It's all relative

Fort DeSoto 15k Race, St. Petersburg, FL

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Location:

FL,United States

Member Since:

Feb 08, 2015

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Certified course PR's:

Mile: 4:28.0 (Florida, Jan 2020)

5K: 15:12 (FL, Jan. 2020)

10K: 31:44 (FL, Feb. 2020)

15K: 49:03 (FL, Feb. 2020)

1/2 Marathon: 1:10:34 (FL, Feb. 2020)

Marathon: 2:26:57 (WA, July 2019)

100k (63.7 miles, trail): 9:11:00 (FL, Jan. 2019)

Personal:

I started running in 2010 and have (mostly) kept it a habit ever since!  

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
21.7314.8236.55
Race: Fort DeSoto 15k Race, St. Petersburg, FL (9.321 Miles) 00:53:29, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.309.3213.62

Fort DeSoto 15k Race, St. Petersburg, FL Race Report

This was the second annual 15k on the island.  It's popularity has gone up quite a bit, but that's a good thing.  I won this race last year and had the best race I've ever done (50:40ish) and I knew I couldn't come anywhere near that this year- but it at least helped my confidence by knowing how to run the course.  The temperature was much hotter and more humid this year, so that didn't help.  

The race:  Really there were only three of us from the moment the gun went off: Chris T., Sean G. and myself.  They are former college runners and I train with one (Sean) semi-regularly so I knew what I had racing next to me.  The three of us were all even through 2 miles when Sean (who was clearly feeling good) lowered us down to about 5:36 for mile 2 and then low 5:30s thereafter, so I backed off both of them.  I know Sean's racing style and I'm familiar with his current fitness, so I didn't feel he could keep that, and for me personally I know I wouldn't negative split if I got into the low/mid 5:30s for multiple miles.  I knew a negative split would be the best racing strategy as it has always worked for me in these situations as long as the gap didn't grow too large.  I let a 20 second lead build over the next two and a half miles by Sean and about a 3 second gap behind Chris and then just lowered the pace ever-so-slightly.  Chris gassed first and I caught him around the beggining of mile 4.  Sean followed, but his breathing was much calmer than Chris'.  I made sure to pass them both swiftly and calmly.  I had a ton in the tank so when I caught Sean with about 4.5 miles left to go I knew I had it.  I pressed evenly on miles 6 and 7 to solidify, then relaxed a bit on 8 and 9 after looking back and seeing nobody behind me.  I cruised from there and finished over a minute ahead of Sean and a couple minutes over Chris who got third.

Fun race, and I'm happy and thankful I won- as I really had no business winning that.  Then again, it's all about who shows up, and who the hell wants to run a 15k in the middle of Florida at the end of summer?  The time I ran leaves a lot to be desired as it was 3 minutes behind where I was a year ago, but it's a step in the right direction and I do feel I am overcoming this tribulation.  Now I've earned my 4 comped half marathons which is exciting, and also it's now time to focus on the Chicago Marathon in less than a week!

Splits- 5:45, 5:36, 5:45, 5:45, 5:40, 5:38, 5:39, 5:50, 6:03, Finish (1:48)

Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.100.005.10

PM: 2 miles then gym- chest, tris, quads, abs, shoulders, then 3 more miles.  Felt good.

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.605.5010.10

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  Standard 5-mile tempo at marathon pace.  Went a little over just because I felt like it, and the pace felt entirely too easy.  All miles were between 6:50 and 6:55.  

It's a weird feeling to know I'll be "taking it easy" for the Chicago Marathon on Sunday as opposed to going for a PR.  I suppose I set this in stone by racing the 15k pretty hard two days ago, but I still feel odd about it.  Fortunately, it just means the party can start the moment I cross the line.

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.550.005.55

PM: 5 miles with Anthony in East Lake and a couple runs around the track with the team in Safety Harbor.

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

No running- taper.

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

No running- taper.

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.180.002.18

AM: Slow run just to loosen the legs up.  A couple of striders at the end.

Late AM: Flight to Chicago. 

PM: Lots of walking... But that certainly doesn't count as running :)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
21.7314.8236.55
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