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Northampton XC 5k - Run5k


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Northampton, Massachusetts
United States
Don & Sue Grant
65F / 18C
Precipitation
Total Time = 19m 22s
Overall Rank = 7/50
Age Group = M40+
Age Group Rank = 2/20
Pre-race routine:

I had heard about these weekly races from a friend, and didn't want to miss out on taking part on a brief visit to Northampton, MA. These races run every Tuesday in Spring/Summer, and have done so for the past 26 years. Apart from just having fun, my main goal was to further test out the progress of my achilles tendon rehab. I have barely done any run training in the past 2 months, and I think I'm nearly ready to get going again.


Event warmup:

Preparation was not ideal. Very little sleep due to trip preparation, then as I was about to leave for the airport I got a message that my flight was canceled. A short flight turned into a circuitous journey from DC to Mass. via Chicago, and I only made it to Northampton with a few minutes to spare. Brief warmup, enough to feel that the tendon was feeling fairly good. This was encouraging. It had been raining hard all day, so the course was soft and muddy. Just like old times.
Run
  • 19m 22s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 06m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

I wasn't as fast as I would have been a couple of months ago, but I was just fine with that. The fact that I was running without achilles pain was just perfect for me. I quickly slotted into 8th place, with nobody close behind, and passed one person about half way through to make it to 7th. It wasn't easy going at any point, but I didn't fade as much as I had feared, given the lack of recent mileage. Perhaps the bike fitness was saving me there. The mud slowed me less than expected, and the hills were fine. I'm looking forward to getting some speed back, but I'm just delighted to be able to do this without major soreness afterwards. I love to run, and this suggests that I'll be able to run again.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I was happy with the pacing, given my current fitness level.
Post race
Warm down:

Jogged around for a few minutes to cheer on friends and to help the calves/tendons stay loose.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Almost zero run training in the past 2 months. It's time to get back.

Event comments:

Don and Sue Grant have been organizing these weekly races for 26 years. More than 400 of them. Amazing. They're very low key, but sometimes that's just what you need.




Last updated: 2012-05-15 12:00 AM
Running
00:19:22 | 03.11 miles | 06m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/20
Overall: 20/50
Performance: Average
Course: A couple of undulating loops around forest and fields, with one steep climb in the last mile.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2012-05-15 10:46 PM

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Subject: Northampton XC 5k
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