If history was any indicator, my first 5K after back-to-back marathons was going to be in serious PR territory. I have not counted, but I am quite sure the majority of my post-26.2 5Ks were personal records.
Plus, I had some unfinished business from November. Three days after shocking myself with an 8K (five-mile) PR pace of 5:49 on Thanksgiving, I set a new 5K PR with a 5:51 pace (18:08). But a slower pace for a 5K than a five-mile is backward, so I could not help wondering if, had the 5K come first, I had a sub-18:00 5K in me.
Still, sub-18 had been a long-elusive, almost fantastical goal. It was something about which to dream, not to expect. It does not feel like so long ago that I broke the sub-19 barrier and that was a major achievement.
So I entered the June 18 Shwachman Diamond Dash for a Cure in Sayville, N.Y., to coincide with both the end of the four-week Hal Higdon post-marathon training program and Father's Day weekend on Long Island with my dad (pre-race photos below with Dad and Mom). I spent those four weeks training hard - doing mile intervals at a sub-6 pace and 400-meter repeats at 1:24 or better.
Leaving New Jersey at 5:44 a.m. and rolling up to Sayville at 7:16 left me plenty of time get my bib, do some stretching and scope out the event, which was excellently organized and full of friendly vibes. And because it was at a school, we had access to bathrooms instead of port-a-johns.
We lined up on Loop Road (photo below by my mom - that is me waving) where, shirtless in the 70+ degree morning sun, I placed myself near the front of the pack.
The first mile of the race was loop on the aptly named road. My legs felt heavy at the beginning, especially up the slight incline. Oh well, I thought, I guess there won't be a PR today after all. So, imagine my surprise when I hit the first mile mark at 5:25.
That was my fastest mile ever! I knew I could not sustain it, so I made sure to pull back. But not too much - I was already doing the math and I needed a 5:48 pace or better to get that sub-18, so I only had a 23 second cushion and I knew that could get wrecked very easily. On the other hand, it also meant I could do 5:59 splits for the next two miles and still nail it.
The flat out-and-back straightaway of Sayville Road for the second and third miles let me chug along with all my effort focused on leg turnover, so when I hit the second marker with a 5:45, I was elated. That was 11:10 elapsed. I had six minutes and 49 seconds to do 1.1 miles (6:11 pace).
I had my sub-18 in the bag. There was no denying it. The only question now was, by how much?
As I tend to do, I decided to go all out. No holding back. This was my moment. The sun was blazing, my legs were getting tired, and I was pushing my body to the edge. But I spent that last mile in amazement of what was about to happen. So when I turned the corner toward the school, with the finish line in sight and the clock having just turned 17, I surprised even myself. I was not going to merely beat my PR and squeak under 18 as I had hoped; I was killing this race.
Crossing the finish line in 17:36 (photo above left by my dad, photo above right by my mom, I struggled to catch my breath as my parents came over to congratulate me. I had done what only a year ago I had thought was impossible for me. The confluence of a flat course, warm but manageable weather and hard training provided the perfect storm for such an incredible PR. I could not be more proud of my accomplishments which included coming in 10th overall and first in my age group (prize shown below).
And check out my Maine Coast Marathon video if you have not done so already!
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