and the sidewind caught me. Then a tailwind leg, a turnaround, and an headwind portion that slowed me to a pace that was slightly over 6 minute/mile. At the turnaround I saw that the second place 5K runner (I could tell by the bib numbers) was already at least a minute behind me. I knew I had the race in the pocket, and that, and the headwind took away some of my willingness to suffer...

Mile 2: 5:58 (GPS), ~6:02 (mile marker)

I had some bad headwinds right after the mile marker. I ran conservatively until about mile 2.5, and then pressed a bit harder. Completely alone, just following the lead cyclist. I still didn't suffer too much.

Mile 3: 5:57 (GPS), (didn't look at my watch at the mile marker, but based on the rest of the course, probably ~6:00)

I ran by some cheering people, and kicked my way down to the finish line, clearly winning the race.

Finish: 18:36. Last portion ~0:38 (5:56 pace per mile markers).

(It seems like it wasn't a very strong kick after all.)

It seems like the time is weak, though the lack of competition and the missed training certainly didn't help. But in retrospect: this was a USATF certified course, and neither my 18:11 PR, nor my 18:32 previous PR was certified. (Actually this might have been the first certified 5K course I ran.) In my 18:11, my GPS ended with 3.06 miles, and this time my GPS showed 3.14 miles. The GPS paces were faster for this race. There is a reason to believe that my 18:11 race was short, and there is also a possibility that I didn't run the tangents on this one. (In fact I know that after the turnaround I didn't run the tangent in a wide sweeping left turn, because runners were coming from the other direction in the inside of the turn.)

The point is, one way or another, I don't think this race was weaker than my previous 5K. Breaking 18 minutes is very tough, and this effort was very far from it, but maybe I *am* getting closer. I would also like to point out, that probably the first time in my life, I ran mile 3 faster than mile 2. That probably means that I did leave something on the course.

Now I just don't know what I should do for fall racing. Probably a marathon effort, and next spring a 5K PR (at the age of 40). It would be nice to come back to the same race and do a sub-18.