Twilight Shuffle 5k

On a muggy nondescript Tuesday afternoon, I stood outside work patiently waiting for my friend to show. We were about to embark on our pilgrimage to Chemainus, a sleepy town 80k north of Victoria which holds an annual race celebrating the arrival of summer. What started out as a flat, fast 4-miler, has turned into a twisting, lumpy (the course passes through a lumber yard) 5k. Regardless, my highlight is always the post-race thirst quenching pints at a local pub. Classic.

Larry arrived on time, and after a quick pit stop for bananas and Gatorade we were off. Three hours later we were standing in the middle of the picturesque little town, toeing the line with 328 other competitors. The field was relatively weak, but with Kevin and Lucy (both my nemesis) on either side I wasn’t going to be lacking any competition.

Apart from a local 8-year old kid confusing 5k with 200m, the start was uneventful... bordering on relaxing. I knew my fitness was lacking, and had decided to follow Lucy and Kevin for as long as I could. What I didn’t anticipate was Kevin also being off form, and as we split the few kilometres everything slowly started to make sense. Lucy gapped us at the turn-around, and Kevin and I continued to play cat-and-mouse until the final 400m climb where I managed to sneak in front with what will go down in history as my slowest 5k ever, so far.

Heading into the event, my expectations weren’t high but neither was I anticipating running that slow. If I can take something positive away, apart from the sheer enjoyment or racing and a few good pints with friends, it would be an increasing desire to perform well. Apathy hasn’t set in yet. Results here.

As for the dark side of my training, i.e., the swim and bike, everything was going... swimmingly, until Sunday morning. I was at the end of a 60’ big gear tempo piece and feeling really chuffed. It was at this exact moment, that I happened to come across (in the opposite direction) competitors from a Half Ironman event. As everyone flew passed me dressed in aero helmets and slick skin-suits, my confidence started to melt. My last triathlon was 12-years ago, and apparently a lot has changed. I just hope none of this underlines my enjoyment on race day.

Training:
Jun 13: bike 75’ w/ 6xhills
Jun 14: A.M. easy run 22:54, P.M. Chemainus Twilight Shuffle 5K, 17:59 (PW), 3:36 km/pace, 6/328 OA, 2 AG
Jun 15: bike 80’ w/ 4x (5' 80%, 5' 85%)
Jun 16: A.M. run 1:25:10 w/ 10xstrides, AFT. easy run 23:24, P.M. swim 1,800m
Jun 17: A.M. bike 75’ w/ 10’ big gear
Jun 18: day off (scheduled)
Jun 19: bike 2h25 w/ 60’ big gear