I hit the road at 4:45 am and reached Bates around 6:30 am for the 8am start. I like early races although this was probably an hour earlier than I'd want for a (hoped for) fast 5k. I hit the track for a 3 mile warm-up and was joined in the last mile by Thomas Beckum (Dirigo). We chatted a bit and it looked like we were both looking to run around the same time. My goal was to be 17:30-17:40. I was planning to hit as many 42 second laps as possible. After the warm-up I switched into race flats and hit the track for another mile with a bunch of strides. I was warmed-up and WARM. The temp was okay but as usual with indoor tracks it was very dry.
I was a little surprised to find them lining us up at the turn instead of the middle of the straight where the timing mat was. I asked Derrick Hamel (Six03) if the track was meters or yards and he agreed that it was in fact meters. We checked with the RD who told us that they put the start up on the corner to make it 5k for people in the outer lanes (which was where some in heat 2 & 3 would run). I made sure it'd be okay to continue to the corner after crossing the finish to get an OFFICIAL 5,000 and was told that would be okay. Derrick lined up on the inside which made sense, he was aiming for 15:30 so he would have no company on this day. There were 11 of us in the sub-20 minute heat and off we went.
I checked my watch at the 200 and was 41.3, right in the ballpark to run 42's so I settled in and tried to relax. They hadn't started the clock so I didn't check my watch for 3 more laps. I realized at the 800 meter mark (2:50.8) that I was a bit slow. Beckum had been running on my shoulder and I picked it up at the 800 split and started running a little under 42's. He tucked in behind me as we rolled on hitting the mile in 5:38.3. Coming out of the turn after the mile my left calf had SCREAMED at me. I'd felt this before. I'd injured that calf a couple of times a few years back and been very careful listening to it since then. I had to dial it back right away (this would be my 2nd slowest lap of the race = 43.3). I shortened my stride and ran a bit more flat-footed and only had the tiniest of lightning bolts stabbing at it whenever I tried to go a bit quicker. I was actually pretty steady through 2 miles (11:20.7). Right around that point Beckum drifted off the back. Hamel went by for the third time looking very smooth. I could hear the announcer which gave me an idea ofgotme where Beckum was. I built up a 3 or 4 second lead on him but never really dropped him. A bunch of 43-flat splits Got me to 4k. I did no feel good and was very worried about my calf. I didn't have much when Beckum started closing the gap. I heard him coming and his 37 second last lap was a solid 4 seconds faster than mine.
I crossed a little over a second behind in 3rd place and continued the extra 5 seconds to the full finish line which I crossed in 17:46.3. Not quite what I hoped for and sadly I knew as I limped back to the massage table that this was the end of my indoor track season.
I got the calf worked on a bit then drove 60 miles south to Kennebunkport for a very slow and very tentative run on the East Coast Trail. On any other day I would have really enjoyed that trail but on this day running over 10 minute miles (mostly on my right leg) was not fun.
I guess next up may be New Bedford in mid-March. ugh!
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