Foxtrot 5k 2017

Matt -     Place: 11; Net Time: 22:59.3; Avg. pace: 7:25/mi
Ashley -  Place: 36; Net Time: 28:33.4; Avg. pace: 9:13/mi
Mike -     Place: 64; Net Time: 34:36.1; Avg. pace: 11:09/mi

A mid-March 5k race is quite unpredictable. Not only can the weather range from sunny and mid-60s to rainy and low 40s, it can do that in the same day. This time of year is also the first race most of us have done since winter fell. Creaking joints and blurry eyes still managed to make it to the start line outside of the Capitol Market the day after St. Patrick's Day. It had rained a lot in the pre-dawn hours leaving the pavement slick. The temperatures hovered in the 40-45 degree range depending on whether the sun was peaking out through the clouds. Mike, Ashley, and I got to the start line and noticed that not too many runners were toeing said line. I moved up immediately in order to not get caught behind any walkers. Apparently, this race was not going to be crowded with speedsters. Mike and Ashley both moved up behind me a couple minutes before the gun sounded.

As usual, the anticipation to start running was high and it felt like we waited an hour to get moving. The gun finally sounded and I happily half-sprinted the first few hundred meters, shaking off the cold. Wet roads mostly did not affect my stride. The first half mile was pancake flat, then we hit a short uphill stint on Chilton Street which connected the route to Piedmont Road. That small hill broke up my pace and got me breathing heavy. The one-mile-mark was hit behind Laidley Field and I finished that first split in about 7:10. That was a little too fast given that the back half would be slightly uphill on the same stretch next to Laidley Field.
I hit the halfway mark behind the Capitol, where I ran around an older gentleman race volunteer who runners were treating like a cone. My first 1.5 miles was right about the same 7:10 pace I had on the first mile. All that was left was to return on the same roads that led to the Capitol. The second mile was completed, again, behind Laidley; my pace had slowed down to about 7:30 for this split. I battled to keep a decent pace on the slight uphill stretch. Then, I hit Chilton Street again and coasted downhill for 100 meters or so. My pace slowed down again on the flats. Once I hit Smith Street though, I was able to muster a three-quarters sprint to the finish line. I could see the clock ticking up towards 23:00 at the finish and tried my best to beat that mark. I missed it by two seconds but thankfully my net time was seven-hundredths of a second below it. Talk about cutting it close.

The cool down period took a solid minute. I grabbed a couple waters and returned to the finish line to get a few photos of Ashley's finish. She ran to the finish all smiles, hands in the air.

Mike had some knee pain and was admittedly not in his running shape yet this year. He still had a nice sprint to the finish line though.

We finished and waited around for a while. With such a small field of runners we anticipated that Ashley or I may have placed in our age groups. Little did we suspect that we both placed first in our age groups. That is a PTR first, no doubt. Mike scolded us for betraying the essence of participation trophy running, which we deserved. With dined over the good news at First Watch.
With our first race of 2017 in the books we look forward to more fun on the roads this Spring.

Warm Winter for Running

The Stats
02/01/17: 3.16 mi; 25'33"; 8'04" avg. pace
02/05/17: 3.16 mi; 24'05"; 7'37" avg. pace
02/06/17: 4.84 mi; 42'19"; 8'44" avg. pace
02/13/17: 3.12 mi; 24'45"; 7'56" avg. pace
02/20/17: 3.12 mi; 22'43"; 7'17" avg. pace
                      02/22/17: 2.92 mi; 34'57"; 11'57" avg. pace (hill intervals)
                      02/27/17: 3.11 mi; 23'34"; 7'34" avg. pace

February started with a nice day for running and I took advantage of it. That run was a 5k interval training effort with five, fast paced segments and jogging in between them. Four days later, on Super Bowl Sunday, I ran another 5k at a constant pace. I almost finished that one under the 24-minute mark and neared 7'30" miles on average. It was not quite as exciting as the game that night, but it did justify a lot of game time snacking. The next day I decided to do a longer run with hills. I had never ran on the Carriage Trail next to Bridge Road, so I decided to jog down MacCorkle before ascending it. It certainly reduced me to a slow pace and had me sucking plenty of wind. I hit the trail summit and snapped a quick picture on the way down.

To get a bit more hill training, I jogged less than a quarter mile up Bridge Road before returning to MacCorkle Ave. On the way home, I got hit with acute stomach pain. My lower intestines were bouncing around and screaming at me to get home. I managed to keep jogging to reduce the time spent in pain though it probably did not help the intensity of the pain. I hadn't had a bad running experience with stomach issues like that for a while. Let's hope it was an aberration.
The weather intervened for the next week with only a short bike ride on Feb. 11th allowing me to get outside. The next Monday I did manage to run another 5k interval. I got my time down to under eight-minute miles for that effort. Then, another week passed before I could hit the pavement again. But the rest may have been behind my awesome pace on Feb. 20th. With temperatures in the mid-60s, I ran a 5k that day under 23 minutes. I was shocked at how much I had improved in only a month of training. Two days later, I decided to do a "long hill sprints" exercise. I ran up the Carriage Trail for one minute and noted my stopping point. After jogging back down hill and recovering, I did five more sprint efforts up the hill, ending at the same point each time. The result was 557 vertical feet of climbing and some sore legs.
The next day, I took a break from running and went on a bike ride. I decided to test out Mount Alpha for the first time this year. To my surprise, I recorded my best time on the "Mt Alpha to Whispering Woods" segment according to Strava. I had trouble with my easiest gear at the beginning of the hill and that caused me to stand up on the pedals and work harder. I still didn't think it would be my best time but you never know until you look at the results.

My last run of the month was a little sobering, but still very promising. In colder weather I could not match the 7'17" avg. pace for a 5k that I ran earlier in the month. Still, I toughed out a 5k at 23'34" which is a good pace. I am well on my way to running a 5k under 22 minutes. It will take a couple more months, better weather, and good training. Eyes on the prize.