The Shamrock race has come and gone. It was the fourth race in four weeks and the second in seven days. As expected it was a big race and since it was Gun-timed it got jammed packed at the start line.
As I mentioned in my last blog this race did not mean a whole lot for me. I was running on tired legs, it was an early evening race (not my favorite time to run) and my second in six days, it had been raining all day and the roads were still wet. A lot of the course was on cobble stones and although it was an out-n-back it went around four squares making it impossible with this many runners to run a true 3.1 distance. I wanted to have some fun in this one and not push or hold any pace.
I thought I was safe 7-8 rows back from getting trampled. The start horn sounded and I took off with the crowd. I got "pulled" by the front runners to a 6:15 pace for the first three-four hundred yards. Not ready for that pace yet I knew I had to slow down or I wouldn't be able to finish the race.
At the first mile marker my GPS read 7:23, a little faster than I would like to be but it felt comfortably-hard so I thought "what the heck, let's see how long I can carry this". By this time most of the runners has settled in their positions. In front of my a female runner was keeping a good steady pace to the right of her and a couple of yards ahead was a male runner who was breathing pretty heavy but keeping the pace. All three of us held our positions as we passed the water station which was at the half-way point.
I can see the mile marker #2 coming up and by now the male runner is breathing heavier and slowing down as I can hear his heavy steps behind me.
My split at mile two was 7:42, I was slowing down and so was the female runner that I kept pace with. I knew I had started this race too fast to maintain but it was too late to do anything about it.
My "Negative splits and Strong finish" strategy was out the window for this race.
With only three hundred yards to the Finish line I tried to "turn it-up". My engine felt like an old diesel ...heavy and steady but not much speed to it. My body felt like I was going fast but I wasn't.
Mile marker three, pace 8:08 with less than 200 yards to go I wanted to finish strong but my strong was 7:00 flat.
GPS time for 3.1 miles 24.01 avg pace 7:44.
Back to Training
Glad this race is over. My new training plan starts with the end of this race.
I'm excited to put this new plan together as I have added two long runs into my speed work and one hilly long run and some ancillary workouts.
It is exactly eight weeks till the next 5K and my goal is a PR.
Happy Running
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