Mind games and groovy corners: the Cottonwood Classic 5k

I didn't think the flying-downhill lessons of the Greenland Trail 8-miler would come in handy for a 5k race, but little did I know that about two-thirds of the Cottonwood Classic 5k course spins gradually downhill. Not only that, but there were some groovy fast corners, too.

Cottonwood was the sixth race in the 16-race Colorado Runner Racing Series, and I'd taken a risk by missing number 5, the Colorado Half-Marathon in Fort Collins a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, I went into Cottonwood still leading the Male 55-59 overall points table and I was gunning for an 18:30.

Then Google Maps intervened. This is the last time, and I really mean it this time, that I use Google; I'm switching to MapQuest. I wasn't exactly late by most people's standards, but I did get lost (again) en route to the start in Thornton. That meant I got a much shorter warm-up than I wanted and didn't get a chance to jog round the course. On the bright side, I did get to warm up with Noelle Green, who filled me in on what the course was like and helped me tune in to how I was feeling.

That was "heavy". My registered pre-race excuse: three weeks of tooth ache. Breakfast has started to be two cups of tea and an Ibuprofen. (I had a root canal today, so let's hope this is over.) I did stick in a three-minute AT burst to shake the cobwebs out, but still started way too slow.

The course was fast on sidewalk, road and bike path; first mile slightly uphill; second mile mainly downhill but with a lot of corners; third mile trending downhill but with some speed-sapping "bumps". It's the kind of course where you can save time if you are quick on your feet through the corners; it took me that first mile to get going, but then I discovered I was :)

I'd caught up with Dwight Cornwell, leader of the 60-65 age group standings, and was running comfortably with him and Noelle when we hit a slight downhill and Dwight gave a characteristic whoop and took off. The next thing I know he had cut in front of me so sharply he nearly took me out of the race. He apologised later; "fresh" from a 90-mile week, the king of the downhills just couldn't hit his high turnover to get a gap. No matter, the adrenalin rush from nearly being wiped out was good for me; I woke up, took off downhill through the turn and started my race.

Splits: 6:03, 5:55, 6:13 plus 5:36-pace final bit. Yes, I slowed on the last mile; it was "supposed" to be downhill, but there were enough lumps and bumps to make it hard work. Into the finishing straight I closed on Littleton's Robert Kessler. I tried to kick, but rhere didn't seem anything left. "Come on", I urged myself... "if you catch him you win the world championship! One last effort". No, nada. "One sprint and you win the Olympics!" No, not today pal, replied my legs. The gap stayed at two seconds.

Robert is duelling with John Victoria of Loveland for the 50-54 title. John is maintaining great form, usually beating Robert (and me) by minutes. As the individual races all seem to do their awards in 10-year age groups, that means I am currently doomed to a string of second and third places on the day. To give some idea of the gap: John finished in 17:54, 14th overall behind winner Peter Remien of Boulder (15:48); Robert was 23rd in 18:42, and I was 24th with 18:44.

28-year-old Remien, who beat Oscar Ponce by 10 seconds and Steven Folkerts by 29 seconds, has moved up into second place in the Colorado Runner open male standings -- behind Folkerts. Neither of these two can afford to miss and event now as their battle is getting so close.

Dwight -- 31st in 19:32, even with heavy legs managed to put more than a minute and a half into his series pursuer Stephen Berger. But Dwight, Berger and third-placed Lou Huie are so close that they too don't dare to take a week off!

Noelle stormed in with 19:13 to take second in the Masters division behind John Victoria's wife Sheila Geere.

Next up: the spectacular Garden of the Gods 10-mile Run in Manitou Springs on June 8. Yes, it actually does go through the fabulous Garden of the Gods national park. Not only is this a Colorado Runner Racing Series event, but also part of the Triple Crown of Running Series with Pikes Peak and the Summer Roundup. And last year it was voted Colorado Runner Race of the Year.

I'm not sure I can do it. I'm kinda, sorta trying to "focus" on the British Masters 5k on June 22, for which I should be honing my speed, not taking on a high-altitude long AT run... but, maybe I could just "jog" round???? It just sounds like too good a race to miss.

Also in the mind-game mix at the moment is an element of slight worry -- OK, panic actually -- that I am not getting fit enough quickly enough. Yes, 18:44 is a decent improvement on 19:20 the last time out, and yes, I KNOW I am over-analysing...

...but my meanderings are based on the fact that in order to get in the medals in Britain I need to be running sub-17:00 at sea level, which equates to 17:30 or thereabouts here at altitude. OK, this is where it gets geeky. So I looked back through my training diaries and saw that when I ran my 5k PR 17:35 in June two years ago, I preceded it by running 18:30 in May. So as a 17:30-ish at altitude in June is where I need to be, I'm looking at 18:44 and instead of seeing a well-managed race, which is what coach Ric sees, I just see that I am 14 seconds "off schedule"!

I know, I think too much.. and I am NEVER satisfied with my performances!!

* Gateway page to the full details of the Colorado Runner Racing Series is here. Resources include links to all the individual race websites, results and the current standings, and organizer Derek Griffiths, publisher of Colorado Runner, has now added links to all my YourRunning blog-reports as well. Thanks Derek!