FBG BMF 5K Report
I had originally planned to run on Friday, but morning snow took care of that. Instead, I moved it to today, which was crispy cool (40 degrees) but a W/SW wind. Also, my original plan was to use the very familiar and very flat streets near my house. But as this week went on, I schemed to make use of a long downhill in the suburbs SW of me. I knew of the long downslope, but the rest of the terrain, footing, etc. would be an unknown. Also, the main body of the selected course ran due south, so I knew I'd be dealing with the wind. But I was pot-committed to that downhill, so I went with it.
I didn't run the past two days in order to rest my sore Achilles. That helped, as I didn't have to do any extra stretching during the warm-up as I've been doing lately. Slept well, and woke up before 7:00 am. Had a small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios w/almond milk, and got fired up reading the early race info from my #TeamJuxt teammates. I didn't know if I could join them in the 20

x club, but I at least wanted to end up with pacing below my projected 7:00/mile. Anyway, took care of business, unpacked my Vaporflys, loaded up the car, and drove 25 minutes to the site. The logistics worked out just as expected. There was a small park at about the 1 mile point, so I parked there and changed into the Vaporflys. Go time!
Warm-up
Jogged about a mile to my planned start, which was along a busy road, but with sidewalks (and no business traffic this early and the pandemic). A benefit of the starting point was a side road right there that paralleled a wooded area, so I was able to duck into the woods, as planned, for a final, pre-race pee. I did a couple of accelerations up to 7:00 pacing, and they felt fine.
Mile 1. 6:53/mile, HR 140, elevation +12
Did I outsmart myself with this course? The downside of my start, a half-mile off the main N/S road I'd be using, was that I had turned east to catch the woods and a final pee. That meant the first half mile was into the west wind. Ugh. This was sidewalks, too, which always force some foot-strike adjustments. At least I had a slight downslope a 1/4 mile in. But all in all, I didn't feel like I had any jump in the legs. Turning south onto the primary straightaway helped, but I wasn't finding a smooth rhythm.
Mile 2. 6:58/mile, HR 182, elevation -45
Did I outsmart myself with this course? As I drove in and turned onto this main drag, the first thing I realized was that a downslope shortly after mile 1 only led to an upslope around mile 1.5. I expected that to hurt, and it did. I had run out of sidewalk and was on the paved shoulder of the road. However, the road wasn't that well-paved, so I was still making too many foot-strike adjustments. I still didn't have a good rhythm, but the saving grace was knowing I'd literally be over the hump at mile 1.5.
Mile 3. 6:33/mile, HR 169, elevation -63
On the third mile, he descended into the vale. OK, this is why I picked this course! I still hadn't found a rhythm, and I was in the usual 5K pain at this point. Thankfully, though, I was descending. It didn't feel any easier, but it was naturally faster due to the slope. With less than a half mile to go, I came to a back road leading to some industrial plant. So instead of going straight on the main road as planned, which led to a slight bridge rise, I turned onto the side road. This had the added benefit of putting the wind at my back. This last stretch actually seemed to pass rather quickly, though not enjoyably.
.14 mile. 6:24/mile, HR 142 (?)
The angle of the sun made it hard to check my watch, and I didn't want to ease up too early, so I ended up running just a little long. To finish, I actually had to run through the entrance gate of the plant. When I came back out, I heard a beep, so they monitor it. I'm sure I confused someone with my sprint in and near-collapse on their fence.
FInal 5K time: 21:04 (6:48/mile). (
I couldn't find 5 seconds?) Not a PR, nor a late-career PR either. But for this early in the season after a choppy winter following last October's marathon, I'm pleased. I certainly ramped up training over the past month much more than I otherwise would have. And what great fun following this first leg of the competition!!! Y'all are truly BMFs.