Chariho 5K 2012

This was my third year in a row running the Chariho 5K - a small local race put on by a family friend's Relay for Life team.  Each year I entered hoping to reach a milestone, and each year I failed (see 2010 & 2011 write ups).  This year was declared sub 18 minutes or bust.  I was feeling confident with my recent workouts. 

I decided to run from my house to the event as a warm up - about 3.5 miles.  My legs felt tired and tight at first,  eventually I was feeling loose by the time I finished.  A surprisingly sunny day turned cloudy and cool with a stiff wind out of the SW.  I chatted with friends and family before running two laps on the track at a lively pace.  I ran around some more before the race began.  I lined up front with Justin, and chatted with Jon Short.  I wasn't sure who else would go out fast besides Justin.  I was ready to race. 

At the gun, I set out at my usual fast but controlled start.  I was in the lead for less than half a mile (pleasing my cheering kids), before I heard Justin catching up to me.  I was feeling really good at this point.  I hoped that I could stick with him for a while and have him drag me along to a fast time.  This didn't materialize as he kept speeding up and pulled away (looking really strong).  There was no one close behind me.  I rounded the corner onto Pine Hill Rd and my first mile was 5:42.  This is about what I expected.  There is the slightest of hills here, and I made a point to work harder as to not slow down.  Looping back to Switch Road, I then had to run the next mile into the wind.  Again, I knew I needed to work harder to keep up the pace, and this is what I attempted to do.  I passed my family walking the event and then reached the two mile mark - 6:04 split.  No! I couldn't believe how slow my second mile was.  I tried not to dwell on it, and continued my charge through the wind.  Eventually the course veers right onto the Chariho campus and around the schools.  I was working hard, but I had no one close to push me.  I reached the track (someone announced 17:02 as the time) and mustered a decent push around it, finishing in a disappointing 18:19.  3rd place didn't reach the track until after I had finished.  My kids ran over to greet me and just sat on the grass recovering and chatting with people as they completed their runs.  I won a shrub for my runner-up finish which pleased my wife.  My running keeps paying off.  I opted to get a ride back to my house rather than run the 3.5 miles (last mile all uphill). 

In conclusion, I once again left this race upset I didn't attain my goal.  I could make excuses and I'll certainly make one about the wind.  But, I didn't get it done today.  I'm happy with my training, so I'm beginning to think that I'm closing in on maximizing my natural ability at this distance.  I still should be able to get under 18 minutes.  My second mile continues to be my demise at the 5K, but even if I could have shaved 10 seconds off of it, I still was not going sub 18 at this race.  But as my wife point out, I did run over a minute faster than last year....

Results

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