I ran with Jeremy in the Bartlett Valentine 5k race yesterday and it was a great day for many reasons. In contrast to the deadly tornadoes we experienced earlier this week in Memphis, the weather was perfect - sunny and approximately 50˚F, very warm by Memphis’ standards for February. It was the first time I stood on the start line with a friend. Typically, I’ve always run by myself in the handful of 5k races I’ve previously participated in, but spending the morning with Jeremy prior to the race really helped settle nerves and put me in a positive frame of mind.

I won this race in my age category (Male 30-34) this time last year with a time of 23′30″, so I felt a little pressure to match my performance this year. I felt prepared, endurance-wise, because I had been concentrating almost exclusively on long distance running recently, but, that extra, slower mileage was at the sacrifice of my speed work. So if I had any negative thoughts or doubts in my mind going into this race, it was in relation to how well I could incorporate sprinting into my race tactics despite not training for it.

Goals

It’s good to have goals and my personal goal for the race this year was to finish top three in my age category. If my January running schedule had incorporated just three or four faster 5k training runs, then I might have been more confident of pursuing first place. As well as always trying to have a positive outlook on not just my running, but life in general, I’m also a realist, and I was aware that my lack of sprint training could mean the difference between winning a trophy and not winning one at all.

Uncontrollable Variables

One of the attractions to running that keeps me motivated is the “unknown factor.” There are certain things we can all control, such as amount of training preparation (and the right kind of training at that), ensuring one has enough sleep, keeping hydrated and so forth, but there are a certain amount of “unknown factors” that can affect your run/race, beyond what you can control. These uncontrollable variables are things like your competitors, how well they run, the number of runners on race day, but also, more personal issues like the frame of mind you are in when you wake up, and how well you react to certain things that happen during a race that you had not prepared for. I firmly believe that, on any given day, the result of the same race could be different each time it is run due to these kind of uncontrollable variables. It’s important therefore to ensure you are in control of all the areas you can control and prepare well before any run/race.

Fast Start

The race, predominantly routed within a residential neighborhood, got off to a fast start. Within the first half mile, very large gaps were already forming between all the leading runners. The overall winner of the race would go on to record a time between 15 and 16 minutes (Wow! I know, can you believe that?!), so you can imagine the gap this runner created alone ahead of the majority of the other runners. It is important to note that runners, particularly new runners, should not get carried away with the pace of other runners at the start of a race. It is important to start a race at a pace you are comfortable with, and, unless you are have the experience and are prepared for a fast start, do not become influenced or indeed, discouraged by the way more experienced runners begin a race with a fast burst.

Overtaking

Mindful that I wanted to achieve a top three spot in my age group, I always made a mental note of the approximate age of anyone that overtook me. I didn’t want anyone in my age group to overtake me, as that would push me further down the results in my specific category. And boy did people overtake me! Men, women, old and young. Instead of being knocked by the wide demographics of runners overtaking me, I found it inspiring. If a twelve-year-old boy can run faster than me or indeed a 55-year-old lady, then this should be a motivation for us all, no matter what our current ability is. Anything is possible!

Position

Despite lots and lots of runners overtaking me, particularly within the first two miles, I noticed that the runners were generally older than me and my age group, so I knew I was in with a fighting chance. As the final mile approached, I made an effort to occasionally check over my shoulder to see if there were any potential ‘threats’ within my age category. I was in luck, because there was no one immediately behind me, and I sensed I could maintain the gap I had created between me and the small pack following in the distance. My only fear was who already lay ahead of me and how I had no knowledge about them. I estimated there were about 40 or 50 people ahead of me in the race, but apart from the people I saw overtake me, I was still unsure of the age of the runners who had always been ahead of me from the start. For all I knew, the top three places of my age category could have already finished the race.

The Urge to Quit

On reflection, I think my opening mile was a little too fast. I heard someone shout out a split of “six minutes forty-nine” at the first mile point, and whether official or unofficial, this was a faster-than-usual 5k pace for me. Consequently, my chest felt tight during the middle of the race. My legs felt pretty good, but I was breathing hard, and my mind kept wanting the rest of my body to slow down or even stop. It reminded me of the old Looney Tunes cartoons where the main characters have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. “Quit! I know you want to!” says the devil, temptingly, but “Keep going! You’re doing well!” retorts the angel. I continued my run but purposely slowed down my pace, hoping to make the run a little more comfortable.

Final 400m

I had estimated I might run a 25-minute race, so the night before the event I created a 25-minute iTunes playlist with tunes that would be suitable for different parts of the race. For example, the tracks in the middle of my playlist were purposely steady and rhythmic to keep me focused on pace and rhythm. I also used two tracks from Rocky soundtracks, one at the start of the race and one at the end, to help spur me on. I must say that everything was working perfectly up until the final 400 meters. Despite the Rocky anthem “Gonna Fly Now” kicking in as planned at the end of the playlist, the combination of the passionate music, the excitement of the final stretch of the race, and the fact I was running pretty hard, made me feel somewhat overwhelmed and I had to yank the ear phones out. For the first time in any of my races, I was unable to sprint having expended all my energy throughout the rest of the race. A fast finish wasn’t too important on this occasion however as there was no one breathing down my shoulder as the race drew to a close.

Family

The one thing that will stay with me forever about this race, is seeing my wife and daughter at the finish line smiling and cheering me on as I completed the 5k. Although exhausted, I wore the biggest grin and waved excitedly to them both as I crossed the finish line. Having them be part of my running experience made my day complete.

The Finish Line

Embarrassingly, I was so happy when I crossed the finish line that I kept running even though I had finished, and a smiling official had to tell me that I could stop running now if I wanted to I also recall how, despite the completion of an officially measured 3.1 mile course, my Nike+ device was only showing approximately 2.8 miles, slightly below what it ought to have been.

Race Result

I was handed a ticket as I finished the race, which read “45,” which was my overall position. The odds of finishing in the top three in my age category felt slim at this point, with so many people finishing ahead of me. I had run the race in 24 minutes flat, the same time I ran the St. Jude/Memphis 5k in December. As I placed my ticket in the Male 30-34 tray, I saw there was just one other ticket in there, which meant that I had achieved the goal I had set out to do, and finished in second place in my category. After a cool-down and synopsis of the race with Jeremy afterwards, we met up with my family and enjoyed some good food and drink at the after-race celebrations, where I proudly collected my award for finishing second in the male, 30-34 age group.