As we enter March and move towards the official start of spring, my next two races are fast approaching. The first of these will be "Beat Sinister", a virtual event organised by the Death Race team where we race against "secret agents" over a chosen distance. I have tentative plans as to when and where I hope to do this, but at present, the distance I opt for is still unknown as it depends on the following event- Hill of a Race (HOAR).
HOAR is a new event organised by the Rivers Edge Ultra team, and it takes place at the Rabbit Hill Ski Resort. The event was cancelled last year, and whilst still optimistic about 2021, there is uncertainty as to whether Alberta Health Services will approve the Covid safety plan for the event. The race is just 4 weeks away, and I feel so upset for the organisers who are still waiting in limbo for that decision. The frustration comes in that skiing has been allowed at the venue all through the winter, and yet a handful of runners gathering on one day for 6 to 8 hours isn't considered in the same vein. Organisers are once again fighting for the survival of their races, but it all seems to be falling on deaf ears which is extremely disappointing and for want of a better phrase, considerably unfair.
I suppose time will tell, and in the meantime, we just have to keep persevering in the hope that races here in Alberta will be allowed again this year.
For me, that has meant hitting the trails again, and last weekend, it felt great being back in the Edmonton river valley and huffing and puffing on those climbs! I was actually surprised at how good I felt on the uphill, and I can only assume that all the strength work I've been doing since January has been of benefit, as running around my home town is incredibly flat.
Hitting the river valley trails :)
It was also nice to have much warmer weather, although with the daily snow melt comes the nightly freeze, and some of the trails were dicey with the ice.
My mileage hasn't been particularly high this past few weeks, and it's just been a case of keeping things ticking over. Today however, my schedule called for my first 5k time trial of the year, which would help to set a benchmark for speedwork over the coming weeks.
Yesterday my run felt a bit flat, so I was a little apprehensive about how today would go. I know I've been feeling much fitter and stronger lately, and I didn't want to have a result that wouldn't be a true reflection of how I've been feeling recently.
I dilly dallied about my run and was going up postpone until tomorrow, but the weather was so nice that I decided to just hear outside and get it done.
I chose a route that would have minimal turns and just one road crossing, and I knew there was minimal chance of encountering cyclists, walkers, kids and dog walkers. I hate doing speedwork when there are distractions as they give me an excuse for what I consider a poorer performance. I wanted a route where I really could zone out, focus, and push myself to a decent time.
In recent years, my best time for a 5k time trial has been around 22.30, although I did do a park run last year in Edmonton where I finished in 22 minutes flat. I had no idea how I would get on today, but I was rather hoping for a 22.xx.
My first mile felt very relaxed, and I was pleasantly surprised when my watch beeped a 7.14 mile. By mile 2, my breathing was starting to increase and my legs were starting to feel the effects of a faster pace, but I tried to push through it, moved my arms more, and was rewarded with a 7.10 mile split.
In mid-flow and feeling better than expected :)
Going into the final mile, I started to think that maybe I could dip under 22 minutes! I tried not to look at my watch and focused on just running that final mile, and when I sneaked a quick look, I had 350 meters to go, and around a minute and a half remaining if I wanted to break 22 minutes. By now, j was running past the local high school, it was approaching lunch time and students were starting to head out recess. Ahead of me was a small group, and I felt myself hesitate as I didn't want to have to run past them. Thankfully, it looked like I would be done before catching them up, and with 100 meters remaining, I had 20 seconds ...
I'm no sprinter, but boy did I push, and as my watch hit 3.11 miles, the time showed 21.58 - I'd done it!
It's crazy to think that my PR for 5k is almost 3 minutes quicker, and yet I was so happy to break 22 minutes. I worked for that just as much as I did for that sub 19 all those years ago, and I was just as happy.
Of course, whilst it helps to set a benchmark for the coming weeks, it also means I'll be putting pressure on myself to perform at the same level next time. Maybe I'll be quicker, maybe I'll be slower, but I just have to be realistic about how things are going at the time.
The day ended perfectly as I got to run with the Leduc Runners this evening, and both Wilson and April joined us for the 6k loop. I love running with the pups, and I'm thankful that they're sociable enough to run with other people and they make us all smile and feel happy. The only thing missing was little miss Tillie - she's such a sweet girl but having filled her belly and been to the dog park earlier in the day, she was quite content to snooze on the bed in our absence. I do wish she was as energetic as the other two as I hate leaving her on her own, but she's such a happy, loving little pup that seems perfectly content doing what makes her comfortable, and it's safe to say that we're ok with that :)