Some course corrections

So, if you read the comments in my race report, you might have noticed that my initial disappointment in my performance in my first ever 5k had begun to fade as the day continued on, and that trend continued. Not to say that I'm totally pleased today, but I'm content with it for a number of reasons.

1. Prior to Saturday, I had never competed in an actual race of over 1/4 mile (I think), so just finishing was an accomplishment I became more pleased with as I reflected.
2. A significant part of my struggles were caused by poor initial pacing. Proper pacing is probably one of the hardest things to do in a 5k, and so it was probably somewhat unrealistic for me to expect to get it right in my first race.
3. My goal time of 22:30 was based on my perception of what my optimum performance should be over 5k, and upon further reflection, there was no reason I should have expected optimum performance given the course, which had 2 short but quite steep inclines, and featured full a mile of running directly into a stiff headwind. (Yes, said wind was at my back for most of the last mile, but trust me, it doesn't even out...) The winning time in last year's race was 17:51, and although they haven't posted the official results for this year's race yet, I was told by my cheering section that the first runner came across the line in well over 18 this year. These are not blazing fast 5k times, and for a race of this size (I would say approximately 300 people) to be won by them would definitely indicate that this is not a particularly fast course. In retrospect, a time of 2300-23:30 was probably what I would have been looking at with proper pacing.

So, overall, I'm in much better place with my feelings about the run. Further, I was quite encouraged by my fitness level today when I did a mile time trial in what I am going to call my personal best, of 6:35. I say I'm going to call it my best, because technically I ran a faster mile shortly before I started officially training for Saturday's rest, in 6:25. However, I ran that mile as 2 circuits of my half-mile loop, which I am now convinced is slightly shorter than a half mile. I ran today's mile on my mile loop, which is definitely a mile and if anything is slightly longer. The mile loop is also rather undulating with a couple of steady climbs, while the half mile loop is pretty flat, so even if they are the same length, I'm convinced my 6:35 time on the mile loop is a much better running performance. I'll have to get to a track at some point, because I'm convinced I could probably start to attack the 6 minute mile barrier on a flat run.

So, all of that said, upon reflection, I'm looking at the following changes to my training and race plans. Originally, I only intended to do 3 races this year, to allow time for a full training cycle in between each one. I'm now convinced I need to run a few more races to get experience, even if I'm not "fully" trained for the extra ones. So, my current plan is to next run the Travis Henry Memorial 5k in my hometown of Shippensburg on 6/26 as an "experience" race, and then the Run for Reading 5k in Mechanicsburg on 8/14 as my next race I'm formally training for. After that, I will be looking for a 5k in the mid-September time frame, while training for the Falcon Fun Run at Messiah's Homecoming on 10/16. I've also decided I'll want to stay in training through to December before taking the coldest part of the winter a bit easier, so I'll probably be looking for a race or two in the November/December time frame.

Because the 8/14 date for the Run for Reading is out a couple weeks beyond my 8 week training schedule, I may actually take the week before the 6/26 run and taper for it, but we'll see how things go. I, of course, reserve the right to change my schedule due to injury, other setback, or my whim:)

I'll be setting some training goals later this week, but I have decided to make two key changes to my training approach this time around. First of all, to help myself with being able to feel proper pace, I'm going to work to discipline myself not to check my watch at intervals smaller than half a mile on my tempo and long runs. Secondly, I am going to move my tempo runs (my longest speed workouts) from the half-mile loop to the mile loop. There are two reasons for this - the first being the distance issue I mentioned earlier - I think running the half-mile loop this time around gave me a slightly unrealistic picture of my pace, by moving to the mile loop, if anything, I'll think I'm going a bit slower than I really am, and I prefer that going into a race. Secondly, the mile loop, while not containing any severe hills, comes much closer to replicating what I could expect on a typical 5k course in terms of inclines than the flater half-mile loop.

So, at this point, I'm really feeling re-energized and ready to start prepping for the next race. Of course, that's not to say I'm not enjoying having a more relaxed schedule this week :-)