NYE 5K: Good Test of Fitness, Better Data

Yesterday, Caitlin [my girlfriend] and I drove down to Detroit for a 5K race around Belle Isle. The timing was great for a few reasons. First off, as I mentioned in my last post, my training is built around 4-week blocks, and at the end of each recovery week [so monthly], I do a "fitness test," which amounts to a race-pace effort. These "fitness tests" help gauge where I am at, and more importantly, are used to identify areas to focus on in training moving forward. While I can always simulate a race, lining up in an actual race is 10x better; it's more exciting, I'm pushed by other runners, and it's downright more enjoyable. Second, the weather was absurdly perfect. On December 31st, in Michigan, I raced a 5K in shorts and a singlet, and finished dripping with sweat. The conditions were ideal for any time of year, minus a little wind on the Isle. Fox News can trumpet this as a "victory for global warming." Third, it gave Caitlin and I something fun to do as a part of our NYE celebration. Our friends are all over the country [but not so many in Michigan], so we had no big-bang [ala 4pm start-time] parties to attend. And even if there would have been, this type of active/outdoor activity is pretty much right up our alley, so the race was a perfect way to kick off a fun night together. Good timing indeed!


As for the results: I went 18:44, or at a 6:03 pace. This is OK; not great, but not awful. Given where I am at in my training [e.g., coming back from 3-weeks totally off, I have done absolutely no speed work, I'm spending time in the weight room, etc...] I'm content with the results. What's more interesting and informative are my splits: I went 5:46, 6:02, 6:15 [mile splits]. I felt really good running sub 5:50 pace until about 9 minutes into the race, when things progressed [in almost perfect 2-minute increments] from "comfortable" to "uncomfortable" to "extremely uncomfortable," to "shit, hold on for dear life." Basically, over the next 4 months in the lead up to my first priority event, I need to be able to put together a complete race, in all likelihood, going through the same progression of feelings as mentioned above, but sticking at a sub 5:50 pace. I know this is doable, so that is encouraging. Also worth noting, my success at the Duathlon National Championships will undoubtedly hinge on being able to put together a complete race, but purely based on the course format (5Krun/35Kbike/5Krun) the place to "make the most time" is on the bike, so while 5K run fitness is important, the 30 to 50 seconds one can gain on the run are rather trivial in comparison to the 4-7 minutes that can be gained on the bike. So, in summary, a pretty good early season race for me that was quite telling.


As a quick aside to my race report: Caitlin doesn't run or bike. She racewalks, and let me tell you, this is no joke. She finished fourth place overall [amongst the 125+ competitive walkers] by coming in at 34:16, or a pace of 11:03 per mile. It's an extremely hard-to-explain stride that allows one to "walk" that fast, but she has put it together quite well, and continues to get faster! After I finished, I went back on the course to get her, and there was a point when I was jogging next to her "walking" at about a 10:30 pace. It's nuts. Much like my race, this was really informative for Caitlin, since now she knows what type of pace she is capable of in a shorter-course all-out effort, and this can better inform her training too [that, during the winter, happens at the local Mall, which apparently opens its doors 2 hours prior to stores opening for the "walking community," and by the likes of Caitlin's stories, they seem even more cultish than the "running community"] . Between the two of us -- Duathlon and Racewalking -- she likes to say that "we excel in niche sports."




So there you have it. My first cycle of training is complete. I'm looking forward to this next phase, which will still be focused on lower intensity aerobic training and building strength/toughness in the legs [got to love the weight room], but will also start to introduce some workouts that involve short blasts of intensity on the bike. Look for another post about a month from now when that next cycle ends, or maybe one in-between on something training related. Happy New Years!