St Patrick's Festival 5k Road Race, Dublin
This race was yet another of my harebrained last-minute decisions, online entry closed at 9pm on Thursday evening and I entered at 8.57pm. I'd been trying to decide between doing an 8 mile long run today or this race, and eventually my wanting to try and set a new 5k PB won out, so I entered it. Unfortunately a slight complication came up late on Friday night, when a tooth I'd broken a while back started hurting like a mofo. I'd been practically inhaling painkillers all weekend, so when I got to the race this morning my stomach was really not in the best of moods. I probably didn't help matters much by the amount of coffee I drink.
The race started at 12, but due to the wonders of Dublin Bus I ended up having to get a bus that would get me to the city centre at 10.10am. Had nearly 2 hours to kill after registration, so I drank yet more coffee before running a couple of laps of St Stephen's Green to warm up. Took a couple more Nurofen before the start of the race and lined up in what I thought was an appropriate area (but turned out to be too far back!)
I went off quickly from the start. A little TOO quickly. I didn't check my watch until the 2km marker, which I went through in 9.58. I'd been wondering why I was feeling a bit ropey after 2km, it was quickly answered when I realised I'd set off at 8 min/mile pace! Hit 3km after 15.45, so there was a bit of a slowdown there, and I started to pick things up again. Unfortunately somewhere between 3 and 4km my iPod headphones decided to be a flake - I'll have to buy new ones this week as there is an exposed wire just under the left earpiece. So with headphones resting on my shirt and sleeves pulled up, I went through 4km in 20.50. Somewhere around this time I started feeling very much like I wanted to hurl my guts out. I tried to put as much as I could into the last kilometer, but I'd taken too much out of myself in the first 2km and I was worried that I was going to end up having to stop and have a technicolour yawn on the ground. Normally I have a relatively decent kick at the end, but I just didn't have it today.
Finished in a gun time of 26.58 and a chip time of 26.22, which is exactly what I timed on my watch.
PB by 4.02 (based on chip time)
570/950 overall
154/394 women
I'm delighted with the time. I think I can do a little better though, hopefully at a time when I'm not in pain from a toothache!
The race started at 12, but due to the wonders of Dublin Bus I ended up having to get a bus that would get me to the city centre at 10.10am. Had nearly 2 hours to kill after registration, so I drank yet more coffee before running a couple of laps of St Stephen's Green to warm up. Took a couple more Nurofen before the start of the race and lined up in what I thought was an appropriate area (but turned out to be too far back!)
I went off quickly from the start. A little TOO quickly. I didn't check my watch until the 2km marker, which I went through in 9.58. I'd been wondering why I was feeling a bit ropey after 2km, it was quickly answered when I realised I'd set off at 8 min/mile pace! Hit 3km after 15.45, so there was a bit of a slowdown there, and I started to pick things up again. Unfortunately somewhere between 3 and 4km my iPod headphones decided to be a flake - I'll have to buy new ones this week as there is an exposed wire just under the left earpiece. So with headphones resting on my shirt and sleeves pulled up, I went through 4km in 20.50. Somewhere around this time I started feeling very much like I wanted to hurl my guts out. I tried to put as much as I could into the last kilometer, but I'd taken too much out of myself in the first 2km and I was worried that I was going to end up having to stop and have a technicolour yawn on the ground. Normally I have a relatively decent kick at the end, but I just didn't have it today.
Finished in a gun time of 26.58 and a chip time of 26.22, which is exactly what I timed on my watch.
PB by 4.02 (based on chip time)
570/950 overall
154/394 women
I'm delighted with the time. I think I can do a little better though, hopefully at a time when I'm not in pain from a toothache!