Race Report: 2007 Berbee Derby 5K

There was one goal left to cross off my list for 2007: a sub 20:00 5K run. I surpassed my 10K goal much earlier than expected in May and nearly went sub 2:30 for an Olympic distance triathlon in June. I faded in training after July's WIBA, Pewaukee sprint and final aquathons, only to salvage one final age group win bouncing back after my first DNF.

A sub-20 5K is a Big Deal. It is the hardest of my 2007 goals to meet. Following my last triathlon race, I started concentrating on running following Runner's World's Turkey Trot 5K PR training guide. Everything was going swell. I was running four to five times a week and noticing improvements as the sun rose later and later each morning. With about a month to go, my shins really started fighting back during and especially after workouts. Too much running? Too little rest? Shoes too old? It was probably a combination of all three. So I reacted to all three. I took a week off from running, took a full day off between workouts and bought new shoes. By the time I got all of that all sorted out, I had two weeks left before Thanksgiving. Not necessarily where I wanted to be training-wise. My week off ended up being the peak week of the training plan with the most hills, host descend repeats, and longest hard runs. I knew that would come back to haunt me.

Thanksgiving was to be a bit chilly. Two inches of snow fell the day before. The streets, too warm for the snow to stick to, were icy where the water didn't evaporate. I got to the race site early on purpose and used a coffee shop's bathroom because I was afraid of my booty sticking to the porta-potty's seat in the cold. I warmed up on the course for about a half-hour, trying to time it so that I wouldn't cool down too much before the race start. It wasn't the cold that would by painful, but the wind. The out and back course set up the wind to be in your face to the finish. It was a good reminder of the hills in the final mile; a short steep one, a long steady one, and a molehill that hurts just enough to interrupt the finishing kick.

They had the 5K runners group together away from the start to let the 10K runners go first. I was right there, three rows deep, turned around to see if I knew anyone, and there's X! We chatted about stupid stuff and danced around to keep warm. When it came time to move to the actual start line, I found myself too far back in the crowd with no room to move forward.

Right out of the gate, I got boxed in. I nearly had to throw some elbows to get out of the box. Once out, I settled into a nice groove, pushing the envelope of my comfortable speed limit. I passed the first mile mark slightly behind schedule, owing it to the poor start. Another half mile, and we turned around into the wind and hills. Mile 2 went by quicker than I expected. I purposely didn't look at my watch, so I had no idea that it was slow. The only thing I knew was that I was starting to suffer.

"Seven more minutes, only seven more minutes. I can do seven more minutes." Then I hit the first hill on the return home.

I made my way around the so-called roundabout and took the straightest path from tangent to tangent. With that hill crested, it was a quick dip and then up the second; a long steady climb. At the top, the trees cleared, and the wind picked up right in my face.

"This is is your wall. Break through. Break through your wall. Run!"

I was rubber from the waist down. Nothing reacted. And then, I remembered what Joe Bator said about running a 5K,

"When you think you are about to blow up start using your arms. They will be hanging by your side. Pump them. Pull with them."

"My arms! I have arms! That's right! I have arms! Use them!"

And so I did. I pumped and pumped. I pumped so much that the last hill was turned into a bump. I made the final turn and picked out people that passed me. Joe said to imagine that they're the last person to go under 20 min. Pass them. And I did. Then I there was another. And I passed them. Then, I saw the clock. The first digit told the whole story: it was a two. Guh. Not the 19-something I'd hoped for.

My watched stopped at 20:59. The chip time was 21:04. One stinking minute. I keep thinking about that final mile and what could've gone different. It wasn't in the final mile but rather in the month before with sore shins and old shoes. Bottom line, I'm okay with this. It's still a forty-five second PR from what I can tell. (And on the same course no less.) And I don't have shin splints or a stress fracture, so that leaves all winter to train and get ready for 2008.

Data: 75/1639 Overall | 5/68 M 30-34 | 68/779 Males

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