Strides for Epilepsy 5k 2009

I've run a lot of races this year. More than I ever have before. In fact, I've run a race every week since the Bolder Boulder (and I'm not done yet: check back here next Sunday for my report on the Garden of the Gods 10 Miler, and the Sunday after that for the Stadium Stampede 5k). And I've run them all pretty hard, too, and set a number of PRs--one at every race since the Runnin of the Green, in fact!

Today's race was pretty much a last-minute addition to my calendar, when I realized I hadn't run a 5k at all in May. It was at Washington Park (along with a lot of 5ks), and the weather promised initially to be very favorable to a strong race. The sky was somewhat overcast and the temperature was still plenty cool. When the sun did break through the clouds though, it warmed up pretty quickly.

This was a fairly well-attended event, with special guest speaker Congressman Ed Perlmutter, who ran the race with his daughter Zoe and wife Deana (a former employer of mine! I caught up with them after the race to say Hi). I also spent some time chatting with BKB's Kelly, whose sister Keri is a member of Runner's Edge with me; and with RER member Tinka. I also saw/was passed by member Michelle A on the course.

I set myself a bit further back in the pack at the start than I probably should have (I was resting in the shade behind the truck is why). So, at the start, I spent a good .015 of that first mile ducking, bobbing, and weaving through the crowd. Nonetheless, I attacked the course strongly, and once the traffic cleared up, I was able to settle into a good pace. But here was where I made my first mistake: I looked at my watch.

Regular readers of my blog will remember that I've gotten out of the habit of looking at my Garmin at these shorter races and concentrating on running by feel. In that first mile I probably glanced at my watch four times. I believe it was a mistake. I've had good results in (shorter) races where I don't do that. The glances confirmed that I was setting a strong pace, one which might even allow a new 5k PR; but I think in these shorter races I benefit by not having that pace in the front of my brain, as it is when I look at the watch. I flipped the Garmin to the map screen so that even if I couldn't resist the temptation to look, I wouldn't see anything useful.

I was starting to feel it, though. That first mile was difficult, and the second one even more so. I knew my pace was slipping but I tried hard to focus on something, anything else: my music, the (slight) breeze, anything but the fact that I was running out of juice. Actually, being passed by Michelle helped with that. She was the first runner to pass me; and although I figured I wouldn't be able to catch her, I could at least pass someone else to regain my relative position within the pack. When another runner passed me a short time later, I picked off the next person in front of me to do the same. In all, I think I was passed by a total of eight runners, and I in turn passed an additional eight to make up the difference. Even the three runners who passed me during my slightly-longer-than-usual walk break at the aid station were unable to retain their lead.

But even with all that, I was just out of my groove. I still finished the race in 23 minutes and 57 seconds. That is a strong performance, and I'm happy with it and proud of it; but it's nearly a minute slower than my last 5k (and current PR). I'm not going to make excuses about it (maybe one: that heat did pick up when the sun came out at about mile 1.5). I was off my game. But I'm not going to dwell on it, either. I'm going to put it behind me and start focusing on the Garden of the Gods next week.

Official Time: 23:57
Total Races: 11
YTD Race Miles: 89.5
YTD Total Miles: 536.75
Ed Perlmutter's Final Time: ? (His name isn't on the list.)