Super 5K 2015

Sunday, February 1, 2015
Narragansett, RI

18:15 (5:53 average pace), 17th out of 213, 2nd in age group.  Full results here.

What a difference a day makes!  Sunny and warm race day.  The day before the race (Saturday), the high was about 20 degrees with sustained winds over 20mph, while as I write this the day after (Monday), we've had several inches of snow, with a coating of sleet, then rain, then back to snow as the thermometer plunges towards single digits.

Got to the race about an hour early to get bib, turn in printed roster, WTAC race predictions, etc.  By the time I realized it, we were only 30 minutes out, so I joined FiveK, Shara, and Chris for a short warm-up.

Mile 1:  Lined up in second row.  After the dust (or snow?) settled, I was 20-something places in as we passed Freddy Bartlett managing traffic in his moose antlers at the corner of Ocean and South Pier.  As we turned onto Earle's Court for the short ascent, I passed one Turtle that I didn't recognize.  Mile 1 split - 5:51.

... and we're off
(Pics courtesy of Jana)

Mile 2:  Left onto Kinney Ave, I see another Turtle ahead of me (Corsi).  It is fun at this point to see the pack coming back at me:  Pelletier, DJ, Chris, Jackman, Muddy, FiveK, Jonny, etc.  Prior to the cone turnaround, I pass Corsi.  I was counting Turtles ahead of me, and thought there were now only 3 ahead of me:  2 Principes and a Jackman, but I didn't realize Martin Tighe was hiding out it in non-Turtle garb.  That should be illegal.  Mile 2 split - 6:01.  Another slow mile, but let's at least finish strong.

Mile 3:  Slight downhill back to Ocean Road, then the long straightaway to the finish.  Trailed just behind Tom Gruczka, and then picked it up ever so slightly to pass him just before the Coast Guard House. Mile 3 split 5:48 - fastest on the day - did I leave something out there?

Perfect sunny weather for a singlet and short-shorts
(approaching finish with the iconic castle behind me)

As I wrote in last week's blog, I really had no expectations for this race.  Intermittent shin splints and lack of speedwork training top my sorry list of excuses.  Last year I was miffed that I ran 18:03 and missed going sub-18, whereas this year was my slowest run in a few years and I was fine with it.  I resolve to get back at the training (easier said than done in this weather) and run sub-18 at RI State Police 5K.

WTAC: We should have also won "Largest Team Award"

After a cooldown, it was back to Amalfi for pasta, camaraderie, age group awards (I got mittens), team awards (WTAC men's team won by a nose) and a fun new addition by Muddy in the form of WTAC individual runner race predictions (I won the $40 pot).  The women's team didn't fare quite as well, but we did have a great showing for both sexes.  Next time I'll have to take my race a little more seriously, especially as the 5th place runner for WTAC, but all's well that ends well.  What the heck does that mean?

My research and analysis paid off with the overall closest prediction