King Tiger 5k

Time: 58:20
Distance: 8.40 miles
Race: 1st in 15:32

W/u: 24:03 for 3.08 miles
C/d: 18:45 for 2.22 miles

The King Tiger 5k was the 5th race in RFYL's Grand Prix Series. It started and ended in the shopping center where the RFYL University is located. I learned the course was fairly fast except a good climb during the final mile. I wanted to get after in a bit and challenge myself to run close to 15 flat.

I warmed up with Meagan and Alice Rogers. We eventually caught up to Val Matena and I was content to back of the pace. Soon the warm up crowd grew to seven as we spotted Paul Mainwaring, Stan Austin and his wife Jinnie. None of us were too certain about the direction of the course, but when we combined comments it was figured out. The hill in the third mile would be a challenge and thankfully the half mile before it was all downhill.

I didn't get in as many strides before the race as I got stuck in the gas station bathroom. Not literally. I thought I found a super secret spot to relieve myself before toeing the line. But, two other clowns really took advantage of the venue. I swear I was in there for 10 minutes trying to stretch and stay warm. I probably should have just used to portos.

The race started right on time and I jumped out to 2nd/3rd position. A youngster wearing a pair of Vibrams controlled the pace for the first 600m. He then stopped to be consoled by his mom because I'm sure his feet were throbbing. Also, Cory Trotsky was feeling cagey as he hung on the pace for about 800m. I didn't have a clue as to how fast I was running because I'm still racing sans watch.

I went through the mile in under 5 minutes, but how far under is still a mystery. The lead bike was in charge of starting of the clocks at the mile markers and he didn't have enough of a lead to figure it out before I got there. The same thing happened at mile two and three. I felt strong through the second mile and tried to open things up on the long descent. I grabbed water at the hydration station so that I could dump it over my head. The temps were getting high and the humidity was stout. I pressed up the hill concentrating on form. I think I was able to accelerate coming off the hill, but without knowing splits it's hard to tell. If I were to guess my splits were 4:54, 4:48-4:52, 5:10-5:15. Considering I was 15:32 at the finish, I was near 15:00 at 3 miles.

I can't be too upset with the performance. It was a little slower than I would have liked, but I think lots of people struggled today. Meagan ran slower than she did at Great Harvest despite trying much harder. It was really a toss up whether people ran faster or slower. It was hotter today on an easier course.

I did the cool down with Paul, Meagan and Nathan Stanford. We had a good chat about the upcoming soccer matches in the World Cup. It's going to be a great month!