Time for the first Striders race of the year- the 5k. I knew I would not be as fast as last year- I am about 4 weeks behind in my training as compared to 2008, which means about 50 miles less in the past month. The course if very hilly, with 350 feet of climbing in the first 1.5 miles. Ben VanBeekum and Chad from last year were not there, but Tim Wight, Nate Pollard, Walter, Cody, Jeff MacArthur, and a mystery man (who ended up being Trever Ball and kicking all our trash) all came ready to race. The temp was about 30 deg- most people wore tights and/or long shirts. I was the only person (dumb enough) to wear just shorts and a singlet. It wasn't too cold, though, and it's only 3 miles.
Last year I ran a 17:57, with splits of 5:59, 6:00, and 5:24. This year definitely started faster, with a first mile of 5:49. I was in 7th place by this point. Second mile was a painful 6:29- you can't fake a lack of base miles when racing uphill. Cody absolutely pulled away from everyone at this point (except Trever, who was far ahead) and laid down the hammer the last half of the race. Third mile was 5:33, and the last .1 was 33 seconds. I had someone right behind me who pushed me the last 1.5 miles but never caught me, though he came close on a few of the icy turns when I slowed down out of caution. I pushed the whole way, with breathing bordering anaerobic even on the downhills, and ended up in 7th and 1st in my age group (though I would have been 4th in the 35-39 age group). My time was 29 seconds slower than last year, which is about what I expected. I still want to place top 3 in the series, which means I really have my work cut out for me the next few months. My foot is mostly better, though, so I plan to resume regular training. Congrats to everyone, especially Cody and Walter. Add in a few miles warm up and cool down with Cody, Walter, and a few others.
PM- Added a solid hour of snowshoeing while carrying McKinley, wandering up and down the mountains with the family. Tiring. We'll count it 2 miles crosstraining. | 