Well you may have spotted in Empty's race report that I, too, was racing today. I didn't mention it because I wanted to keep myself calm about the race and treat it as a low key event.
Stewart has gone off to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks, but not before he very kindly drove me over to Portsmouth for the Victory 5.
I had not raced a 5 mile race since 2007, so I was not sure quite how to pace a race as far as that, having done nothing longer than 5k for the past 3 years at least. I decided to try and keep the effort even once I had got into my stride and do nothing heroic.
I started the race about 5 rows back on the track and so was with the big boys, however, I found the start quite slow as we eventaully move off the track onto the cycle track which of course has a camber on it then out onto the sea front. It is a fast flat course but of course being on the coast there is always wind. Well as MikeT said it was nothing compared to some other races that I have done along the part of the race that is along the sea wall. coming back along this section was into the wind and I found that quite hard. I kept trying to run behind a big man but they kept running too fast for me. Once I was back on the track I was able to up the pace and try and catch Mike. We had met in the park and exchanged some words, like I am running a pace I don't think I can sustain!!
I don't know my official time, I didn't stop my watch, I saw 38+++ mins on the clock and if I look at my Garmin read out, it would appear that I did something like 38.52 mins. I hope that I got under 39 mins. I was targetting 40 mins, so I am thrilled to have gone under that.
My splits are in K's thus making a 5 mile race look a lot longer than it is!!
I think 38.52 mins, av pace 7.46 mm, av HR 153, MHR 158
Splits:-
4.49 mins, av pace 7.46 mm, HR 144/150
4.37 mins, av pace 7.26 mm, HR 151/154 --- I think the wind was behind me
4.49 mins, av pace 7.46 mm, HR 153/156
4.47 mins, av pace 7.43 mm, HR 155/157
4.52 mins, av pace 7.50 mm, HR 155/158
4.52 mins, av pace, 7.51 mm, HR 155/158
5.03 mins, av pace, 8.08 mm, HR 155/157 -- keeping effort same but pace drops
4.45 mins, av pace, 7.39 mm, HR 156/158
I don't have the last little bit to make up the 5 miles, due to not stopping my watch.
It certainly was a race with a difference for me, I almost enjoyed it. But not the last mile+ into the wind. I caught up with lots of running/trackie friends and it was good to see MikeT. be it only brief, but I understand he will be joining us at the end of the Month.
All in all I am well pleased with myself for racing a distance in excess of 5k on not a lot of distance training.
Well would you believe it, I have just looked at the Rankings on Runbritain and find my result is there already and I ran a chip time of 38:47 mins, I am thrilled. I took 5 secs to cross the line.
My time puts me at the top of the UK rankings for LV70 by 2:19 mins.
Oh yes, I won £10 and a £10 voucher at the local sports shop, my first thought was oh I shall have to spend more money to use a voucher for £10. Then I remembered that I desperatley needed new running gloves, having lost mine and so it came in useful when we stopped at the said shop just around the corner from the track to make the purchase.
Edited: 16/09/2012 at 18:45
