Got 2 B Safe 5K

When I started this round of Hal Higdon's Advanced post-marathon training, it was still frigid, with temperatures still in the 20s for my morning runs. As I recovered from the race, my legs would sometimes feel great, which led me to push the pace, which then led my legs to feel like, well, lead. (It led to lead legs!)

Good thing the weather warmed up.  Mr. Higdon's Advanced program is pretty intense, with 400-meter intervals, tempo runs, mile intervals and long runs. Some days, I surprised myself with sub-6:00 miles, as well as 400s at 1:25. Some days, it was a struggle to get near 10K pace (6:11).
 
The last week of training, a short taper, was on completely tired legs with muscles still sore right up until start time.  Definitely not PR shape, but this race was only about getting back into the short-game groove.  

With the temperature in the high 50s on Sunday morning, I arrived at my first short race of the year - the Got 2 B Safe 5K in Morris Township, a nicely compact race that takes place entirely on the Honeywell corporate campus, without a lot of bells and whistles and only around 160 participants, many of whom jogged or walked.

Taking my place at the front of the pack, I assessed the situation - rolling hills and three turnarounds on a sort-of wishbone-looking course, starting on a downhill.  The plan: hold back a bit on the first downhill, then let 'er rip and run as fast as I can for as long as I can.

After the first uphill, I pushed into the lead then barreled downhill to the first mile marker - 5:46.  Too fast.  Damn it.

Uphill again and chugging along, already feeling my quads burning, I fell to third place, hit the second mile marker, then tried to take it easy on the next downhill in preparation for the final uphill.  I felt myself losing a lot a steam on that final uphill, but bounded down the last downhill with all my might - lengthening my stride as far as it would go while my leg and groin muscles screamed for mercy.

Rounding the final turn at the three-mile mark, I saw the clock still in the 17-minute range.  I spent the final 30 seconds of my race in stunned disbelief of what was about to happen - a new personal record!  It looked to me like 18:27 when I crossed the line (one second faster than my previous PR), but the official recorded time was 18:24.  I do not know how a three-second discrepancy could happen like that, but I figure that if I have to live with results that are slower than I suspect they should be - <cough, cough> Lower Potomac River Marathon - then I should darn well accept the opposite.

The Got 2 B Safe 5K was a well-organized, enjoyable event, with lots of friendly staff and volunteers, a ton of bagels, bananas and apples at the finish line, and nicely unique prizes.  For taking third place overall, I received a pint glass with the race logo, a $30 massage gift certificate and a mini-USB drive. 

A beautiful opener to spring short-race season!