AM: 2.1 miles easy
PM: 3.8 easy, 5k hard
Race: Bellair Sunset 5k
Goal: A goal: sub 15:51 (PR for a road course), B goal: sub 16, C goal: 1st overall
Course: I really enjoy this course. There are no points where it is congested, quite flat although very breezy, there are only a couple of hard turns, and there are no 180-degree pin-point turns, so this course is pretty great for a 5k.
The race: There was no one running with me from the start unfortunately, and the footsteps were gone from behind me about 30 seconds into it, so I was on my own. I felt great through mile one and was very relaxed, cognizant that I needed to maintain a high cadence (I ended up with a 196 average) while relaxing as much as possible- it has been quite a long time since I've taken a 5k seriously, but I generally seemed to remember what it takes to not fall apart, not drop the cadence, and to not lose form. Mile one was a 5:02.
Mile two was shockingly easy. I felt in control, relaxed, but I decided not to push it despite feeling great. Mile two was a 5:02.
Mile three was tougher and the breathing changed the moment I tried to speed it up. I relaxed back down, afraid I was going to blow it going too early. I knew I was about 5 seconds behind breaking 15:30, but I don't know, I just talked myself into thinking I was closer than I was. Mile three was a 5:02.
The last turn is a hard 90-degree turn down to the finish. Although the race is small (650-700 people), it is a great finish since you can see the clock and have literally 110 meters to sprint to your hearts desire. I closed ridiculously fast (for me anyway), my cadence hitting a 205 and finishing in 27 seconds. I have been working on my anaerobic capacity, but wow, I felt like a sprinter out there!
The finish time was a 15:33, 1st overall and it was a PR for a road course! The 2nd overall guy crossed the finish in 17:35 and no one else broke 18, which saddens me a bit, since this race is usually a really fast one.
Splits- 5:02, 5:02, 5:02, 0:27
Final thoughts: I just missed 15:30, but that's okay, it's right around the corner and I did hit my planned goal and a shiny new PR. With hindsight bias, I suppose I should have amended my goal, but I had nothing to go by having just ran a 100k ultramarathon a couple of weeks ago. I mean really, let's be serious- I'm happy to have any speed at all. I really felt good this race (especially during it), and it is probably the first 5k I've ever had that didn't feel like I was on fire by the end of it.
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