Corporate Cup is going on in my area and the 5K was this morning.  There were 3 categories - open, over 35, and walk.  In the over 35 category, the finish times are age graded so you might beat someone by 30 seconds but still lose to them.  That was my category.  Last night, I'm talking to my wife and she asked me how I thought I'd do.  I said that if Glen (a local rival) shows up, he'll probably beat me but if he doesn't show up, I'll probably win.  Bear in mind that I'm trying to do an 80+ mile week and ran 10 miles yesterday so my legs aren't terribly fresh.

The course is awful.  It's an out and back.  On the way out, you go up a hill that climbs 100 feet in about 0.4 mile.  Then, you drop down 100 feet in 0.15 mile.  Then, you go up again about 75 feet in about 0.4 miles.  Well, what goes up and down and up goes down and up and down again.  That climb of 100 feet in 0.15 miles at the 1.75 mile mark in the race hurts like hell.  It is awful.  I have never in my life wanted to walk so much in a 5K.

The gun fires and I'm fairly quickly in a lead pack of about 10 runners.  Glen did show up and he's there with me.  Much to my surprise, we hit a turn half a mile in and I've dropped him.  I figure, "shit, he's going to hang off my shoulder and outkick me" so I decide to make it an honest race and accelerate.  He doesn't respond.  Unfortunately, some other guy who is obviously running in the over 35 category does respond and ends up passing me.  Who the hell is this dude?  I have never seen him at a single race.  Ever.  I figure, "meh, he'll die and I'll pass him around Mile 2."  Race prediction fail.  We hit the first hill and I get passed by several runners.  I'm trying to keep my effort even and not waste myself this early.  Still, unknown dude and the young guns continue to put space between me and them.

That steep downhill sucks.  It's so steep I have to brake going down and I feel like I'm crawling.  Garmin shows I wasn't terribly fast down that hill.  Mentioning crawling, I apparently slowed to a flippin' 10:00 pace coming back up the steep hill when I have to climb 100 feet in 0.15 mile.  I even try to put on a burst to catch a couple of young bucks and lose ground to them.  I wanted to walk so badly I can't begin to describe it.  I finally crest and start to jog down the other side when I see our female over 35 entrant heading the other direction and she tells me I'm in 6th.  Well hell, I might as well try for a top 5 so I pick it up.

Huh?  I catch the young bucks and then I pass them.  I'm now pushing as hard as I can down the hill but all good things must end.  I hit the flat with about 3/4 mile to go and I'm spent.  Just spent.  I manage to keep pushing until the turn that tells me there's a half mile left and then I start doing fartleks.  Hard to that pole.  Relax to that pole.  Hard to that sign.  Relax to that tree.  I'm not close to unknown guy but I'm around the two young bucks and can see that they won't catch me.  Still, I push as hard as I can in the last quarter mile but it's fairly feeble.  I finish in 4th overall with a time of 18:41 but it's a short course.  A 5K is NOT 3 miles.  Still, I feel fairly good with the result.

I managed to run hard the entire way even on tired legs.  I did some form drills and put in another 4 miles on my cool down.  I earned seven points for our team which is what really mattered.  Better yet, I held about a 5:56 pace on the flats even in the last mile so I have outside hopes of breaking 18:30 in the WV 5K Championship on June 22 when I will be rested.

Splits are kind of irrelevant due to the elevation changes but here they are:

1 mile - 6:19

2 miles - 6:40  (I am very surprised given that the steep hill was in this mile)

3 miles - 5:41 (Distorted due to the downhill portion)

So, I beat the guy I thought would beat me by about 20 or 25 seconds but some dude I've never seen beats me by 30 seconds.  Go figure.

Whew! I am exhausted just reading this.

Nice job adjusting to what your body & the course gives you, making the best of a tough race.

I hate out and back courses. Why do race directors ever think that is a good idea?

That was a very vivid RR!  Congratulations on gutting out 4th in a very tough race.  How do you feel today?

I hate out and back courses. Why do race directors ever think that is a good idea?

Personal choice? I like them because it gives me a chance to see the leaders and also cheer friends as we pass. On occasion it has also helped me spot the competition or determine what place I'm in so I know how to adjust my pace and strategy.

That really sounds like a really challenging course.  You ran it well.  Congratulations. 

Congrats!

Amy Yoder-Begley showed up to our 5k last year and crushed the entire field. It was kind of awesome seeing the local hotshots get smoked.

Adam - I have noted before that I am at that awkward point where I can't keep up with the lead pack but I'm a minute or two ahead of most recreational runners so most 5K's turn into individual time trials for me.

Dave - Thanks.  I didn't have a chance to run the course ahead of time but I had driven it.  That hill was much steeper than I thought.  I think I made decent adjustments.

D - Thanks.  Gotta take what the day gives you.

Sheepla - There are pluses and minuses about out and backs as noted in other posts.   In this particular case though, the way things are laid out at Coonskin Park, there is really no other way to do a 5K.  I tried various combinations when I got home and nothing worked except for an out and back.

Sparker - He finished 3rd overall and I think he likely won the over 35 category.  I'll have to wait until I see the age adjusted times.

WIP - Thanks.  I feel good today and am getting ready to head out for a long run.

LRB and George - Good discussion about out and backs.  Thanks.

Awood - I normally never race a 5K without running the course first but I didn't have the chance to do that this time.  I knew the hills were there but didn't realize how steep.  I just tried to keep my effort at what I knew was sustainable and I suppose that paid off in my passing the two younger guys.  Ironically, passing them did nothing to help my team.

Ginny - Thanks.

Banshee - That would be really cool.  I'm not even sure if I'd run if someone like that showed up.  I might try to position myself strategically along the course to watch.

Jay - I used to get irritated about the "flexible" distance of many of our local 5K's but I have become more sanguine about it as I develop as a runner.  I understand that everyone out there has to run the same distance and it's not like my race strategy would be different in a 3 mile race as compared to a 3.1 mile race.  I have also become a fan of challenging courses as they force you to parcel out your effort and think your way through the race rather than just running as hard as you can from the start.  There are 4 or 5 per year around here that are certified and on pancake flat courses so if time trialing is the only thing that interests a person, they could do that without a problem.