Irishtown 5K - Improvement is clear

Running is a funny sport, and running at a more mature age sometimes throws up surprises, that even an experienced veteran of 30 years of tieing up the laces,
finds fascinating, and one of the many reasons those 30 years have encompassed this hobby/sport for me.

For the first time this year I went to a BHAA race, the Business House Races, I have enjoyed over the years. With injury and lack of fitness, I have missed the first half of the BHAA season, but there are still a few races I can fit in. Tonight was the Dublin City Council organised, Irishtown 5K, a race I have enjoyed in previous years, both as a particpant, and also I have marshalled in the days I worked for the council.

The race starts on the track at Irishtown Stadium, running the first Km on the track, before exiting and heading into the adjoining park, for three laps there, before returning to the track and a lap to finish. The run is flat and in 2005 I managed to run 23:46, followed up by a 23:50 in 2007. Missed the rcae last year due to injury, and with my last outing just ten days ago being a 24:34, I had no high hopes of bettering those times, maybe I could be closer to 24 minutes than 25, but no expectations or plans to push early.

I started gently amongst the 200 or so runners, and hogged the inside line on the track, giving up time to ensure I kept the shortest route, there would be plenty of chances to overtake once I got into the park, so the first Km on the track was only just under 5:00. Once out of the stadium, I started to go past runners, and into the park, we seemed to quickly reach 2Km in 9:35, obviously a little pacier, and still I was overtaking. I used to do speed work on this loop, and know thats is's around 950m a lap, so I dug in, and gradually reeled in guys and gals, two ro three each lap, and nobody was catching me. 3K was 14:12, so I was running around 4:37 pace, and on this lap I caught a young guy in a blue T-shirt, he didn't seemed too pleased, so he spent the next 8 minutes trying to surge away, and each time I caught him back.

The second lap was over quickly, and coming up to the 4Km mark, i checked my watch, 19:02. Here is where I started to feel surprised. I was feeling good, and as I was easily going to be capeable of a final Km of under 5 mins, the maths was starting to look good, and my mind was wondering what my body thought of this pace, and was it expecting a sub 24 time. Blue T was still trying to surge, but with 800 to go I decided to run for home, I surged myself, I heard him behind me as we left the park and headed around to the stadium, my old strength at the end seemed to be there in a small way, and gradually the breathing behind became more distant. I caught another runner as we entered the track, but he was slowing, and with the 350m to run on the track, a quick glance at my watch had me startled as to the likely time. I can't say I Kicked, but I pushed on, and whilst I had no chance of cathcing anyone in front of me, I was conscious that Blue T might have a sprint finish, seeing as he must have been 20 years younger. But I never look back, head down, last bend, push off the bend, last 80m, see the clock, try and "sprint", cross the line, wow!!!! 23:39 - Where did that come from? (PS - Added the pic which shows that Blue T was trailing in)

Seriously, I had no thoughts of realistically beating previous times here, and hence I was pleasantly surprised - onwards and upwards. Saturday sees the first race in the Adidas series, the 5M Irish Runner Challenge, a race I have done a few times before, the last three times failing to break 40 minutes, so hopefully, if I recover OK, that will be my target there.