Using what I've learned

A couple of days after a race, I always like to write about the experience of what happened, what I could have done differently, what I learned from that specific race, etc. This past Saturday I was 4 seconds away from having my first sub 23-minute 5K. I had my personal best of 23:03, a 7:27 mile pace. That time was 40 seconds faster than a 5K I did on a track about two weeks ago, and 43 seconds faster than my last road 5K in November.

Saturday's race, the Presbyterian Homes 5K in Lynchburg, was an interesting course. The first and last half mile of the race were uphill, with lots of rolling hills in between. Perhaps interesting isn't the right word -- it was fairly typical of races in Lynchburg with all the hills. It was the first race in a while that I feel I effectively used what I have learned in the past year. Going up the hills, I shortened my stride and let the arms do more work. While I was getting passed going up a few hills, I was not wearing myself out like some people were. Going down the hills, I let the hills carry me and gave my body a chance to relax while still going faster (and passing those people who passed me going uphill).

I don't think I could have done much differently. I had a pretty decent final kick the last tenth of a mile and I felt like I left everything on the course. There are no regrets there. The weather was perfect. For late June you couldn't ask for much better weather than mid-70s and relatively low humidity.

So, what's next? This Wednesday I join a morning training group at 6:15. It's a speed and endurance group geared for the Virginia Ten Miler, but will help me tremendously as I get ready for the marathon. Next week there's a one-mile race on July 4. Last year's time was 7:11 and I really hope to break the 7-minute mark this year.