Pogo stick

An up and down week to say the least. Let's get this post rolling…

A couple things happened to me for the first time at the Waterloo Classic 5K this past Sunday. The first was that I dipped under 16 minutes on the road, despite feeling the effects later on of passing through the first kilometre in a fraction over 3 minutes. The second novelty was a reward for my efforts: $50 cash for my third place finish. 

I want to state right off the bat that running fast gives me all the satisfaction I'd ever require. If I have to choose between prizes or quick times, I'd choose a good effort 10 times out of 10. But since most races insist on providing participants with some sort of finishing medal, it's really nice to see of that money being used towards a cash prize for once. Despite competing in road races since grade nine, I can't once recall actually winning any money. Most races I've done don't even offer straight cash to top finishes, which can still be okay if something comparable such as gift certificates are offered- as long as they are a reasonable dollar amount. Last December I ran a race in Hamilton that awarded gift certificates to the winners that were less than the entry fee. I finished second and was presented with a whole $10 to be used at the Running Room. Anyone that has ever browsed through John Stanton's chain of stores knows that $10 isn't enough to even purchase a pair of socks, never mind any else of practical use. Had I gotten the win, my winnings would have amounted to $25, with a net loss of $15 when taking into account the entry fee. Now I don't run races just to pick up prize money, but with over 400 finishes and a bevy of finishing medals and t-shirts available, I don't see how even offering to pay back the entries for the top 10 finishers would hurt the overall profitability of a race. Especially considering I don't need nor do I want another finishing medal to clutter my house or end up in a landfill. A better scenario would see the price of a race entry decrease by doing away with medals and t-shirts altogether. If the run raises some money for a local charity (and many do these days) that means that the price can remain reasonable with most of the proceeds still going to a good cause. More often than not the shirts provided are irrationally ugly and made of obviously cheap dry-fit material that chafes like sandpaper anyhow. I can probably survive buying my own running shirts that are functional, easy on the eyes and not a walking billboard for the local fun run. 

All of these reasons make twilight track races seem like a gift from the heavens. For an entry fee usually around $15, you buy yourself a spot on the line, and (assuming you finish) a time beside your name on the results page. There are no frills- just a chance to race your best with a group of other guys there to do the exact same thing. The only reward for running fast is the personal satisfaction that comes with it, which is the best perk in my opinion anyhow. 

…but this means it sort of sucks when you're banking on a little personal satisfaction and come up empty with a weak effort. For my second race of the week, I ran 4:10 over 1500 metres on Friday,  but it would really be a  stretch to call what I was doing "racing".  I was at the back of the pack at the start, but never moved up and eventually fell off as the race heated up. There was a 10 second spread between the winner of the heat (4:02) and the slowest finisher, so there was more than enough bodies to chase. But my legs ached through 800m as if they were being over-stretched, and my chest burned like I was racing indoors. Looking at a video of the race was telling- I looked pretty defeated my last lap. 

I've been struggling to determine what went wrong. Granted, my mileage this summer has been pitiful by my standards, and that always tends to hurt my performances at any distance. But I felt good enough both Sunday and Tuesday (during a brutally hot workout) that I thought the pieces would come together for a good time. Devon and Justin both had great races for personal bests, so what could my excuse be? 

I'm hoping that it was just a bad day. I briefly entertained thoughts of not running the 5000 in London two weeks from now, but figured my road performance has the potential to translate alright onto the track. This is assuming my foot holds. It's been hurting this past week, and since I've determined the Asics mess up my IT band even if they save my foot from taking a beating, I've got to be careful with my choice of shoes at the moment. Wish me luck!