42’52”

Ran a 4 lap, 10k street race today: a Xmas run in Burcht, just outside of Antwerp. The goal was to run a negative split: a steady first 5k, followed by a quicker second 5k. Some 400 athletes competed and I probably outweighed 300 of them. I have never been around so many skinny people in tights in my life.

42’52” may not be the time I had hoped for, but I’m a happy camper anyway. Despite the wind, the rain and an AHR of 182 bpm, I was able to pace myself better (lap splits: 11’03”, 10’43”, 10’46” and 10’20”) and run a negative split (21’46” vs 21’06”). On the downside, I made a rookie mistake during the last lap: I turned on the jets a lil’ too early and blew up during the last 500m. Memo to self: start sprinting if and only if the finish line is in sight.

Will I be able to shave off 3 minutes in two weeks’ time? Of course not. At the weight and fitness level am I right now, I think 42′ is tops for me. Nevertheless, I’m happy that the LSD work I’ve been putting in these last two months has paid off. I hope to keep the momentum going in 08.

Random notes:

• The winner, Keynan Reuben Cherutich, broke the course record in a whopping 28’59”.
• Despite the weather conditions, it was a fun afternoon. Relaxed atmosphere, well-organized race, happy faces all around.
• Day started off on a sour note: a wind gust had blown open an unlocked steel gate which swung right into my car. Sigh.