My Dad passed away last week and his funeral will take place later this afternoon. I debated all week if I should run this race. But the race was early morning and didn't interfere with family or funeral plans. It was a short race and one I had already registered for back in January. After much consideration, I decided it would be a good mental break for me, if just momentary. My training became secondary this week, as other priorities obviously took center stage. I was also coming off a two week cold/virus issue that hit me hard. This casual/fun race was probably just what I needed this morning and about all my body could handle, both mentally and physically.
It was a beautiful and unseasonably warm April morning in the Twin Cities. Sunny, 63 degrees, with a 10mph breeze. The race course utilized the same real-estate as my race last month. The course loops counter-clockwise around Boom and Nicollet Island by the Mississippi River, utilizing the Plymouth Avenue and Stone Arch bridges as the cross-overs. The last half mile of this 5k includes a steady climb toward the finish line, making for a tough finish.
As the race began, I settled into a nice pace. Runner traffic quickly thinned out and I soon felt like I was all alone as I approached the first mile marker. I ran a strong first mile (6:15) and I felt like I was in good position to run a competitive time today. I felt the same way in last month's race before popping a muscle in my left calf a little over half way through the race.
I found myself focusing on my fatigue during the second mile. Something that easily happens when you don't have much runner traffic around you to compete against and you find yourself running alone. I was almost across the Stone Arch Bridge, approaching the cobblestone section when the same muscle in my left calf popped again just before the two mile mark. Immediately my pace and tempo became all muddled up, as I tried to find a stride that minimized the sharp and sudden pain I was experiencing. Every time I tried to increase my speed, the pain forced me to slow back down. I ran a 6:30 second mile, 15 seconds slower than my first.
I was once again in survival mode, with the toughest mile remaining. Several times I tried to find a comfortable stride closer to my target race pace, but the pain was too severe. Some strides were tolerable, but other strides resulted in a shooting pain that took my breath away. I could feel myself slowing down more and more, just wishing the finish line was in sight. I was exhausted, as there was nothing positive going on to fuel my adrenaline and push myself through the final section of this race. I ran the third mile about 45 seconds slower than my first mile.
I finished with a time of 20:26, good for 10th place among 4,231 finishers overall and first in my age group of 50 runners. I obviously placed well among all runners, but this was not a highly competitive race. My race time was too slow to even crack my list of top 10 - 5k's. My next race is the Medtronic TC 1 Mile, the evening of May 12th. My left calf issue has now derailed both of my races this year. Hopefully I can work through this issue so it doesn't become a chronic issue that plagues my race season this year.
Results:
http://ramracing.enmotive.com/results/index/eventid?src=hc-city-landing-2&_ga=1.74077778.1517564399.1450896718
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