Caumsett 25K Race Recap

It was cold. No. Really Cold. Like 16 degrees with a brisk wind cold.  Still, it was sunny, the ground was dry and I felt good as I started my fourth Caumsett 25K yesterday.

The course at Caumsett State Park is a series of 5K loops – 5 to be exact – that’s got some great rolling hills and scenery, though, by the 5th time around, you’ve seen all the scenery you need to see

This race also features a 50K option, which attracts runners from across the country. This time of year, with training volume a bit lower, the 25K is a great option and my fastest race was a 2:21 in 2014. I lost seven minutes in 2015, posting a 2:28 and skipped the race in 2016. I was determined to make this a comeback year and actually posted a personal record (PR) time of 2:18! At the age of 50, PRs don’t come along often, so I was thrilled.

Here were my 5K times:

1st 5K 00:26:38  Pace – 8:34/mile 2nd 5K 00:27:25 Pace – 8:49/mile 3rd 5K 00:27:21 Pace – 8:48/mile 4th 5K 00:27:15 Pace – 8:46/mile 5th 5K 00:29:28 Pace – 9:29/mile

Takeaways:

1. Probably started a little faster than I should have on the first 5K, though couldn’t really even feel my toes, so who knew?

2. My pace was super-consistent until the last 5K where I faded. Another 12-14 mile run in the weeks leading up to the race would have helped that. I had done 10.5 miles a week earlier, but would have benefitted from another couple miles.

3. My coach Danielle Sullivan has got me moving in the right direction and I’ve been following her training plan exactly, even though I’m not a big fan of recovery days.

4. Each of my runs these days has a focus and a goal; that approach is paying off both in terms of endurance and speed.

Next race? The New York City Half Marathon in two weeks!