184.4 morning weight
I had a great 5k yesterday. It was hot an very humid but so what... I have been running in this all month... running in the heat of the day! My advantage...
It started at 5:00 PM so I at my lunch at around 1:45... apple and a tuna sandwich... hydrated well so I had to go at about 4:30...
I was really pumped up at the start... I let the obvious rabbits line up infront of me... I was about the 3rd or 4rth row of people. The air horn sounded and I pushed the start on my watch and took off. I tried to stay controlled and a bunch of people took off sprinting. I relaxed and got into my pace concentrating on the turnover rate of my legs trying not to overstride. I got passed by about a 1/2 dozen people in the first 1/4 after the initial sprint. In the next 1/4 I passed 1 person...
hit the .5 marker and I hit my watch... 3:33 ??? double take... 3:33... ok get ready for the hill... (I knew the second .5 was a hill) concentrate on maintaining turnover rate of legs... just shorten stride a bit... I kept telling myself that... we hit the hill and whamo a few people started coming back to me... the hill got steeper... and I passed 2 people... then a 3rd... and I wasn't pushing... I was totally in control not really breathing hard... I could still carry on a conversation although not easily. passed another person...
hit mile 1 marker clicked my watch and 7:49 ok... still felt good. All the really fast folks were way ahead by now but there was 1 more guy about 50 yards in front of my... and I noticed my turnover rate was the same as his... so I picked it up just a bit... when I got to within 15-20 yards of him he looked over his should as we went around a corner... and then matched my speed. I picked it up just a bit more... gained a few feet and he matched my speed. A little uphill 50 yard or so long was comming up... so I maintained the speed I was at... as soon as we hit the top of that grade it leveled out and went around a turn to the turn-around cul de sac... so when we hit the top of that hill I gave a little two step burst then a pace just a tiny bit faster than him... I was getting barely closer...
When I got along side him he slowed... and I continued at that pace...
Rounded the cul de sac... and could see I put a bit of space between me and the last person I passed... he was now being passed by a group of 3... 2 men and a woman (who finished 3rd overall for the women)...
Now I was just trying to keep my pace... I kicked it down just a tiny bit as I was really operating at my aerobic max for a while and I was getting very uncomfortable... and I wanted to make sure I had my legs for that down hill...
Now I am all alone... nobody in front of me... come out of that developement to the long straight road and notice another guy up in front of me... to far to think about catching and I don't have enough in the tank to go any faster.. hit the 2 mile mark and I hear footsteps...ok just hang on to the down hill... telling myself to relax...
At the top of the downhill I hear footsteps close... that guy in front of me... is really pounding his feet going down the hill and he looks really gassed.... I let myself pick up speed and am going really fast... I am barely checking up... and notice my wind is coming back... focusing and making sure I can turn my legs over quick enough so I don't fall on my face...
I pass the guy in front of me at the bottom of the down hill.. hit .5 to go...
trying to relax and visualize my final sprint... I go around a turn and this is the last strech before we go under a covered bridge and then make the final turn down the "main street" and cross the finish line...
I here footsteps but I don't care I am running my race now... this guy goes sprinting past me... and gaps me by about 50 yards.. then settles into a good pace... I reach the point I had decided earlier I would begin to acclerate at.. .so I pick it up and realize I am not going to catch that guy... then I hit the covered bridge thing... and I go to all out for the last 100... except that guy in front of me seams to be about gassed... I reach full speed and he is only about 20 in front of me... I pass him... make the final turn and kick home... I couldn't believe I was able to go all out that long...
I finish at 25:00 and am shocked...
I never imagined I could run that fast especially after stuggling through 2 miles earlier in the week at 9:03 per mile... to run 8:03... I am very happy with that!
I finished 3rd in my age group... the 2 guys in front of me were 20:xx and 21:xx
