Yesterday I ran my first race since the Boston Marathon — the Capernaum Stroll, Roll, & Run 5K which took place on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. My training hasn’t been anything special over the last month and a bit; I decided to take a couple of very easy weeks right after Boston and then with family visiting from overseas, I switched into a modest run-a-few-miles-when-I-can mode. I really enjoyed the down time, but now I’m ready to start ramping things up for some shorter summer races and a couple of marathons later this year.
So, onto the Capernaum 5k. The course was a typical boardwalk affair with the race starting at 31st Street and heading south all the way to the 8th Street turnaround cones. From this 180° turn it was a straight shot all the way back to the 31st Street starting area and the ever popular Neptune Statue.
My loose goal going into the race was to attempt a sub-18 finish, although realistically I expected something a bit slower. At the start of the race there was the usual smattering of younger runners all looking for their moment of glory, so I just hung back out of the way and waited for an opening to appear. The pace felt pretty easy in the first mile and I found myself coasting along in third place. Split = 5:49.
Mile two included the sharp 180° turn and this is where things started getting tough. As expected, my lack of speed and endurance kicked in, and the last mile and a half were quite an effort. However, I did manage to record another 5:49 split for mile two, and even got a bit faster in the final mile with a 5:47. Third place was comfortably mine, but I ended up about 10 seconds away from the second place guy Tommy Neeson. The winner was a 15 year kid who ran a 17:17. Oh to be young again!
One good thing about a race on the boardwalk — the many hotels available for a great post-race breakfast! Ally and I treated ourselves to a slap up meal at the Hilton and just enjoyed watching the world go by from our outside table. Great to be back at the races! Next up — the Elizabeth River Run 10k next weekend.