Notes
Ok, lots to say about this stupid little race....
(Starting with the bad stuff.)
First, I am _extremely_ disappointed in the mile 3 split. A 6:44? W-T-F? There is no reason whatsoever why I should have slowed in the third fucking mile of a 5K with the huge base that I'm building. I don't care that a six second slack isn't huge; the point is that off an 80 mpw base, I should be negative splitting a 5K race. I should be laughing at the weekend warriors as I cruise past them in the last mile; instead, I'm gasping and grasping to hold my shit together to the finish line. What's the point of building a massive aerobic capacity if it can't fucking hold up over three miles?
Second, I'm not thrilled about the 6:38's either. I know these correspond to the mile 1 & 2 splits in the Spirit Run (current 5K PR race 11/07), but I think I could -- and should -- have run them faster. I'm not prepared to admit that 6:38 is some kind of "terminal velocity" for the start of a 5K race. I've got to find the guts, sack, and legs to get the fuck out there at 6:30 or better and hold it.
(Ok, now for the good stuff.)
Third, hot damn -- I got an age group placement! Entirely unexpected for a race with some not-slow folks. Its a bit of a fluke, I'll admit, considering that my time would not have placed in the age groups above or below me, but fuck it: I didn't pick who showed up for the race; I just ran it as best as I could. Also, this field and group size were double the size of the Spirit Run, so its not as though I defaulted into the award. Indeed, I was very pleasantly surprised at both the age-group placement and the overall field placement (36th; 8%); to be honest, seeing the results took my mood 180 degrees to the better after dwelling on #1 and #2 above for most of the morning. Edited: A nice little package arrived in the mail on July 12: a medal in recognition of the age group placement. I got hardware!
Fourth, considering that I have done absolutely zero interval work and absolutely no 5K pace running since last November, I can't be too disappointed to come within 14 seconds of my 5K PR. That PR was set at the end of last year's training cycle, and with a lot of 5K-10K paced running under my belt. Here' I'm only 5 weeks into an 18 week training program, and with all the interval work yet to come. You have to get some decent confidence from the fact that I was able to run this pace at this point in the cycle.
Fifth, whatever else you want to say about this race, it was a great workout. It felt good to "unleash the hounds" for the first time in a long time, and viewing this as a "long" interval session, I think it'll do the legs some good. Apropos to the foregoing, and as proof that my legs are precision instruments of speed and aerodynamics, I went and knocked off a fantastic 9.3 miler in the evening, including a handful of 7:50's and even a 7:40. The truth is: this isn't the time on the calendar for setting 5K PRs; this is the time to become 3:20 marathoner. I think this race helped a bit towards that goal, so that makes it a great workout. Period.
Sixth, while I can't claim that I didn't get outkicked at the end, I'm ok with how I finished. I was passed by only three people in the last mile: one guy went by on wheels about a 1/2 mile from the line, and another guy cruised past a little later, and I had zero chance of catching these two. I did get fucking outkicked at the finish by a dude who I think spent most of the race pacing a slower runner, and I just didn't have the chops to reel him back in. I did NOT get outkicked by the #2 girl, who I out-sprinted to the line. She came strong in the last quarter, but I found a new gear and kept her just behind. (Of course, race results placed her ahead of me, but we both know that she finished looking at my ass, not the other way around). More importantly, I finished strong enough to keep a pack of maybe six-ten runners behind me; these folks chased me for the last 1 1/2 miles, but other than pacer dude, none of them caught me.
Finally, I saved the "best" for last. Since everything I do, eat, think, read, shit and type is supposed to be about the marathon, all of the foregoing verbiage begs the question: what does this race say about my marathon fitness? With all the usual caveats applied, the McMillan equivalent is ... drumroll please ... 3:20:59. Nice, very nice. Again, with all the usual caveats applied, I'm only 59 fucking seconds away from BQ fitness -- in week 13 of my 18 week training program. That gives me 3 entire months to nail this thing to the wall, brick it up, paint it and hang a picture. If, if, if I can own the distance (and I'd better own the distance, assuming I survive Pftiz's program) I don't think there's any chance I won't BQ by a margin. I'm know I'm not ready to run a BQ-paced marathon yet, but this race tends to tell me that I'm on the right road, headed the right direction, and maybe even a little ahead of schedule.