MEC Race #5 - Are We Done Yet?

So yeah, another weekend another race. Much like with the Bluenose Half, following the Moncton half, I am done. I give 100% in these races and they can drain you. But yeah, I guess I had signed up for another race anyway.

This weekend I was racing in Shubie Park, which is narrow, hilly and gravelly.  I was doing the 5K and the weather was awesome, sunny, cool and calm.

Prerace I was ready to run. I did a warm up, I chatted with people and generally was quite relaxed. Part of the reason is that I knew I couldn't go all out following last week's effort and this was going to be for fun.

The races were split into 3 groups, Half, 10K and finally 5K. I knew this meant we would be running through a lot of runners, as the 5K is usually the fastest group. That was fine.

We lined up ad were soon off. I lead immediately and picked a pace that felt good.

The top three quickly took a decent lead and we were all together until we encountered the backs of the 10km and Half marathon. At that point we were frequently held up and at one point Fraser managed to take over top spot as I got blocked a bit. From there I never really had much of a chance to catch back up. My top end speed just wasn't available, and certainly I didn't have any surges in my legs.

So basically I held on and finished in 18:56 taking second place. Still, it was a good run. Chances are good that I wouldn't have ad anything for Fraser anyway if he started speeding ahead, regardless of the crowded trail.

Next up? Maybe a cyclocross race? Who knows. I need a rest first. Until then, see you on Mondays!