Race Report: 2009 Gallup Gallop 5K.
This is the middle part of the racing streak I started since Bayshore. This is a local race held in the big park along the Huron River in Ann Arbor. Trivia Moment: Part of this course is featured in the movie Jumper. I've never done this race before, though I run parts of the course every two weeks or so. I know the course pretty well, so I think any race here would work to my strengths. It's flat, with a quarter mile stretch of wood chip trails to keep you honest. It's a two mile loop, in which you do one and a half loops.
I started out in the lead part of the trailing pack behind the leaders. I love the adrenaline kick at the start of a race, you feel like you are flying, but you haven't worked long enough to feel tired. It's one of my favorite feelings.
After the first half mile, there were three of us at the lead of the trailing pack. In front of us were the 12-13 guys in the lead pack, who rapidly disappeared into the sunrise. As third in this pack, I was just interested in keeping up with the two guys with me, and when I felt them falter, take off. Sure enough, the guy in front of me did just that, and I worked my way past him, though it took til almost past the dirt trail section before I could hear his footsteps anymore. I hit the first mile at just about 6:05. It was right where I wanted to be.
I continued maintaining my contact with the guy in front of me, and for the next two miles stayed just off his shoulder. I didn't want to challenge him just yet, rather wait til the two mile mark before I made a move. Just before two miles, I heard footsteps just behind me, and knew that if I was going to make any sort of move to not get passed, it was going to be now.
At two miles, the split was 6:18. At this point, I worked even and ahead of the guy I was trailing, and it was a pack of three again, as a third guy was off his shoulder. As we worked our way on the dirt trails, I was cutting every tangent I could, and my two shadows were starting to tire. One of them had definitely gone anaerobic, he was really hurting. So, just after the trails ended, there's a shallow downhill, I turned the corner, and with about .3 to go, I turned on the jets. The other two guys couldn't/didn't respond.
Chip time: 19:22.6
overall place: 16/270
ag place: 1/20
A PR, by a few seconds! As strong as I was running, I was rather suprised that it wasn't faster, but I'll take it! I felt like this was the best race I could run under those conditions. When I was challenged, I fought them off. When I challenged someone else, I was strong enough to work past them. Very nice!
IN two weeks, work permitting, I'm looking at the Northville Classic 8K, which would be my second 8K in a while, and then maybe ten days after that, while I'm in Massachusetts, I have my eyes on a 10K on Tuesday night there that might be fun. All I know, is I'm having a blast at all of these races!
I started out in the lead part of the trailing pack behind the leaders. I love the adrenaline kick at the start of a race, you feel like you are flying, but you haven't worked long enough to feel tired. It's one of my favorite feelings.
After the first half mile, there were three of us at the lead of the trailing pack. In front of us were the 12-13 guys in the lead pack, who rapidly disappeared into the sunrise. As third in this pack, I was just interested in keeping up with the two guys with me, and when I felt them falter, take off. Sure enough, the guy in front of me did just that, and I worked my way past him, though it took til almost past the dirt trail section before I could hear his footsteps anymore. I hit the first mile at just about 6:05. It was right where I wanted to be.
I continued maintaining my contact with the guy in front of me, and for the next two miles stayed just off his shoulder. I didn't want to challenge him just yet, rather wait til the two mile mark before I made a move. Just before two miles, I heard footsteps just behind me, and knew that if I was going to make any sort of move to not get passed, it was going to be now.
At two miles, the split was 6:18. At this point, I worked even and ahead of the guy I was trailing, and it was a pack of three again, as a third guy was off his shoulder. As we worked our way on the dirt trails, I was cutting every tangent I could, and my two shadows were starting to tire. One of them had definitely gone anaerobic, he was really hurting. So, just after the trails ended, there's a shallow downhill, I turned the corner, and with about .3 to go, I turned on the jets. The other two guys couldn't/didn't respond.
Chip time: 19:22.6
overall place: 16/270
ag place: 1/20
A PR, by a few seconds! As strong as I was running, I was rather suprised that it wasn't faster, but I'll take it! I felt like this was the best race I could run under those conditions. When I was challenged, I fought them off. When I challenged someone else, I was strong enough to work past them. Very nice!
IN two weeks, work permitting, I'm looking at the Northville Classic 8K, which would be my second 8K in a while, and then maybe ten days after that, while I'm in Massachusetts, I have my eyes on a 10K on Tuesday night there that might be fun. All I know, is I'm having a blast at all of these races!