Like last year, the first run of 2009 was a race; the Hair of the Dog 5k at Mount Trashmore, Virginia Beach. It was cold (27°F) and windy, but the chilly conditions didn’t stop over 400 runners kicking off the New Year in style!
I warmed up for a couple of miles to get the blood flowing, took my place on the start line and we were off. Just like my last 5k I decided to go off fast and hang on for as long as possible.
At the one mile mark I expected a 5:20-something mile and was a little dismayed with my actual split of 5:35 – it felt like I was running a LOT faster. Oh well, I’d moved through the field from 10th to about 6th position so didn’t feel too bad.
The second mile was a little slower at 5:40, but considering the wind wasn’t a bad effort. I’d also managed to sneak up a couple of places in the overall standings too.
A large chunk of the third mile was into the gusty NNW wind and really made a difference to my speed. My cadence was good, but the wind really slowed me down. Hence the 5:57 mile split…
At the three mile mark I’d moved up to third place overall, but in the final 100 meters was out sprinted by one of the guys I’d passed earlier in the race. Oh well, I gave everything and had nothing left at the finish. My finish time of 17:54 was 45 seconds slower than the new PR set a few weeks ago, but conditions today weren’t ideal and at the end of the day I was happy to break 18 minutes.
Now it’s time to look forward to Saturday’s 20k and the first event of the 3-race Tidewater Striders Tune-Up Series…
Your races always sound so much more frenetic than mine!