Notes
The 10K that become a 5K...Long story short they were out of 10K bibs and it was either no race (and a 1 h drive for this 10K) or the 5K. So, the 5 K it was.
Hilly course, long inclines, much harder than the flat bike path I ran on 2 weeks ago.
Mile 1: 5:57; Started conservative here and watched my Garmin go down from 6:30 to 6 for the first .5 mile, and then settled at 5:57 for the entire mile. This mile had one sharp turn with a hill after that took me by surprise, but it was fine.
Mile 2: 5:53. I remembered how Tim said mile 2 is the hardest and in my mind I made the 5K as a 2 miler. I felt fine here as well, did not want to push it. My pace kept slipping though - I think the 5:XX pace is not flowing with me, meaning it is not the most economical or a pace where I can stay without checking my watch or concentrating. Here we entered a bike path with this 200m winding narrow hill. My legs felt it, my pace slowed, but I did pick it up after.
Mile 3: There was a turn around a little before mile 3, pretty sharp again, and we went back on the bike path. I was feeling pretty good actually. The mile markers seemed to be on the spot for me, maybe slightly off, so I was confident the course was accurate. Then all of a sudden I saw runners coming my way (from the opposite direction, the slower racers). So far it has been 2 guys way ahead of me, and then me and nobody else. I had to ditch runners and slowed down here instead of using the downhill to back speed. At 3.68 my pace was 6:24. WTF! I saw my goal go by. But then we got on the road and I started pushing and just telling myself to do my best. Up to this point I did not have to fight at all. My pace eventually dropped to 6:09 by the time I had to take another sharp turn for what it should have been the last 100m, but it was .21. It was all downhill though, with a couple of sharp R turns, and I only saw the clock when I got within 25 yards and watched the 18:5XX move into 19:04. FUCK!
.21: 4:57 - this is how I know I am in better shape than I race. I should have felt like death at least the entire last mile and I did not. Also, to have this kick at the end, even on a downhill, shows my legs had more. This is good.
I think I need to go back to Fresh Pond and race over there again many times, so that I get my mind used to racing. I think this is what I have been missing.
5:56 pace on the watch, 5:57 pace in RA. Happy with this on this course. 4-5 secs/mile slower today than 2 weekends ago, on a tougher course with a forced slow down in mile 3 due to narrow path and runners blocking the path from the opposite direction.
Yes, not a sub 19 but I am happy with this race. I did not start too fast like last week, I adjusted to the 10K to 5 K switch, and I raced well. I was alone the entire way and I truly believe with some competition I could have gone faster.
I am not done with the 5K:)
Oh, and I much preferred this "mileage reduction" to what I had before my last 5K. Legs felt fine, and I was overall happier during the week.
Another oh, leg hurt during warm up but it was a non issue during the race.
And why is a "failure" (aka not a sub 19) gets me more pumped for racing that a 17:30 (my official 5K time from 2 weeks ago/18:10)?