Lesson Learned & Donuts Earned

I ran two good 5Ks this weekend, contrary to my plans. In my pursuit of a PR, I made a big strategic error in going for broke at the Preakness 5K, where the 1.5 miles on the dirt track probably made a PR unrealistic. Running on the racetrack was exhausting -- it was one of the hardest 5K courses I've ever run, and If I'd taken it easy, maybe I would have had a shot at a sub-23 at Bob Potts. On the other hand, it was also one of more unique 5Ks I'd ever heard of, so no regrets.

I'm not sure I'll run another 5K until the Tunnel Run in September, and that's definitely not a PR course, but I still have a good chance at the Harrisburg Jingle Bell Run, where I've run my two fastest 5Ks.

The big, obvious lesson that I'm not sure that I want to learn, though, is that while I gave maximum effort in both races and I might be able to gut out a 22:59 in December, my strategy of just trying to run my regular runs faster isn't the best strategy for actually getting faster. The recommended path I can take toward improving my 5K times, and probably even my long-run pace, would be to add some speedwork (track workouts, intervals, fartleks, etc.) I think I'm going to take a closer look at this in an upcoming post.

The back-to-back races were really fun, and I'm glad I did it. I know plenty of people that participate in a 5k or 8k the day before a half or full marathon, so I while I don't think racing two 5Ks back to back is amazing or super hardcore, it was something I hadn't done before. I'd do it again once or twice a year (maybe these two races again next year) but I won't race the 8k at Virginia Beach the day before the Shamrock Marathon -- that's just crazy!

Through the honor bus 5K in April and these two, I've rediscovered my love of the 5K. Running three miles isn't a challenge anymore -- but running three miles as fast as I freakin' can really is. It's exciting in a way that my regular runs just aren't.

The heat and humidity is finally starting to creep in, which makes running less enjoyable for me. Still, though, my running goal for this summer is try to get my base up to around 15 miles (or more) over the summer, since I'm running the Philly Marathon in November this year instead of the Half. Racing some 5Ks will be a fun distraction, but I probably won't race two on back-to-back days like this again this year.

For my next challenge, I've got three ideas:

The MCVET 5K & 10K -- I've never run two races in one day before. This would be 9.3 miles total, which is in my comfort zone, but I've never done two races in the same day. If I run them both, then I probably treat this as my regular long run, and take them both at my usual pace. If I decide to only run one of them, then I'll try to break my PR in that distance.

The Dreaded Druid Hills 10K -- "A torturous race by runners for runners through Baltimore's famed Druid Hill Park, beginning and ending at the Moorish Tower and traversing the most wicked hills to be found in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area." Sounds fun, doesn't it?

I heard about this race in 2009, but didn't want it to be my first 10K. (I ran the MCVET 10K, which was the next day, instead). It sounds miserable, but I like the idea of a challenge, and if it lives up to its reputation, I would think it would rate a donut or two.

Catfish Duathlon -- A sprint duathlon in Harrisburg. That would mean I have to get on the bike again, wouldn't it? I'm not adverse to the idea -- I enjoyed my first bike ride in 10 years, but it's hard enough to find time to get my running in lately.

No physical challenges today, on the other hand. A torrential downpour ruined my plans for a run between storm, so I turned to my other hobby, competitive stress-eating, instead.

Race Report: 2011 Bob Potts 5K

I ran the 2nd leg of my back-to-back 5Ks, the Bob Potts 5K, today. In short, I've probably never run a race this well that I prepared for this badly:

• Ate a big dinner of "Irish Nachos", ravioli, two beers and two scoops of Bruster's Birthday Cake ice cream for dessert.
• Wasn't sure of the starting time of the race as late as 11:00pm last night.
• Awful night of sleep.
• Feeling a bit queasy right up until the gun went off.
• Raced another 5K the day before. (I frequently run the day before a 5K, but had never raced on back-to-back days)
  

Still, I ran a 24:27, which I believe is my third-best 5K time ever. I guess I decided somewhere between dropping my wallet and phone back at my car after packet pickup that I was going to try for a fast time rather than take it easy.

(Registration was inside the gym. When I was first starting running, I did almost all my running on the indoor track pictured here.)

The race started and ended at the track outside York College's Grumbacher Center, and most of the course was down and back a section of the rail trail. Unfortunately, it was mostly downhill on the way out and thus mostly uphill on the way back. At the time, I thought I was on pace for a sub-23 at the halfway point, but in hindsight I think I did the math wrong. A PR was probably within reach up until the last half mile, but I just wasn't quite fast enough today. I'd stopped to tie my shoe early in the race, and that cost me precious seconds, and started a bit too far back at the crowd. There wasn't chip timing and I forgot to stop Garmin right as I crossed the finish line, so I was probably really 10-15 seconds under my official time.

Although I tried to sprint the half lap around the track that ended the race, I didn't have a lot of energy left. Although when another runner sprinted for the finish and tried to pass me within the last 50 yards, I found that I did have enough left to hold them off to hang on to 55th place. I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was probably about 12 years old.

(We're number 55!)

Review
This was a fun, well-organized race. It didn't have the novelty of yesterday's Preakness 5K, and so I think it was taken a little more seriously. The course itself is pleasant, a soft gravel surface for most of the race and the hills are not steep...just steep enough to knock me off pace at the end, but I think someone a bit better prepared would have a good shot of scoring a PR at this race. The biggest challenge is that since it's an out and back on a trail, things get a little tight in the middle of the race, when traffic is going in both directions. It was a nice event, too. The volunteers and staff were all really, really nice and the starter had a good sense of humor. There was a band setting up, probably to be ready for the bulk of the marathon finishers, but I didn't stick around. The price was right, too, at $15 with no shirt. (The shirts were nice, though! You just can't get a shirt if you don't pre-register.)

I will admit that I had a bit of marathon envy, but this is a race I'd run again next year if I don't sign up for the Bob Potts Marathon. So...we'll see how well I'm recovered from my revenge on Shamrock by late April next year.