A quick turnaround after my win in Barrie on Saturday with a 5k race on Canada Day. Since every year we go to Trenton to visit my grandparents, I figured while I'm already going out that direction may as well run one of the Canada Day races in Belleville close-by - plus my grandparents would get to see me run and maybe win. After the 10k in Barrie on Saturday, on Sunday I had run just 20k at a easy pace. On Monday I wanted to get my mileage back up to usual levels so I went on a 26k run in very high heat and humidity. Afterwards my legs still felt pretty solid so I went down into the shop downstairs (my gym in the basement with everything you could possibly need from my bike trainer, to a boxing heavy bag + speedbag, a bench, swiss balls, medicine balls, resistance tubes, weights, etc.) to do a real solid workout hitting the core hard. Then onto the race. Arrived in Belleville in good time, perfect for a nice 4k warmup, and about 20 minutes of drills. Off to the start line to begin sizing up any competition. One athlete stood out from the rest, and I went over to him for a chat to find out he was from Queens Cross Country Team, and he was aiming for around 16 and a bit. Even though it's not a world class time, I had never ran a 5k race before, and this was this guy's specialty, so I figured he probably knew pretty well how to work his pace and may still be a tough competitor. At the start, the course was explained to us, anytime a course needs extensive explanation, I just pray that they have a lead bike so I don't make a mistake - they did. Gun sounded, well not really, the gun didn't really work, but we were off. The race started in a position similar to that which you would see in the 3000m in high school - just before a wide curve taking you the other way. So that's exactly what I thought about and jumped into the inside "lane" to power through the curve and accelerate out of it like a formula one race-car. Quickly realized I was moving very quickly at 2:30 pace (25 km/hr) and was very quickly up out on my own. Went through one kilometer at 2:51 (holy smokes that's fast). At about 1.3k turned south into an extremely strong wind off the lake and ran a 3:09 second kilometer. Going into the third kilometer I got a slight burning sensation for about 15 seconds or so, just some lactate build-up after I most likely surpassed my pace at lactate threshold (what pace you can hold just before you start making lactate faster than you can clear it) but my body quickly cleared it as if it was never there and the legs were back to normal. Definitely a new feeling since I never hit that pace in a marathon, or a half. Although as I have found throughout my training over the year's even if I reduce the rest time between intervals to 15 or 30 seconds my body is still more than capable of clearing the lactate. I kept thinking as my pace slowed slightly Queens back there would come up right beside me and pass me, but then took my one and only look back as I made a turn and Queens was no where to be seen. 3:13, 3:14 splits on three and four - number four should've been a lot quicker although I really slowed down substantially on a confusing part of the course where there was a turnaround. When your not really sure where you're going you always subconsciously slow down. Came back storming on the fifth and final kilometer but as I was getting ready to unleash my finishing kick at the end the race ended unexpectedly at about 4.86 kilometers. So the time was a great win in 15:16, but if I extend my average pace for that last kilometer out for the full thing even though I would have been sprinting that last hundred would have been 15:40 give or take a couple second faster or slower.
Post Race
After the race and a quick cooldown, it was pretty much right into a post race workout inspired by Alberto Salazar. After shorter races like the mile, or 3000 his athletes like Mary Cain or Galen Rupp do post-race workouts which his athletes reap huge benefits from. Mostly because the legs are a little tired already so you are pushing your limit a little, and also if the race was a mile or in this case a 5km if the workout is at 10k pace for instance it will feel like walking pace compared to the race, while on other days it may be a strain. So the workout was 12 km with just under 6 km of pace work. After a little warmup did a broken 3000 where I did a 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 (all adds to 3000m), followed by a broken 1500 (600, 400, 300, 200, 100), then a few 400s. All the intervals were around half marathon pace (which felt really easy despite being 3:20/km). I think most of the benefit comes from that 600 at the start of the broken 1500 because by that point despite the pace feeling easy compared to the 5k race pace, the miles at a fast pace start accumulating and the legs are getting very tired. So a solid workout, and quickly into recovery doing just 20-22k runs for the next couple days with bunches of strength work to re-build.
Skechers 5k
After thinking for the entire week that the 5k in Hamilton on Saturday was in the morning, I found out the night before that it was actually at 7pm. This kind of through off my plan for the day, but decided to just flip the day. So I went on an easy 10k run in the morning, followed by a half-hour of core stuff in the shop, then relaxed while watching the quarter final games, and had a nice nap through the most boring first half of football I've seen in my life in the Netherlands vs. Costa Rica game. Then off to Hamilton to try to win a free pair of shoes and get a solid workout done in the process. Did an easy 3k warmup and some drills through Bayfront Park on the waterfront, where the race was being held. Wow, such a beautiful spot for an evening race, with the sun shining over the water, beaches, people rowing dragonboats, cycling, fishing, etc. I'll keep this spot in mind when going to Hamilton in the fall. The course was a certified 5k, and a very simple out-and-back, doing a turnaround at 2.5k. The path was nice and wide so I wouldn't really have to struggle weaving around people, but the wind was hollowing, and the course was a little more challenging than the Belleville 5k, with some steady inclines. Off the start I darted once again into the lead at 2:22/km pace for a little bit, and established my lead. My plans for these races is quite simple, bolt out at the start and demoralize any challengers from wanting to follow. I enjoy running with the lead, because that feeling of someone chasing me down pushes me along, even though as of recently nobody has got within 1 minute of me in the last few races. After realizing about 30 seconds into the race that the director selected a lead biker who was obviously new to this and poor at judging my pace based on the fact that I was getting pretty close at times to his back tire, I had some fun with him and pushed as hard as I could to stick on his back tire, he was clearly struggling, and I actually passed him twice. Not to sound cocky or anything but some people don't realize how fast I'm actually moving until you get right beside me - think about it for most of the first kilometer I'm going faster than 20 km/hr and maxed at 25.2 km/h - that's pretty quick for a mountain bike. A good second 3:07 kilometer, and a challenging third kilometer really pushed me being into the wind for the first half. Got a stitch on my right side - probably just too shallow of breathing while I started pushing really hard on that third split, that hurt like hell but just tried to go into kenyan trance mode until the end and finish real strong with back to back 3:11 ks and 15:41 overall. Here is the finish (My Dad in the background nicely clearing a couple toddlers from the finish area). On the ground wheezing hard afterwards but got some water and downed a couple bottles and that settled the cramp. Very happy with the performance, and I think I have learned the key the 5k and how I can improve. Basically here is how it is: Normally the half-marathoner and marathoner in me wants to go hard in first couple kilometers to get into the lead pack, and then settle nicely into my rhythm. However, in the 5k there really isn't any time to settle, and if I ease off and coast then I can't keep sub 3min pace. Essentially, I just have to keep pushing harder and harder from start to finish which is very different then a marathon where it is run fast then settle down and maintain a comfortably hard pace for 2 and half hours. In the 5 there is no comfortable, one bad kilometer and the time is gone. The thought processes are very different, for the marathon the running conversation in my head is: This is so easy just ripping right now -- Okay come down sparky they don't hand out the medal at 5k -- Wow got to the halfway in wicked time, o wait that was only half, yikes -- Okay still feeling good, 30k Nice -- When is the next water station I'm dying here -- Then the brain goes silent for a while -- 41k: how does it go again right-left-left no no that's not it -- 42.2: Man that's tough but damn fast, okay how much do you think I can eat from now until nighttime. For the 5 is much simpler: Woo fast start -- go harder -- your slowing, I said faster -- faster - come legs turn over faster I command you. Anyways a fun and fast race, free shoes, an amazing black bean veggie burger afterwards from the You Gotta Eat Here made famous diner Jack and Lois, great night.
Beamsville Bench 5k
The last rep of the 5k series was today out in Beamsville. This one was very different than the other races since this time around I was not going for a spectacular time or anything because the 5k route has been called one of the toughest 5k in Ontario. The race took place at the Mike Weir winery nestled in the vineyards, and started (I said started) on a hill, the longest of the course, 1k long. After this hill, the route had more gentle rolling hill, one steep downhill (about 100m long), and one steep uphill (another 100 meters or so) right before the long hill. Best part this had to be done twice as it was 2 times around the 2.5k loop. I ran the course to warmup and to scout out where all the hills were and set my plan of attack. Essentially after running it I decided to attack the pace hard from 1.25k-1.8 on the first lap and the same section 3.75-4.3 on the next lap. The idea was that at 1.2ish k there was the steep downhill mentioned earlier, and what I would do was essentially let it all loose on that downhill and carry that speed into the following half a kilometer or so which was on the only flat section of the course. After my drills, the race started. Unfortunately the kenyans who were at the Peachbud 10k a few weeks ago didn't show, which was dissapointing since I wanted to test myself against them again, especially now being in even better shape, fresh off a monstrous workout on tuesday. So it looked like I would once again need to do all the work on my own with no one to really push me along. So off the start got to just under 3 minute pace around 2:53-4, then got to the 1k mark already way out on my own at 3:02. The second kilometer was one of my best ever since it really didn't feel super hard. The plan worked perfectly and at 1.24 hit 2:18 per kilometer which is 26 kilometers per hour and maintained 2:35 pace for a few hundred meters and hitting 2:22 per kilometers again at around 1.7k, all to run a 2:55 second kilometer. 2:18 though is most likely the fastest I've ran in a race - did the math and that is a 13.7 second 100m dash. So that was awesome feeling, and then the 3k kilometer came with the entirety of that 1k long hill, and it slowed my pace to a crawling 3:25 km split. But once again on that second lap the gameplan came in nice and handy and ran a 3:03 kilometer and then a 3:18 to finish (got the first half of the hill going into the finishing chute). Overall really happy with the time (15:57 - course was 5.05 according to the watch) since I was hoping for 16 minutes on the tough little course, but really was anticipating around 16:20ish. Once again would have loved it if a few kenyans had come out to push me maybe a little harder even though it's not like I was holding anything back really. However, you could imagine when looking back at 1 mile and not seeing a soul could subconsciously work to slow you down slightly since you know the win is already in the bag - went on to win by 2 minutes and 10 seconds, a blowout win in any race but especially for a 5k. This is precisely the reason I believe that cross country next year will really do wonders for my running career since I will be training with some really really fast 5-8k runners on daily basis on the team, and then against others at meets. With this race I do believe that a sub 15 5k would be more than possible for me on a flat course with good competition, and I do think I do have some talent in the distance. However, I still feel most comfortable with the half marathon distance in particular. What I do know is that these shorter races have helped me immensely to recapture and activate some of the raw leg speed that I carry. If anyone had ever seen me play ball hockey, or basketball when I was a kid in elementary, or soccer, etc. you know there is definitely some speed present in my legs. The marathon sapped some of that out which is why I think cross country will be amazing for me. If I can get my legs comfortable at sub 3 minute pace then 3:08 for 42.2 kilometers will be possible, which is what I need to run for the ultimate goal - Olympics.
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