Friar 5k -- 1st win since 2019

Came into today with 4th, 3rd, & 2nd place performances at triathlons through the spring & summer. Just finished the 70.3 World Champs two weeks ago. Focused my training on that event & now the goals have changed. I'm running the Boston Marathon on October 11th. I signed up before I even considered myself a triathlete. Oh how things have changed. There are just three weeks between St. George & Boston. As I write this, we're just nine days out. I haven't done your classic marathon workouts or long runs. I have been training a ton, and hitting a variety of swim/bike/run workouts. I knew my timeline was tight between races. Part of me believes running a good marathon is doable. I made the switch from triathlete to runner and gave a short race a go this morning.

I recovered as well as I could after the World Champs. I took some down time, did some hiking, and got back to the east coast. I ran 22 miles 8 days after crossing the finish line in downtown St. George. I averaged 6:50s and felt exhausted by the time I finished. How would I feel 16 days later?

I then attacked the next week of training. I ran 13+ miles on Tuesday of this past week with a 12k progression at 5:58 pace. I followed that up with a 15 mile medium long run on Wednesday, averaging in the 6:40s. I ran a super easy 10 miles on Thursday and then 7 on Friday with a small amount of fast stuff thrown in. My wife signed us up for the Friar 5k so how could I say no?

I was able to warm up over to campus from my doorstep. I got to the start line a couple minutes before the gun went off & everyone around me was astonished that I thought sub-17 would be good on the day. The race started & I quickly found myself in 20th place (lol). So many people sprinted out. We got about a half mile in, passed Big Tony's, and I had worked my way back up into a share of 1st/2nd. I started run stride for stride with maybe a PC student?

I hope they're not mad at me. My triathlon & marathon legs didn't have another gear. I locked into 5:20s and they seemed content to half step me instead of work with me & run side by side. I did my best to run to the side of them & not be in their slip stream. The course was super hilly but my effort was even. Every time I would pull even with them, they seemed to put in a surge. I thought I was done around mile 2 when they gapped me by a couple seconds but I closed the gap and then moved to the front. I put in a hard effort at 2.5 miles and went for it. I think a lot about want and need. I didn't just want to get a Dub but Needed to. I was hurting but made the choice to hurt even more. My 5th kilometer was 3:04 (sub-5:00 mile pace). I hammered the uphill, got onto the track, and won the dang thing. I put some considerable time on second in the last half mile. My guy deserves a ton of credit. If I had done this race solo, I probably would have run a lot slower. I ran 16:55, which seems pretty good 2 weeks after 70.3 Worlds & 9 days out from Boston. I'm far from peak 5k shape but I've only ever run 16:20 in a race (flat 5k in Chicago in 2019). Today's race climbed 200 feet -- pretty hilly for a 5k. I think the effort isn't too far off of my PB. I closed faster than 3k pace on an uphill stretch of road. I want to run a flat 5k post-Boston & see if we can scare 16:00.

Immediately following the race, I did a 5k tempo in 18:35. I don't know what any of this means but I feel strong rn. I think I can run well in Boston. Depending on the weather, I want to give 2:40 a go. I feel like a broken record. That time feels so important to me. I want, no I need, to break that time barrier. I feel ready even though I've been training like a triathlete. I'm going to enjoy this win and then back off of training and freshen up for Boston. Fingers crossed for a good day. I have some fitness somewhere in these triathlon legs. It's time to see what we're made of over 26.2.