On Sunday I ran the Alivio Y Salud 5k. The race is in a neighborhood of Chicago known as Pilsen. The neighborhood has some charm, but many of it's residents are underprivileged. The proceeds from the race go to a low-cost medical center in the area.
My recent training runs have been great and I thought sub 21:00 was realistic. But deep down, a wishful, confident and optimistic side of me said I could break 20:00.
This was a smaller race of 175 people. The gun went off and 2 or 3 guys jumped out to the lead. I was in the 2nd pack of about 5 guys.
I quickly realized that I went out too fast. The first half mile came out to 3:01 and I thought "oh shit!". I've never crashed in a 5k before. But this was the first time I thought it could happen. I let the "chase pack" go, and I dropped back. I was still working hard, but I regained some composure and rhythm. First mile came out to 6:15.
Seeing that 1 Mile split made me smile. I was hurting, and I slowed down. But I felt more confident, and the doubt I felt earlier in the race went away. By mile 1.5 the discomfort was intense. I tried not to think about the fact that I was only halfway done. I hit the 2nd mile in 6:47 and felt a different type of "oh shit!". I knew that 20:00 was a 6:26avg. I was too tired to do any math, but I acknowledge that I needed a strong finish.
I began to push the pace. I started gaining on some guys from the chase pack. I passed 2 of them. I worked REALLY hard in the last half mile, and I felt strong. The finish line could be seen from a half mile away. I love that. When the finish line is in sight, it doesn't matter how badly I'm hurting- the sight of the finish line eases the pain. I'm annoyed when a finish line is tucked around a corner and it doesn't come into sight until the very end.
As I approached the 3rd mile marker my watched showed 19:10. I knew that sub 20:00 was within reach, but I was gonna have to dig. There wasn't anyone around me for a sprint to the finish, but I had a decent kick to close it out. I felt a sense of relief and happiness when my watch showed 19:53. I immediately thought of Adamneh and his near exact prediction.
Mile 1- 6:15
Mile 2- 6:47
Mile 3- 6:15
0.1- 0:35
FINISH- 19:53 (6:25 avg pace)
6/174 overall
3rd AG
I'm happy with this race, and surprised in what I've been able to do with low mileage. I was convinced that high mileage was the only way I'd improve. I've got my fingers crossed that I've found an approach that works for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment