Dismal Performance
What has happened since the last entry has not been pretty. The 5k at St. Valentine’s went worse than I ever would have thought it could have. 4:34, 9:06, 14:55. It was just a dismal performance and actually kind of embarrassing. That is not the way I envisioned the last race at BU going. For all of the work put in this winter results should be a lot better than that. Maybe I have missed my guess and I am not in 14:10 shape and should not be going out as fast as I have been. It should not feel so easy. I just don’t understand why is the last 1500m has treated me so poorly as of late. The last mile of a race is typically my best and the first is usually the worst. Is it just me getting old? Is it the fact I basically took track off last year to get ready for Boston and it takes a season to back into it? Whatever the reason, looks like I will not qualify for nationals again even with standard softened by three seconds this year.
The race started just as I had wanted it with a 69.0 and it split into two groups with one group running about 4:28 and my group running 4:34. In the second mile I worked up the second group and threw in a couple of 66’s to get to the lead pack and make a run at the last mile. Just when I jumped the gap to the lead pack they started to pick it up. I must have used up all my energy jumping the gap because they just left me, then people just started flying past and I was all used up. Not a gutsy race at all.
On some good news, my wife Christy ran a great race in the mile Friday night clocking a 5:08, which is only about four seconds off of her PR.
Next weekend is New England’s at Reggie Lewis. I am not sure which event I am going to do but I think the 5k is out just because I have to get away from that race for a little while. Maybe the mile, maybe another 3k, maybe both, who knows? All I know is I have to snap out of this funk and start to race like I mean it.
Today should be an interesting run. There is 6 inches of snow on the ground right now so I think I will wait until the storm passes to go running. Looks like a late afternoon run for us today. May not be motivated enough to get in the entire long run either if it is really snowy.