Frostbite Five Miler

This morning Heather and I drove 15 minutes out to Ambler to run the Ambler Area Running Club's Frostbite Five Miler. This race wends its way around Ambler on a moderately hilly course. There is always a good turnout and I bet the field was about 800 this morning. The weather lived up to the race name with temps in the mid 20's and stiff breeze that chilled me on my 2 mile warmup.

I really didn't know how fast I could run the race. I decided that due to the hilly course which I was familiar with from running once in the past a time under 30:30 would be decent and anything under 30:00 would be awesome. My last 5 mile race was on a flat course on Thanksgiving and I ran something like a 30:30 so beating that on a hilly course would be ok.

I didn't feel so great on the warmup but as soon as the gun went off I felt great. I've gotten much better at controlling my pace in the first mile and I let the rabbits jump out ahead of me. I accidentally deleted all of my splits so they will all be close estimates.

Mile 1 ~5:55. Faster than I expected and I was really feeling good, maybe it was going to be a good day. I was making in effort to slowly pass people by running up behind them, tucking in to avoid the wind and then passing on the downhills.

Mile 2 ~5:57. A little slower but the course was rolling and I was still feeling good. Maybe I could get under 30:00.

Mile 3 ~5:58 I always hate the middle mile in a race. I felt like the pace was dropping off but when I got to the split I realized things were good. The crowd had thinned to just a few guys ahead of me and I concentrated on holding pace. I worked with one guy for a mile or so trying to break the wind for each other. The wind was never horrible but enough to make a difference when you were behind someone.

Mile 4 - 5:58 Sweet. I knew I had sub 30:00 in the bag, but by how much? The one memory I had of the race from a couple years back was that the biggest hill was in the last mile. I kept pushing and saved a just a bit for that hill.

Mile 5 - 5:57 The hill sucked but once you crest it is all downhill to the finish. On the last 100 meter straightaway I heard some footsteps creeping up behind me and I was able to dig for just a little more to hold my position.

Finish time by my watch was 29:44. Awesome! I didn't think that even my best performance was going to give me that time. I ran nearly 9 miles last night I figured those miles were going to suck some energy out of me but I guess not. That time on a hilly, cold and windy course means that I could probably shave about 10 seconds off in ideal conditions. It also means that I am much better shape then my doubtful mind had imagined.

It is amazing how 30 minutes can change your outlook on things. I have much more confidence that I can nail my goal in the marathon one month from today.

Friday 8.5 miles in 1:07

Saturday 9 miles in 1:02 with the warmup and cooldown.