So this is my version of events. For my better half, please read her report here: Peach Bud 5k
Race: Peach Bud 5k
Date: Tuesday evening, June 24, 2014
Result: 17:38 (1st overall)
By: Daniel MacKinnon
Photo Credit: Jason Shoup (Courtesy Subaru Niagara Running Series)
Before I begin, a big thanks to all the fast men who chose the 10k race and left the 5k wide open. The top seven men in the 10k all ran faster than my 5k pace!
In shorter races, savvy coaches know that the biggest errors occur in the first 500 m. It is here that athletes typically start off way above their goal pace. Then having realized their error they back off until they are averaging goal pace again. The problem is two things happen. First, once back on track the athlete must return to pace which is often mentally brutal. Second the last 20% of the race becomes hell on wheels because the cost of the early pace has been carried around in legs which have not been able to recover. Lactic overload!
A better strategy is to start the race a little slow, adjust up to goal pace, then lock it in. Not only will the majority of the race feel relatively comfortable, the athlete also will have the mental and physical reserve needed for a strong finish. And, again mentally, the athlete is passing other racers as opposed to being passed.
In my experience, there is a 2 for 1 cost in going out too fast. For example, say you have a goal of 20:00 for a 5k, which is 4:00/k and right on your performance capability. But you run the first km in 3:45. Do you have 15 seconds in the bank? Not at all. You will actually finish around 20:15. That 15 seconds of thrill ride will cost you 30 seconds by the end of the race. Not to mention a very unpleasant finish experience.
So as we bolted off the line today, I tried to keep my pace reasonable for a chance at 17:00 flat. I already expected there was slim chance in that. It was an evening race (tired and hungry), summer heat and humidity had just arrived for typical Peach Bud conditions, we had little yet in heat acclimatization, and it was going to rain.
Around 400 m into it, I looked at all the racers drifting by me and yelled: “You are all going out too fast!” Some gave me a quick sideways glance. One or two checked their pace, and one woman right behind me exclaimed “OH!” This of course was my wife Melissa who was on the aforementioned thrill ride. Keeping up with me was clearly too much fun!
At 1k I glanced at my watch to see 3:32. At this point the lead runners were well ahead and I was thinking dammit not my evening, no 17:00 or top three for me. But then again, it wasn’t like I was hammering it yet still losing ground. Work to do! I dialed down the pace and by 2k only one runner remained ahead.
We hit the small hills and gradual upward grades. During each climb the lead runner got a little closer. That training up Rosebank hill just north of my house was paying dividends. By 2.5 k I caught the leader and said “come on let’s go!” I really enjoy either chasing or sharing the pacing, but he did not jump aboard my offer. I was left alone with only my mental struggles to keep me company. And worse, it was simply pissing down rain!
Taking the lead was indeed unfamiliar territory. I dared not look back. I could not fade, not now. With no one ahead I marked the lead car and kept trying to catch it. How far back was that guy? I used the spectators’ cheers. One cheer for me, then five seconds later, a cheer for him.
I knew the guy behind me was likely half my age. He would have legs for the finish. I could not let him get close. If he smelled blood, he would outkick me. As we turned down Robert Street just past 4k, I picked it up to 3:20/k. Yes, my legs were good! The final 200 m to the finish took everything. I was not letting this win slip away. Now that is a game face! (Check out my pic at the finish line). HR pinned to the max (177 bpm).
So Melissa wanted to run 22:30 today, or about 4:30/km. That first km done in 4:00 was 30 seconds over her goal pace. She finished just under 23:00. Still a huge PB, but 22:30 was there for her with a better start. Next race honey, you will do it! (PS. She did.)
