The Day After a Bad 5K

I just got back from swimming a very solid 1,800 yds at Fanny Chapman Pool. A bit of a drab and overcast day, but I was happy to get into the water and swim. It was also a good way to wash away the remnants of a pretty bad 5k I ran last night. Have you ever ran a race that you were just miserable doing? Well that was last night for me.

I suppose that I should better set the scene, it was the Verizon Wireless Corporate Classic 5K held in Morristown, NJ. I had run this last year and at the time I was in pretty good shape but I was having some issues with my allergies (pollen, etc.). The race ended up being run in 90F heat and 90% humidity. It was a miserable experience and I ended up running what was a very slow 22:23. This year I was determined to better that time and possibly come close to my PR (20:45).

This weather for this year wasn't a whole lost better than last years...temps still in the 90s and humidity still high. The major difference has been my fitness. Since I pulled my groin muscle back in May, I have been having a tough time getting back into "fight shape" so to speak. I haven't done any speed work and have been concentrating on just getting my miles in. Add to that the swimming and biking that comes with triathlon training, and well, you get what I got last night. A 22:39 5K race time. My first mile was run at about 7:00/mile pace and I felt OK, then the wheels slowly began to fall off as the hilly course took its toll on me as my second mile was a mere 7:56. Each climb I felt like I had sand bags strapped to my thighs. I was miserable. The third mile was a bit better but I just couldn't seem to get into a groove. I think I ran the last mile in about 7:15 and the last tenth of a mile was whatever it adds up to. I did my standard last 400 yd sprint where I passed about 30 people to get a somewhat respectable finish, but still was extremely disappointed with my performance.

What really bothers me about last night is that I have a sprint triathlon in just over a week and I now scared that I am going to totally blow. I think my swim time will be pretty solid and my bike has definitley improved, but my run is absolutely awful right now. I better get some quality run miles in this weekend and next week instead of just "miles".

Time to grab some dinner and then hopefully go out for a 20 mile ride this evening. Cheers!