Friday, July 25, 2014

Slow & Steady 2014 - Race #17
The Chase 5k
Friday, July 25, 2014

I don't typically run 5k's... given how slow I am, I find that I often need the first few miles to warm up and hit my racing stride. But given that I was planning to head to Ohio this weekend for a paddle triathlon, I checked the race listings along the way and found a pair of  trail 5k's near Erie, PA (where I wanted to stop anyway, for a visit to Presque Isle State Park) and decided to give them a go on my way to Ohio. Of course, I ended up deciding to skip Ohio, but Erie is close enough and 5k's are short enough that it seemed worth it to make a day trip (OK, a 2 day trip) there and still run them.

I was a bit worried when we got to the Harborcreek Township building and saw no signs of trails, just pavement. A bit of questioning revealed that the race would start on a paved road, switch to some dirt trails, and then finish on the same paved road. Fortunately I'd packed my old Vasque Blurs, which are a bit better equipped for the combo (they definitely did the trick at the Shoreline duathlon) and had just enough time to switch shoes before the start.

The other reason I tend to dislike 5ks is having to run all out the entire time... there's really no leeway to take a break for a bit and then pick up the pace again. So in the past I've typically ended 5k's feeling ready to throw up. I planned for a slow run today, and by most standards it was... but between the short distance and the terrain (pavement, easy dirt, and gradual inclines) I found myself running the fastest I've run since my knee went out at the end of April 2013. Passed a bunch of folks as I warmed up and finished in a blistering 33 min 15 sec... an average of about 10:44 per mile. Got to admit that feels pretty good... I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to run that fast again, so apparently something I've been doing this year has been working.

It was nice to have Ann there and know she wasn't going to have to wait around forever for me to finish... another plus to 5k's, I guess. 

Can't say that this is a run I'd make a special trip to do... but if I was going to be in the area anyway and didn't have anything else to do, I'd run it again.

Now it just remains to be seen whether doing a 2nd 5k tomorrow morning will be OK or if it was one of my stupider ideas...

JMH

2014 Event Totals
Run 114.1 mi, 27 hr 3 min
Bike 133.8 mi, 9 hr 26 min
Snowshoe 47.5 mi, 14 hr 38 min
Kayak 4.0 mi, 1 hr 3 min

states/provinces visited: AB, CT, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
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