The wind that plagued most of the week let up, and mid 30 degree weather made for a rather "mild" December race at 8:30AM. I went with shorts, t-shirt, and gloves (non throwaway this time!) and was quite content. I hate racing in multiple layers, and I can't stand sweating in a race in cool temperatures. I avoided sweat, and I never really felt cold during the race.
Ice was a possible concern on the course since it snowed a bit on Wednesday. However, I was not overly concerned and would still go hard from the start. This particular race starts on Wyman Park Drive, with a decent uphill into Druid Hill Park right after the start. The course continued through a winding paved trail and snaked through the center of the park.
I made sure to stay conservative early. If I took that early hill too hard, it was going to kill the middle of my race.
Mile 1: 5:47
I felt ok, maybe a bit uncomfortable. I hadn't really run this pace for a while, so I wasn't surprised by how I felt. I didn't panic, and just decided to try and keep pace. For most of the first mile the other runners around me seemed really anxious. People were surging forward, dropping back, and changing pace a lot. I didn't know what the problem was, and I just made sure not to get too caught up in it. I passed a handful of people, got passed a couple of times, and went back and forth a few times with 2 other runners.
As we continued through the park, I missed Mile 2 as we hit some light rolling hills. Once we moved up to the last 0.5 miles before the turnaround, my position, and the positions of those around me were solidified. I lost one runner that went ahead, but put away another runner that had been trading off positions with me for most of the race. Mile 3 was mostly downhill as we looped back around to the Druid Lake loop.
Mile 2 + 3: 11:08 (5:34 average)
Mile 2 had some uphill while 3 had a bit more, as well as a decent amount of downhill. I doubt I ran consistent 5:34s. After mile 3 I started to feel a bit more uncomfortable and kind of lost my rhythm a bit. Nonetheless, I kept pushing as best I could knowing that the rest of the course was flat and downhill. I've learned to trust myself more these days knowing that rough patches will pass if I push through them.
After some more downhill, we turned onto the lake loop where I've done more tempo runs than I care to remember. Mile 4 was a bit slow.
Mile 4: 5:52
I sensed I had slowed a bit about 0.25 miles out from the mile marker and had already recommitted to running faster. One of the runners ahead of me started fading, so I figured I'd take a shot at catching him. I also started to feel stronger. In fact, as we continued to loop around the lake, I only felt better and better. By the time we got off the loop for the last 0.5 miles with a sharp downhill, I was really hitting my stride.
I never did catch the runner ahead of me. He had said afterward he was really worried I would catch him so he made sure to hit the last downhill hard. If the race was about 2 miles longer, I would have! As I ran over the I-83 overpass and crossed the line, I was feeling better than I ever had at the end of a race.
Mile 5: 5:30
Overall: 28:17 (5:39/mile average), 8th out of 3000 people, 3 minutes behind the "fastest amateur in Baltimore." (pending review by the timing company, my chip failed to register my time!)
I really wish the race was longer. After walking around for about 2-3 minutes I felt fine again. I really thought I could go and run the race again at the same pace. While sitting here writing this, my legs don't feel like they ran a race. Even after tough 5Ks I usually feel a bit of soreness, but I've got nothing today!
This is not exactly unexpected. I essentially did a tempo run for the first time in 3 weeks and it just took sometime to get a feel for that pace again. I was certainly sharper than I expected, though clearly, some of my racing prowess was a bit rusty. If I ran this race during my training cycle, I'm certain I would have broken 28 minutes. In fact, I ran this race 2 seconds per mile slower than my most recent 10K.
Regardless, I am very pleased with the results and this is a good way to cap off my awesome 2010 racing season. I finally get a 2:19 5 mile PR over last year (30:36 on a flat course). That makes 30 events all together.
After tomorrow's long run, there will only be two more recovery weeks before I go back at it. Though 2010 was my most successful running year ever, it is merely the beginning of something better, and not the pinnacle.
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