Adrenaline 5k
The Adrenaline 5k, put on by the Haddonfield Running Company, year after year draws out all of the young 5k studs in the area. I never found the course as fast as it is cracked up to be, but what makes it fast is the competition. There is always somebody just ahead of you and somebody else breathing down your neck.
A disadvantage of this is that there is a mob jockeying for position right from the start. So right after the horn I find myself boxed in and watching as a mass of runners forms a lead pack and breaks away. Its another 30 seconds before I can engage a flanking maneuver to free myself from the second pack, but by then I had calmed myself and realized that this natural restraint was probably a good thing. Mile 1 passes in 5:18 and I realize it was definitely a good thing. Right around here I pull up to Tom, who sees me and throws in a surge to get about ten meters ahead of me. I let him go. About ten meters ahead of him I see Nick Willey, one of the top XC runners on the USP squad. Mile 2 has some hills and I hold this gap between me and Tom and Nick. At the split it is 5:34. This is my 3rd A5K, each time I have run the second mile considerably slower though it hasn't felt that way.
With a mile left I pick things up a bit and start to gain a bit on Nick and Tom. I'm hearing spectators say "first female" and I look and see Renee Gunning a few paces back. We all turn the corner back onto Kings Highway and now its about a 3/4 mile straightaway to the finish. I'm back even with Tom now and he throws a surge and then I surge back and we leapfrog a few times. Nick is now in my sights and I forget about Tom to key on Nick. I'm really exhausted but am amazed to find another gear. I ride it right past Nick, who sees me and tries to respond; a groan tells me he doesn't have it. Ten seconds later I'm in the chute with a 16:45. Its Renee, then Tom, right behind Nick.
Hang back and kick at the end, I still get flashbacks of how Chuck Shields used to beat me like that. It's not usually the way I race, but it made for running that last mile on pure adrenaline (5:51 for the last 1.1, or a 5:19 pace). After finishing I turn around to Nick and say, "Not yet, sometime soon but not today." He's a junior now and I've really seen his times go down in the three years I've known him. Once he gets back in shape for the fall season, he should be able to thrash me. But in the meantime, there is the Race for Humanity in two weeks, a 5k that a USP sorority sponsors and which we'll be both running. So there will be a rematch, this time for bragging rights on home turf. So stay tuned.
Also want to give a shout to my PAC teammates. Only five of us showed up, which is just enough to make the minimum for the Grand Prix competition. For a 5k, I'm frankly disappointed that we didn't get more help. But the five of us ran well, especially considering that we all had ran Cesar Rodney last week. This goes double for Mike, who was sick as a dog this morning and still made it out to run, fearing (rightfully so) that if he didn't we would not score as a team. That he pulled out a 20:34 running in the condition he did is an added bonus. Julie got second masters, and Chantal and Rory ran well as well. A shot of adrenaline to each of you.
And finally, take a look at the results of this race. My 16:45 finish was good for 44th place. That's right, 44th. Gotta love it. The race for overall winner must have been something to watch. But my finish was good enough for 2nd master, which meant that I got paid. But, after figuring in the race fee, the fill up I got on the way (gas is cheaper in NJ), a car wash, and a stop at the Dunkin' Donuts, I didn't cross the Ben Franklin Bridge with any more money than I came into Jersey with.
A disadvantage of this is that there is a mob jockeying for position right from the start. So right after the horn I find myself boxed in and watching as a mass of runners forms a lead pack and breaks away. Its another 30 seconds before I can engage a flanking maneuver to free myself from the second pack, but by then I had calmed myself and realized that this natural restraint was probably a good thing. Mile 1 passes in 5:18 and I realize it was definitely a good thing. Right around here I pull up to Tom, who sees me and throws in a surge to get about ten meters ahead of me. I let him go. About ten meters ahead of him I see Nick Willey, one of the top XC runners on the USP squad. Mile 2 has some hills and I hold this gap between me and Tom and Nick. At the split it is 5:34. This is my 3rd A5K, each time I have run the second mile considerably slower though it hasn't felt that way.
With a mile left I pick things up a bit and start to gain a bit on Nick and Tom. I'm hearing spectators say "first female" and I look and see Renee Gunning a few paces back. We all turn the corner back onto Kings Highway and now its about a 3/4 mile straightaway to the finish. I'm back even with Tom now and he throws a surge and then I surge back and we leapfrog a few times. Nick is now in my sights and I forget about Tom to key on Nick. I'm really exhausted but am amazed to find another gear. I ride it right past Nick, who sees me and tries to respond; a groan tells me he doesn't have it. Ten seconds later I'm in the chute with a 16:45. Its Renee, then Tom, right behind Nick.
Hang back and kick at the end, I still get flashbacks of how Chuck Shields used to beat me like that. It's not usually the way I race, but it made for running that last mile on pure adrenaline (5:51 for the last 1.1, or a 5:19 pace). After finishing I turn around to Nick and say, "Not yet, sometime soon but not today." He's a junior now and I've really seen his times go down in the three years I've known him. Once he gets back in shape for the fall season, he should be able to thrash me. But in the meantime, there is the Race for Humanity in two weeks, a 5k that a USP sorority sponsors and which we'll be both running. So there will be a rematch, this time for bragging rights on home turf. So stay tuned.
Also want to give a shout to my PAC teammates. Only five of us showed up, which is just enough to make the minimum for the Grand Prix competition. For a 5k, I'm frankly disappointed that we didn't get more help. But the five of us ran well, especially considering that we all had ran Cesar Rodney last week. This goes double for Mike, who was sick as a dog this morning and still made it out to run, fearing (rightfully so) that if he didn't we would not score as a team. That he pulled out a 20:34 running in the condition he did is an added bonus. Julie got second masters, and Chantal and Rory ran well as well. A shot of adrenaline to each of you.
And finally, take a look at the results of this race. My 16:45 finish was good for 44th place. That's right, 44th. Gotta love it. The race for overall winner must have been something to watch. But my finish was good enough for 2nd master, which meant that I got paid. But, after figuring in the race fee, the fill up I got on the way (gas is cheaper in NJ), a car wash, and a stop at the Dunkin' Donuts, I didn't cross the Ben Franklin Bridge with any more money than I came into Jersey with.
posted by seebo | 11:53 AM
2 Comments:
Well, did you really need the car wash? I mean, what's a little dirt, except to the LADIES...
Seriously, 5:18 on the opening mile--jesus christ that's moving. And 44th place--right on, gotta love it. But I love races where the competition comes out--it keeps the ego in check and at the same time, as you point out, gets you faster.
Nice job out there... and getting paid on top of that? That is way too cool.
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