AM - very light 4 miles before work today. Planning to do the Midnight Run race tonight. Body felt better than yesterday, but still not quite at a point where it feels good and rested.
PM - Race Report - I had a pretty good 5k race late this evening. Warm conditions 85 degrees and about 80% humidity, but no rain. I debated whether to do the 5k or the 10k and settled on the former because I was too chicken to want to push myself for the 10.
Warmed up a little over 3 miles and ran into several people I recognized, none of whom I knew even were runners. This event, much like the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, brings out all kinds of folks. I think they estimated over 2000 were registered this year. This was the 33rd running of the event, I think I may have run the very first one they held here back when I was in high school.
First half of the first mile was alarming. I ended up with a bunch of high school aged boys who ran extremely quickly for my taste - and it was almost unavoidable to keep from doing the same. So I would estimate my .5 mile time was probably below 5:30, but the first mile split was 5:49 when some sanity resumed to the field. My breathing was a bit too high, but I settled into a decent rhythm and began reeling people in over the next mile and a half. Mile 2 split was 6:06 but my expected preciptitous fall off for mile 3 was not really that bad - 6:15 and I ran the last .1 at 5:25 pace. So I had a nice sprint in - which resulted in a time on the clock and on my watch of 18:57 (official results of 19:00 notwithstanding).
So, while I realize this is not a blazing time to most, and certainly slower than some of my races in the last couple of years, for some reason this felt very good to me as a positive sign in my training. I have not done any training other than heavy miles at not more than aerobic efforts for the last 9 weeks. This is a tough little course for me too - The last 2 times I have run this, (2011 and 2008) my times were 22-24 seconds slower than last night, and with some speed training to boot. I am seeing solid improvement and I felt strong throughout the race - although clearly not yet speedy. I won the old man's division and was 27th overall.
I did a cool down by running out the causeway again before the 10k started - and did about 4 miles. Watched the leaders coming by in the 10k and noted that as they were coming down over the drawbridge, the lead runner, out ahead by nearly 100 yards, kept looking back, almost disappointed in no one running with him. I also noticed how quite things were with just the sound of the pounding of their feet going by. No one talking and there were no spectators, save for me. Anyway, I thought it was cool. Also, I was very tired/sleepy - at 12:30 in the morning it was way past my bedime - I am glad I did not do the 10k just for the that reason.
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