Fastest 5k of 2006 - Run for Holiday House
Two weeks after a PR at the Rock’n'Roll Half Marathon, and with several challenging workouts behind me, it was time to race again. The venue Portsmouth and the race Run for Holiday House 5k. I believe this was the 4th year in a row I’d raced Holiday House, and looking back at my stats was where I set my best 5k time of 17:24 a couple of years ago. This year the course had changed, but it was still an enjoyable no-frills race with a quite a small number of entrants (to be fair, there were several other events taking place this weekend including a Friday night 5k, Saturday morning 8k and of course the Sandman Triathlon due to take place the following day).
Anyway, onto the race……
Weather conditions were great (steady rain, only slight humidity and a nice breeze - I love racing in the rain). Competition seemed to be minimal, except for a group of Churchland High School boys and my good friend and rival Paul Boyette (who decided the 5k was a better option than a 10 mile training run in the rain). After the traditional speech at the start line, we were off. As predicted, about 4 or 5 of the High School kids sprinted away, I on the other hand was happy to settle in to a steady early pace and just bide my time. By the quarter mile I’d moved into third place and was second at the half mile, slowly catching the boy in front who seemed to be enjoying his moment of glory.
At the mile (5:40) I moved onto his shoulder and just increased the effort slightly. I noticed he was already breathing hard as I slowly edged in front. However, within a few short seconds he came back at me and retook the lead. The gap didn’t grow and I had a feeling he was working as hard as he could, so I drew level once more and surged ahead in an attempt to drop him. I didn’t dare look back and before long passed 2 miles in 11:20 (another 5:40 mile). By now we were deep in the neighborhoods of Portsmouth - lots of 90 degree turns and plenty of surface water on the roads. The lead police bikes and news vehicle didn’t help matters either, kicking up plenty of spray as I followed their tracks. It was good to pass other runners on their 2nd mile as I made my way back to the finish line, and nice to be out in front with what felt like a fairly comfortable lead. The last mile was tough, but I tried to keep good form and concentrate on my cadence. The 3 mile mark was right before the turn for home (maybe a few seconds long) and I was happy to see 17:36 on the clock as I sprinted to the line - a rare first place and $100 richer courtesy of a Running Etc. Gift Certificate!
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