Keeping race-winner Rob Albano's "tactical" description in mind, I had to be sure not to overdo it with the speed work. But repeating the last two weeks of Hal Higdon's Advance 5K training program, in the time between each of the four races in the PCTI winter series meant a day of eight 400-meter repeats, two tempo runs (45 minutes and 30 minutes) and quick six 200-meter repeats.
Of course, "overdoing it" is relative. My 400s have been good, averaging in the low 1:20s; and my 200s have been OK, averaging around 40 seconds. No matter how hard I pushed on my tempo runs, though, I could barely get under a 6:00 pace, even for a few minutes. That recurring and nagging problem with my glutes and piriformis kept me from really opening up. My glutes are still in a constant state of soreness and a new pain in the back of my leg (my hamstring, probably) has been another source of recurring grief.
Since there was only one week between races #2 and #3, I was happy that it meant I had two taper weeks in a row (the 6x200 and the 30-minute tempo, plus two easy three-milers).
My first mile in this third in the series was a mess mentally - Why am I out in front, with Rob Albano behind me? And damn, did I gain more weight (because I can feel my belly jiggling)?
I thought maybe Rob was messing with me, letting me taste the lead before nabbing it from me, but I later found out that he was taking it easy after having run a race the previous day. Sheesh, and here I was complaining about having run a race last week. And yes, I have gained five (or ten) pounds.
I was able to hang with Ryan Savercool until the first mile marker (5:50) before he broke away, with Rob passing me by to run alongside him. The gap continued to widen as they sped up and I slowed down. As with Race #1, pushing up that first hill took too much out of me, so by the time I hit the second mile (6:04 on my watch, but a little more on the too-long course), I was already grunting and gasping...and the gasping hurt because the air was so chilly.
The long incline of Kattak Parkway seemed to suck whatever energy I had left, so the final steep descent into the last loop around the school was a relief, even though everything hurt and I simply could not get full extension from my legs. The rest of the third mile (6:05) was merely on fumes and my hard, mad dash to the finish line for the last two-tenths of a mile (still one tenth too long) took everything I had left.
That allowed me to finish with an official time of 18:56 (third place again), though my real 5K time would have been closer to 18:26, coming in with a 5:59 pace. I may be getting older and slower, but I am still sneaking in under a 6:00 pace. Not only that, but everyone else in the top five each week has been younger than I (though Walter Hass was noticeably absent this week).
Unless something goes horribly wrong with me or unbelievably right with fourth placer Anthony Bertollo, I might have a lock on third place overall in this (admittedly very small) series.
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