A win + 10 down, 2 to go (Read 341 times)

Great running weekend for me!

We've had nice cool weather in NYC lately.  Saturday I raced the Miles for Midwives 5k.  I won this race 2 years ago and forgot to race it last year. I was hoping for another good showing this year.

While on the line, a kid (he looked like he was 18) asked me how fast I was planning to go.  I could tell he was sizing me up and it made me smile inside... I used to ask people that when I first started racing.  I casually said maybe 18 something but that I'd been training for long stuff this year so I'd probably be a lot slower.  He went on to say he won last year and was going to run hard again this year.  I smiled and told him good luck and shook his hand.  When the gun went off, he barrelled off.  

The first half mile is all downhill and I ran back behind him a bit, thinking he was going out way too fast. There were a few others close to me, I could hear heavy breaking and foot strikes.  It was fun.  Toward the bottom of the hill my watch showed a 4:50 pace so I slowed down. The kid had pulled about 10 or 20 yards ahead as he continued to barrel onward.  I decided to slow a bit more.  He'd fade.

I caught him just before mile 1.  I pulled up and then he sped off, so I slowed and let him run harder for a bit more.  Psychological games I guess, ha.   I caught him again, surged past and hit mile 1 at 5:20.  My mile PR from a few years ago is 5:17, but this was pretty much downhill so I expected to go fast, but I was pleased.  

Then we were on the false flats that lead into Mile 2 ending with a good .3 mile uphill, so I just held a steady effort and imagined him fading away. 

Up the hill, I didn't hear his or anyone's foot strikes anymore, so I figured he was gone and I was on my own.   Mile two was a full minute slower, which I expected given the hill and false flats, but I was a good 20 seconds faster on mile one AND two than the last time I raced this, so I was feeling good.  I was feeling the pressure of being in the lead though, which I personally dislike.  

I was hoping to drop the pace down again for mile three, to creep under 6 min since I did that last time, but it was getting hard.  Mile 3 ended up at 6:06.  I was still well ahead of my last race and on toward a 5k PR.  

With about a quarter mile to go I could hear people cheering and shouts that the first guy was coming in.  I listened for anyone yelling words of encouragement to anyone on my heels, that they could still catch me, but nothing, so I knew there must be a good gap.  I finished in 18:17 very pleased and a sub six minute pace overall.  

The kid ended up coming in somewhere in the mid 19s, in third place; clearly he went out too hard.  I think second place was around 19 flat but they haven't posted results yet. 

After the awards, I showered and went off with my wife and some friends for brunch and stiff cocktails, then to a bar for more.  Great recovery and a nice afternoon :-)

Saturday night my wife reminded me I was supposed to get up early and run my monthly solo marathon on Sunday, since the next few weekends would be inconvenient and I wanted to have some recovery time before the NYC marathon in November, so it was pretty much get up early and see how I felt.  When I went to bed, the last thing I wanted to think about was getting up and running 26+ miles.  And, it was supposed to rain.

But, the alarm went off at 7, I woke up well rested, overcast sky but no rain yet.  I dressed, ate half an english muffin with peanut butter, glass of water, hit the bathroom and was out the door by 7:30.

I figured I'd run a loop or two of the park (3.4 miles per loop, same park as the 5k race) and I'd see if I wanted to continue or call it a day. Two loops down and I was feelin' good -didn't feel like I raced the day before.  So I went for 4 loops, which turned to 6 and around mile 21, I left the park to run into Manhattan to TriBeCa to meet my wife and sister-in-law, so I could meet my new niece and have brunch.  My legs felt great as I went up the very steep Manhattan Bridge and down the other side into Chinatown.  Then it was about mile to her place, and I cooked it up a bit.  My final two miles (which included the bridge) were so comfortable, it was freaky.  Mile 25 was 7:33 and 26 was 6:46. I finished a block past her apartment with my second ever negative marathon split (first was 2 weeks ago when I ran my September monthly solo marathon).

I'm starting to think I might have figured this whole marathon thing out.  Now we'll see what happens when I actually race the NYCM  next month.  Just two more marathons this year and I'll hit my goal of one per month in 2012!