OR -- Congratulations on the win, and a great time on a hilly course. Outstanding! R4F -- Strong run in lousy conditions. That's a fine bit of racing, there! Alright, so this morning I ran my first race in more than seven months, and my first 5K in more than a year. Yes, it was this:
going faster miles an hour wrote:
If a guy in your age group placed second last year running about what you hope to run, that means you have a pretty decent chance to actually win the race outright!
But not so much this, as I failed to really push myself (didn't even heave at the finish!):
Coach Jeff ROC wrote:
... sometimes you gotta be the gauge.
Tthe weather was not bad, 60 degrees, light rain and a light breeze. I did my usual routine, jogging back to the two-mile point, USATF certification map in hand to double-check road markings. Jogged in the last 1.1 miles, ran a few strides, headed for the john one last time.
There were two turns in the first quarter mile. I tried to stay relaxed. A young woman took the early lead. I settled into fourth place, but moved to third fairly early. By the mile point, the woman was maintaining a 60-meter lead, but I was quickly catching the man in second. First mile: 6:25. Aargh. That was my 15K pace last year.
I passed second-place, and the woman was steadily coming back to me. I passed her at exactly the 2-mile point. Second mile: 6:26. Okay, at least I was maintaining pace. The first mile had a bit of a climb, so I would get that back in the last mile.
The third mile, I just tried to keep it moving, and discourage anyone from trying to catch me. Third mile: 6:00. With no one on my heels, I just maintained pace around the last couple turns and finished with 19:35 (6:25, 6:26, 6:00, :44).
That's 6:18 average, about 12 seconds per mile slower than what I ran a year ago. But faster than 2017's "season opener." So, I can't be too disappointed. Especially carrying an extra 10 pounds these days. Still, it's sad to think 19:35 would be good enough for an overall win!