My goal this year is to break 22 minutes in a 5km race. At the St. Patrick's 5km I ran a fast enough pace to break 22 (4:22/km), but the course was measured slightly too long so I ended up crossing the line 30 seconds after the 22 minute mark. After coming so close I looked for another 5km race and found this one, the Bear, a 5km race on the North Loop in Gatineau Park.
At the start line I was hopeful of breaking 22 minutes, there was a strong-ish tail-wind and this was an out-and-back so I knew there would be a head-wind coming back. I was also unsure about how many hills there were and how steep they would be.
I lined up near the front and soon enough we were off. About 10-15 runners absolutely blew out of the "starting blocks" and headed off into the distance. "Let them go!" I told myself and settled into my goal pace and found my rhythm as I headed up the first hill of the race. It was a small race and the pack settled down pretty quick and I was running pretty much on my own. I clocked 4:10 for the first kilometer, a very good start. The second kilometer started with a gradual uphill but I kept my pace and was feeling pretty strong at this point. I knew I would turn back into a head-wind so I didn't want to ease off.
Everything seemed to be going really well, but then I became aware that my shoelace was undone, usually I go through a number of checks before a race but my mind was too focused on the wind and hills that I neglected to check that my laces were secure. I pulled over onto the grass, threw my gloves off (it was pretty chilly) and quickly tied my lace, grabbed my gloves and headed downhill towards the 2km marker and a steep hill (2km in 4:26). I was not sure how much time I had wasted tying a shoe lace, but I quickly shook it off and tackled the hill and then headed down a steep downhill to the turnaround. After turning around I found out how strong the wind was, it nearly blew my cap off as I struggled back up the hill. At the top of the hill I got some respite and was able to hammer it down the hill clocking 4:33 for the 3rd kilometer.
The forth kilometer was the hardest with a long gradual uphill and on tired legs I started to really struggle, I knew I didn't have too long to go and ran as hard as I could. I also know that there was a steep downhill in the last 500 meters of the race so I could run it really hard and make up any time lost in this section. As anticipated, the forth kilometer was slower (4:47).
At this point I wasn't really aware of where I stood in relation to the magic 22 minute mark, I just kept telling myself to keep running as hard as I could and to really hammer it when I got to the final downhill. Finally the finish line was in sight, I pushed as much as I could but as the clock came in to focus I saw that I would fall just short, clocking 22:10 with a 4:13 final km and good enough for 9th place overall (but a full 2 minutes behind 8th place!).
In the end, it was the shoelace that undid me, missing my goal by a mere 11 seconds. Still I had a very solid race, a personal best for this distance and on a really tough course. I know I can break 22, my next 5km race will be on Canada Day (1st July) and hopefully I will be able to celebrate sub-22 and Canada Day at the same time.
