I've let my mileage slip a little and it really showed today. I felt awesome at 15:00 5k pace but my endurance at that speed wasn't there and I died a little. Time to get back on the horse and hammer out the miles again.
This was the most aesthetically pleasing race I've ever been to. I love Portland, the college was located in a great place... it was awesome. The race started and I went through the first lap in 72 seconds... right where I wanted. The next lap went by in 70, which really surprised me. Didn't feel like I sped up that much. Tucked in behind a group of 4 that pulled me through 1600m in 4:49. Perfect.
After that, our pace slowed. I stuck with the pack through 3200m in 9:46 (4:57) and then the wheels fell off. Totally a result of being lazy in my training, but I fell to about 5:10 pace. Managed to kick a 71 sec last lap to dip under 15:30.
I'm not upset with my race effort at all, it's the preparation I feel bad about. I lost my focus a little and this was a major wake-up call for me. On a positive note, I know that 72s will be manageable once I get that endurance back. | 