CVS Downtown 5k
Race morning was a lot more warm and humid than I would've liked. And the 11am start time was a double edged sword, the extra sleep was nice, but with the morning fog burning off we received the full impact of the sun.
I had decided that I wanted to try getting in a longer warm up than usual so that I could simulate what I generally do in training (run a lot before a hard effort). I've done this in the past, but got away from it for some reason - and since 2017 is the year of no PRs, I thought I'd see if this would help. So Eli, Tom, and myself showed up early, and Tom and I were able to get in just under 6 miles worth of a warm up.
Once the gun went off, I went out quick trying to keep an eye on a couple of runners who always beat me (and continued to do so on this day). I stuck with them out of the gate and after the left turn onto Memorial Boulevard and felt pretty good, but soon started to find my own rhythm, which was a little bit slower than theirs. Before I knew it, I had passed the mile marker and I was extremely surprised to see it read 5 flat (confirmed by my watch as well). I knew I went out a little quick, but the first mile actually felt fairly easy - so a 'fairly easy' 5 flat opening mile is extremely encouraging.
Mile two had a few turns and potholes, but was otherwise flat and easy...easy if not for the humidity starting to weigh on me like a warm wet blanket. I wasn't quite on the pain train, but I was right on the cusp of over heating. Still, I felt alright and was passing a few people and had yet to get passed. Mile two in 5:20.
I had gotten my hopes up after the first mile, but I knew it was far too sticky to have high hopes on getting a PR. At the start of the third mile, I was passed by a Whiralway guy who I see around the Charles every once in a while. He's a strong runner and so I tried to stick with him for a bit, but that lasted only a quarter mile or so. At this point I was entering no man's land and was just trying to run smooth and not overheat. Mile three was in 5:26, and I was happy to see that I hadn't slowed down terribly. The female winner, Aisling Cuffe wasn't too far behind me as we turned towards the finish, and I was doing my best to kick past the guys ahead of me while also getting the heck out of her way so she could break the tape unimpeded (I was successful in doing so). All in all, this was an encouraging race.
Final Time: 16:25
Place: 49th
Lone Gull 10k
Yet another warm and muggy race morning...what the hell!?!
Prior to the race, Kevin had mentioned that he would be taking a knee for the national anthem, and I told him I would join. So while Kevin was doing his own warm up and getting a little nervous about others' reactions - I was off doing strides and not even thinking about it. Not until I heard the anthem start, oops! I ran up towards the start looking for Kevin, but I couldn't see him and so I found my own little spot that was out of the way and took a knee. I saw another guy parallel to me doing the same, and a young kid on the grass to the side of the start with his fist in the air. I'm not sure why the national anthem has to be played before a simple road race...but...it is...so that happened!
The actual race went very similar to the 5k. A quick opening mile before I settled into my own pace. I don't think the quick opening miles have much of an effect on me in the latter stages of the race, but this race was really tough. The first half felt pretty good, but the second half was really a grind. Mile four, in particular, really hit me hard. I don't consider that section particularly hilly, but what little incline it did have, caused me to shorten my stride and was the ugliest part of the race for me.
I was able to recover a bit and find my groove, but that was a bit of a torpedo for the race. On the run back along the coast, I was able to start picking off a handful of runners who were struggling with the heat. I suppose that's a good sign that I'm able to handle it, but I'm still frustrated as I look to pop a good time.
Splits:
5:18.5
5:30
5:25.2
5:42.4
5:32.4
5:36.8
1:19.1
Final Time: 34:21
Place: 54th
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