Today was a Thanksgiving day race that I ran with a couple friends. I wasn't really sure what to expect - I had just done the legs workout yesterday - but I figured I'd probably be able to do about 7:30 min/miles. That would give a final time of about 37:30 or so. The only other five mile race I did was way back in 2009 - the Lawrence Sons of Italy race - where I had a final time of just a hair under 39 minutes (although the course was a tad longer than 5 miles). So I figured there was a good chance of PR'ing a 5 mile race today. At least, a PR post-high school - I know I did one 5 mile race in high school on Thanksgiving, but I've long since forgotten my time - and at the time a 7:30 min/mile was on the slower side of things.
Anyhow - normally during a race, I position myself in the crowd based on where I've been finishing - if I'm finishing in the 50%, I'd get about halfway back. Part of the reason for that is to not be one of the obnoxious people who line up in front and get in peoples way. The other reason is that it helps regulate my start, so I don't go out too fast. Today, I threw caution to the wind and lined up right in front. When the race started, everyone seemed to be sprinting right out of the gate. Within a few hundred feet, I looked down at my watch and saw an instantaneous pace under 5 min/miles. I knew for a fact that wasn't sustainable - so I started to slow up a bit. At this point, a good number of people were passing me, and even though I slowed down, it was tough to get settled into a comfortable pace. My heartrate was already well into the 160's and rising, so I needed to get that under control.
As the first mile clicked by in 6:45, I knew I was still going too fast. On the other hand, there were only 4 miles left at this point, so it would not be worth really slowing down because by the time I did that and got caught up, the race would be just about over. So I just kinda had to suck it up, and come to grips with the fact that my HR was going to be in the 170's for 5 miles, and it wasn't going to be comfortable. I decided that'd be ok, though - I'm intentionally lowering miles, but this run was definitely keeping the intensity up.
I slowed down a bit each successive mile - but still stayed under 7:30 min/mile. Once I hit mile four, I could tell based on my time that there was going to be a finish in the 35 minute range. I knew this would be a PR for me, but I didn't recall the finish of the Lawrence race from a few years ago. I was thinking I finished int he 37 minute range, but wasn't sure.
In the last mile, of course - everyone got a little bit of a final kick, including myself. I gradually sped up during that mile, and opened up an all out sprint in the last 100 feet or so. My HR shot from the mid 170's to the mid 180's, and my lungs were trying to suck more air into them than my windpipe would allow. That's always fun.
Anyway, final results.
A few hours later, I got an email informing me I was 77 of 771 overall, and 15 of 75 in my age group. For someone who has typically been in the back half of the pack, that was my best showing in a race so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment