First 5K of 2020

Well, I didn't even beat my time from my Thanksgiving Day 5K.  I came within a few seconds of it, so I'm essentially stuck at a 5K pace of ~7:43/mile.  There were some differences today.  I tried not to start out too fast or too hard, and ended up maintaining a fairly even pace throughout the race.  My first mile was done in 7:26, and the next two miles were done in ~7:50.  I ran hard, though I'm not sure that I gave it an all guts effort.  On the scale of running effort, I'd probably call today's effort a hard Tempo.  That gives me somewhere to start for the year.  I think that I probably settled into a familiar running pattern, and by that I mean my mechanics were that of a 5K run at 7:43 pace.  I'm not sure that I committed to the mechanics needed to run at 7 minute pace, or even less.  Whether I had the effort in me, I'm not sure.  One thing that I've learned from endurance running is that we can have a hard effort at slower paces, based primarily on our mechanics.

The first 200m were on a track, and I believe that I was running at close to 6:30 pace for this portion, but once I got out on the road, that pace seemed to drop off.  Whether it was the people around me, the asphalt, or just me, I didn't seem able to commit to that sub 7 minute pace that I'd planned to run the first mile in.  In fact, as soon as my pace went about 7:00, my mind let go of that goal and seemed to be comfortable with something closer to what I ended up at.  In fact, once I realized that was my pace, I was able to hold it.  The second mile involved a little more climbing, and that put me at a little slower pace from the get go.  As the pace slowed, I made a conscious effort to keep it closer to 7:50, which I was able to do.  The third mile was an opportunity to let go, as it began with a downhill, but again, I just couldn't commit to running faster than 7:30 pace, and when the road pitched up briefly, I just couldn't keep that.  As I hit the track at the end, I focused on my leg turnover and tried to run fast, which, in fact, I did.  My final tenth of a mile was right around 7:10 pace, so it was possible.

While my 5K time wasn't improved I felt good today.  Six days ago, I could hardly get out of bed because my back had spasmed.  My hamstrings and back did fine today.  I guess there are small victories.  I don't know my placement, but I'm not sure that I saw many people who looked my age in front of me.  I suppose that running a 5K at 7:43 pace is still not bad at the age of 60.