So, I did a quick peak and realized that this blog is now 5 years old. Wow. I've done a fairly decent job (though, not lately) of recording my training. When I started this blog, my personal bests were: 15:14, 31:29, 52:26, 1:12:12 and 2:35:52. In the past half decade, I've been able to shave off a considerable chunk of time off those marks, except for the marathon, and that improvement is documented here...somewhere.
Last week, I ran everyday and got in 65 miles. Unfortunately, my knee is still giving me trouble. It's not everyday and the pain isn't bad, so I've kept at it, whcih may or may not be a good thing - too early to tell. I haven't worked on the track in about in about a month (because I fear the oval is what causes my all-too-frequent mishaps), but I decided to get after it at a local road race last Saturday - the Kensington 8k. I had never run the race before - despite the fact it starts/finishes just a couple miles away - so I really didn't know what to expect in terms of a course. I looked at the map and did a truncated preview during the work week and scoped out the infamous Bexhill Hill. I met teammates Sebi and Justin for a pre-race warm-up on race day morning and we shared our strategies. We all agreed that a 5:10-5:15 first mile was ideal and then we'd see where we'd go from there. I went out fairly conservative, but picked it up after a half mile and hit mile 1 in 5:06. Sebi and I broke away from Justin a half mile later and together we hit mile 2 in 10:18. I slowly pulled away after that and hit 3 miles just shy of 15:30...then came the hill. My 4th mile was 5:35 (!), but by the time I got to the top I was back running 5:10s. I ended up running 26:17 or so, my slowest 5 miler in probably a decade, though it wasn't necessarily a fast course (obviously). That said, I really, truly love LOCAL road races that are centered on a specific neighborhood and benefit that community.
Below is a snippet from RunWashington.com, the local (online) running publication, that talks more about the race:
The race started out on a down-hill for the first two miles and then took runners past the Kensington Town Hall and along the Antique Row. Runners then entered Rock Creek Park for a scenic run along Beach Drive. But the historic course is best known for its suitably named the hill, the “East Bexhill.”
“It’s a very ideal course—albeit that hill,” said first-place finisher Jake Klim of North Bethesda. “The hill is a disqualifier in terms of a fast course.”
Pulling away from the pack right at mile two in preparation for the hill ahead, Klim kept the lead for the entire race and won with a time of 26:17—the fastest time the course has seen since 2009.
“It’s what a race should feel like,” Klim said. “It’s got that local village flavor to it.”
Not far behind him were his Georgetown Running Club teammates, Sebi Devlin-Foltz of Washington, D.C. who took second-place and Justin Snair of Arlington, Va who finished in third.
“It was good to have a one, two, three finish with the teammates,” Klim said. “It was just icing on the cake.”
http://www.runwashington.com/2013/09/23/community-comes-together-support-local-schools-run-fast-times/Later this week I head to Zion National Park for some old fashioned adventure. I'll be on my feet all day, but I am hoping the lack of running will help heal my knee.
After the race.
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