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Old 07-07-2014, 08:36 PM   #128
FrogMan
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Pintendre, Qc, Canada
Race report
Course du Grand Lévis, 5K
July 4th, 2014


I was very much looking forward to this race for a few reasons. It's as local a race as this can be for me and I'd heard great things about it. It was to be my first ever officialy timed 5K race and finally, my youngest son was supposed to run the 2K that was to be run 30 minutes prior to my 5K.

Plans changed on that last part Friday around noon when I got the news that my son was at the ER with 4 stitches after hitting his forehead at his soccer day camp.

From seeing my son run and having the whole bunch, including my oldest son, my wife and my mother-in-la, there to cheer me on, I went to the race only with my 17yo son who had camera and cheering duty all by himself.

Going into the race I knew little about the course but knew one thing of a certain importance when you want to set a fast time, especially on a 5K: it was gun time only. I'm usually too kind and end up caught behind slower runners because I don't push forward before the start. I was early to the start line after a couple kilometers of warmup which included some "feel good" strides and settled about 5 feet behind the start tape line on the ground. I didn't have the pretention to put myself on the very first line. I had seen the winning time of a year ago, something around 15:40 or so.

That positioning was just about perfect since I ended being right behind the young rabbits. A couple funny "ahah" moments. A couple gentlemen trying to find a good spot asked me what I planned to run for time and when I said "20 minutes" they both looked at each other and said, "ok bye, we'll back off a bit then". Then when I looked at them youngsters in front, them fast rabbits as I call them, I realised I was the only one wearing a t-shirt and not a singlet. I almost felt out of place. Then finally, as the starters began his 10 seconds countdown to start, I saw them all crouch down and, well, not wanting to really stand out, I too put my right hand to my watch and put my left shoulder forward.

If not for where it was taking place, the course would have been boring as hell. It took place on a bike path, going west for 1.5K, then turn around and back to the start/finish point and to the east for 1K and back to the start/finish point. Very linear but as I said, where it was is what made it at least a bit nice. Right beside the St Lawrence river with the whole Quebec City, including Le Chateau Frontenac in full view the whole time.

Here's my Garmin course viewed with the satellite view:


As I said, boring, linear, but the side of the river made it interesting... We actually used that same bike path in my half that I DNF back in May. That spot was at the 15-16 kilometer mark in the HM and I was still going strong at about 4:20/km but I have little recollection of the little park that is near the start/finish area of Friday's race.

To give you an idea, I live in Pintendre, in the Southwest corner of the little map...

They didn't have a course map on the race website, only saying we'd do a loop on the bike path so I had no clue what was going to happen, or even if there would be any elevation gain or loss. Because of that, I had not planned for the course instead going for trying to keep my watch "current pace" as close, or just a bit below, the 4:00 mark.

That worked well for the first 1.5 km as I averaged a pace of 3:52/km going out to the first pylone. Start positioning was perfect as I got passed by a few but also passed a few. More I ran, I kep passing some which felt good.

The next 1.5km brought us back to the start/finish area and I averaged 3:57/km on that stretch. My watch is set to give me split times and average pace every 500m and I kept seeing times under 2:00 per split so I knew I was doing well.

The next kilometer out was my toughest and I got it done in 4:01. Not a catastrophe but only 3.5 to 4 kilometers in and it was time for the final kilometer to happen. I decided to kick it up a notch at the turn after the last pylone, with one km to go. I had my watch showing me total time since start instead of HR and that's probably a good thing. Max HR for the 4th km was 166, something I rarely hit, but then I pushed harder still in that last kilometer finishing with the HR spiking at 169. I crossed a coworker of mine who was warming up for the upcoming 10K on the side of the bike path and to be called by my name was the final push I needed. Lungs and legs on fire, I kept pushing and finished the race with my fastest kilometer, done in 3:44 (equivalent to a 6:01/mile pace).

Garmin Connect

Final official time: 19:26.1,
average pace: 3:53/km or 6:15/mile

Placements:
30th overall out of 369 or top 8.1%
25th out of 136 men or top 18.4%
4th out of 36 in M40-49 or top 11.1%

Needless to say, I'm VERY proud and happy with this time.

An idea of how my 5K PR has change since last Summer:
2013/07/11, self test, 22:50
2013/11/16, self test, 21:38
2013/11/21, first half of Strava's any way 10K, 21:17
2014/03/02, 5K pace test, 20:50
2014/05/04, within HM, 20:43
2014/06/01, Descente Royale's last 5km, 19:45 (mostly downhill)
2014/07/04, Course du Grand Lévis, 19:26

A few pictures but before that, a couple videos.

Start of the race, see, I almost belong with all them fast rabbits
MVI 3968 - YouTube

And the finish line, screw good for, screw them flailing arms, it was all about making it to the line... The last call you hear is my son calling my in-house nickname, Teeeev
MVI 3987 - YouTube

Before the start, I actually look much more relax than what I've been in my previous races


Again before the start, I was trying to find son and I found him


Good shot of the race start from the race photographer, I'm right smack in the middle


Just about 300m to go I think


Next two were from right before the finish line. He's in my age group and will finish 1.3 seconds behind me...



For some odd reason, I didn't really enjoy finishing on the grass. Odd, don't know why...

I stayed around to watch some friends. It's fun now after a few races, I'm beginning to see familiar faces and enjoy staying around after the race is done to cheer them on.

FM
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