Good run. Weather was perfect--60F, no wind, sunny, but shaded for the most part, and just slightly humid. The course was certified, and was flat for the most part. Two gradual and slight uphills during mile two, one short, sharp uphill, and one gradual and slight downhill near the start. Lindenwood is a nice park, and there were a good number of spectators there cheering us on.
Unfortunately this was a down year for the State Games, and though the turnout was good, the competition was just not there. Joel Rovang, local stud runner, was running, but went for the 10K. Second place in the 5K was just over 18:00. I was well-prepared for the possibility of running alone following my two mile workout on Wednesday. Mentally, I was able to push myself through the fatigue well, and physically, I was really feeling the positive effects of the 12x400 workout from eight days ago.
I got a quick e-mail from the Mystery Coach on Saturday night:
It looks like sub 15:50 is on tap for this weekend (actually to be exact 15:44.7 (ha ha)) with some good competition and weather
So, of course as I approach the line and see 15:43...15:44...I wanted to bust out laughing! Of course, I was breathing too hard to laugh at the time. It's uncanny how his knowledge and experience can combine to consistently pull off these predictions. Coupling that with the fact that nobody really knows who he is makes it all the more fun.
Anyway, the nuts and bolts of the race:
Miles
=====
5:02.15(168) | 5:05.94(175) | 5:04.03(178) | 33.77(180)
Kilos
=====
3:06(156) | 3:10(174) | 3:08(175) | 3:11(176) | 3:05(178) | :06(180)
(The GPS shows the course as long, and it probably is due to certification, hence the extra few seconds at the end.)
The GPS had me at 3.12 miles with a time of 15:45.96, and the last segment is a couple seconds long from not stopping the watch until I was five meters into the finish. Also, you'll see in the official results that no matter what the timer got you at, your time is rounded up to the next second for the official record. Hrmmmph. Certified road courses steal enough time the way it is! =)
The legs felt very strong, and, again, the lungs seemed to be holding me back somewhat. Breathing was extremely heavy from 3000m on, but I handled that discomfort much more easily than during the 10K on the 4th. My brain has apparently re-learned how to deal with oxygen debt. A few more weeks of speed training, and there *may* be some 12-year old PRs going down. It's a big leap, and those are track PRs, but still...I have the sense it is possible in the next few weeks, and it will be a hell of a lot of fun to try. Cheers.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
12 comments:
Great stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on in the next few races.
Gaaaah!! I wanted to be the first to congratulate you! Nice run, great splits and eerily accurate prediction by the coach.
It's also kind of the weather to play along for once.
I like the heart rate info, and the 168 for the first mile might give some credence to a few recent articles suggesting that going out hard (or even a little too hard) for a race as short as a 5K might not be that bad of an idea.
Awesome race!!! Great job and way to just own everybody else. Gee whiz.
I look forward to seeing those PR's drop in the next several months.
I have e-mailed with mystery coach several times and I am hoping to get some help from him some. I have heard nothing but good things about his knowledge and ability to coach.
Great job again. Congrats.
Thanks for the comments, guys.
Edinburgh, I expect a good progression. After what seemed like too long for the marathon to leave my legs, everything is moving along again. A few weeks of training, and then a solid 5K and 10K are up.
Mike, you're always first in thought. haha! Mystery Coach is spooky. It's kind of like the quarter behind the ear trick. He's smooth.
I don't know about the going out hard thing. I've had good results with even pace, and not so good without it. Could be an individual thing.
Chris, I love the 'way to just own everybody else' comment! Very funny, and a nice ego boost. That said, I remember looking at my watch right at 4K, seeing 12:39, and thinking the world record holder would have finished a couple of seconds before I was even 80% done with the race! Sick.
I never forget that no matter how 'fast' I run, always appreciate it for what it is--my personal best. There is always somebody out there who can own me.
That said, it's fun to win, and I'll take a first anytime I can, The more competition, the better it feels.
Mystery Coach is very good. Watch out for the Axioms. They are razor sharp. =)
Nice race. Your humility is also nice. Great work. I enjoyed reading your account.
Way to go, you didn't just break the 16:00, you smashed them.
Mystery Coach's predictions are starting to get scary. Maybe he's got some kind of magic crystal ball.
By chance, does Mystery Coach have any data on the Powerball numbers for this week? Just wondering.
Great race Eric! You just keep building and building good workouts on top of good races and its all seems to be coming together.
Good work sir, if nothing else you'll smoke Colin at the Knight's Challenge and that's all I really want. Richie and I need help coming up with a team name, that is if you'll grace us by being our captain.
Nice run, Eric. Congratulations.
Way to go Eric. Man, you were smoking! This Mystery Coach is circulating really quick.
wow. incredible. hard work is paying off. hats off to you!
That is just wicked! You may like my mechanics, but I sure like your results!
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