RRCA-NC 2015 5K Master Champion
With my marathon coming up in a couple of weeks, I felt that
I needed a race to shake off any rust build up. Thus, I started looking around for a good
race. My first thought was to run the 4 miler at Stonecrest. This is a great
RFYL race and I have run it several times. I like the course and 4 milers is a good
test distance for me.
Then, I stumbled across a Salisbury 5k race put on by a
friend of mine Dave Freeze. Dave’s races are always top notch, with good
support, and accurate courses. A couple
of other things this race had going for it. I got a chance to catch up with
some of my Salisbury running buddies, and it was the RRCA-NC 5k State
Championship. Hey, if I have to run, then going after the 5k Championship is a
nice perk.
Saturday morning was dreary with a heavy cloud cover and
plenty of rain coming down. My new rain jacket at least kept me dry during my
warm up if not a little over heated.
I finished my warm up and had only a few minutes to get to
the starting line. I recognized a few guys but the field didn’t look particular
strong. I guess the cold and rain kept a lot of runners away.
The horn on the fired truck sounded and we were off and
running. I stayed with the lead guy through the first mile in 5:39. This first mile
was a series of rolling hills. Then, the course took an uphill turn. It wasn’t
necessary steep but we were climbing for the better part of mile. He was
gapping me now and by a pretty good bit. I hit the two mile point in 11:41 or
at 6:02 mile.
I was not breathing hard; I just couldn't seem to get any drive
out of my legs. It was just one of those times where the mind and the legs are not in agreement and the legs were winning the battle. During
the 3rd mile, his lead would grew even larger. Even thou, I bounced
back with another 5:39, I could tell that he was gone.
There was a grassy section to cross as we entered the behind
Y facility and then run around the track to the finish.
I finished with a time of 18:06 finishing 2nd
overall. This also earned me the RRCA-NC 5k State Masters’ Championship for the
second consecutive year. Last year, I had picked up the title at the Beach
Blast 5k in Albemarle, NC.
Overall, I give Dave and his team an “A” on this race.
Saturday was a nasty day and they had everything flowing smoothly. I really
like the course. If I had pushed myself a little more through the two mile
point, I feel that I could run a decently fast time on it.
Sharing one thought at time,
The Cool Down Runner
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