I seem to always write about running 5k’s and I am back to talk about it again. Today I was back running a 5k at the Jet to the Jetty 5k down in Playa Del Rey. I ran this race in 2012 and just skipped running in in 2013. The course is a course I have run several times so there is little to the imagination to this course but there has always been a mystery to running the 5k no matter the course or how many you’ve run. Early when I began running ages ago, I just ran the race without thinking too much. Then I came up with all these strategies which really did not work and I got into a habit of trying to run out front with the pack and there was someone in the race where I just burnt out and couldn’t recover and in a 5k, there is little to no time to recover. In 2010, I was running an average 22 minute 5k and I won my division a few times and then I just fell apart. I was doing more trail runs and longer and grittier races and really did little to no speed work so when I did run a 5k, I couldn’t’ get back to the formula that helped me run at my best and my ego was too big to just lay back and run from the back but today, I returned back to my old form. I biked to the race so I would have a nice warm-up which made me conscious of trying to conserve my energy. I felt so relaxed when the race started because I was in the back and ran around the slower people and really I was able to just gauge my tempo and what pace felt good and before I knew it, we were on the turnaround going the long stretch towards miles 2. I saw a guy I had not seen in years and he is an older guy who runs with a shuffle as if he has no knees but he runs at a very consistent pace. I remember never being able to pass the guy in several races until the later part of the race. The guy whos name is Bullet by the way, was up about 20 yards and I resisted the urge to pass him right away. Instead, I decided to lay back and find my groove and before I knew it, I was slowly creeping on him and it wasn’t long before I passed him and once I passed bullet, I passed a few other people. This is a part of the race where there is about a mile and some change left and occasionally I have just slowed and slowed and that is the worst because you end up being caught by all the people you passed up but today, I kept my composure and told myself to just keep pushing and stay smooth. I had one guy to beat and once I got passed him and saw that he had nothing left in the tank, I was home free.
I missed running 22 minutes by 16 seconds but I was more pleased with the fact that I ran the race I had been trying to get back to running. After the race, bullet came up to me and said I looked like I was in a groove and I ran a perfect race. I knew that laying back in the beginning is what helped. I never felt rushed in this race. I felt a bit of fatigue in the end and I knew that came from biking to the race but I will take it. When it all comes together in a race, you don’t worry about the time or anything else. It is about the satisfaction you get from running hard and running to your capabilities. I learned that I had to go back to the beginning to get me back on track.
Coming back to form!
