Race Report: Lancer 5k
3.21.04 La Salle High School, Cincinnati, OH
Ah, the first day of spring in Cincinnati. Birds chirping, a
light flurry of snow, 20 degrees with the wind chill! The
race was less than a 5-minute walk from my house and it
included a kids fun run afterwards. My 6 year old loves
those. How could I pass this up? I am 12 weeks into a
marathon training program and decided to have another go at
that 20-minute barrier in the 5k.
My last two 5k races in Nov. and Dec. resulted in 20:08 and
20:24 times. Donovan was encouraging in his assessment of my
performance then: "Congrats on your PR. I think with a more
cautious start, you could break 20."
Well, the start was not so cautious but the results were
surprising nonetheless:
The race began in the school parking lot not far from the
4-lane road that fronted the school. A line of traffic cones
provided one lane on the far side for our course. A police
officer was ready to stop traffic and allow the field to
cross the 3 other lanes. A quick scan of the competition
revealed about 50% high school kids and most of them
appeared to be affiliated with a track team. The rest were
Moms and Dads as well as some seasoned older runners. This
was a benefit race for spinal cord research and financial
assistance for need students.
It was less than 50 feet to the left turn onto the main road
from the parking lot and so I positioned myself on the
extreme left side and allowed the field to fill in around
me. At 9:06am the starter began his countdown from 10 and
then fired his starter's pistol. We were all anxious to get
started mostly to keep warm. Because of the immediate left
turn, there was some minor elbow banging and the field of
about 150 poured onto the course.
Given my position, within 30 seconds I was one of about 10
at the front of the pack. This was my neighborhood and I was
familiar with the roads. Most of the first mile was a slight
downhill. A group of 3 high schoolers pulled away within the
first half mile. I hung with 4 others simply by virtue of a
similar pace.
The course turned off of the main road and into the
neighborhood streets. There were two quick right turns and
then the 1-mile marker appeared around a bend. My first spit
was 6:10 - 2 seconds faster than the first split in my best
previous 5k. The next half-mile was a slightly steeper
downhill and I allowed myself to stride out and pick up some
speed. I passed a runner and, like those ahead of me,
declined the water being offered at top of the hill. The
volunteers seemed confused at our refusal. I don't think
taking on water during a 5k is necessary (especially in sub-
freezing temperatures).
I was now running with 3 others and approached a slight
uphill before another right turn. One of the runners peeled
off to a side street with new housing under construction. I
was not sure what he was doing until I saw him heading for a
port-a-potty that was nearby. Bad luck or poor choice of
breakfast? The one individual still in sight ahead of me
looked to be in his 30's.
I decided that if I could get past him, I might win my age
group. I pushed the pace to close in on him as we
encountered the 2-mile marker. The time was being called out
as we neared and I was somewhat dumbstruck: "
3:21.1:1. my split was 5:53 (12:03)!
I must have really flown on the down hills! This concerned
me since this looping course was going to have to start
heading uphill soon, which it did, but at a very gradual
incline. I was still hanging with my chosen nemesis and
remained within 20' of him all the way back to the school
parking lot.
The finish was well considered. The course led to the
football stadium/track at the rear of the school. We entered
the track at the beginning of a straightaway and continued ¾
of the way around to the finish chute set up at the end of
the opposite straightaway.
At some point, someone must have radioed my number up to the
announcer because there were people calling out my name from
the stands that I did not know. The 3-mile marker was mid-
arc of the turn and was unmanned so I never saw it. The
announcer called out 17:40 over the PA system as I came
around the bend. I was no longer conscious of the position
of the guy I had been chasing for almost 2 miles and I had
no "kick" this time but was still able to finish strong.
My wife and kids braved the cold to greet me at the finish.
My "official" time was 18:14 although I thought I was seeing
18:20 as I entered the chute. The actual finish line must
have been further from the chute than I had thought.
Splits:
4:10
4:1 (1:1)
4:1 (1:2):33 (18:14)
We made our way to the band room to get out of the cold and
to await the results. Powerade, Bagels and bananas were a
welcome sight. I ended up placing 5th overall and 2nd in my
age group. The overall winner finished around 15:30 and the
winner of my age group finished in 16 minutes and change so
apparently I wasn't chasing the right guy. I had every
intention of doing as well as I could but never envisioned
skipping over the 19-minute barrier.
Looking back, at the time of my 20:08 performance, I had
just finished a triathlon the week before that included a
10k but was still averaging less than 20 miles per week. I
am now up to mid 30's per week as I train for my second
marathon. My goal this year is to knock off 20 minutes and
qualify for Boston. Oh, and I guess now I'll be shooting for
a sub-18 5k ;-)
Regards,
Mike