Today was the final race on my calendar for this year – the Rutgers Big Chill 5k.
I try to run this race every year. I went to college (undergrad and grad) at Rutgers, so it’s great to be back on campus. And the timing of the race – early December – usually works out well in that it’s far enough from any fall marathons that I’ve recovered and can race pretty well.
I’ve run three races since Chicago, and none of them have been great efforts. They haven’t been disasters, but I just haven’t quite felt 100%.
I feel like I really hit my stride this past week after the Ashenfelter 8k, so I’m feeling good about my prospects today. But I wish I had another two or three weeks to actually train.
Oh well. Today’s the day. Let’s see how it goes.
Race Morning and Start Logistics
A week ago, I checked the weather and saw that it was supposed to be nice today – in the 40’s and clear weather. Some time during the week, that changed. The forecast turned cold, and when I woke up this morning it was under 20F. Yikes.
Went about my morning routine, poured a second cup of coffee in a travel mug, and hit the road. I was wearing my singlet and shorts, like usual, with a quarter zip and sweatpants over top to warm up. I also brought a short sleeve shirt and a long sleeve shirt, in case I wanted to change or layer my top for the race. I’d decide that after my warm up.
When I stepped out the door, it didn’t feel that cold …
The race is also a toy drive, and I didn’t make it to the store this week. So I pulled into CVS on my way. The toy aisle was looking a little slimmer than usual, but I found a cool looking toy truck and car and kept it moving.
Got down to campus by 8:45 – plenty of time before the 10:00 AM start. I pulled into the parking garage at just the right time. It was starting to get busy, and 15 minutes later the place was jam packed.
I checked in, gave them my toy, and picked up my stuff. Put my bib on using my BIBUP 3.0 Magnetic RaceBib Fixing System 5 Couples !!! (White) and jogged over to the car to drop some stuff off.
I looped through the course once for a 3 mile warm up and to re-acquaint myself with the hills. There’s nothing crazy, but there are some minor rolling hills throughout the course. At first, I was very cold, and I thought I’d definitely need the long sleeve shirt under my singlet. But by the time I finished up, I was starting to sweat. The sun was getting high in the sky, the temps had warmed up to the high 20’s, and I was quite comfortable.
I was back at the start area, where people were enjoying the pre-race festivities. I grabbed a cup of hot cocoa and sipped it while I walked to my car. Ditched the sweats and quarter zip, and went back to the start. Milled about the gym for a few minutes, and I got a few comments about how brave I was running in a tank top.
With fifteen minutes to go, I went back outside. Did a few strides and ran a minute or two at race pace. Lined up at the start with about five minutes to go, and patiently waited for the gun.
The Race
My plan was to go out a little fast at the start, because the race starts downhill. I wanted to hit that first mile close to 6:00, ease up to 6:10-6:15 in the second mile, and then hammer it home as close to 6:00-6:05 as I could in the final mile. If everything went to plan, I could finish just under or just over 19:00.
The race is large – ~2,000 people – but the front wasn’t crowded. I was able to slip in and line up near the start without an issue. There were a bunch of college kids and a few masters runners I recognized from local races. I settled into a pocket, trusting that the field would open up quickly enough.
At the gun, we were off. The Rutgers mascot led the way – running ahead of me for the first few hundred meters. He was showboating and high fiving the crowd, and he quickly faded away. By the half mile mark, there were a few dozen people strung out loosely ahead of me.
We took a left at the end of College Ave, and the course went steeply downhill. I used this chance to open up my legs for a hundred meters or so, and I passed a couple people along the way. By the time we took the left at the bottom, I had settled back into a normal pace.
From there, we had a mild, steady climb through the end of the first mile. I had settled in with the people around me, but I picked off one or two people here. Got to the first mile split in 6:08. A little slower than planned, but not bad. In retrospect, I probably eased up slightly too far on that incline. I felt great, though, so there’s that.
From there, we took a left, and charged up a short hill. Passed by some volunteers who spotted my singlet and yelled, “Go Essex!”
Another right and a left, and we were in Buccleuch Park. I passed a few guys on the way into the park, and I was slowly gaining ground on the guy ahead of me. When the course dipped downhill I used that opportunity to finally push past him. He stayed on my heels for a bit, but then we turned left and started up a long hill. He didn’t last much longer.
About two thirds of the way up the hill, we passed the 2 mile mark – about 6:10. Now that went according to plan.
At the top of the hill, we turned left and the course flattened out. I knew there was a little under a mile to go. There was a small group strung out in front of me, and I counted them – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Before we left the park, I methodically reeled in two of them and I had the next two in my sights.
From the park, there was a left turn and a right turn. I slowed down here a little and started to lose the pace. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but I glanced at my watch and saw ~6:20/mi for the pace, and I noticed the two guys ahead of me had pulled away a bit.
With a half mile to go, I put the pedal to the metal and pushed the pace down aggressively. Slowly making up ground. Left turn and a quarter mile to go. Slight downhill, charged a little, gained a little more ground.
Final left turn, 200 meters to go. I dropped the hammer and tried to sprint. I hit the jets for about 50 meters … and then petered out. I came up just short of chasing down the next two guys, but I cruised across the finish line.
Official time: 19:12.
Post Race
I felt really good after I finished. I’d really ground out that last mile, and I was out of breath. But I got under control pretty quickly.
I jogged to the car, and took a moment to order a sandwich from RU Hungry. Got to my car and put my clothes on, then jogged to RU Hungry. Picked up a fat sandwich – because what could be a better post-race treat than that!
Jogged back to the start, and there was about 30 minutes on the clock. I spent the next twenty minutes eating my sandwich and cheering on the finishers. When things slowed down outside, I went inside and sat in the bleachers for a bit.
About 11:15, they had the awards ceremony. I noticed in the results that I was #2 for men 40-49, so I stuck around. Cheered on the other winners, chatted with a few, and grabbed my award.
They were taking pictures of the award winners, so I took off my quarter zip so my bib was showing. I walked up in my singlet, and the woman announcing the awards did a double take and said, “It’s not summer!” I chuckled.
Then I mozied on back to the car, drove home, showered, and plopped into bed.
Time for a nap.
Reflections
Let’s start with the positives.
I ran even splits throughout the race – 6:08-6:10 for every mile. So bonus points for that.
In the final half mile, I did manage to pick up the pace to ~6:00/mi, and in the final 200m I pushed that down to ~5:45/mi. So I finished strong.
I felt good throughout the race, and I never really struggled with the pace. Last year, I felt great in the first mile, but I went out a little too fast – and I struggled on the back half.
I finished 21st overall and 2nd for men 40-49. It’s a large crowd, but not overly competitive. Still, good place and better than last year. And throughout the race, I definitely moved up a significant number of places – and I don’t remember anyone passing me other than the initial jostling in the first half mile.
And this was a PR. So let’s not complain too much about that.
But the glass half empty …
I think I took the first mile a little too slow. I eased up in the second half, trying not to take the hill too hard, and I probably eased up too much. That cost me.
I also lost the pace a little towards the end coming out of the park. I think it was more mental than anything. I didn’t have trouble speeding back up when I got intentional about it. So I think that little lapse probably cost me a few more seconds.
When I finished, I definitely felt like I had some gas in the tank. Which leads me to believe that I left some time on the course.
I probably could have dipped under 19:00 if I had paced better. But this was still a good day, and it was likely pretty close to what I was capable of (today).
I also just wish that I had a couple more weeks to train. I’ve been hitting my stride lately, and today felt like everything was just starting to fall into place … but not quite there. This is the trouble with running two marathons a year – there’s never quite enough time to focus on improving over shorter distances.
But that’s why I’m going to approach my marathon training this cycle a little differently – focusing more on shorter distance training and developing speed. I’m going to take it easy this week, and then I’m going to spend the next four or five weeks until Fred Lebow focused on 200m/400m intervals.