Race Recap: 2019 Narberth 5 Miler 4/27/19
Race Day: I couldn't be more happier with the weather on race day. At 8:00 AM I headed out for the Narberth Park, where there were sponsor booths. The race officials were starting to set up the start line and timing system. I decided to warm up, and did a loop around the park and fire station which took about 5 minutes. The sky was mostly clear and the weather was about 52F°. The only problem was the wind which was pretty strong when I started doing stretches and drills. I stretched and did drills for about 20 minutes before my friend from track and field came. We wondered around the tables and booths for a few minutes. More and more people started to arrive at around 8:30 AM. The race was going to start at 9:00 AM, so I decided to go back to my house and change. I came back at around 8:46 AM, in which the field was filled with runners already. I talked with my friend for a few minutes before heading out to the start line. The wind was getting stronger, which concerned me a little bit on how fast I was going to run.
Weather was perfect for a race
I did about 5 strider near the start line. Soon, the race director announced everyone to head for the start line. I was already out in front so no one would take my spot. I looked at the field of runners and saw a few amateur runners in the front next to me. I decided that I was going to try and pace with them.
Race Start 9:00 AM:
1st Mile: After the National Anthem, the siren went off and the race started. There was a car parked in front so I had to go around it. I quickly leaded and ran with about 3 or 4 people. My friend tried to keep up with me, and told me that I was going at 5:45 pace. A few minutes later, he disappeared from my pack. The first hill I encountered was at Price.Ave. The hill wasn't really a challenge, but made my legs a little tired. I was running smoothly and felt fine. The runners began to string up and I was only pacing with one other person. I went towards Woodbine.Ave, and passed the 1stmile in about 5:54. As the temperature was colder than last years race, I felt fine and confident.
The 1st mile mark was the stop sign. I then turned right.
2nd Mile: Iona.Rd and Haverford.Ave were just a flat straightway. The first few minutes of the 2nd mile were quick as it was really flat. This allowed me to catch up to the runner in front of me. Turning right on Haverford.Ave, I headed towards Oak.Rd, then turned right again for Avon.Rd. Both were flat for the most, but Avon.Rd had some elevation, but wasn't really a problem for me. Avon.Rd directly led to the Great American Pub in Narberth. It was suddenly a down hill, and there were people cheering which really helped. I turned left heading for the Narberth Bridge, which was the second mile. I crossed the second mile in about 11:45.
The Narberth Bridge
3rd Mile: I still felt fine, but my pace started to slow down a little. I had already passed one runner, and another runner was right behind me. Running through Rockland. Ave, I didn't get any water from the water station, as it was on the other side of where I was running, and I didn't want to slow down. I was able to pace with another and keep it together, because there were so many people cheering me on. From there, I turned right on Rockland.Ave, and headed for E Wynnewood.Ave. When I turned right onto E Wynnewood.Ave heading towards the Narberth Tunnel, the elevation got a little higher. But I tried to stay on pace as long as possible. I passed the 3rd mile in 17:54, which is equivalent to an 18:32 5k.
Started cramping right after the 3rd mile
4th mile: Just when I went passed the 3rd mile heading for the Narberth Tunnel, my stomach started to feel weird. After I went through the tunnel, I started cramping and my pace got slower. As I headed up the hill on N Wynnewood.Ave, few runners passed me and the pain got worse. I knew that I needed to keep my pace, so I tried to hang on by running faster on the downhill on Sabine.Ave. One runner tried to pass me while going up the hill on Dudley.Ave. I wasn't going to let that happen so I soon passed her, and she didn't catch up again. At the 4th mile on N Essex.Ave, I hit something around 23 minutes.
My cramp started worse at the end of the 4th mile
5th mile: I knew that my pace was way off for a sub 30 5 mile. But, I knew that I only had 1 mile left and I had to stay strong. I went uphill towards Wayne.Ave, knowing that I had to give everything I had for the last mile. The pain was getting worse so I had to hold my stomach a few times while running down N Narberth.Ave. One runner past me but I couldn't let anyone pass me again. As I ran down downtown Narberth and turned right onto Haverford.Ave, people told me to stay strong. I could see the goal line and looked at my watch. Less than 200 meters away, my watch turned to 30 minutes. I knew that I had missed my goal time, but I gave everything I could and sprinted past the line finishing in 30:33, 10th overall.
Finish line
Overall:
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to achieve my goal time, which was under 30 minutes. If I didn't have any cramps, I'm sure that it would have been possible. On the bright side, I was very happy with a 10th place finish out of 392 runners, as I was hoping to finish top 10. The field this year had stronger runner than last years race. I was also given a medal for finishing 1st in my age group of 16-19. Overall, I felt like it was a great race and experience.
Receiving my medal
It was interesting to know that the Narberth CF Run was first run in 1995 as a celebration for the Narberth Borough's Centennial. The following year, the Narberth Community decided to continue the race.
Comments
Post a Comment