5k track race - 17:48

I race in the 17:30-18:00 wave of the MxK Distance Trial last Sunday December 27.  

I pride myself on not dwelling on my race records, but recently I stress that my race times (Litchfield, Brooklyn, Tsukuba, Fuji-Susono) do not reflect my training times.  I clock an 18:03 at a team time trial in late October on a very crowded track and then pull out of another 5k time trial because of concerns about calf strain.  

Per my my recent post on training - I have been focused on shorter distances particularly the 5k, and am determined to at least break 18 minutes.  

You can see from my splits though, that despite all my zeal going into this event,  I did not  start fast at all - my first kilometer is slower than goal pace -- I had assumed everyone would burst out too fast and when gun goes off I immediately drop to very last place in my wave and I only catch the big 18-minute pacer pack at 800-meters. 

I remain locked into this pack of a dozen runners tucked tightly behind the 18-minute pace guy, and even though I am almost clipping the heels of the runner in front of me, I just can’t summon the willpower to break around the big group into the no-man’s land ahead.  

That is until the final 500 meters when I do finally break out and unleash a ridiculously fast kick and end up with a time of 17:47.9 - my fastest time since July of 2016.  

I am relieved to have finally broken 18-minutes again, and enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie of a doing a real race.  Now after the exhaustion and memory of Sunday effort starts to pass, I start wondering if I might be able to run with the 3:45 pace group in an upcoming MK event?