USATF-NE 5K Championships 2022

USATF-NE 5K Championships

Needham, MA

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Signed up for this race about a week ago with a single goal of beating my 5K PR (17:32).  5K is NOT my favorite or best distance, but some of the attractions were 1) stacked field could pull me along, 2) Matthew was signed up to race this also, 3) it goes through my old "stomping grounds" of when I ran here early mornings before going to work in nearby Wellesley, 4) certified course with no cone turnarounds.

Was a little nervous of this race in the two days leading up to the race.  Fell asleep going through mathematical calculations and permutations of Mile 1/2/3 splits that would get me to a PR.  

Very nervous race morning.  Multiple trips to the bathroom.  5Ks are hard!  Or at least if you take them serious, they are.  Sure, they're over quickly, but that's also the problem as you're in oxygen debt and have very little room for error, unlike marathons where you're more comfortable (well, maybe not Mile 26), can talk, and make minor adjustments as needed.

After a two-mile warm-up on the course with Matthew, came back to the start, used the facilities AGAIN, and got into position in the very crowded, packed start.  I lined up about 12 (?) rows back directly at the sign for 5:00 pace.  Can I run a 5:00 pace?  Absolutely not!  But I saw Bob Jackman in the pack, figured he's not running a 5:00 pace either, was concerned about getting wedged in with slower runners, and lined up roughly in the same row as him.  Dummy disclosure:  While I noticed it was all women around me, I thought nothing of it until I heard someone announce women on the left, men on the right.  Oh, well that explains it.

Waited in the rain for the race to start, with temps about 50°F.

Mile 1:  What an awkward and very packed start.  Glad I didn't go back any further to my actual designated pace.  I just had nowhere to move as we made our way down the school driveway and onto the first road (Webster Street).  We went four blocks in very tight formation before making a 90-degree right turn, and the crowd certainly had not dissipated by then.  Bob Jackman must've had a better inside position, as he went by me easily here as I was just concerned on not tripping on the tight outside path I had right along the road and sidewalk confluence.  

Packed start, quite a few rows
I'm somewhere around Bob Jackman 
(white singlet, light green shoes)
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Pics by Jana, unless otherwise noted

We went only one block before making another 90-degree right turn, but somehow this one was smoother for me.  Now we had 3/4 mile of straight shot on the same road, and the gaps between runners widened enough that I could open it up a bit with no constraints.  I tried to avoid the slick wet sewer grate covers and just stick to the wet asphalt.  I saw Jana and Brady here spectating.  I think I lost some time early in this mile with the crowding and weaving, but still finished with a 5:31 split.  OK, good, we're on track so far.

About 3/4 mile in.
I'm in with a pack of BAA runners, but finally have room to
maneuver a bit.  Looks like Dave Dunham just behind me in the next pack,
with Bob Jackman not far diagonally behind him.

Mile 2:  Making the next left onto Great Plain Road is no issue at all, even though we have to follow through cones and are being reduced to one lane of road travel here.  Mile 1 was relatively flat, and there are a few very slight downhills in this mile, which I use to my advantage.  I check my watch at the Mile 2 split:  5:31 again!  Yes!  I believe this is my fastest ever 2-mile total split (11:02) in a 5K!  I'm thinking a 5K PR is now pretty much assured even with the upcoming slight uphill in Mile 3, and I even have a healthy buffer.

Mile 3:  I proceed up a small, but noticeable hill, and then unfortunately go over an awkward steel grate probably 15' lengthwise undoubtedly covering a construction hole in the road.  I wanted to go around, but was a bit boxed in here with competitors.  My feet slipped a little, but 3 awkward strides and I'm over it.  I check my watch at the next opportunity and it shows a lap pace thus far of 5:43.  That's OK, I'm thinking, as I just had the slight uphill and steel grate issue, and I'll probably pick it up from here, but even if not and I just hold the 5:43, I'm still on track for the PR.

I felt good for the rest of the mile.  Tired and breathing hard for sure, but I felt I was moving well and even passing a few runners, with none that I remember passing me.  Awesome!  Almost there.  I come right up on Scott Grandfield's shoulders at the Mile 3 mark.  He sees me and goes into another gear for the uphill finish back on the school driveway.  I chase after him despite not having another gear, but that's OK, as my race isn't against Scott today, it's against the clock.  

Just behind Scott Grandfield steps before the finish
(Photo by Ted Tyler)

And then I see it, the clock:  17:36, and ticking away.  What?  That's wrong, isn't it?  Maybe they started the clock early?  I cross the finish line as the clock shows 17:43, and then I pull over, try to catch my breath, and check my watch to see what's going on.  My watch shows 17:43 also.  NO!!!!  How did that happen?  I find that my Mile 3 split was a 5:52.  A 21-second slow down.  Well, that would do it.  Ugh.

Happy to be done.
Not happy with my time.

Final result:  17:40 (chip time), 101st out of 504 overall, 4th in age group (one second behind Scott). Full results here.

I am really disappointed in this one, and can't wait to get out of here.  Matthew seems ready to go as well, neither of us are getting an award nor have interest in the post-race party at a nearby Bertucci's, so it's time to go.  Cooled down on familiar trails in nearby Cutler Park, as I lick my wounds and try to understand and rationalize what happened.

As other's Strava posts come online later, I notice their 3rd mile splits are slower as well (although many did not fall off as much as mine), so that gives me some needed perspective.  I just had no idea that such a small elevation gain (80' total?) mostly all in the final mile would have such an effect.  When I get home, I review my GAP (grade-adjusted pace) and unfortunately that confirms that even taking into account the grade change, I did slow down every mile:

Time to move on.  My initial thought is to immediately seek out another 5K, this time pancake flat, also certified and with no cone turnarounds, but honestly it's time to move on.  In the bigger scheme, this has been an amazing year for me personally in running, and even if I had succeeded in beating my 5K PR by a few seconds, it would have paled in comparison to last month's success of knocking yet another 2 1/2 minutes off my marathon PR to run 2:47:57.