I ran 5000m on the track tonight and it was a really great experience. My goal was to run steady 77-second laps (16:02.5) and go sub-16 with a bit of a kick. The USAT "B" cut is 16:05, so my real goal was to just be under that time.
Uli Steidl was looking for a few extra miles and signed up at the last minute. He was planning on doing 75s but agreed to pace me when I asked. We went out in 37 for the first 200 then held 77s right through the 2mile. 75, 2:32, 3:49, 5:06-7 ... 10:14... the first 1-2 laps felt "too easy" and 3-4 were still smooth and relaxed. I started feeling it a little as the second mile got going but stayed on Uli until lap 8. There I started to fade a little but fought back after getting some encouragement on the back stretch. But I lost him for good before the 2-mile and ran the last 4.5 laps alone.
My math tells me that I averaged about 79.5 sec/lap for the last mile+, finishing at 16:12.
The best thing about this race was the incredible support that I had all around the track. Dave Cannon was near the end of the first curve, advising me to relax a bit more at times... also got me to tuck in better when I initially chose a sub-optimal drafting position slightly off to Uli's right... Tony Young was yelling target splits as I hit the backstretch and telling me that I was right on for the first 8 laps. Matt Hollingsworth, John O'Hearn and Paul Abdallah were also yelling for me each time I went by their pieces of the track. And of course Jessi & Josh were yelling for me, too. I think that even the timers & the few folks that I didn't know were yelling "Go Chris!" by the end of it all. Very cool...
Training notes...
Mon 11 June: aforementioned 65-minute run w/ Josh in the AM; solo 1500m open-water swim in the evening
Tue 12 June: 4-mile run with some drills and strides... getting ready for the 5k
Wed 13 June: short/easy "loosen up" run in the AM; 5k on the track in the PM. About 95 minutes of total running.
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