Norton Track Boosters 5K 2012

Did this race today for the first time. Perfect weather and only a couple mild hills. If the course was accurate, and if the 2mi split timer was accurate, I covered the last 1.1mi in 5:40 -- a 5:09 pace. I'm guessing one of those two items wasn't exactly right. Hopefully the latter but probably the former (or both).

My only complaint about races like this, and I understand there isn't much that can be done about it: If you can't break 20 minutes in a 5K, is it really so important that you shove your way to the front at the start? But... it is my own damn fault. If I wanted to avoid that sort of thing I should have trained over the summer and been in good enough shape to enter this race.

Anyway, I lost contact with the eventual winner almost immediately. No hope there. Apparently I've filled my yearly cherrypicking quota. In the first minute I also had to work a bit to get around a group of five, including one very fit looking woman. So I spent almost the entire race in second, playing keep away. I'm planning on getting two or three more of these terrifying events in before I start heaping on the Boston mileage.

quarters 11/15/12

5 x 400; times were all over the place. I blame it on the wind.

71.8, 72.3, 73.3, 71.0, 71.8

intervals 11/13/12

4 x 1200 meters
4:01.6 (too fast)
4:00.6 (... again)
4:04.4 (too slow derp derp)
4:01.4 (gave up trying to get it right)

66 degrees, 85% humidity, breezy

Camy 5K 2012

Finally noticing some response in the legs, despite pushing myself on this week's Tue/Thu workouts and feeling a demoralizing lethargy during the warm up. Like most DRs I'm a firm believer in the power of the taper, but occasionally I can train right through a race with decent results.

Not that 17:08 is something I should be proud of. In light of what I did eleven years ago a 17:08 carries its own brand of demoralization. Still, progress of a sort. Spent the first 2.5 miles in third place focusing on the "wait... wait..." mantra then gave myself some rein.

fartlek 11/8/12

45 min w/hill accelerations

intervals 11/6/12

3 x 1600 meters / 5:27.1, 5:28.2, 5:26.5

11/3 - 11/4/12

11/4 -- 10mi / 70:45
11/3 -- 43 min including 5K race

5K fitness check 5/5/12

Yesterday I did the Attleboro YMCA 5K just to give myself a VDOT guide for the next couple of months. Sadly, this appears to be one of those great old races that is plummeting in popularity. Four years ago I won the 10K and there were 85 finishers, two of us sub-35. This year the 10 only had 43 finishers.

Four years ago the 5K had 158 finishers and this year there were 104. It's too bad, really -- nice flat course, they actually start on time, and there are police cruisers blocking traffic all over the route. Unfortunately I didn't get an accurate read on my current fitness; the race was over after 400 meters. I still can't get completely dialed in unless I'm chasing someone down or playing keepaway.

tempo 4/22/12

15 min warm-up + 6K tempo / 20:56

mile repeats 3/31/12

3 x 1mi -- 5:17.5, 5:17.4, 5:17.9

full active recovery between reps

25min warm-up and 22min cool-down