Mixing Ultras and 5K runs (no politics)

This morning, I decided to make my humiliation complete and compete in a
local 5K running race. This was the Brimfield 5K. This is a well run 5K that many local runners shoot for; I’ve seen the winning time go under 16 minutes. Typically, 250-350 people do this race. The course is accurate and flat.

This year’s result: 24:09; mile splits were 7:49, 7:46, 7:48, 0:44 (yes, in the US, we have mile markers at 5K runs). This is 9 seconds off of my best 5K of 2009, and the fastest since my June and August ultra marathons. My PB on this course is 20:50, but that was 10 years ago, prior to my getting infested with the ultra bug.

One thing I’ve noticed: longer ultras tend to slow me down; to wit:

March 28 5K : 24:41
April 12: muddy 100 miler in 47:55 (“staged” style)
April 25 5K: 26:30 (Wildlife Prairie Park)

9 May 5K 24:29 5K
17 May Marathon walk 5:14:26
23 May 5K 25:40
25 May 4 mile 31:58

30 May 5K: 24:00 (blankey-blank-blank!!!)
6 June: 24 hour, 66 miles (50 miles in 12:46)
20 June: 15K in 1:27:23 (just wanted to finish without walking)

(9 July: 6:42 mile (downhill)

18 July: 5K in 24:59
(22 July: 1600 track in 7:03, solo)
2 August: 12 hour trail (11:36 for 29.3 rocky trail miles)
(5 August: 1600 track in 7:19)
8 August: 5K in 27:21 (grass)
11 August: 5K in 26:30 (track, after 800 in 3:18)
15 August: 5K in 24:09

I haven’t crunched the statistics yet, but it appears that I am slower in the 1-3 weeks after a marathon or ultra walk.

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