I took yesterday off and only did some form drills at Lafayette. I wanted to run the Easton Rotary 5k at the Forks Community Center today. I wasn't crazy about the course being two loops around there, but I knew it would be flat and fast. I woke up feeling lightheaded. I didn't think I could take a chance running it. After eating, I felt a little better. Two of my friends, Megan and Kristin, were running it, so I decided to drive over and see how I felt.
I got there about 45 minutes before the race. That's much later than I would like. Luckily, it was a very small race and there was no line to register. I ran into Megan in the building. I had never actually met her before, but we are Facebook friends.
Since I was kind of rushing, I only had time for a mile warmup. I wanted to do a little more. I ran the loop and didn't feel great. The head was fine, but the legs seemed sluggish. Still, I ran a 7:27 mile.
The race started near the entrance to the community center. I wanted to do well and maybe PR, but I really didn't want to win the whole thing yet. Eventually, I'll win a race, but I hope it is one that is important to me. I saw Ian Walsh at the start. He's one of the top runners around, so I knew 2nd place was the best I would do.
I knew Kristin was running the loop, so I made sure that she knew where the start was. I did a couple quick strides right before the start. Megan lined up next to me and we talked about race goals briefly. There was a young kid at the front too, but not too much competition.
We took off and I found myself in second behind the kid. It seemed kind of slow, but I didn't want to lead the thing, so I settled in. I was puzzled at why Ian didn't take off. He should crush me. The first turn was very sharp. I was hoping that I wouldn't encounter more of that on this loop, but it actually wasn't too bad.
Ian finally passed me within the first half mile. Then, he passed the young guy. Some walkers were blocking the path, so I had to let them know that the race was coming through. On the back part of the loop, there is a short hill. That was a little challenging. I didn't feel like I was pushing too much.
I continued to cruise along in 3rd. I didn't look at my watch until the loop was almost over. It read 5:36 pace. That first mile ended up being a 5:40. Although it didn't seem too quick, it was way faster than I should've run. I don't know when I've run a mile that quick. It has been years!
We headed back toward the start. Ian got to the end of the entrance and then stopped. None of us leaders knew where to go. I was worried before the race when there were no course markings. No one was there to show us where to turn around. Finally, Megan yelled to us to turn around.
That was very frustrating and the race was already ruined. Kristin turned around earlier. I ran past her and slowed down to run with Megan. I figured that there was no reason to kill myself at this point. It would just become a fast training run.
Some of the people behind us had turned around at the right spot, so we had to play catchup. I passed the guy for 2nd place, as he seemed like he gave up. Eventually, I got by all the other people, except Ian.
Going into the neighborhood, there was a very slight uphill. At least there were volunteers directing us where to go in this area. I ran with Megan for most if not all of the second mile. I made a few comments, but I could tell she was working pretty hard. It was a good pace for me too, but not all out. Mile 2 was a 6:27.
I'm not sure when I pulled away from Megan, but eventually I did. The young guy passed me for 2nd place, but I passed him again too. It's amazing how much young guys often struggle to run a consistent race. They almost always start faster than they should. Even I went too fast, but it wasn't way overboard.
I tried to follow Ian, but he was pretty far ahead. I almost couldn't see him. I came through to start the 2nd loop and had less than a mile to go. That was frustrating, because I had quite a bit of distance to go.
I looked back in the back half of the loop and Megan was behind me. It seemed like she was closing in. Mile 3 was a 6:22. I was good for 3.1 miles. I stopped my watch and saw that I came through at 19:10. Not too bad, considering the mix up.
I was pretty much dead with all the extra distance. I kept going to the finish. When I got there, it was 3.37 miles and a 20:47. That's a new PR for 3.37 miles, but certainly not for a 5k. Maybe if I didn't back off and kept pushing, I could've set an unofficial PR.
Megan came in 3rd and was the 1st female. She used to be super fast, before having a baby. For not being in shape now, she's still very damn impressive. Kristin was the 2nd woman. I was 2nd overall. We all had good days, even though we ran too long.
The medal was pretty lame. I guess that's the problem with doing a small, first time race. At least I didn't pay too much. On the positive side, I still ran a 6:10 pace and at least got a decent workout. I was also very pleased with my first mile. If I could put together 2 more sub 6 minute miles, I'd be thrilled. It makes me want to race another 5k.
Perhaps the best part of the whole event was running with Megan and Kristin. I really enjoy the social aspect of running. The three of us ran a cooldown through the neighborhoods. Megan and Kristin chatted a lot and I mostly listened. We got even more lost during this route, as Megan kept insisting that she knew the correct way back. Eventually we made it there after 2.24 more miles.
Tomorrow starts my Hill Week 2014. I have a trail run that I'm leading every day from Sunday until next Saturday. The first one is at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. It will be a tough one with a 1,000+ foot climb. It should be fun and I hope for a good turnout.
Warmup 1 miles - 7:27 (7:37 pace)
Race 3.37 miles - 20:47 (6:10 pace)
Cooldown 2.24 miles - 17:29 (7:48 pace)
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