CR 5km Challenge

A different approach to this week's run, I know I can break the current PB of 19:50 if I sort out my pacing. Decided to use the virtual partner feature on the Garmin 301 and set it for 3:55 pace which would give me a 19:35.

Up in the morning and as I'm eating toast and getting ready it starts to rain. No problems, a mere distraction. Get to the start early and watch/listen to the rain on the car roof. It eases up as 7am approaches and people start to arrive. I also decide to run with 20 minute group rather than 19 minutes so I don't get caught up following someone out too hard.

Action sends us off and while I'm at the front, no heroics and pretty soon Redback and Mr WT ease past into the lead. I'm happy with this as I'm feeling comfortable and this will stop me being silly at the front. Also in our bunch were Horrie and Mr G plus at least one other but really never saw them. At about the 3km mark Mr WT slipped back a little and I moved up next to Redback, we ran next to each other for a couple of hundred metres and then he started to drift back. Still feeling good and merely maintaining my pace we entered the last km and also started catching some of the earlier starters.

That last km is a bugger with a twisting path to keep you honest but I gritted the teeth and kept it going, as I rounded the final curve for the finish straight Luke Skyrunner and pram came up along side and cruised past, not much I could do about that. Crossed the line and immediately attempted to try and recover the oxygen that the lungs seemed to be a little short on.

The end result was a PB of 35 seconds with a new time of 19:15. Splits roughly were
3:43
3:56
3:53
3:49
3:54

Very happy with that and did a return warmdown run back for brekky in the cold and rain but good company!

This is a new benchmark for me and according to various calculators I a on line for a 40 min 10km and also a 3:10 marathon!! Just the tonic needed for the mind with 2 weeks to go.

So ends another week, seemingly a turnaround physically and mentally after 6 foot.

53km for the week and the parrot predictor says a 3:36:47, heavily influenced by last Sunday's struggle in the STaR.