I will admit that I had plans to go under 30 minutes in this five mile race. Yes, it is 5 miles, not an 8K like many "5 mile races" are. Here is the course elevation:
I should have known that 30 minutes was pretty irrational. I had tanked last week at the Super 5K and this week looks like it will be a 75 mile week, quite substantial for me. Add that 100 foot climb over a mile and a half with temperatures at the freezing point and it's not the best recipe. But it's always good to be optimistic.
I was pleased to see Dave Sweeney back at it. He hadn't been running much and was going to run the 6K. Ryan Miller and Fawn ran in the couples division, and I also ran into Laura Rudd, so we had some good SISU representation.
After the horn, which sounded like a sick goose, I went out cautiously and was passed by a handful. Careful to continue my pattern of running my own race, I did my own thing. I noticed a lot of the go-getters took a right on the 6K course anyway. I got into a good groove and found myself in a good rhythm going up the hill past mile 1, which I clocked in at a conservative 6:13.
After this point, I passed someone who got me right back with a burst. I was thinking in my head that he was over his head, but that was not the race. I did, however, make a pass on South Cross Road adjacent to the ski area. It started to gradually climb again before flattening out to the 120 degree turn where you go up again, surprise surprise. I hit mile 2 in 6:06. The worse was yet to begin.
Taking a left onto Boxford Rd., I joined the 6K runners - a challenge with 2 and 3 wide walk-runners AND a couple cars trying to get by. I was starting to seemingly unravel a little bit with a disappointing 6:31 third mile. The hill however, keeps going as the course passes Bradford Country Club. I tried my best to keep up the pace, but the hill was taking its toll, not to mention the cluster of slower 6K'ers, who generally were doing a great job of staying right so the 5 milers could get by. Finally, we took the right onto Hyatt and I crested the hill.
Around this point, I was passed by Charlie Bemis of GDTC. I realized that I needed to suck it up, that I wasn't as far off as I thought, and that I could indeed crank out a fast final mile. I got my place back and fired my way down Hyatt. Mile 4 had done its thing with a 6:33, but I was determined to all though not PR, to still run a decent time. I turned right onto Kingsbury and get the legs moving. A faster runner came out of an area of Zion College - he must have peed - and he passed me back, but I didn't let that bother me. I turned right onto South Main and tried take advantage of the downhill. I was working hard, but knew I wasn't going to quite beat 31 minutes. Suddenly with 30 meters to go or so, Charlie, who I mentioned before, passed me even though I was certain I had gotten well past him from earlier. I just didn't want to give up the place and I was able to sprint my hardest to barely get 15th back. Him being 48, me being 29, he clearly had the more impressive race. But what can I say, the competitive fire took over.
I finished in 31:16 which goes down as my second fastest five mile race - the fastest being the Feaster Five which I ran in 30:15 (30:26 5M equivalent). It would be interesting to see what I would do on a flatter course, but either way I haven't been training for 5 mile speed. Boston is the name of the game.
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