Fleet Feet Labor Day 5k

I had originally planned to run the 10k on this day, but opted for the shorter race due to hot weather and a non-running medical issue that had been bothering me lately (gastro intestinal type). Also, I wanted to take at least one more shot at breaking my stubborn 5k PR of 19:35. For some reason I hadn?t been able to put together a race at this distance that was on par with some of my races at other distance. Despite the nagging problem, my training has been going very well, and I thought that the heat wouldn?t bother me too much at the shorter distance.

The race took place in the small college town of Davis CA, which is just west of Sacramento and the home of UC Davis University. I?d run the 10k there last year and knew that the course was flat and fast, with most of it on well-maintained, paved bike paths. When I first arrived, just before 7:00 am, the air seemed surprisingly cool, but I decided to stick to my plan anyway and enter the 5k. The temperature tends to rise very quickly as soon as the sun comes into view. After registering and picking up my number and goodie bag, I jogged back to my car, pinned the number on, and put the rest of stuff in the back seat. Soon after that I began my warm up routine consisting of about 3 easy miles that included 4 pickups of 30 seconds each. Before I knew it, I was lining up at the start.

With no chip timing, I did my best to squeeze up as close to the front as possible, without putting myself on the very first row where the fastest runners have a right to be. The start was rather narrow, so I knew there was going to be some bumping and pushing into the first turn and out onto the main part of the course. After the normal announcements the horn sounded and we were off. There was plenty of jostling as expected, but within a minute or so I was traveling comfortably. As I looked around I spotted an acquaintance (John) from other races running just ahead. He has beaten me every time?at least a dozen, but I?m usually within a half minute or so. Today I decided to see how long I could hang with him and moved in just a couple strides behind. It was surprisingly easy for me to match strides with him so I thought that he was probably running the 10k, since both races started together. When the first mile passed in 6:08 I was pretty sure it was the 5, since he generally runs even or negative splits while averaging in low 6:20?s for 10k. This was confirmed after we both followed the 5k arrow around the next turn while the 10ker?s kept going straight ahead.

Within another quarter mile John knew I was right there with him and gave me a ?hey, Jim? as we continued on. Soon after that I got brave and decided to test him with a little move. He didn?t respond, and by the time we reached mile 2 I had started to open a gap. The split was 6:09, with cumulative time of 12:17, easily my fastest 2-mile split since I became a senior. A quick calculation told me that a PR was all but in the bag. Now it was just a matter of seeing how far under I would go. I started focusing on a very attractive target racing a few seconds ahead who turned out to be the eventual 2nd place female. Although I never caught her, she definitely helped me to maintain my focus. In the mean time John caught back up to me and passed both of us. He always finishes strong and today was no exception. I was so happy with my time that I don?t think I put up as good of a fight as I could have. For sure I did not run as hard at the end as I did in my last 10k. While I certainly tried hard, I didn?t leave every drop on the course as I often do, but was still satisfied with my effort. My mental frame from of mind hadn?t been so great in during few days leading up to this, but this race sure did boost my spirits. The final stats were:

Time ? 19:11 (Seniors PR)
Overall ? 24/408
Age Group - 1/16 (60+)
Age Grade ? 83.35 (1994 factors I use in my log); 84.35 2006 WAVA. All-time PR for this distance.