MtSAC Relays 5000m
Back in September last year I said to Nuttall I really wanted to run a fast 5000 this summer and after seeing how well the Brits did at MtSAC & Stanford last year I fancied getting out there.
I opted solely for MTSAC so it was a big one for me as it was all my eggs in one basket, I paid a small fortune to get out to the states. The heat sheets went up Monday evening before the race and I was in the 'C' race. I was a little frustrated so I got onto Brendan Riley at BoulderWave who had kindly been helping me out. He managed to sort it and much to my surprise I was now in the A race. At first I thought the pace might be too much for me as it's usually 13:25-13:40 and going off on the back at 13:40 could be a gamble for me as I hadn't raced and I didn't know what to expect.
I wasn't going to ask again to be moved so I settled with the faster race and hoped that some of the athletes in the B race had moved up too so the top race would string out a little and i'd be in the middle of the pack.
At the Mount San Antonio College the conditions were perfect, around 15 degrees and no wind at all. The race started at 7:50pm in a the busy schedule and there was 33 starters in my race including 8 Brits. My plan was to get through 3k in around 8:10, which is about 13:37 pace and then see what happens from there.
The race got underway and surprisingly it was a very considerate race, there was no pushing or shoving and everyone seemed to carefully slot into where they felt they needed to be within the first 200m or so. I didn't really think about the clock at all over the first mile or so, I knew the pace would go out fairly quick so I just had to run my own race and base it on those around me. I wasn't going to kid myself, I knew I belonged in the 2nd half of the field and if I went well I could try and move through. I felt very easy for the first mile, just finding my feet really and getting a good position as there was a lot of overtaking from everyone going on.
After around 4 or 5 laps things finally got into single file and I could relax on the curb and follow the guy in front of me. I got into a good rhythm and just tried to switch off. I remember coming round with 200 short of 5 laps to go I looked up and the guy I was following had eased off. A gap had opened up and I needed to close it. Thing is, when you're moving at PB pace, it's very hard to do that in the middle of the race. I went through 3000m in 8:10 and remember thinking, do I put a hard lap in to close the gap and risk the race or do I settle and try and hold 66's now i'm through 3k?
I opted for the latter. It was new territory for me from here, I knew I was strong enough to hold things together as I was feeling in decent shape 5 laps out but if I put in a hard surge I could risk blowing up in the final 800m. I stayed focused and kept my eyes on the guys who were falling off the pace 25m in front of me. One by one I reeled them in and the laps ticked by. With 2 laps to go I think I got there in 11:30 but my legs were starting to scream. I thought to myself, 'you're on for a good one here, just hold it together!'
I'm still annoyed at myself but on that penultimate lap I slipped to a 68. I'm so annoyed with myself. I was still gaining on the athletes ahead of me so maybe this gave me a false sense of moving quickly.
I went through the bell and the clock was 12:38/9 and just gave it everything I had. I managed to catch two athletes on the last lap and moved into 12th position. I as I entered the home straight I could see Rory Fraser just ahead, I ran out of track though and didn't manage to catch him. As I crossed the line I was unsure of my time, all I knew was that it would be close to 13:40 but I didn't know how close.
I had to wait a good hour to find out my time. It took ages to go online so it was a nervous wait but at least I knew it was a PB unless for some crazy reason I ran my last 200 in 45 seconds. I may have done that before but I was pretty confident I hadn't this time.
The times came through and I'd ran 13:41.35. Half of me was delighted, the other half slightly disappointed I hadn't broken 13:40. I'm not 100% happy when I run, I always want more, I always think I could have done better. I see that as good thing that, that's what motivates me day in day out.
It was amazing to see how well the Brits ran there. At the front you had Andy Vernon battling it in with Jorge Torres a USA Olympian. Next in was Mark Draper, he ran a storming last mile to run 13:34. Then it was Rory Fraser, he put his balls on the line and went for a 13:30 clocking but it just quite didn't happen for him and 600m tied up- next time it'll happen! Then I came in followed by young Ross Millington in 13:44 and then training partner John Beattie in 14:00. I know John was disappointed with that but he only travelled to the USA a few days before the race so he was bound to be tired, hopefully he'll bounce back in the 10,000 next weekend. Tom Lancashire didn't finish as he had an off day and didn't quite feel right. I think he may have around the 3000m mark. I'm not sure what happened to Scott Overall as he seemed to be in there with about 800m to go, maybe he injured himself?
I still think it's a great performance from the Brits on the whole for 5000m running. It just shows that things are starting to pick up in UK endurance. Hopefully with more hard training, more competition and more altitude training we can all help move each other along another step.
Race Video:
http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238152-2011-Mt-SAC-Relays/video/484619-M-5k-H01-Invite
Results:
Flash Results, Inc.
53RD ANNUAL MT. SAC RELAYS
"Where the world's best athletes compete"
Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, California - 4/14/2011 to 4/16/2
Event 123 Men 5000 Meter Run Invit Elite
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World Record: W 12:37.35 2004 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopa
American Rec: @ 12:54.12 2010 Bernard Lagat, Nike
Meet Record: $ 13:11.37 2007 Juan Barrios, Mexico
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Braun, Aaron Adidas/McMillan 13:27.01
2 Torres, Jorge Reebok 13:27.58
3 Vernon, Andy Unattached 13:27.85
4 Romero, Juan Carlos Mexico 13:29.40
5 Bauhs, Scott Adidas 13:30.18
6 Rono, Aron Unattached 13:30.58
7 Lagat, Haron Unattached 13:30.59
8 Asmerom, Bolota Saucony 13:31.93
9 Sambu, Stephen Arizona 13:34.19
10 Draper, Mark New Balance 13:34.63
11 Fraser, Rory New Mexico 13:39.37
12 McLeod, Ryan Adidas 13:41.35
13 Sang, Amos Abilene Christian 13:42.88
14 Millington, Ross New Mexico 13:44.10
15 Kisorio, Silas Oklahoma Christian 13:44.83
16 Ahmed, Mohammed Wisconsin 13:44.98
17 Borrego, Diego Alberto Mexico 13:45.90
18 Jankowski, David Zap Fitness 13:48.33
19 Horn, Jordan adidas/McMillan 13:50.89
20 Medigovich, Brian Hansons Brooks 13:51.52
21 Haas, Stephen New Balance 13:51.67
22 Shimizu, Daisuke Japan 13:54.91
23 Bor, Emmanuel Alabama 13:55.99
24 Tyner, Justin Air Force 13:58.90
25 Beattie, John Adidas 14:00.07
26 McCarthy, David Providence 14:04.04
27 Orduña, Miguel Angel Mexico 14:09.68
28 Morita, Tomoyuki Japan 14:17.46
-- Pfifer, Stephen Oregon Tc/Nike DNF
-- Darling, Maverick Wisconsin DNF
-- Lancashire, Thomas New Balance DNF
-- Overall, Scott Adidas DNF
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