Notes
Default race. Initially planning to run a 15k up north but Brandon decided to compete in SIU indoor meet today so not wanting to miss watching some "real runners" compete.
Perfect morning to race. Just getting ready to warm up and local speedster Matt Pfau pulls up. We chat for awhile, he asks me if I am running the 10k, I let him know I have just signed up for the 5k. He is thinking about doing the 10k to get some miles in prior to Aslinger race and wanting to run "in the 36 min range". I tell him I would be glad to give him some company for the first 1.55 miles and he goes into the gym to sign up. We go out on the road course and run the 5k portion to get the lay of the course. Downhill start, run up the steep sand/chat/grass embankment to the gravel road, up the rest of the gravel hill and then about .20 of a mile of gravel downhill prior to hitting the blacktop with another steep incline to a 4 way stop. Another large hill just past the one mile mark then little rollers to the 5K turn around point.
Line up, listen to all the talk, directions and waste just enough time to lose the warm up effect. Matt and I go out front immediately and are running at 6:07 pace at the half mile mark just past the 4 way stop. We have already climbed two pretty steep inclines and I tell him I feel like dogsh!*. He says he doesnt feel great either but we are now rolling downhill so hoping this puts us back in the groove. First mile at 5:55 pace so we picked it up pretty good on the back half of the mile. No one around us. Hit the 1.55 mile turnaround point of the race, wish Matt well and turn around. At 5:55 pace through first half of second mile. Now running back toward the masses and first one is Schmittzehe (5k) and then Dr Dodson (10k). Run the second mile in 5:53 and now start climbing a large, false top double hill that tops out just before the 2.5 mile mark. I am wasted and slow down to at least 6:35-6:40 pace climbing the hill. Get to the short level area then down essentially the final hill prior to climbing up the gravel portion of the race course. Pick up the cadence again moving up the gravel portion of the hill, tippy-toe down the embankment as I am moving down hill and sharply left and don't want to twist/torque anything then slight incline on pavement for final .11 miles of the race. 18:45 finish time. Third mile is 6:24 and final .11 miles of course at 5:18 pace.
Slowest 5K race in memory but with multiple significant elevation climbs and no company for the last 1.2 miles essentially only raced the first two miles and pulled back to recovery mode for about 4 min of the last 1.1 miles. Still felt like a good effort and can't expect much better on a hilly course while doing HM/15K/10K work the last couple of months.
78.67% age-graded and equivalent of 16:30 young man's performance.
CBEGM cofounder went down south and picked up an OA win while showing the bootheelers how to properly execute a 5K race. It is always nice when a seasoned 5K'r is racing a "miler" in a 5K race.
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Matt Pfau ran a solo 10k in 37:10. He was the only real athlete I saw until hitting the SIU campus then I saw about 500 of them.
Highlight of the day was watching Brandon complete his first 1600m in 3 years, setting a PR of 4:18 on a 200 level track prior to track conversion (probably a 4:15 conversion time) then race an 800m race and place 11th overall out of 48 runners in 4 heats with a solid 1:59.xx time. He looked as smooth and as good as I have seen him look since conference championships 3 months ago. Next up for him is a fast field at the Indiana meet on 12 Feb. Can't wait.