Clean Air 5k
Editor's Note - since writing this it has turned out that the course was short, and the race time for this was invalid. I cry about it in subsequent posts and don't really know what to do with this post except leave it up with this addendum.
My second crack at sub 16 with this race. If you've been following my blog, you would have picked up decidedly less swagger this time around than there was before the Adrenaline 5k. At A5K I missed sub 16 by 14 seconds. I didn't feel like I was in any better shape this time around and I felt the Clean Air 5k was less conducive to a fast time.
There were three reasons why I felt this. #1 - I thought the course, with the 180 degree turnaround on the out and back course, wouldn't be as fast. #2 - the field wouldn't be nearly as deep up front as A5K. #3 - I had tried to break 16 on this course 3 years ago. I had a different coach back then and, looking back, I lined up at the start with high hopes combined with really inadequate preparation to go that fast. I ended up winning the race but being really disappointed with my 16:34 time (whiny but true). There were demons that I still felt were present from that experience.
It was a beautiful day to race, sunny and perhaps a bit too hot. I drove down with Rebecca, who was also running. It was one of those races, down at the Art Museum, where everybody knows your name. Even my car insurance agent was out there. Rebecca's friend Justin was running his first race, all kinds of Philly Runners were out there - including John, Craig, and Kevin G (all not running) fresh back from Boston, and folks from PACTC, Bryn Mawr, Philly Track club, and even Team Shattered.
Ian was also there. We lined up together and he laid out our race strategy - go for a 2.5km PR. That made perfect sense to me and further lightened my mood. Bart Borghuis was there and would go out way ahead of us, Ryan Walsh was there who I might be able to give a race to, and Ian.
Gun sounds and Ian takes off with the usual kids who bolt up front. I curse him but remember our pact and stick with him. A headwind is blowing as I successively sneak up behind two runners and decide they are too slow to draft off. Ian's tucked in behind me and several others seem to be following me as well. Bart is way out in front and Ryan has about a 10 second lead on us; neither of them would be in catching distance for the rest of the race.
Mile 1 passes in 5 flat and behind me Ian exclaims "I never thought I'd see that." I save my breath as I scare myself by how good I feel. Ian then pulls ahead of me and takes over pacing duties. We are working together here perfectly - like Geb and Bekele (or maybe more like Ricky Bobby and Cal Norton Jr). A bit after the turnaround I slingshot into the lead again and Ian hangs on. The cheers come regularly now for both of us from the folks running the other way. Its the home field advantage here. Among the well-wishers I see Rebecca and Justin - looking good.
Mile 2 is in 4:59. I remember what GP said, pay attention to your arm cadence to see how you feel. Everything was strong and I realized that sub 16 was ours to lose now. I sense from Ian the same thing I'm feeling, that we just want to hang on to each other and hang on to our pace. Ian says something. "We're gonna do this," I respond.
Another part of the homefield advantage is that I have run every bump of this course 20000 times. I know exactly how far to go and when we hit the bridge across the Schuylkill I know its 400 meters to the finish. I feel a kick in me and turn it on. Ian falls behind and I realize I feel better here than I did on Wednesday at the St. Joe's track. Like GP said - "The actual race has gotta feel easier than the training you've been doing." When the race clock comes in sight it is ticking at 15:45. I turn it on but with a smile and finish in a 15:52. 15:52! 3rd place. Ian comes in at 15:53. We do a sweaty embrace. Later on I get another sweaty embrace from Rebecca.
I am ecstatic, Ian is ecstatic and amazed (this is a 45 second PR for him).
This is one of two lifetime running goals. The other, a sub 2:35 marathon, is what I am now setting my sights on. If I accomplish this I can then go on and play shuffleboard. Its strange, when I first thought of these goals, only a few years ago, I thought of those two times more as something approachable rather than attainable. Then last year I realized I indeed had a crack at these times. And this year I resolved to reach them. I trained hard and focused on the 5k, and now its down. Marathon is up next. Just need to decide where and start training.
It does take a village to train. In particular, I'd like to throw shout outs to three people. One is my coach, GP, both for his sadistic ability to whip up harder track workouts than I could ever have dreamed of and for both his faith in my ability to achieve this goal (which I suppose is a part of a coach's job) but also for his unique ability to restore my own faith, on several occasions, in my ability to do this. Second, I could not have run this fast without Ian's presence. I haven't read his blog on this race, but I daresay this feeling is mutual. Ian has participated in several of my most memorable running moments, and its great to have shared this one with him. And finally, Rebecca has not only been a great source of support, but it took her to remind me afterwards about how big this moment is for me, when it is my nature to be more dismissive of it. Thanks to her prodding we celebrated the occasion with an excellent dinner and a fine bottle of wine (hear that, GP?).
Finally, I think of my grandparents, long deceased. They used to live in Abington where I'd go visit as a kid - 1552 Edgehill Road. More than occasionally the number 1552 comes up and I like to think when it does it is their way of saying hi to me from the spirit world.
7.5 with warmup and cool down. 5k in 15:52. The old girl has indeed gone down.
My second crack at sub 16 with this race. If you've been following my blog, you would have picked up decidedly less swagger this time around than there was before the Adrenaline 5k. At A5K I missed sub 16 by 14 seconds. I didn't feel like I was in any better shape this time around and I felt the Clean Air 5k was less conducive to a fast time.
There were three reasons why I felt this. #1 - I thought the course, with the 180 degree turnaround on the out and back course, wouldn't be as fast. #2 - the field wouldn't be nearly as deep up front as A5K. #3 - I had tried to break 16 on this course 3 years ago. I had a different coach back then and, looking back, I lined up at the start with high hopes combined with really inadequate preparation to go that fast. I ended up winning the race but being really disappointed with my 16:34 time (whiny but true). There were demons that I still felt were present from that experience.
It was a beautiful day to race, sunny and perhaps a bit too hot. I drove down with Rebecca, who was also running. It was one of those races, down at the Art Museum, where everybody knows your name. Even my car insurance agent was out there. Rebecca's friend Justin was running his first race, all kinds of Philly Runners were out there - including John, Craig, and Kevin G (all not running) fresh back from Boston, and folks from PACTC, Bryn Mawr, Philly Track club, and even Team Shattered.
Ian was also there. We lined up together and he laid out our race strategy - go for a 2.5km PR. That made perfect sense to me and further lightened my mood. Bart Borghuis was there and would go out way ahead of us, Ryan Walsh was there who I might be able to give a race to, and Ian.
Gun sounds and Ian takes off with the usual kids who bolt up front. I curse him but remember our pact and stick with him. A headwind is blowing as I successively sneak up behind two runners and decide they are too slow to draft off. Ian's tucked in behind me and several others seem to be following me as well. Bart is way out in front and Ryan has about a 10 second lead on us; neither of them would be in catching distance for the rest of the race.
Mile 1 passes in 5 flat and behind me Ian exclaims "I never thought I'd see that." I save my breath as I scare myself by how good I feel. Ian then pulls ahead of me and takes over pacing duties. We are working together here perfectly - like Geb and Bekele (or maybe more like Ricky Bobby and Cal Norton Jr). A bit after the turnaround I slingshot into the lead again and Ian hangs on. The cheers come regularly now for both of us from the folks running the other way. Its the home field advantage here. Among the well-wishers I see Rebecca and Justin - looking good.
Mile 2 is in 4:59. I remember what GP said, pay attention to your arm cadence to see how you feel. Everything was strong and I realized that sub 16 was ours to lose now. I sense from Ian the same thing I'm feeling, that we just want to hang on to each other and hang on to our pace. Ian says something. "We're gonna do this," I respond.
Another part of the homefield advantage is that I have run every bump of this course 20000 times. I know exactly how far to go and when we hit the bridge across the Schuylkill I know its 400 meters to the finish. I feel a kick in me and turn it on. Ian falls behind and I realize I feel better here than I did on Wednesday at the St. Joe's track. Like GP said - "The actual race has gotta feel easier than the training you've been doing." When the race clock comes in sight it is ticking at 15:45. I turn it on but with a smile and finish in a 15:52. 15:52! 3rd place. Ian comes in at 15:53. We do a sweaty embrace. Later on I get another sweaty embrace from Rebecca.
I am ecstatic, Ian is ecstatic and amazed (this is a 45 second PR for him).
This is one of two lifetime running goals. The other, a sub 2:35 marathon, is what I am now setting my sights on. If I accomplish this I can then go on and play shuffleboard. Its strange, when I first thought of these goals, only a few years ago, I thought of those two times more as something approachable rather than attainable. Then last year I realized I indeed had a crack at these times. And this year I resolved to reach them. I trained hard and focused on the 5k, and now its down. Marathon is up next. Just need to decide where and start training.
It does take a village to train. In particular, I'd like to throw shout outs to three people. One is my coach, GP, both for his sadistic ability to whip up harder track workouts than I could ever have dreamed of and for both his faith in my ability to achieve this goal (which I suppose is a part of a coach's job) but also for his unique ability to restore my own faith, on several occasions, in my ability to do this. Second, I could not have run this fast without Ian's presence. I haven't read his blog on this race, but I daresay this feeling is mutual. Ian has participated in several of my most memorable running moments, and its great to have shared this one with him. And finally, Rebecca has not only been a great source of support, but it took her to remind me afterwards about how big this moment is for me, when it is my nature to be more dismissive of it. Thanks to her prodding we celebrated the occasion with an excellent dinner and a fine bottle of wine (hear that, GP?).
Finally, I think of my grandparents, long deceased. They used to live in Abington where I'd go visit as a kid - 1552 Edgehill Road. More than occasionally the number 1552 comes up and I like to think when it does it is their way of saying hi to me from the spirit world.
7.5 with warmup and cool down. 5k in 15:52. The old girl has indeed gone down.
posted by seebo | 4:43 PM
6 Comments:
Seeing friends hit their times is almost as good as hitting them yourself.
Congratulations on another goal completed.
Awesome job on breaking 16, hopefully I'll get there soon myself
So glad to read about this. Both you and Ian certainly deserve it and I'm quite happy for you guys. That 2:35 will be on the chopping block.
Congratulations, well deserved. You worked bloody hard for that.
Shake and bake!!!!!
Yup. The feeling's mutual.
I've been expecting something explosive from Lindsay, and I've learned to pretty much always expect something explosive from you. Like I said before, hot damn!
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