Roselle Run for the Roses 2015 Race Recap

The plan for this race was simple: Go sub-18:00. However, it was not to be. On the bright side, I ran my 4th fastest 5k ever despite running in shoes filled with rainwater. Anyway, my plan had been something like this:

5:50, 5:43, 5:43, 5:00

This was not gonna be easy. My PR set in April, was 10 seconds slower than than my goal for this race. However, I figured why not set my sights high and see what happens?

Pre-Race:
I woke up at 4:30 am for a two mile shakeout run around Welles Park. When I returned home, I had my standard pre-race fare: a cup of coffee, and a bagel with peanut butter. I checked the forecast and it looked like rain was supposed to hit the area right around 8:00 am, which also happened to be the time the race started. Oh yeah, thunderstorms were also "likely" around that time - so things were not looking good. In any case, my dad, who was also running the race and I jumped into the car and we headed out. We got to the race parking lot in about 35 minutes.

Waiting for the race (and rain) to start

We picked up our bibs and race packets, then sat in the car for a 30 minutes and watched dark clouds roll in. About 10 minutes before the race was scheduled to start, the skies opened up and it began pouring rain. We debated whether to wear disposable ponchos over to the start line, but decided not to, since we were going to get wet regardless once we took them off once the race started. I did put my hat on to keep some of the rain out of my eyes, which I think was a good call. When I got in the corral, the rain was still coming down and suddenly there was a flash of lightning then a loud boom of thunder. I was wondering if the race emcee was going to announce that the race was cancelled. Instead, he introduced a former Chicago Bear (Desmond Clark?) and then the Roselle "Rose Queen" who was wearing a sash. She promptly pressed down on the button of an air horn and we were off!

Start of the Race (see Desmond Clark on the RHS) (src)

The Race:
Mile 1:  It was raining so hard that there were already big puddles on the side of the road. There was a group of about 20 soaked spectators holding signs and cheering wildly, which shows a lot of dedication! Anyway, after about a half a mile, my clothes, my hat and my shoes were completely waterlogged. I also had to do quite a bit of weaving around smaller kids who had gone out way too fast. On top of all of this, we were running headlong into strong storm winds. Just before the "Mile 1" marker, I glanced at my watch and realized I has slipped ten seconds behind my goal pace. 5:55/mile.

Mile 2: Yes, I was only ten seconds off of my pace, but that was a huge ten seconds to make up - I was giving it my all and weighed three pounds heavier since I was soaking wet. I realized that a sub-18:00 was not in the cards but was hoping to get a shot at my PR at the very least. We made our way through a typical 1970s suburban neighborhood. One of the runners next to me plashed in a puddle and yelled "puddles"! At the "Mile 2" marker I saw that I was 20 seconds off of my goal pace. 5:55/mile.

Mile 3: I felt like my legs could not turnover any faster, so I knew that a PR for all intents and purposes, had slipped away. Since the race was nearly over, I told myself to use any energy that was left "in the tank" to get in a fast mile. In the pouring rain, I began "pour" it on with all I had left. My legs did not feel like they were moving faster, yet I was passing other runners. I guess that even a small increase in speed over the last mile is enough to pick off runners that are slightly fading. Crossing the "Mile 3" marker, I finally got close to my goal pace (5:45)! 5:46/mile.

Mile 3.15: There was a sharp, speed killing turn and then a 50 yard dash to the finish line. I used a last burst of speed to pick off two more runners right at the end.  5:05/mile.

Stats:

Official Finish Time: 18:20

Official Pace: 5:55/mile

Garmin Pace: 5:50/mile

Place Overall: 44th out of 790 

Place Age Group: 5th out of 38 

Standing in the post-race rain

Analysis:
I could complain about the conditions, and maybe I could have run a handful of seconds faster if it wasn't raining, but I won't. Conditions are never perfect for any race, and one day when I have enough sub-18 speed in my legs, I will go sub-18. One thing I would do differently would be to force myself to run a faster first mile. If I get too far off of goal pace in a 5k, it makes it nearly impossible to make up the time, since it's such a short race. For my next 5k, I'm going to try to make sure and hit goal pace the first mile and try to somehow hold on for the rest of the race. Maybe I'm leaving too much in reserve until the end of the race?

Post Race:

I walked back along the course and found a relatively dry spot under a large tree and waited for my dad to run by. Then I ran the last 300 yards of the race with him. The day before he had run a 5k in Wheaton and finished 1st in his age group and on this day he got 3rd! Nice. We got to the car, changed shirts, socks and shoes, put towels on the car seats and headed home to dry off!

Next Up:
Two days of easy miles, then The Grim Mile in four days!