Race Report : The Great West Chase 2017
Over the weekend before Halloween, my wife and I ran a local race called the Great West Chase 5k. They also have a 10k option, but that is a little more than I wanted to run. We live in the area of Tampa called "Westchase" and can walk to the start line, so this was a great truly local race. I did not realize that the race had nearly 1300 participants between the 5k and 10k. In reality, this is a good mid-sized race. It was a spur of the moment race decision, with approval from my coach, of course.
The 5k course is a straight out-and-back, remaining mostly on Linebaugh Avenue. The course has one lane in each direction closed to traffic. While there are cars, the police have it completely managed. It is a USATF and RRCA certified course. This is quite helpful as many local 5ks are not certified and end up either being short or long. It was a good race to check development.
I asked my coach whether this would fit in my plan and she approved of the 5k. It would certainly make for a great training weekend with a 5k race on Saturday and an 18 mile run on Sunday. I intended on racing, but I was not sure on what that would really mean. Weather and my own physical feelings would dictate how much effort to give.
Morning temps were around 58 degrees. By the start of the 5k at 8am, the temps had risen just slightly to around 61. This was perfect running weather. I was chilly before the start. After a warm up, I did not mind the slight Florida chill (aka anything below 60).
My race plan was to start around 7:15 pace and then run 7:00 and 6:45 for each consecutive mile. This would land me around a 7:00 pace, and probably a few seconds of a PB off of my last race. Once we started, the race plan went out the window. It felt very good in the first half-mile and I did not feel like I was pushing hard. So I went with the flow (and everyone else) with a higher tempo. I tried to keep cadence up and not to overstride. At this point in the marathon cycle, I have worked too hard to get sloppy and hurt myself.
During the second mile, I started to evaluate how I felt and if I would have enough energy for the last mile. It felt very good at a 6:45 pace and I ran the second mile at about the same tempo. After rounding the turn point, I still felt very energized and decided to just go for it. Pedal to the floor for the last mile. I increased cadence and started pushing. It was slightly uphill back to the start but I managed to hold the pace below 6:30 for the mile.
Overall, I ended up winning my age group and having a 90 second 5k PB, 20:45. I was 23rd overall in this race of over 600 participants. This puts me just 45 seconds off of breaking 20 minutes. Ultimately, this is a personal side goal of mine. I am very proud of this race due to how well I did in the middle of long course training. Typically, due to high volumes, I end up loosing a little of the sprint speed in search of the endurance for marathoning. This cycle has taught me that I can still achieve a high level in short course, despite the heavy slow aerobic training regimen.
The 5k course is a straight out-and-back, remaining mostly on Linebaugh Avenue. The course has one lane in each direction closed to traffic. While there are cars, the police have it completely managed. It is a USATF and RRCA certified course. This is quite helpful as many local 5ks are not certified and end up either being short or long. It was a good race to check development.
I asked my coach whether this would fit in my plan and she approved of the 5k. It would certainly make for a great training weekend with a 5k race on Saturday and an 18 mile run on Sunday. I intended on racing, but I was not sure on what that would really mean. Weather and my own physical feelings would dictate how much effort to give.
Morning temps were around 58 degrees. By the start of the 5k at 8am, the temps had risen just slightly to around 61. This was perfect running weather. I was chilly before the start. After a warm up, I did not mind the slight Florida chill (aka anything below 60).
My race plan was to start around 7:15 pace and then run 7:00 and 6:45 for each consecutive mile. This would land me around a 7:00 pace, and probably a few seconds of a PB off of my last race. Once we started, the race plan went out the window. It felt very good in the first half-mile and I did not feel like I was pushing hard. So I went with the flow (and everyone else) with a higher tempo. I tried to keep cadence up and not to overstride. At this point in the marathon cycle, I have worked too hard to get sloppy and hurt myself.
During the second mile, I started to evaluate how I felt and if I would have enough energy for the last mile. It felt very good at a 6:45 pace and I ran the second mile at about the same tempo. After rounding the turn point, I still felt very energized and decided to just go for it. Pedal to the floor for the last mile. I increased cadence and started pushing. It was slightly uphill back to the start but I managed to hold the pace below 6:30 for the mile.
Overall, I ended up winning my age group and having a 90 second 5k PB, 20:45. I was 23rd overall in this race of over 600 participants. This puts me just 45 seconds off of breaking 20 minutes. Ultimately, this is a personal side goal of mine. I am very proud of this race due to how well I did in the middle of long course training. Typically, due to high volumes, I end up loosing a little of the sprint speed in search of the endurance for marathoning. This cycle has taught me that I can still achieve a high level in short course, despite the heavy slow aerobic training regimen.
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