Boston 2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Tale of the Taper - Episode IV

April 12th, 2011 - Like the swallows to Capistrano and these cliches to my blog, spring has once again officially returned to the city of Lowell with the start of the Good Times 5K series.

You can't have a good Boston taper without a good final, final, final tune-up race for Boston.

This was only my third road race of the year vs 20 at this point last year. The timing for this race couldn't have been better, and was perfect for those looking for a fast 5K to tune-up for Boston, and that's what I used it for.

According to my online friend, Greg McMillan, he told me that I could run close to a 17 minute 5K based on my performance at the New Bedford Half back in March. My 5K PR up until now was 17:34, which was set on the same GT5K course last summa'.

I didn't believe Mark Blaisdell when he told me late last summer that I should be running closer to 17:10, than 17:30's. I tried and tried, but never could achieve it. I ended the GT5K 2010 summer series with a couple of duds over 18, and I never broke 18 during Fudge this year. It looked as though I had peaked at my least favorite distance, but of course, that was all before I started piling on the mileage for Boston.

This Boston training cycle seems to have done wonders for my overall running. From pounding hills, to track workouts, to long tempo runs, and putting up with Fil, I survived it all and tonight's race is what I am hoping is just the first by-product of all that training.

My A goal going into tonight's race was to break 17. I figured that even if I blew up going after my A goal that I I'd still have a good shot at achieving my B goal, which was to set a new 5K PR right before Boston.

I had plenty of company tonight as a record crowd of 281 runners gathered for the first rites of spring, including all of my wonderful running friends (in no particular order):

AIMS CONEY
ALEXANDER FANOUS
ALEXEI LOMAKIN
ALICIA LEEMAN
AMANDA BENOIT
AMY MORRIS
AMY PAQUETTE
ANDREW HOUDE
ANDY BOURGUE
ANGELA KOTSIFAS
ANGIE DODGE
ANTONYO FEBO
APRIL COFFIN
BARBARA SCOLLAN
BARRY NEILL
BARRY PEARSON
BASH ZAGANJORI
BEN O'MEARA
BETH HOGAN
BILL MCCARTHY
BOB GANNON
BOBBY THERIAULT
BONNIE KINNAL
BRADLEY MIKESELL
BRENDA MACDONALD
BRENDAN GURRY
BRIAN DEMLEIN
BRIAN RISTUCCIA
BRIDGET DRISCOLL
BRYON MACSWEENEY
CHARLES WOODS
CHERYL VAREY
CHRISTINA RISTUCCI
CHRISTINE BRUNELLE
CHRISTINE MCPARTLA
CHRISTINE SULLIVAN
CHRISTOPHER SCHAFF
CHUCK MCALLISTER
CINDY CAMPBELL
CLINT OBRIEN
CRAIG ANDERSON
CRAIG LEMIRE
CRAIG MACKENZIE
CRAIG ROWE
DAN BEAULIEU
DANIEL HOUSTON
DANIELLE BANGS
DANIELLE MCPARTLAN
DANNY RIO
DAVE LABRODE
DAVE TYLER
DAVID ALLEN
DAVID HARDY
DAWN WILSON
DEBBIE DOHERTY
DEBORAH WHITE
DENA BROWN
DENISE UNDERWOOD
DON GATTON
DON KARDONG
DON PATCH
DONALD MILLER
DONNA NIVEN
DOUG ROBINSON
DOUGLAS KINNALL
ED BARTER
ED MORRISON
EDWARD BURNS
EJ HRYNOWSKI
ERYN GALLAGHER
FESTUS MBUVA
FIL FARIA
FRANK GEORGES
FRANK GORMAN JR
FRANK GORMAN SR
FRED HEBERT
FREDA RYDER
GARRETT THURSTON
GEORGE BISSON
GRETCHEN DESMOND
HEATHER SHEA
HELEN SULLIVAN
JAMES HALL
JAMES SHELTON
JASON BUI
JAY SHORT
JEFF ONEIL
JENNIE FROMENT
JENNIFER GOUVEIA
JENNIFER HALL
JENNIFER MAYNARD
JENNIFER PORTER
JESSICA COSTA
JESSICA LEEDBERG
JILL LOHMEIER
JIM GRANT
JIM PACHECO
JIM TROWSRIDGE
JOANNE DONOVAN
JOANNE ROY
JOE DONNELLY
JOEL CLABEAUX
JOHANNA RILEY
JOHN DUCHARME
JOHN JOHNSON
JOHN MELIA
JOHN OGGENFUSS
JOHN PERREAULT
JOHN SINGLETON
JONATHAN MACKENZIE
JONATHAN MORRIS
JONATHAN MUOLLO
JONATHAN SHEEHAN
JONATHAN WILK
JORDAN CLABEAUX
JOSEPH FORSTER
JUDY CHASE
JUDY GALLAGHER
JUDY MURPHY
JULIANE ST GEORGE
JULIE BUCHANAN
JULIE PINARD
JUSTIN QUINLAN
KAITLYN COX
KARA HAAS
KAREN COLANTUONIO
KAREN GRONDINE
KAREN HANNAN
KAREN LACHAPELLE
KAREN MIRANDA
KATE PACHECO
KATEY SULLIVAN
KATHRYN GOUVEIA
KATIE CREEGAN
KATIE MORIARTY
KELLY YONAKER
KERRI DESCHAINE
KERRI WILK
KERRY FENLON
KERRY HALL
KEVIN FALLON
KEVIN KALISH
KEVIN KUPSKI
KEVIN MOULTON
KEVIN MURPHY
KEVIN REYNOLDS
KEVIN SULLIVAN
KIM BUDRYK
KIM COLLINS
KIMBERLEE NUTTER
KRISTEN MCKENNEY
KRISTIN FOX
LAURA BROWN
LAURA CARPENTER
LAURA INGALLS
LAURA OGONOWSKI
LAUREN FRAZEE
LAURIE CALLAHAN
LEAH FITZPATRICK
LEE GITSCHIER
LEO DEMERS
LEO TOMETICH
LINDA MCCARTHY
LINDA MILOT
LINDA TACCINI
LINDSAY STUDRT
LIS GABIN
LISA BURKE
LISA DRISCOLL
LISA GOVONI
LOUIS FISH
LUIS ESCOBAR
LYLE REED
MARGE MCLAUGHLIN
MARIANNE LUCEY
MARIANNE SULLIVAN
MARIE YEAGER
MARK CODDAIRE
MARK CORBETT
MARK GALLAGHER
MARK ROBERTS
MARK SULLIVAN
MARY CASEY
MATTHEW MARTIN
MATTHEW SHAPIRO
MAYA JOHNSON
MCLEAN ROZEN
MEG XENAKIS
MICHAEL BALLERINI
MICHAEL CASSIDY
MICHAEL FAUVEL
MICHAEL MCHALE
MICHAEL MONTMINY
MICHAEL MURPHY
MICHAEL SHEEHAN
MICHEAL HAAS
MICHELE ROBBINS
MICHELLE ROCHE
MICHELLE SANTOS
MIKE GOVONI
MIKE SOHA
MOLLY LEARY
MYRA ROBINSON
NANCY PATCH
NAOMI MUNSAI
NATALIE REID
NATHAN TAYLOR
NEIL GOUVEIA
NICHOLAS BRUNELLE
NICOLE THURSTON
OLIVER MCMAHON
OWEY PEREIRA
PAMELA BECKWITH
PAMELA OGONOWSKI
PAUL ALCORN
PAUL HAGGERTY
PAUL RILEY
PAULA ACCOMAZZO
PAULA CULLEN
PAULA GREATOREX
PEG GIOLOSO
PENNI HART
PETER GOLDEN
PHILIP COLAMETA
PHILIP HUNT
RANDALL SHEAD
RENEE MOLINARI
RICH MILLER
RICHARD BRESLIN
RICHARD BROWN
RICHARD CHANEY
RICHARD DOYLE
RICHARD FAIAS
RICHARD MOLLOY
ROBERT FRIMANSON
ROBERT MCCOLLUM
ROBERT SMITH
ROBERT TIVEY
ROSA TEJADA
ROSE WASHAK
SARA KIRWIN
SARAH FANOUS
SARAH HARDY
SARAH MAHOWEY
SCOTT CASPER
SCOTT OBRIEN
SEAN DONNELLY
SEAN SILVA
SHAELAGH FLORENCE
SHANA HALL
SHERYL LABRECQUE
SLATER BARTLETT
SONIA RUAS
STACEY LEIGH
STACY TILNEY
STEPH RIDDLE
STEPHANIE SCHAFFER
STEVE MAHONEY
STEVEN GUERTIN
SUSAN BARTLETT
SUSAN BOURGUE
SUZANNE HARRING
TANYA HUGHES
TARA ALCORN
TERENCE MCCARTHY
TIFFANY PERRY
TIM CAMPBELL
TIM SULLIVAN
TITUS MUTINDA
TOBEY HARTMAN
TODD AMES
TOM AMIRO
TOM LUCEY
TRACIE BRENNAN
TRENTON HOYT
TRINA SHEEHAN
WENDY BERGIN
WENDY HAWKINS
WENDY STANICK
ZACHARY CASPER
ZONA SHARFMAN

 (Photo Courtesy of Mike Stanwyk)

My race strategy was to run fast and see if I could get under 17. It was that simple. Well, not that simple.

I knew I would need to average 5:27's for the entire race to get under 17, so I logically broke the course down into three 1 mile sections and focused my strategy that way.

On a side note, I had done extensive speed work on the treadmill and track coming into this race to acclimate myself  to that pace, so it wasn't completely uncharted territory for me, but throw in some literal twists and turns and it's a different story.

Speaking of which, there are plenty of those on this course, which makes it a much more technical 5k course than most. You really have to know how to manuever (i.e. cut) around the corners to take advantage. I don't care what the Water Buffalo says, those corners are there to be cut!

I knew the first mile was going to be fast (it always is) due to the adrenaline and the slight downhill start, and hitting 5:27 through this stretch wasn't going to be difficult.

Joe, Titus, and Festus passed me at around .75 and never looked back.

I got through Mile 1 in 5:29. Oh well, what's two seconds going to matter...

Mile 2 is always rough for me and it's typically my slowest mile on this course. Even though I consciously made an effort to not fall asleep down the VFW stretch tonight, I still ended up logging my slowest mile on the night with a 5:40 second mile. Part of it has to do with the "hills" at the start of the Mile 2 and also the crown in the road near the end of it.

I was actually gaining ground on Titus and Festus through parts of Mile 2, and thought I had a chance to at least catch Festus going into Mile 3.

I hit the 2.5 mile mark in about 14 minutes, so I knew it was going to be close if I were to get under 17. I figure that it usually takes me about 2 mins and 40 seconds to cover my last 800 meters at track when I'm going top speed.

I also started to think about the 3-minute drills that I've been using during my treadmill workouts. I always end my treadmill runs with a 3-minute all-out sprint in order to simulate the end of a race. It was now time to implement it for real.

I quickly glanced at my Garmin and saw that I was hitting low 5's over the final quarter mile. When I looked back up I could finally see the finish line clock.

Festus was still out in front and not coming back to me any further, so I wasn't catching him this week. So much for an easy 18, Festus!

I hit the 3rd mile in 16:47 (another 5:40 mile) with .10 to go.

I completed the final .10 stretch in 16 seconds in what normally would have taken me about 20-25 seconds to cover previously.

The clock read 17:02 as I slapped Glenn a high-five at the finish. So, I guess those two seconds really did matter!

Oh well, at least now I have something to shoot for this spring and summer.

On a positive note, with this new PR I did, however, finally managed to break into the Top 50 (43rd) on the GT5K All-Time PR list. YAY for useless stats!

Congrats to all of the runners and those that set PR's tonight! 1 down 15 to go!

Well, this concludes the taper portion of the blog and, barring an injury at track tonight (I love tempting fate), most likely my last entry before the Big Day!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on this side or the other...of the Boston finish line!

4 comments:

SisuJohn said...

"I completed the final .10 stretch in 16 seconds in what normally would have taken me about 20-25 seconds to cover previously."

What does Mr. Bolt think about you exceeding his world record pace?

...psst. I think the 3rd mile marker is off!

Great run! Damn, you are coming around nicely for Boston.

BTW, I eactually crunched the numbers, and it's not world record pace, but the equivilent of a 9.94 100 meter instead.

Jason Bui said...

Dang! I'm running the wrong distance! :) Yeah, the final stretch was actually .07 on my watch, but you get the idea. Thanks for keeping me honest though!

BadDawg said...

I ran the official 3.14 course, silly old water buffalo that I am.

Helluva run J, your progress has progressed from amazing to ridonculous. Don't stop now.

s p running said...

Enjoyed your blog posts... hope Monday goes well for you, Jason!

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