I ran a warmup mile and didn't feel all that great. It wasn't surprising considering I had already put 58 miles in for the week. I ran a 6:30 pace for last week's unofficial 5k, so my goal was a sub 6:40 pace for this 5 miler. I figured that that was realistic on a hilly course on a cold morning.
Speaking of the weather, it was in the 20s again. That seems to be the norm now. The forecast called for a lot of snow later on, but it was clear at the start. I wasn't quite sure what to wear for the race. I went with long pants, a ColdGear top and my gloves and headband. I figured I might be too hot with the last two items, but I could always stash them away if needed.I lined up on the far end in the front row. The starting line is quite wide, as the entire road is closed. I wanted to start here because it looked like the course turned there not too far up ahead and I could be on the inside lane. My friend Karl saw me in line and we chatted. He asked my predicted pace and said he might try to hang with me for awhile. I welcomed some company.
We started off and I took off. I usually don't worry about pace in the first half mile. I typically run on feel and how the race dictates. That often leads to a fast first mile. It does get the legs going though. Karl ran ahead of me early and with me for a short time, but the pace was too much for him. He probably could've hung with me if I ran the pace I told him I wanted to (6:40). Instead, I ended up going out at a 6:14 opening mile. I would've liked to have been slightly slower, but I didn't feel as though I was working too hard.
I was thrown off in the beginning, but then I realized that I read the course map backward. Once I figured that out, I was good. I got passed by a few people early in the race. Going up Main Street, I saw another friend, Jerry, go by me. It would've been nice to run with him, since we are around the same pace, but I had to be smart early on.
I got into a groove. For awhile I became a bit frustrated because there was no one close to me or behind me and I couldn't seem to hang with the women in front of me. Running alone is the worst thing at these races. I was only about a mile and a half in at that point.
When we got near Sand Island, we became sprinkled in with the 5k runners. That was slightly annoying because it was the slower runners. They didn't get in the way too much though and weren't a huge problem. The out and back on Sand Island was very helpful. I was able to see quite a few friends that were behind me and that was a huge boost. It kept me going strong, even though I felt like I was slipping. Running out on Sand Island had been tough because it started to snow and the snow was blowing in our faces.
My overall pace at the halfway point had slipped to about 6:30, but I was fine with that. I had closed the gap on the women in front of me and that helped. I ended up passing both of them on the uphill to the Fahy Bridge. I then saw Jerry up ahead. I was slowly gaining on him.I was starting to tire and I knew there were some hills left, so I didn't want to overdo it. Seeing Jerry within striking distance definitely helped. I took advantage of the downhill on the bridge while I could. I was running the downhill and flat portions fairly well.
We went back up the bridge and I caught and passed Jerry about midway across. I said hello and continued on. He was still doing well and I could hear him not too far behind me. I usually have a killer sprint, so I figured I could do that if I needed to stay ahead of him or pass anyone else that was in front of me.
After the bridge, we had a steep hill to climb. I was breathing so heavily now. I was a basically moaning as I passed slower 5k people. Getting up the hill seemed so slow and I was struggling bad. I was wondering if Jerry might get me on the hill, but I guess he had at least as much trouble with it as I did.
I was happy to see my pace was still around a 6:36 as I completed mile 4. We had a nice and flat recovery section after the hill and that was a huge help. I kept pushing and pushing. We then went around a turn and up a short hill. I saw two friends, Bob and Chris in this area. They cheered me on and helped me finish strong.
I actually didn't realize how close the finish was to the last turn. If I knew that, I would've pushed even harder. I sprinted and started catching the guy in front of me, but he was an older guy and I didn't want to go into an all out sprint to pass him. I was running hard enough as it was, so I finished up right behind him.
I stopped my watch and was surprised to see it was a 32:20. That was under my top goal of 32:30. The problem is that my watch only said 4.92 miles and a 6:34 pace, not a 6:30 pace. Regardless, I'll take it and was thrilled. It just would've been nice if the course was accurate or perhaps even longer.
I slightly exceeded expectations and ran very well. I ran nearly as hard as I could. I maybe didn't dig real deep to get that extra little bit, but I definitely gave a huge effort and am satisfied. My breathing labored some in the cold, but wasn't too bad. I ran this race back in 1999 and crushed that time. Any time I can beat a time posted by myself at 18 years old, I'm thrilled.
I hung around after the run and chatted and then got warm inside the YMCA. It was a great run and a fun day all around. I can't complain about a thing. It was pretty much perfect.
I still had a little over 6 miles to go to hit my goal of 70 miles for the week. That meant an easy afternoon run. I didn't feel too sore from the race and my legs seemed well recovered. I was thrilled that it had started to snow. I wanted a fun snow run.
I headed out to Riverview Park around 1:30 in the afternoon. I made sure to take my GoPro for this scenic run. I thought about going out and back in each direction. Initially, I was going to run toward the Boat Launch, but I thought I heard an all terrain vehicle on the path. I did see tire tracks in the snow there earlier in the week.
Instead, I went the other direction, as I have been doing all week. I've been getting tired of this route, but it is so beautiful in the snow. I knew I'd enjoy it and get some good photos.
I wore the same type of attire as the race, except I added the fleece vest. I had a fresh headband, but my gloves were still wet from the race. That made for a cold finger when I was taking photos early on. It was cold initially, but warmed up after some time.I got plenty of awesome pictures as well as a video. The snow was tough on the way out. It was blowing in my face and I couldn't see too well. I knew coming back would be much better and it wouldn't be as cold. The canal was cool, but even neater was that I saw a group of ducks swimming in it. I got some photos, but they didn't turn out that great.
I headed out to Easton. I didn't want to cross the river, so I turned around when the normal trail ended. I was at 2.75 miles. It was a little farther than I wanted, but it meant I wouldn't have to do as much coming back. On the way back, it was much nicer, although I did hit a stretch or two where the wind was blowing snow on me.
I saw a train go by across the canal. I didn't really get any good photos of it though. I got some cool ones of the bridge that I ran over. I got back to Riverview Park and had less than .4 miles to go. I ran a short out and back toward the Boat Launch to finish up.
The legs felt pretty good throughout the run. I'm a little sore now, but not too bad. When I took my headband off, it nearly stuck to my head. I realized that my hair was now frozen. That was interesting and I don't recall it ever happening before.
This second run was another fun run. It was an amazing day all around. I got to sit by the fire after all the running and having the big week done. I might try to get a short, easy run tomorrow. It will still be snow covered and might be icy. I don't want to do too much. I'd like to have a long run on Monday.
Warmup 1 mile - 9:25 (9:25 pace)
Race 4.92 miles - 32:20 (6:34 pace)
Snow Run 6.1 miles - 52:49 (8:40 pace)
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