Big South 5k Race Recap
Coming off my 50k trail race last
Saturday morning, I was worried about racing again to say the least.
My legs just don't bounce back as fast any more.
But how could I turn away from one of
the best races in the Charlotte area.
Big South 5k ranks at the top of my
yearly to do list for two good reasons. First, the course while not overly
fast by design always seems to produce great times. I imagine the
downhill slant over the last mile and half has something to do with
it. My legs start to tire but gravity continues to pull me along.
Second, and to me the major reason is the competition. Charlotte on
any given weekend will have numerous races. Runners have so many
options that often after the first quarter miles, I am back to doing
solo time trial. Aside from the t-shirt, I could run a time trial at
home. Big South 5k brings out lots of runners. I ran 17:47 on
Saturday and was 25th overall. This is the good kind of
peer pressure. The type of pressure that propels me to run faster
than I thought possible. Thus, this is why I keep coming back.
Anyway, let's talk about the race.
At 8 am, we got the final count down
and were off. The uphill start does nothing to discourage the
enthusiasm of the runners around me. Everyone seems to be charging
ahead. We duck into a side neighborhood before coming back out on the
main road again. Funny, side story here, every year, the mile mark
seems to move further and further up the road while the 2nd
mile is always in the same place. Yet, my splits don't seem to
reflect the change.
I pass by the 1st mile mark
in 5:50. This is faster than I expected. I am catching a few more
runners now as their initial enthusiasm is curbed the lack oxygen
going to their legs.
Passing over the top, I catch this 15
year old kid. He is panting harder than one should be for a 5k. We go
back and forth on the downhill section to the 2 mile point. I can
tell that he is hurting but he is showing some real guts. He isn't
giving up. Each time that I pull past him he responds in kind. 5
minutes before I never knew him. Now, we are locked in an epic
battle, and I have major respect for the effort that he is showing.
In the parking lot by Target, he drops back from my shoulder, I could
have said nothing to him and attempted to surge away. I didn't.
Instead, I encouraged him to stay with me. We only had a ½ mile to
run. He could do it. We round the last corner, and his youthful legs
carry him forward. He beats me by a couple of seconds. In the
recovery area, he is all bent over. Lungs were still demanding that
he supply them with oxygen. I on the other hand slow to a walk still
breathing deeply but nothing out of the ordinary. We exchange “good
jobs” and hand slaps. I walk on to my car while he continues to
swallow as much oxygen as humanly possible.
I am happy with my time. Running a sub
18 minute races have been few and far between these days. I also won
my age group which I was a little surprised at this fact. There were
several other good runners in the race. I expected them to lead the
way.
All in all, my Big South 5k was good
confidence booster. I needed it.
The Cool Down Runner
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