I won this local 5k two years ago and decided to give it another go. W had a previous engagement, so what else would I do with a free Saturday morning? The field looked tougher as it was up from 58 in 2015 to 95 in 2017.
The race starts at the square in downtown Mansfield, runs up (I do mean up) Park Avenue, before circling back on a lollipop out and back. The first part of the race is killer but the second part has a nice long downhill. My previous 5k in Savannah went very well and I was looking for a sub-21:00 effort here. On to my brief report:
We started from the square and I felt loose right away. I was with a group of four runners as we made our way up the hill on Park Avenue. This is the toughest section and I took it very easy. At least it felt easy as my first mile clocked in at a surprising 6:47. A younger runner passed me and took the lead. I tried my usual thing where I close in and stay with someone and watch them panic and take over the lead. This happened a few times but I couldn't shake him. We turned off of Park Avenue for another slight uphill before turning back again for the downhill section. I passed him at around the two mile mark, but only held the lead for a quarter mile or so. The second mile clocked in at a surprising 6:57. That's much faster than my normal time in the middle of any 5k.
We continued downhill back to Park Avenue for the finish. I had to kick it in some as the third runner was not far away. The eventual winner was just slightly ahead of me, but it was enough for me to settle for second place. I kicked it in for an amazing 6:13 final mile and finished in 20:48, good enough for second place and another solid 5k time! I missed winning this one by only six seconds but I'm happy with this time. I had a good time at Savanah, but that was on a slightly short and very flat course. This one was much tougher. I also received a great looking trophy for my efforts.
The next race is my favorite one of the year. It will be my sixth time running it and W and I plan on spending a day in Yellow Springs after it's over. The weather looks to be gorgeous with temps in the low-mid 50s.
Next race: Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon- Xenia, OH
No comments:
Post a Comment