Yay for 5ks

I registered for the Roselle Run for the Roses 5k which takes place this Sunday. The last time I ran a 5k, I PR'd. My weekly mileage since then has been less than stellar, but my track workouts have been faster than ever. So it remains to be seen if my newfound leg speed can compensate for lungs which might not be able to hold pace for 3.1 miles. One thing I've noticed with my decreasing mileage and increasing track work is that I'm gaining weight. I want to believe that my weight gain is due to new fast twitch leg muscles which were dormant during my marathon training. In reality it is probably just regular weight gain due to excessive cake and ice cream!

Anyway, it's time to think about race strategy. If I examine how my PR race at the Ravenswood Run went a month ago, my quarter mile cumulative paces looked like this:

I finished the race averaging 5:47/mile, which equaled an 18:10 finishing time. Depending on how well I run the tangents, I will have to run an average pace of 5:45/mile to get close to breaking 18:00. So, I'm hoping my race on Sunday looks something like this:

So, this time I'll try a faster start and then attempt to "lock in" my goal pace. After that I just need to hold on for dear life until I cross the finish line. I will need a slight kick over the final 3.15 to help push me across the finish line under 18:00, so I will need a little reserves for the final stretch. All of this of course, depends on the weather/wind and how I am feeling on race day. Time to rest up and get my legs ready to run like champions!