This season I've taken on a project -- get a new grandmaster PR in the 5k. My lifetime best in the 5k is 17:49, set in 2013 when I was 46 years old. Injuries and life caught up with me after that, and since I turned 50, I haven't even broken 20 minutes in a 5k (not for lack of trying). My PR since I turned 50 and became a "grandmaster" is 20:20. I've lost quite a bit of speed since then by dabbling in ultras, so it's going to take quite a bit of work to get to that level. I ran a 5k in August and could only manage a 22:13. Since then I've dedicated more serious training to the 5k distance, so I decided to sign up for the Runway 5k in Charlotte on October 21.
As my speed and stamina improved, I naturally started looking to boost my chances by shopping for shoes online. But at $250+ for the latest and greatest technology, was it really worth it? And for what, maybe 3 or 4 seconds per mile improvement? I finally decided to postpone new shoes until I could legitimately run sub-21 again in a race.
As the race date approached, my training suggested a sub-21 5k was in reach. All that was needed was a 6:45 per mile pace, and I was feeling quite comfortable running that pace on the track, albeit over much shorter distances.
Fast-forward to race day. Getting to the start line was a bit of an ordeal, as there was a big lineup of cars outside the parking area. Then we had to get on a shuttle bus to ride to the start. With hundreds of runners still stuck in traffic, it seemed unlikely that the race would start on time. But surprisingly, the PA announcer came on 15 minutes before the scheduled start and said they would indeed be starting on time. I quickly got in my warmup mile, ran a few strides, and headed to the starting area.
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| Warming up. Did I mention this race was on a runway? |
Soon we were off and racing. I started off a little fast, but quickly settled in right around my target of 6:45 per mile. There were a good number of runners around me, and another group about 50 yards ahead. The first quarter-mile was a gradual uphill, and by the end I was laboring a bit. Fortunately it leveled off at that point and I could run fairly comfortably at target pace. My watch clicked through on Mile 1 at 6:44.
Now I was starting to gain on a couple runners from the group ahead of us. Unconsciously I picked up the pace, and after a half mile or so I noticed I was running closer to 6:36 pace. I reminded myself to run my race and slowed just a bit. I clicked through Mile 2 at 6:39.
I just needed to hang on for one more mile. We had turned back towards the starting area but it was still nowhere in sight. I tried to spot that giant airplane I had run past during warmups at the Mile 3 marker, but I could only see an endless line of runners ahead of me on the tarmac. My pace slowed ... 6:44, 6:45, 6:47. Hang on, Munger! I was laboring with every breath. Finally we turned off this runway and I could see the giant plane in the distance... at the top of a long hill. It was a gradual hill, to be sure, perhaps just a 2 percent grade, but now it felt like a 10% slog. I passed a runner who told me my loud breathing had been motivating him to keep running. Funny, it was motiving me to slow down. Slowly, slowly, I got closer to the plane, and the finish line beyond it. Finally my watch beeped Mile 3 just as I passed the marker. Just a tenth of a mile to go, Munger!
I gave it everything I had. I watched the clock click 20:44, 45, 46... it seemed too far away to reach. It clicked 21:00 when I was still 20 yards away. I finally crossed the line and stopped my watch -- 21:03 by my measure. Not quite fast enough for shoes, but still a decent improvement on my 22:13 two months ago.
Then I looked up my official results and I actually got credit for a 21:01... even closer, but no shoes!
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| Me, Tara (who took the photos), and Mike after the race |
I posted the results -- and the shoe disappointment -- to Strava, and the verdict of the commenters on my effort was that I should still treat myself to the shoes. As one commenter noted, the actual mileage on my Strava was 3.12, so the course was technically a bit long. If the course had been exactly 5 kilometers, would I have made it? Well, 5k is actually 3.107 miles, so assuming my watch was exactly correct on the distance, the course was just 0.013 miles too long. Does that make up for my 1-second shortfall?
If you do the math, at my average pace of 6:45 / mile, I travel 0.013 miles in 5 seconds, putting me well below 21 minutes for a precise 5k distance. So if we disregard the inherent error in a Garmin's data, I clearly earned myself a new pair of shoes. And if it gets me a new pair of supershoes, I'm certainly willing to ignore an error in my favor! Time to go shopping!
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