I guess the lesson for the year is if it isn't working out well, keep working hard, but don't be afraid to change things. In the summer, I realized that my legs couldn't handle the training I was asking them to do. Rather than continuing to push through it, I hit the softer surfaces of the trails and rode my bike over and over again. That allowed me to get stronger and also build up a huge endurance base, heading into the fall.
I ran all my runs easy during that time too. That allowed me to put in so many miles with both my shoes and on the bike. All that work got me healthy and I when I decided to run hard again, I started seeing amazing results. Since I've gone away from biking (when it got cold) and replaced it with more running, I haven't missed a beat. I've been running faster and faster. The amazing thing is that I'm still not running hard too often. Most of the hard runs have been races.
It is so good to finally be running strong. I have a lot of friends that I have met since I've moved back home. All of my best running days had been before I knew them and when I was running in Philly. I used to talk about where I thought I could be and the times I felt I could still run. I'm sure plenty of them thought I was crazy, based on where I was at. However, I know what I've done before and what I'm capable in the future. Even now, I'm still only just scratching the surface. I've always have a ton of untapped potential. The roadblocks have been my desire (when I was younger) and my health in more recent times. It looks like I am finally breaking through those.
As I go into 2014, I need to be consistent and only build slightly on what I am doing now. One of my biggest problems has been overdoing it and now I see the importance of reaching, but not too far. I'm hoping for a spring marathon in about 4 months and I don't plan on pushing my mileage up much. I will mix in some more fast running, but again, not too much. I need more longer marathon pace training if nothing else.
Today was a perfect way to the end the year. I wanted to run a sub 20 minute 5k. That is something I haven't done since 2010. I figured I was very capable and unless I had a bad day, I would crush that time. I signed up for the Peeps Fest 5k. It looked pretty competitive last year, at least at the front of the field. That is exactly what I needed.
I wasn't too excited because the weather forecast predicted a big increase in wind by the start of the race. My friend Jerry encouraged me to run it and that I'd do well. I headed down there and signed up. The wind did hold off and it just picked up now.
I saw a few people before the race. Kelley was running to her car, so I ran with her for a short distance. I then continued my easy warmup on my own. I had to use the bathroom, so I ran there. After that, I saw Angie about to go for her warmup, so I joined her for a bit too. In total, it was an easy 1.5 mile warmup. It was good to get the legs moving.
The wind wasn't bad, but it was still quite cold. I had a tough decision to make on what to wear. I wanted to wear shorts, but I wasn't sure if that was too crazy. When I saw a few others in shorts, I went that route. I figured that I couldn't freeze too much in 20 minutes of running. I feel like my legs have more freedom in shorts and I can run faster than I would in long pants. I made sure to wear a heavier top to keep my core warm. I also wore gloves and my headband. The headband came off pretty early on.
I looked at the route before the race. It was basically the same route that I used to use to lead group runs there for the LVRR. It starts near the ArtsQuest Center, goes over the Fahy Bridge, then climbs the hill and eventually goes onto Market Street. After that, there would be a tough climb of the Minsi Trail Bridge. I knew the course wouldn't be easy with the hills. I was ready for it though.The start area was nice and wide. I started in the second row. I knew there could be some fast college runners there, so I didn't want to be too far to the front. With how wide that area was, I probably should've started in the first row. It wasn't too bad, but I did initially have to dodge the guy in front of me.
As usual, I ran out at what I felt like was a comfortable pace. I had to get the legs going. My pace was 5:44 after a quarter mile. Gradually, the pace dropped back into a normal zone and I got into a groove.
I went up the Fahy Bridge. That climb was a bit of a challenge, but it isn't too bad. I was passed on this bridge. I think that was the only runner that passed me during the race, other than maybe during the shuffling at the start.
I could see a lot of the leaders in this opening mile. Part of this course was the same as the Christmas City Classic course, so I knew what to expect with the hill past the bridge. It was much easier early on today then it was at the end of that race.
The hill slowed me a bit and I came through the first mile in 6:07. I was happy with that because I didn't feel like I was going too fast. I wasn't cold and the legs felt awesome. The breathing was a little heavy, but nothing that wouldn't be expected for a 5k.
Once I got up the hill, I told myself to be consistent and when it was flat, I even pushed the pace a bit. There was another short hill before turning onto Market Street. I attacked that and kept battling. I passed a few people throughout and had runners not too far ahead throughout the race.
Maybe the biggest boost was seeing Kathleen up ahead. She's an amazing runner, who won the women's race. She was probably a quarter mile ahead throughout, but I never expected to even be that close to her. That kept me motivated to stay strong.
That second mile had slipped a little. It was a 6:13. I was well under my goal pace of 6:25 though, so I was thrilled. I still felt good and it would take a major collapse to not go under 20 minutes.
Going downhill on Market Street was great. I think I might've passed one of the other top women in this area, but I don't quite remember. I was only focused on getting up the tough climb of the Minsi Trail Bridge. I knew it was downhill after that.
The bridge nearly killed me, but I kept battling and pushing. I wouldn't let it win. I was near a half mile left in the race. One thing that was cool was that there were some snow showers during most of the race. That was fun.
Coming down the bridge was great. It was such a relief. I focused only on continuing to be consistent. I gradually chased down a woman (who I think was the 2nd female). I did catch her, but I didn't have a desire to battle with her. I was already thrilled with my time and working hard enough. I could've dug extra deep for a few more seconds, but I figured that there was no point. They were talking about opening part of a road once I went through, so I knew I had a gap to anyone behind me.
The woman took off in the final tenth or so. I continued my steady pace. The third mile had dropped back down to a 6:07. I was very consistent. The one downside is that the course was long. My watch read 3.15 miles by the end. I'd rather it longer than shorter though. I can live with that.
I didn't stop my watch right away, so I'm not quite sure on my time. I stopped the watch at 19:17. I think my time was actually a 19:15. I was thrilled with the result. I figured I could easily run a sub 20 and probably under 19:30. I hoped I could run a time around 19:15, but wasn't sure if I'd be quite that fast. It was an awesome way to cap off a great end of the year. I introduced myself to Kathleen and told her how much it helped me to see her up ahead all race long.
After the race was fun too. Although it was cold out, I got to chat with a bunch of friends after they finished. I met Kristin, Karla and Melissa. They were doing the mileage challenge group with me. That ended today with me running just under 310 miles. I got a cool BCR group photo in front of the Peeps' car. Waiting around for the award ceremony was annoying and the award was just a small candy cane. Oh well, I don't run for awards anyway.
Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I might go to the LVRR run. It depends on how much football I want to watch. I will run somewhere and sometime though. I have the 50k coming on Saturday, but we might get snow. If that happens, I'll either skip it or do less distance there, depending on how much falls.
5k by watch 3.15 miles - 19:17 (6:07 pace) 11th overall 3rd in age group
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