Better late than never!!
Ocean to Bay 5 Miler
I first ran this race in 2016, and I ended up winning that year against some stiff competition in tough weather. I won again last year, and that set me up for an attempt at a three-peat this year. Obviously I think I'm a little bit lucky that none of the local elite happen to be signing up for this race, but I still need to show up, run hard, and be healthy. So I was eager to notch three in a row.
Both Elizabeth and I got in a good warm up, and I tried to coax her to the front of the line, but with no luck. The weather was warm and sunny, but not very humid, so I wasn't concerned there. I went fairly hard off the front and slung shot around the bend to take advantage of the short downhill at the start. I was basically all alone right away, and settled into a rhythm quickly getting through the first mile in 5:24 and it felt easy. Since I was alone for the remainder of the race, I really focused on good form since I've had some nagging injuries, and though I wasn't super happy with the overall pace, I did bring home the win. That snagged me a nice Jobi Pottery mug for my efforts, and you can bet I'll be back next year!
5:24
5:41
5:57 (WTF!?)
5:45
5:53
Strava
BHZ 5k
I ran and won the inaugural BHZ 5k this past February, but with this being a Pub Series race, I knew that both my course record and win streak likely wouldn't last. I hoped for a brutally hot and humid day, but no luck there - weather was humid, but not unreasonable. I went out quick off the gun to help guide some youngsters safely around the corner and found myself leading the pack. I led for roughly 1/3 of a mile before turning off the main road and into the neighborhoods. At that point the eventual winner, TJ, Chris, Curley, Kramer, and another guy broke away. I passed the first mile in about 5:22, and felt like I was working pretty hard (there's a decent hill during mile 1). I tried to keep my effort even and not lose contact. After the turnaround, I had a good view of the race ahead of me, and I was basically in no man's land. There is a gentle downhill at the end of mile two and start of mile three, so I worked that section really well. I ended up catching ChrisK and he seemed to be working hard, but in order to catch anyone else I felt like I needed to work with someone, so I think I mumbled something about "work together, catch group." Chris stuck right with me as I passed him and we made our way back on the main road. We were closing the gap on Curley, Joyce, and Kramer, but running out of real estate. I realized it was basically between Chris and I for the 6th spot, and the battle ensued. I backed off just a bit with a quarter mile to go, to try and get on Chris's shoulder, but that was a mistake. Once I did that, I couldn't get back into a higher gear and he created a gap that I wouldn't close. Still, this was a solid result for me.
5:22
5:17
5:11
45s
Coolrunning
Strava
Wellfleet 5 Miler
Another 'defending champ' race! Last year was a very hard fought battle, and is probably one of the best races I've had.
I didn't see any familiar faces from the previous two years, and so I planned to just go out and find my rhythm. I got out quick in 5:19 and had someone trailing me just a few meters back, but I couldn't see if it was one person or a pack. I kept my head forward and tried to stay steady. Mile two was a solid 5:34 on rolling terrain. The weather was reasonable, with a little bit of wind, but no clouds - so I could feel the sun pretty good during mile three as I ascending a long steep hill towards a turnaround. I thought the 5:45 third mile was too slow, but looking back it's very reasonable with that climb. Once I made my way back down the same hill, I knew I was in for a battle. A younger runner (20 year old) was right on my shoulder, and I could tell that he was going to test me. On the 2nd to last hill he made a move to accelerate past me and I was able to react and keep him on my shoulder. I pushed hard on the downhill to try and create a gap, but nothing opened up. So, on the flat I slowed a hair to get on his shoulder. He was running well, and accelerated 10 meters before the final hill. I tried to cover the move, but he continued his move to the top of the hill and left me in the dust. His form looked rock solid too - no head bob or rocking shoulders accelerating uphill...I knew I was cooked!
I was comfortably in second place, so I focused on running hard and getting my form in check as I was looking ugly trying to cover that final move. I was happy to see the 5:26 mile four, and 5:30 pace for the fifth (short) mile. Unfortunately I couldn't repeat, but two 2nd place finishes and a win in my three Wellfleet 5-miler appearances isn't too bad. Next year!
5:19
5:34
5:45
5:26
4:53 (5:30 pace)
Strava
Coolrunning
No comments:
Post a Comment