5K Goals

It looks like I'll jump into a local 5K on Saturday.  While I tweaked my back on Sunday, it's already completely recovered.  I was able to do 2 sets of my 200-200-400 intervals today, which is what my coach had suggested that I do if I'm planning to do the 5K on Saturday.  I've done these intervals on several occasions now, and I'm getting pretty dialed in.  Of course, I'm doing them on a gradual downhill, in order to allow me to get some muscle memory when it comes to pace.  My 200's today hummed along at around 5:20/mile pace, and the 400's were right around 5:40 pace.  I won't come close to those paces in the 5K, but it's kind of fun to run that fast, even for a brief period of time.

Trying to figure out my pace for Saturday's 5K is always a challenge.  According to my present interval paces, it would seem plausible that I could run a mile pretty "comfortably" at 7 minute pace.  Ideally, I'd like to get my opening mile down to ~6:45-6:50.  That would give me an opportunity to hold that pace for the 2nd mile.  If I can get through the first two miles at that pace, then it's all guts for the final 1.1 miles.  To run a 21 minute 5K, I'd need to keep 6:45 pace.  At this point, with what I've been doing in my training, I know that this is realistic and possible.  I don't know if I'm ready for it.  That will be up to my body to decide.

The run course for Saturday's 5K is relatively flat, with a slight incline for the first half an a slight decline for the second.  In some ways, this sets up well for me to aim for a pace and then try to hold it.  If I can actually hold 6:45-6:50 pace for the first mile and a half, then the slight decline over the second half of the course will give me a slight edge in being able to hold the pace.  At the end of the day, if I've gone out too fast, I'll be paying for it in the end.  That's the fun of the 5K.  I'd like to see how far I can push my pace in the first mile and then be able to hold it in the second.

My fall-back pace for the first mile is 7:00/mile.  That definitely seems realistic.  In fact, I went out at the Thanksgiving 5K in 7:17 and then in the subsequent 10K a few days later at 7:30 pace.  I've put in  a fair amount of training since then at faster paces, and 7 minute pace certainly feels reasonable.  7 minute pace would put me under 22 minutes for the 5K.  I suppose any result that starts with a 21 will be a huge success considering my best 5K in the past year is ~23:30.  We'll see what happens!