Creve's first 5K(19min37sec): 1st Place Law Enforcement!

Creve did his regular long run pre evening prep and spent the week Tapering/Catering his workouts, waking at 3-4am/Bed 7-8pm & Day off work Friday to 'Peak' for this very morning.  It worked great!  Morning of race Creve had 4am yogurt-50 Cals EggSubstitute/FF Cheese-175Cals and OatBran-200Cals  at 530 Pancakes-250Cals and cup off Coffee/MC-50Cals on drive to race then small zone chocolate bar-75Cals 7ish 

Creve was close to 95% performance and felt energized/psyched higher than in many months; however he was a bit apprehensive as this was his first 5K/3.1 mile distance run and closest applicable experience he had was his quarterly 1.5 mile PT run which he did the previous week in record 9:39.  He hurt pretty bad during that so was hoping for respectable 22 min time for this.  Fortunately, punctual Creve got to flirt with one of the cute volunteer water-stop girls who runs in lots of races/marathon and she gave him some good advice to warm up a few miles since he was used to distance running( good advice or keep him out of her way...juries still out? ;) 

So Creve dashed/trotted to and fro his car/co-workers/booths/bathroom, was all antsy- about 1.5-2 miles then finally positioned right at front line with main competition.  Three tall, lean Runner's Depot Jersey'd racers sized up the line and with smug looks butted right in the front middle.  The Kenyan guy next to Creve said the tallest one ran a 16min 5K.  The Kenyan was a friendly guy who had parked next to Creve earlier that morning with a Nike Remix shirt on which they discussed.  Well Creve had to work during that Nike Remix race so didn't run it, but he did run several of the training runs and keeps meeting other runners from it.  Creve was hoping he was not in his age group as his lean & erect form looked much faster and adapted for speed than Creve's stout & sturdy build, but alas he was the one to take second place in Creve's age group- still a nice guy.

Race finally started like 7 min late and Creve burst out with the lead runners, strong.  There was a bit of confusion as to what the lady with the bull horn should say, so finally it was "Runner's on your mark, GO!"  First thing that surprised Creve was that he wasn't getting passed up...  now Creve knows his pace pretty well, and this was anticipated to be pretty much 90-95%+ all for 3.1 miles of hellish discomfort, but most every other run Creve has ever done there are always over anxious runners who start out way faster than they can maintain.  This was Creve's first strategic thought that maybe he was one of these runners and starting out to fast because nobody was overtaking him...  Right away heartrate spiked to over 95%(Average whole race HR was 176 Maxed at 184!) 

Well the race went by relatively quick (especially compared with Creve's 2 marathons)  and he's defiantly not accustomed to running at his Lactic Acid Threshold (Need to add little speed training in to workouts and stop just jogging for distance/lollygagging at topless SouthBeach beauties)  Pain started getting pretty close to what he thought was unbearable/unattainable and Creve was at 98/99% HeartRate, so he eased back on pace as there was concern about being shamed if he Bonked/Blacked out before finish- was running at PT run pace- All out and didn't think could maintain that for over twice distance.  Well the friendly Kenyan had been shadowing Creve and pulled in front and this was a bit disheartening, but expected.  Then about 1.25miles this wiry 14 year old passed Creve and that was pretty demoralizing.  Well the route looped around and the 16min 5K Runners Depot guy passed and must have been this kids dad cause he was pretty harsh and yelled at the boy 'Don't you dare give up!' 'You got him beat'... ouch; that kind of stung. 

As the kid was getting farther in front of a tired & hurting old man Creve, the vision of the pretty, blond girl at the Mile 2 water stop giving all her attention & encouragement to this cute & little, 14 year old running prodigy - while oblivious to a trailing Creve was absolutely unbearable.  So here was Creve's big Gambit and caution was thrown to the winds; were Creve had to have faith in the race day magic and his determination/luck to run till he would blackout.  A simplistic strategy to just run all out as fast as his legs would move.  Felt bad for demoralizing the boy cause he heard Creve overtaking and they jockeyed for position a few hundred feet but Creve's longer stride was no match for the little tyke.  Creve just kept going full speed and never looked back whole race.  Mile marker 2 finally came there was no way Creve could drink or eat at this pace but he had to grab the cute blond girls cup of water, which she was picture perfectly, demurely dangling about like some fair medieval maidens handkerchief waiting for her knight to commandeer her heart...  Creve must have been so focused on her during his rapid approach because the two water-stop guys flanking her shapely figure stepped back & moved their water cups out of the way for Creve to make a perfect high speed paper water cup grab from her skillfully placed delicate hand.  She gave him a big encouraging smile that made him feel like he was floating for a short while, and then realizing he was still holding the full water cup he heard footsteps trying to overtake him.  Must have subconsciously slowed pace a bit.  Nothing else to do he dumped all the water directly on his forehead to cool him down and splash the mysterious runner now shadowing Creve.  It must have worked cause he never got passed or heard any runners from that point - it was just Creve and his mental demons of torment for the duration.

That's when he just went with the race/running groove- 'the zone', if you'll entertain him.  He entered that awful dark cave of pain, probing deeper than any other time in his running experience...  42 mile jog, marathons... endurance stuff is a different type of seeming endless, lingering aches, dull/numbing pain over that can come and go with infrequent, sporadic euphoric-almost pleasurable waves of feeling/emotions.  This 5K was a self imposed, extreme intensity Creve had never had to endure to this intense degree.  However, he also knew it was almost over in a matter minutes.  He was running way above his ability/training.  It was defiantly a "boiling Point"  There was not even the option or slowing down/quitting... To many coworkers counting on a great finish for our first competitive athletic event and of course the hopeful anticipation of the pretty water-stop girls affections & favor with his humble 'victory'...  nothing could have made him voluntarily stop. 

Fortunately, Creve forgets most of the explicit details of the hurts & aches from that experience except for the searing burning pain of the bottom of his feet (running fast on pavement...?) and lack of any major shin discomfort (It must have been overwhelmed as its a more lower intensity nagging pain).  Ran with more intense effort than Creve ever wants to do again, for a surprising sub 20 min 5K finish. 

At the finish Creve hurt more than after both marathons/other longs runs-could not stop moving.  Breathing was labored for couple minutes and poured water over head to cool down.  But it also faded faster than ever as well/recovered and in 2-3 minutes felt Great and was Ecstatic he finished so fast and strong for him.  What an amazing roller-coaster of being alive that morning was.  Congratulated his Nike Remix buddy, the Kenyan, but Creve forgets his name.  First coworker came in couple minutes after that, then finish line got busy as the herd flowed in, so Creve went to get his gear bag and mixed up a Surge recovery drink, ate some fruit and downed a Smoothie King beverage. 

The whole morning was so painful & challenging, but also incredible & actually fun for Creve with his proud co-workers for our agency placing first in our inaugural event and the friendly water-stop girl (Future Raven Run Recruit?)

Post Run:

While Creve was driving home he started feeling sick to his stomach( to much Lactic acid in his system) his feet were sore and had diarrhea ( every time he run hard it abuses the bowels)  Ok, Made it home and fixed diarrhea, ate some more and darn stomach nagged all day with little nausea but knew he needed a Nice Key Biscayne Bike( His last one was over a month ago with all the tapering for Marathon/PT Run & this race.  Ride went fine and Creve had plenty of energy and just enjoyed incredible Florida and it's fantastic weather, but wowser did his feet burn ever time he pumped peddles for 35.5 miles.  

Got to bed late as Creve was wired from day, but exhausted.  Was in low 70's with good cool ocean breeze and Creve was to tired to shut up doors/windows and turn AC on.  Big Mistake.  Was also very Humid and Creve slept like Crap- all sticky and restless feet kept running- had lots of bad unpleasant dreams (i.e. no pretty blond water-stop girl dreams.)  The 5K agony really traumatized Creve and he is dreading next one and that horrible intense hurt...  Misses the good old 'comfortable' slow long runs and hopes he is better conditioned so he doesn't have to push so hard and go back that deep in the numinous dark cave of torment.

One dream he woke in a cold sweat from ( He knows this has to do with the 5K and going that far back in the dark, scary, cave of pain) went as vividly recalled:  Creve is home alone & cooking/eating/fueling as usual and feels this awful wave of fear & dread, then he thinks he hears a light knock on the door (just like the infuriating quiet knock his fellow Raven Runner Flasher always does and he is always worried he won't hear cause he's usually in other room and has music playing, etc... so every little bump he's checking out the peephole...  As he moves to the door to see if someone's there he is just overwhelmed by this irrational fear and when he finally forces himself too look through the peephole there is complete darkness!  He gets 'terrified' and panicky and starts yelling out who is out there.  He is just glued to the door and wants to open it, but he is to afraid to do anything but keep yelling "who's there.  What's out there, blah blah..." 

Jeez that dream was the worst he's had in years...  well finally he woke up out of that awful predicament/conundrum and then felt all spooked like he better walk around the condo and check it out as he left everything opened up for the breeze.  As he walked into the living room he was horrified to see a tall shadowy form draped in a hooded Pitch Black Cloak looming in front of him wielding a huge curved scythe...  Sorry, that last italic line was Creve adding some drama for the his future movie script.  He just got back in bed after a protein shake and was restless with more unpleasant dreams and had a crappy night.

Next Day:

Creve was pretty good over all and just bottoms of feet and shins little sore- Decent recovery; ready to run soon.