Numbers McNumberson Strikes Again

(Yep, I'm kind of a "numbers guy.")

Wayzata Results actually posted lap-by-lap totals and splits from the race on Sunday! That's crazy! Here's how my 5000 meters looks split into 200 meter laps:

44.566 (44.566)
1:26.148 (41.583)
2:06.818 (40.670)
2:48.228 (41.411)
3:30.173 (41.945)
4:11.970 (41.798)
4:55.398 (43.428)
5:38.715 (43.318)
6:22.150 (43.435)
7:04.534 (42.384)
7:46.631 (42.097)
8:29.867 (43.236)
9:12.843 (42.976)
9:55.670 (42.828)
10:38.924 (43.254)
11:22.292 (43.368)
12:05.173 (42.881)
12:49.265 (44.093)
13:31.550 (42.285)
14:14.445 (42.895)
14:58.092 (43.647)
15:43.041 (44.950)
16:27.093 (44.052)
17:09.577 (42.484)
17:49.359 (39.783)

FIVE NOTES:

• Notice with the exception of a slower first lap, my first six laps were 40.x or 41.x. Then when I noted in my race report that I started to slow up around lap 6 or 7, you can see my splits take a dive with the next 3 laps being 43.x. That's when I was passed and went from 1st to 5th pretty quick.

• I had 3 laps in the closing 1/3 of the race that were 44.x. I was hashed.

• I knew that to run 17:30 I had to run 3:30 / 1000 meters. Here's what actually happened (a good example of where I was hurting and where I gave up the most time):

- 1000 meters: 03:30.173 (00.173 seconds off)
- 2000 meters: 07:04.534 (04.534 seconds off)
- 3000 meters: 10:38.924 (08.924 seconds off)
- 4000 meters: 14:14.445 (14.445 seconds off)
- 5000 meters: 17:49.359 (19.359 seconds off)

So that shows I gave up the most time between 3/5s and 4/5s of the way through the race (which is always the most difficult part of any race for me).

• My slowest lap was lap 22 where I ran at 6:01.7 / mile pace. My fastest lap was the final lap (lap 25) where I ran at 5:20.1 / mile pace. It's slightly depressing to note that I ran my first full 1600 last year in my first indoor 5000 in 5:20. Dang. (BTW, here's my math: 1 mile = 1,609.344 meters. 1,609.344 / 200 = 8.04672. So my 200 meter time x 8.04672 = 1 mile pace.)

• All of these sound like minor differences: "Oh, I was 2 seconds slower for these laps." But when you multiply those issues over a 25 lap race, those minor differences add up.


"Racing Buddy" Tom R (who can be seen in my race report in 3 of the early photos wearing a white shirt and gray shorts) is a SUPER "numbers man." He sent me this graph comparing 200 the meter splits of Paul, Melissa, and I (Paul and Melissa ended up finishing 1st and 3rd):

On Tom's graph, you can clearly see where I fell off the lead on the 7th lap, and where things got rough for me around laps 17-23 (and you can see where I tried to "get back into it" on lap 19, but I couldn't maintain that).


Finally, since it's been a while, I think it's time for a "gross foot photo." Here's the carnage from Sunday night after the race:

1. No, I don't style my toe hair. That curl is all-natural, baby.

2. I hate that nasty callous on the outside of my big toe. It's so rough. Pharmie hates it in bed.

3. And yes, that's a nice nearly quarter-sized blister near the bottom of that photo. That bad boy made his appearance after an 11-miler a few days before the race, and it didn't feel too great near the end of the 5000 meters.

Stop back for a quick giveaway tomorrow!! It's only going to be up for about a day, so you HAVE to stop back tomorrow!