Eaton 10k Dash and Summer Shoe Review

A couple Thursday nights ago was the finale, for a few weeks at least, of my post-Park City racing season, and boy did it end on a high note. Going into this race I knew that the competiton would be steep for a couple of reasons: the race doubling at the OMA Championships, and the fact that it was in Burlington, where races tend to get a good turn-out of fast runners, ranging from cross country runners from Mac, Guelph, and a couple from Queens, as well as a few Kenyans to keep things interesting. Me and my Dad arrived in great time to register, and to go on a few kilometer warmup run, followed by about 20 minutes of drills. I had ran and worked out earlier in the day, so my legs were already pretty nice and loose, so I was feeling pretty good. My only concern heading in was that after my track workout of Tuesday night, my left hamstring was acting up a bit. Just prior to the race, I noticed there were a large amount of McMaster Mauraders Cross Country Squad at the race. Went over to talk to one of them- Gabiel - who told me he was aiming for 31:30. This was after I had told him that next year I was planning to be on the team, and I instantly got a little more nervous (I am always very nervous before races already going back to elementary school) since I felt that this was now essentially a tryout. I had to impress Gab, and told myself not to get dropped, no matter how much pain I'm in. There were a few others on the team in the 10k, and a bunch in the 5k which started 10 minutes earlier. So at 7:30 we were off and underway. After being very focused on the Mauraders in the race, me and the rest of the field were quickly reminded that Fred Karanja was also in the race, a very fast runner from Kenya and living in Burlington now (who you remember from Dundas 10k last year and then getting my revenge in the marathon), when he took off about 150 meters into the race like the rest of us were standing still. I have never seen someone run that quickly, since Gab, Gatundu, and I were all running at around 2:40/km and he literally left us in the dust. But me and Gab quickly reacted and worked our way back up to him, and within the first 400m it was a three man race, Gab and Fred shoulder to shoulder and me just chillin, sheltered in behind them from the wind. That was definitely was of the most relaxed 2:55 opening kilometers I have ran. At about 1.4 kilometers after not really looking at my watch for a while because I was just looking at the back of their singlets, I could feel the pace dropping significantly since we were now heading back into the wind, and I guess Gab and Fred were feeling the effects of it. I figured I could probably stay behind them until 9.5k then surge, but based on that first surge by Fred at the start, and knowing the speed that Gab possesses, I figured the marathon runner may get smoked in a sprint to the finish. So I wanted to push them now to stay at a high pace, but at the same time I wanted to stay in a pack (to push each other along) so I didn't surge crazy hard, just enough to get the group's pace back on target. I passed Fred on the left and took the pace over (almost like in the time trials in the tour de france when the lead cyclist is spent the next guy comes in to take over the pacing). I brought us back from doing the first half of that kilometer at 3:21 pace to doing the kilometer in 3:13. From there on the about 6k nothing really happened we just got into a really nice rhythm knocking off 3:13, 3:11, 3:13, 3:13. Amazing how we were running this fast while having to make at some points very quick footed moves around the 5k runners especially on the turns where they were staying in the inside lane. Turning back north at about 7k me and Gab dropped Fred, and now it was a two man race. At 8k Gab surged really hard to try to drop me but I reacted and stayed right there. Now this was my only mistake of the race. When he surged and I caught him I should of right then and there pushed with my own surge because after his little sprint he was really tired and I should have capitalized. At 8.5k or so he gained 2 or 3 steps on me after a turn and sometimes its amazing that over a 10k race all it takes to gap your opponent is a couple steps. He instantly put down the hammer and dropped me. But the race was definetly not over. At 9k, I went really hard going 2:50 something for a bit and managed to close the gap back again to 5 meters or so. Gab looked back saw me, and surged again. Turning back south to the finish I sprinted hard as I could and if the race lasted 100 meters or so more I had him, because I closed the gap back again and lost by 3 seconds. But I was very happy with two 3:07 splits the last 2 kilometers, and shattering by PB from a few weeks ago with 31:57 in the 10k. Gab was extremely impressed and clearly pushed really hard (he was exhausted at the finish), plus the Mauraders coach was at the race, and basically I think I'm on the team. Me and the coach chatted afterwards for a bit, then myself and 6 or 7 other guys from the team and Queens cross country team went for a 30 minute cooldown. Overall a great night.

Shoe Guide

If you don't already know I own quite an extensive shoe collection. Pick any colour, I have multiples of it. Pick any distance, I have a shoe for it. I currently have 9 pairs (around 31 pairs overall) that I rotate throughout any given week - adios boost, adios 2.0, lunaracer, streak lt2, mirage3, pegasus 31, pearl izumi n2 (won these), soloman s-lab ultra, and skechers GoMeb Speed 2 (won these too) . I love talking about new shoes and their new features, here is a list of shoes that I have composed of shoes to try out for your summer training and a couple to try possibly for fall racing.

Training Shoes  

Nike Pegasus 31

In the past I had always avoided the pegasus because former versions of the shoe had a marshmallow feel, and I prefer a firmer midsole that is more responsive. The new pegasus answered my calls, and they firmed up the midsole a bit. It still offers a tonne of cushioning over the long miles, and you can certainly feel the zoom pocket in the shoe which rebounds when you strike the ground to add to the responsiveness. Yes the shoe does have a 10 mm heel-to-toe offset which would normally eliminate it from my rotation of shoes because I prefer a shoe to be at least under 6-7 mm. Oddly the heel drop doesn't feel as high as it actually is possibly because of the full-ground contact outsole,and the contoured forefoot which makes for a quick toe-off. So I have found that midfoot striking is not compromised in the shoe. Besides the responsiveness of the shoe that I love, Nike is head over heels ahead of there competition for their upper design. The shoe fits to your foot like a glove, and the narrow feel makes it feel fast despite the weight being around 10 ounces for a men's size 9 (I am an 8 so its in the 9 ounce range). My only criticism on this perfect training shoe for I would say every runner from the newbie to elites like Mo Farah (he was a critical part of the design) is that based on a run in it on wet roads the outsole rubber is not very grippy (it does slip a bit when trying to push the pace on wet surfaces). Overall though, the Pegasus 31 is an amazing shoe perfect for many different paces. In fact my first run in it was a 23 kilometer fartlek doing 10 times 1 min on/off, then 10 times 2 min on/off, then 5 times 3 mins 2 minutes off, so the pace was going from fast to slow, and back and the shoe performed well at every pace.

Saucony Cortana 3/4

In my gear guide last year I introduced this shoe to you guys, and now after putting 850 kilometers in a

pair of them I can give you a true and detailed description of how this beast performs. First off I will say that if you go out and buy the 3s, keep in mind that they may be going on sale soon since the 4s are due to come out in the US in August, which probably means they will be here in Canada sometime in 2016 (no just joking expect them to be stocked in running room a few weeks after there release in the US). Also, know that Saucony hasn't changed the 3 completely so getting the 3 over the 4 isn't that big of a deal. The only difference with the 4 is deeper grooves in the outsole to improve your transition slightly through the gait cycle and improved the fit of the shoe around the heel - although I never had any issues with the fit of the 3. So basically the 3 captured the essence of what I believe the perfect shoe is. It is well cushioned for logging big miles in them - I logged two 200+ kilometer weeks in them, and the month of november of last year, where a chunk of those 850 kilometers were logged, was my fastest month of running I ever had. Mostly the 4mm heel-drop and the light weight is to thank for the extremely fast feel of this trainer, but also the midsole has incredible responsiveness, in addition to it being extremely durable. The upper fits very well, and unlike the pegasus it has a wide toe-box. But that is not a negative. I beleive every shoe has a different character and it is up to the company to essentially put different components of a shoe together that work well together. Just like a car or a road bike, the components must work together well. And in this case the wide toe box works well for this shoe, as it allow for a whole lot of toe splay which is necessary for a shoe with such a low heel drop. I loved these shoes from start to finish. But you may ask, why am I in Pegasus now, the price tag of this shoe was too much to come to terms with. At running room it runs for 179 plus tax, so in the 200 dollar range Just too much to spend on a pair of shoes especially when I run through them so quickly.

Adidas Tempo 6

With 815 kilometers in these babies through the heat waves of last year, me and these infared shoes have a special bond. We battled through tough conditions, and many long grueling runs of 40+ kilometers, and two a days totaling over 44 kilometers some days. First off if you want a shoe that you will definitely stand out in and look fast go with these. The colour-way is called infrared (a really bright orangy-pink) with navy blue accents. I remember my first ever run in them, looking down and almost getting blinded by how bright they were. The shoes are crazy light for a trainer - less than 8 ounces, and actually have some very mild support. I'll stress very mild once again, don't get these shoes thinking that they are a stability shoe because they are absolutely not that. I would say they are geared to quick runners who are used to wearing firm racing flats, and basically the very small plastic piece on the medial side of the arch is more for a psychological confidence boost (thinking "oo I can rip through these miles, my feet are supported" - But not really). Mostly the extremely firm and ridiculously snappy ride (they really pop off the road) means that your foot isn't even on the ground long enough to pronate. They have a 9mm drop which is typical of most adidas shoes, and the outsole provides unparalleled traction on any surface, not to mention the fact that is is incredibly durable. Really the only issue I had with this shoe was the upper. The overlays on the medial side were just so that they could cause some irration on the medial side of your foot. Overall the shoe performs really well, and the 110 dollar price tag from running warehouse who does deliver adidas to Canada is great. Plus they have one colour-way going for 79 bucks right now.

Racing Shoes 

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

Let me just start this review before I run out of adjectives. This shoe is crazy fast. By fast, I mean you

will never know how fast you are actually capable of running until you've ran in these once. From the upper, to the midsole, to the outsole this shoe is perfect in every way. I have zero issues with it. Ican't offer one single criticism or advice for how I think the future iterations can be improved. And heck I pray Nike doesn't do something stupid like true to make any future versions. A discussion I was having with my Dad the other day was basically that nowadays it is almost impossible to fall in love with a particular pair of shoes and say okay that's my racing/training shoe for the next decade. Sometimes the new innovations are groundbreaking, but most of the time, shoe companies and any company for that matter, is always looking to improve. Yes I want that out of a company, but also I wish companies sometimes knew when to say, this shoe or product is perfect and there is no need to change. Basically, this is my long way of saying please Nike do not change this shoe. So the shoe itself hovers just over 5 ounces and thanks to the extremely narrow and snug upper, you sometimes forget that you're actually wearing shoes at all. The shoe is super responsive, it leaps off the road. The waffle outsole is designed in a way that suits the shoe to any surface: road, rubber (track), grass (cross country), gravel, and dirt. If you want a fast shoe that based on my own experience can hold up to atleast a half marathon - after a 71 minute half my legs were fine. Although it's my go to shoe for anything up to half, most will find it suitable as a 5-10k racing flat (I would only use it for a half if your very light footed and efficient).

Adidas Hagio 2

I would say this shoe is a first cousin of the lt2. It is fast, and excels for the 5-10k range, and up to the half for those efficient runners. It is like minded to the lt2, but there are definitely some noticeable differences in the feel, fit, and ride. Again a very light shoe at 6.5 ounces - so about an ounce heavier than the lt2). That weight could be attributed to a more substantial upper material than the lt2. The shoe has a very low-profile much lower than the lt2. The lt2's heel-to-toe drop is 22mm-18mm, whereas the hagio is 17-12. So it is sitting a whole 5-6 mmm lower than the lt2. This is evidenced in the ride of the hagio. It is much snappier thanks to a very firm midsole as you can expect in most adidas shoes, and has some more pop off the ground than the lt2. And like usual, this adidas offering has amazing traction. In addition, I managed to get 450 kilometers out of these flats thanks to a very durable midsole and outsole. I would say much more durable than the LT2, which after 100 kilometers of hard racing in them are looking pretty worn in some areas of the forefoot. So more pop off the ground than the LT2, and more durable, plus a similar price tage 75-90$. So why do I prefer the LT2? Quite simply the upper is far superior for the LT2. I love adidas shoes don't get me wrong, I raced in them for 8 years. But adidas seems to have a knack for making shoes that while offering amazing traction and responsiveness, they just feel separate from your foot. If only I could put flywire's and a flynit upper on a pair of adios or hagio.

Nike Lunaracer 3

Amazing how a shoe can possibly have so much cushioning suited to the marathon but be less weight

than most 5-10k racing flats, at 6.2 ounces. Firstly, let me just say I really like this racing flat. However, it is a bit of an oddity. I don't really know how to describe the ride of the shoe. For instance, when I think of the hagio I instantly think snappy. When I think of the Lunaracer, a word doesn't instantly come to mind. Maybe a phrase, "Ridicuolously lightweight cushioning." The lunarlon midsole they use is very light, but soft. Normally, I prefer the firmness in the adidas for example, but for some reason this soft light foam really works. Although it is light enough for 5-10k, it's bread and butter would be the marathon, thanks to this cushioned fast ride. The flywire on the upper really hugs the foot nicely, and that combined with the low heel drop for a marathon flat, really give the lunaracer a fast feel. I only have two complaints with the shoe. Firstly, like previous versions of the shoe, the toe box has a very low height, so low that your toes touch the top. I can see this possibly being an issue late in a marathon. Second, the outsole pattern is not particularly well designed with lots of exposed foam in key areas which leads to poor durability of the outsole. Despite having 300 kilometers of workouts in these shoes, the midsole is going to far outlast the outsole. The feel of the shoe is still perfect, and feels like it can go for atleast a few 100 kilometers more thanks to the cushioning in the shoe, but unfortunately the base of the shoe will be torn to shreds much sooner I suspect. Notwithstanding, I think it is a great racing option for the longer distances, and even the shorter ones thanks to the weight. One last observation/advice, this goes to Nike, why would you have the option of putting in a Nike plus shoe pod into this shoe. I highly doubt any fast runners (for whom racing flats are geared towards) actually use a foot pod.

Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 

Adios Boost

For years now the adios has been the choice of some of the world's best marathoners. It seems you look on the feet of the leaders in any given international marathon and you see either nike zoom streak's or the adios. The only caveat is that while this version does carry some of the same genes as previous versions, the 2.0 and the beloved original, it is a very different shoe. As you can tell in the name, the adiprene midsole that the adios was built on and crowned world's fastest shoe changed to the boost midsole. This is essentially hundreds of small pieces of foam that have been fused together with heat, for what adidas claims it offers more bouncy cushioning, and more durability. This really did change the feel of the shoe entirely, it just doesn't do it for me. It lost that adidas responsiveness and snappiness that I had come to crave. Now it seems no matter how hard you push the shoe, it is still just bouncing around in the same manner. I haven't used these for a marathon, but based on their weight, that is the only place I would see suitable for this shoe. The boost midsole increased the weight of the shoe even more than it already was. Previous versions were already heavier than most racing flats in the low-mid 7 ounce range but the incredibly firm midsole made up for it. The boost is now 8 ounces, and the new adios boost 2.0 that just came out is even heavier. Adidas could remedy this issue if they removed some of plastic overlays that just weigh the shoe down. Otherwise the shoe is literally heavier than many of today's training shoes like the kinvara, tempo 6, asics 33 series, and others. How can this be a racing flat if it weighs more than your daily trainer. In fact, I have on occasion now just taken this shoe out using it in exactly that way, as a daily trainer. So from a racing point of view, I am not a fan of this shoe, and feel adidas has ruined a great racing flat. It seems that they are lost, and can't seem to agree upon a direction for the pedigreed shoe to go in. They aren't sure if it's a racing flat, or a trainer for up-tempo days, is it designated for the elite, or with all this structure and marshmellow cushioning is it designed to make faster shoes more available to the average runner. Durability, I am all for that in my trainers, but in racing flat they need to last for a couple A races per year, that's it. The adios 2.0 already lasted me about 500 kilometers, I don't need it

Takumi Sen 2

to last 700. Really all I cared was that it lasted 42.195. What I do know, is that if you still crave that old school feel of the powerhouse that once was the adidas adios, purchase the Adidas Takumi Sen 2. It looks like a slightly bigger brother to the hagio, with a 22-17 drop and 6.3 ounces, compared to the hagio which is 17-12.

3 times 5k

Canada Day 5k - Belleville

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.