Last weekend I had the opportunity to run the Carlsbad 5000 for the first time in my career.  I had heard lots of great things about the race and was eager to toe the line and see what it was all about.  Since our training group is doing some sea level training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA  Kate (O’Neill), Sara (Hall) and I were able to drive up to Carlsbad to jog the course a few days before the race.  It didn’t seem particularly difficult at 7:00 min pace but I knew it might be a different story on race day.

And was it ever!  Meseret Defar (2004 Olympic Champion and 5000m World Record Holder)  of Ethiopia was attempting to break her own World Record so we got off to a quick start. I had run a 15:05 5k leg of the Yokohama Ekiden as part of the US Team in February.  In that race of I felt smooth the whole way, leading me to believe I could run faster at Carlsbad after 5 more weeks of training.  My goal at Carlsbad was to run aggressive and stay with the leaders as long as possible.  I was able to handle the quick start but I was already a second or two behind Defar at the first mile.  As I passed by 3k and 4k I was surprised to see my pace slowing despite pushing hard and focusing on keeping Meseret as close as possible.  I crossed the line in 2nd in a time of 15:21; 20 seconds behind Meseret.   I was relieved to hear her say that she felt the same way about the race – that she was running strong but the splits kept getting slower. It is amazing how different two  races can feel – even if it’s the same distance. 

Although I was a little disappointed with my finishing time overall it was a great day.  There was tremendous crowd support out on the course and many people stopped to offer congratulations while I was cooling down.  It was fantastic to see so many people participating in and enjoying our sport! 

My Running USA teammates and I celebrated the weekend with our Ethiopian competitors and the staff from Elite Racing (the group who put on the Carlsbad race) at the Red Sea Restaurant.  We enjoyed some authentic Ethiopian food and attempted a little dancing (we weren’t quite as fluid with the shoulder movements as our Ethiopian friends!) During dinner we watched some footage of some of Meseret’s races from last summer – culminating with her world record run in the 5000m.  We left fired up to start the track season at the Mt.SAC Relays next week!