Detroit Classic 5000m
Last week I raced the 5000m at the Detroit Classic at Wayne State University’s Tom Adams Track. This meet was organized by Tommie Runz and it was very fun. Great music, casual vibe (but well organized), highly recommend.
Predictably, while walking into the stadium I’m thinking why have I signed up for this race? I could have just run a hard 3.1miles from home!
And that’s the reason I signed up to race the 5000m. Because I would not have run a hard 3.1 on my own.
My pain face after crossing the finish line.
On my own, I would’ve done half-mile repeats. I’d have done a solid workout without every getting really uncomfortable. I’d only have to push through fatigue for a couple minutes at any point until my next recovery break.
Intervals are not as hard as races. I love intervals.
My Race Plan
Based on my recent workouts, I felt 19:15 would be a conservative seed time (estimated finishing time). The weather was HOT and my recent good workouts were on cool days, so my best chance of success was a relaxed start so I could feel good for as long as possible. I planned to open with a comfortable 6:15 mile, then work down to 6:10 for mile 2 and ~6:08 for mile 3. Kick the last 200m.
The Race in Actuality
Everything went according to plan for about 2 laps (half a mile) when I started feeling decidedly not comfortable. I abandoned my race plan of trying to cut down and instead focused on maintaining my pace. I accomplished this by taking my split every 200m for the remainder of my race, trying to hit 46’s every time. Tackling only 200m at a time helped me get through it. I hit many 47’s but was able to hold on and run fairly even.
Mile 1- 6:14
Mile 2 -6:17
Mile 3 -6:14
Finishing time: 19:29
Success?
Clearly, my finishing time was well off of my “conservative” estimate, which isn’t encouraging.
On the other hand, I’m pleased with my plan to start at 6:15 because it allowed me to run an evenly paced race instead of slowing down along the way. As a coach and as an athlete I put a lot of emphasis on learning how to remain in control of our bodies while running. Even when the body wants to slow down, we don’t let it.
In this case, I felt awful and wanted to slow down very badly but it’s deeply engrained in me that I rest when the race is over, not whenever my body wants to rest. If I’d have started too fast, no amount of mental toughness would have been enough to maintain my pace. Smart pacing involves being both realistic and being mentally tough.
My other success was simply the fact that I got out there and did what I wasn’t willing to do on my own in training: push myself for 5000m with no recovery breaks.
Looking Ahead
My next 5000m is on Ferry Field at the end of September. Last year at Ferry Field I ran 18:37 which seems unthinkable based on how hard and bad 19:29 felt just last week. And yet, I still think sub-19minutes will be possible because the weather will be a lot better. Believe it or not, I probably could have run sub-19 last week in optimal weather. Most runners underestimate the slowing effect of heat and humidity. I also have 6 more weeks to train!
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.
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