Bit Of A Minor Breakthrough

   Back when I first started running, I ran and I ran and I ran. I ran regardless of the weather and I ran if it was my day to run, even if I didn't feel quite like it. I was a newbie runner in my late fifties and eventually I found myself running 5K in the mid thirty minute range.
  Then a whole bunch of life happened.
   I came down with PF, cured that but then it was a whole string of medical issues and all manner of distractions and then, before you know it, it's a couple of years later and I'm running 5K in the low forties---my last timed race back in the summer had me clocked at 41:27.
   Back in August, though, things began to change.
   I decided to stop eating meat, for one thing. This was more a matter of conscience than anything and I'd been thinking about doing it for a long time. I also decided to re-dedicate myself to running consistently.
   When I combined these two things, two more things started to happen---I lost weight and I got faster! Who knew that eating healthier and getting regular exercise might lead to some kind of weight loss and increased performance? Weird, eh??
   I generally run the same 5K route in my neighbourhood and starting in late August the time it took me to do this started decreasing by 15 to 30 seconds a session. I basically had to work my ass off for those seemingly minimal gains and I always had the feeling that the next time out would be a disaster. Except for the occasional blip (getting attacked by a dog, stopping my Garmin at a stoplight and then forgetting to restart it), there were no disasters!

From this....

   The one run I did which resulted in the smallest improvement was, oddly, the one run where I didn't stop for a walk break. The walk breaks had been happening less and less and I decided that I would attempt a whole 5K running. I managed to do this and took a look down at the Garmin and discovered I'd only dropped five seconds by not walking. It then occurred to me that the occasional very short walk break then enabled me to run faster afterwards whereas, without one, I needed to slow down and pace myself. I vowed at that point to take a walk break whenever I absolutely needed to.

...to this!

   Yesterday was a bit of a breakthrough. I actually ran a full minute faster than the previous time and this brought me down to the mid-thirties again. Kinda back where I started! Not only that, there's been the odd time lately when, if I'd run early in the day, I actually felt like running again, later on. This was the clearest sign to me that I was back to where I really wanted to be.
   From here, it's kind of uncharted territory. My biggest goal for the longest time has been to break the 30 minute mark in a 5K. Though maybe not impossible, this has certainly seemed improbable. Until now, anyway...

  

My Downtown 5K Race Recap

   As had been my plan, I went for a 5K training run this morning.
   I normally run a variety of routes in my neighbourhood but this time I decided to mix things up and head downtown. I also normally run by myself but this time I'd arranged to get together with a few other people. There were about 250 of them and we all wore paper thingies with numbers on them. 

Me, while I was still looking
forward to what was about to transpire!

   Yep I ran a race.
   This morning I ran in the second installment of the London Honda Road Race series---the Downtown 5K. Most of the races in this series have a 10K component but not this one. This meant a larger field than normal as a lot of the people who might otherwise have opted for the 10K did not have that option. Lots of race energy going on!
   It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the snow was all gone and the temps ended up being in the low teens. Pretty well perfect for running.
   I started the morning off with a toasted PB and banana sandwich, a cup of coffee with honey and a fistful of ENERGYbits. I've used ENERGYbits about four times at this point and the jury is still out, unfortunately.
   

ENERGYbits---ten down, twenty to go.

It was a beautiful drive downtown to Victoria Park and I passed by scores of people out running, there was just this kind of vibe going on today. About a third of the way there, I realized I'd forgotten my Garmin. Unfortunately, I'd timed things out to the last minute more or less and had no time to go back and get it. This kind of screwed up my "strategy" for the race, which had been to 10 to 1 run/walk ratio. I know, seems kinda

My Injinji socks--great for running!

extreme for a 5K race but lately, in training, it's been doing the trick. The last thing I wanted to do was to be checking my phone for time or, God forbid, set a timer so I just decided that I would give myself walk breaks at something close to the 2K and 4K intervals.

The Boer War monument in Victoria
Park. Pretty impressive, actually.

   I got there in enough time to pick up my bib and still be able to stretch. While I was stretching, this young lady walked up to me and introduced herself as a Western (the local university) journalism student. She'd been there interviewing racers as part of a project and asked if I had the time to answer a few questions.. Didn't have a problem with this so she started asking me questions about how regularly I raced and what motivates me to run, those kinds of things. A very pleasant young lady.
   Then, unfortunately, the race started.

The crowd at the starting line.
I'm ALREADY behind...

   About half a kilometer in, I knew this was not going to be a fun race. I felt tired, fat and slow. I had no real plan for the race and it showed. I basically ran til I felt tired and then walked til I didn't. People were passing me left and right and suddenly I had the real fear that I might finish last. My emergency "strategy" had gone right out the window. I found myself thinking I must be an idiot for signing up for the series of races if this was what I was going to have to go through every time.
   Realistically of course, I was fully aware of why I was having difficulties. Because of the winter, the training opportunities were way down and when you couple that with all the over-indulging of the holiday season and it being my birthday this past month then it was kind of a recipe for disaster. I just need to train and eat like I should and everything'll be fine!
   Later on, they posted the chip times and I came in 243 out of 254 and dead last in my age group. The good news was I didn't need to stick around to see if I won anything!

Some of the post-race aftermath.

   Oh, there was one bright moment. With about forty yards to go, a young lady tried to "chick" me. Now, I have no idea whether she even knew or cared what "chicking" someone meant and for all I know she was just running  her race and trying to get a better time. I have, however, been passed by a young person in the last few yards of a race before and I vowed back then that I wouldn't let that happen again so as the young lady passed me I turned on the jets, beating her by a second. It was actually kind of funny because when the race announcer realized what was happening, he got all excited and declared, "That's right, it's not a run, it's a race!"
   Although, for me, like I said, it was just a run... 
     

Coming Last In My Sex Group

  Okay, I suppose I could have said "finishing last in my gender group" but if there's one thing I've learned is that a lot more people read posts if there's something racy in the title, so there you go!
   Yesterday, they posted the chip times for the Really Chilly Road Race from this past weekend here in London. I ran the 5K distance and my time was just a few seconds over 40 minutes. As bad as this time is, it was actually better than any recent training times so I was marginally pleased with it, particularly given the harsh conditions the day of the race (which you can read about here, if you'd like). 
   I found my chip time way down the list (where I knew it would be) and there were 7 or 8 people who came in after me. I remember checking over my shoulder a few times as the race was winding down, to see who might be catching up and I was aware that there were a number of people behind me. My only real fear when I'm running any of these races is the possibility of coming in last, so it was comforting to know that this was not an issue.
    I  did discover, however, after perusing the list of chip times, that even though I wasn't the last person to cross the finish line, I was the last male to to do so. This kind of took me aback, being the last guy.
   I tend to leave my ego at the door when it comes to running. I know full well that I started doing it very late in life, that I'm likely always going to be near the bottom of the finishers in any given race and generally I'm only going to be competing against myself. This is all fine and dandy but a race is a race and why bother running in one if there exists no competitive fire in your breastbone?! (or wherever it's supposed to be...)
   

My strategy from now on.

What makes me finishing last in the guys group even more problematic is that it didn't actually need to happen. For the last kilometer or so of the race I'd been running neck and neck with two other guys who were running together. I'd pass them and they'd pass me and so it went. As we all came into the home stretch, they were minimally ahead and the thought occurred to me that I had enough energy left to pass them. But I was too polite about it. I've always had a hard time with the thought of "showing up" other runners just before the finish line. If the speed I'm running at takes me past them naturally then that's one thing. If, however, I would need to intentionally speed up with the sole purpose of passing them, well, that's another thing. It just seems disrespectful to me.
   On Sunday, though, if I'd passed either one (or both) of those other male runners then I wouldn't have been last in my gender group. I'm now wondering whether this might have been the reason I'd need to have put on a little burst right at the end. I also wonder whether or not I might be thinking about that the next time....