5k time trial

Last night it was the monthly 5-k time trial. I had absolutely no intention of running it, despite 2P's probably very sound advice to try and run fast but shorter over the next week. No, I was going to be beligerent and run 4:30/km pace in the park with Gareth. Not because I disagreed with the advice, but because I just didn't think running fast was going to help my leg/hip (thing -- whatever it is).

But bloody Gareth announces part way into the warm-up run in Yoyogi Park that we should go do the time trial. The paths were still a bit icy in patches, so I said alright, but I have no intention of actually time trialling it.

Standing around at the track it was absolutely brass monkey weather. Two degrees if were lucky. Eventually we got started and I ran at a hard steady, but still a bit conservative pace. Starting at just under 4:00/km pace I was gradually able to increase the pace to low 3:50s, generally feeling like I was running hard, but not feeling under any great stress. With five laps to go I noticed Subash had opened about a 50 m gap, so I made it a goal to reel him in, thus providing some incentive to run the last part harder. At first I didn't seem to be making any ground, but he might have faded a bit because suddenly with 2.5 laps to go, the gap was down to about 20 m. I still had to work hard to close the gap and finally caught him about 250 m to go and finished maybe 2 seconds ahead. That made it kind of interesting, and I really did have to run hard. In the end, I think it was a pretty good workout and my leg doesn't feel any worse for it. So, thanks for the advice 2P. I might try a bit more of that. Oh, and thanks Subash for being my hare!  Here are the lap times:

Distance	Split	Lap	Pace
0.4	0:01:35	0:01:35	0:03:58
0.8	0:03:11	0:01:36	0:04:00
1.2	0:04:45	0:01:34	0:03:55
1.6	0:06:20	0:01:35	0:03:58
2.0	0:07:55	0:01:35	0:03:58
2.4	0:09:30	0:01:35	0:03:58
2.8	0:11:04	0:01:34	0:03:55
3.2	0:12:38	0:01:34	0:03:55
3.6	0:14:11	0:01:33	0:03:53
4.0	0:15:43	0:01:32	0:03:50
4.4	0:17:14	0:01:31	0:03:47
4.8	0:18:41	0:01:27	0:03:38
5.0	0:19:25	0:00:44	0:03:40