Winter Series 5k. They started the race at Saltair--I have only run the winter series races from the Marina, but it's a decent change. It's a big indoor space, which is nice when it's 14 degrees out. I ran an easy warm up of 3.1 on the course with Mark Holland (running bandit) and Julia Cassidy (who would go on to win both the women's and masters divisions). I had three goals: 1) finish in the top 5; 2) run as close to 17 minutes as I could muster in the cold, and 3) meet the two other goals while still using this as a training run that I use to gauge where I'm at right now.
Went out fairly fast but at a pace I was comfortable with. I didn't recognize any of the other runners that I went out with in the lead group, except BJ Christensen, who won in 15:20. First mile was 5:28 and I was satisfied with that. I was in 5th, but just a few meters from the 3rd Guy and 4th Guy. In the second mile, I got sidetracked thinking about these other runners instead of concentrating on pace. With the 180 degree turnaround thrown in (which sucks at least 3 seconds off), I ran the second mile in 5:42. Too slow! I picked it up in the third mile, catching 4th Guy and then 3rd Guy. So then I was 3rd Guy, but it didn't last. About 150m from the 3 mile sign, the former 4th Guy passed me and then the other fellow did too. My split for mile 3 was 5:36. I know that I had another gear to drop into, but I couldn't find it right at that moment. So I cruised in a few meters after 4th Guy, finishing in 17:23.
So here are my thoughts on this first race of 2007: First, I am not disappointed with my effort today considering what a strange week of training I have had and the effects of my little bouts with injury. The ankle felt fine today and I have every reason to believe it is healing normally. The IT band has not bothered me for several days. Also, my overall training foundation feels fine. That's not where I need the work at this point. I have plenty of base miles under my belt. Although I can hold a decent pace, I need to work on the top end speed so that I can summon that extra gear when I really need it. I need to concentrate on adding more strides into my weekly runs to get the feel of fast turnover. Also, I need to mix in longer tempo work that will push my aerobic threshold. I have tended to treat a lot of these winter runs as just fun, easy miles and if I feel good enough to run hard for a mile or two, then great, but otherwise, no big deal. Assuming I have proper rest, it's time to start picking up the pace for some real tempo work even when it's not comfortable. Five easy miles to cool down afterward; mostly with Julia, Mark, Scott Browning and Taha.
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