Distance: 3.08 mi
Time: 00:23:58/7:47 ppm
It's been brought to my attention that I have a lot of random readers who otherwise don't follow running, and likely read this blog only because I have brainwashed them. So, for those of you who don't know what the Grand Prix Series (GPX) is, let me sum it up briefly: it a series of road races - ten, I believe - ranging from February to late October put on by Run For Your Life, a local store and the unofficial headquarters of Charlotte's running community. The races include a four-miler, an 8k, a 10k, a 15k, and several 5k events. The courses are all over town. These races attract the best runners in Charlotte, though they don't all make it to each one, of course. They are very well-advertised. In other words, they are diverse, large, and competitive. Maybe that wasn't such a brief description after all.
At any rate, the Great Harvest Bread 5k in Piper Glen is the next stop on the GPX tour, and the first such event for yours truly. I was, in fact, a part of the local running community once upon a time, and today I know a good number of the CRC members who will be present tomorrow, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect of the atmosphere. It was the course itself that I needed to investigate. I'm going to make a point to preview the course for each race I do this year.
For those familiar with south Charlotte, this race is hosted by the Great Harvest store in Piper Glen, right next to the Trader Joe's at the corner of Rea Road and Bevington. For those familiar with this blog, Bevington is the road right next to the back end of the McMullen greenway. When I start at 51 and run here on the greenway, I've gone six miles. The course would go down Bevington across Elm Lane and through a bunch of neighborhoods.
The course was, to put it quite succinctly, a roller-coaster. You know that Planet Fitness commercial with the goofy muscle dude who keeps saying, "I PICK THINGS UP AND PUT THEM DOWN!"? Well, today I felt like screaming, "I RUN UP A HILL AND THEN I RUN DOWN!" I felt angry at Eggers, who ran this thing on Monday, for telling me this would be a fast course. Flat courses are fast. This was very much the opposite of flat, regardless of the downhills.
I tried not to focus too much on that, though. Just race... Also, my feet were hurting today because I was wearing extra-thin socks on account of being behind on laundry. So that was an unwelcome distraction. For the most part I feel stronger in my older age, but there are certainly aches that crop up now and then that did not before.
I stopped at the point on Bevington where I thought the course would end; my Garmin read 3.08 miles, which given its tendencies sounded about right to me (as opposed to 3.1). I ran an extra mile on the greenway, bought some good eats at Trader Joe's, and then went home. I am looking forward to the race, hills be damned!
Time: 00:23:58/7:47 ppm
It's been brought to my attention that I have a lot of random readers who otherwise don't follow running, and likely read this blog only because I have brainwashed them. So, for those of you who don't know what the Grand Prix Series (GPX) is, let me sum it up briefly: it a series of road races - ten, I believe - ranging from February to late October put on by Run For Your Life, a local store and the unofficial headquarters of Charlotte's running community. The races include a four-miler, an 8k, a 10k, a 15k, and several 5k events. The courses are all over town. These races attract the best runners in Charlotte, though they don't all make it to each one, of course. They are very well-advertised. In other words, they are diverse, large, and competitive. Maybe that wasn't such a brief description after all.
At any rate, the Great Harvest Bread 5k in Piper Glen is the next stop on the GPX tour, and the first such event for yours truly. I was, in fact, a part of the local running community once upon a time, and today I know a good number of the CRC members who will be present tomorrow, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect of the atmosphere. It was the course itself that I needed to investigate. I'm going to make a point to preview the course for each race I do this year.
For those familiar with south Charlotte, this race is hosted by the Great Harvest store in Piper Glen, right next to the Trader Joe's at the corner of Rea Road and Bevington. For those familiar with this blog, Bevington is the road right next to the back end of the McMullen greenway. When I start at 51 and run here on the greenway, I've gone six miles. The course would go down Bevington across Elm Lane and through a bunch of neighborhoods.
The course was, to put it quite succinctly, a roller-coaster. You know that Planet Fitness commercial with the goofy muscle dude who keeps saying, "I PICK THINGS UP AND PUT THEM DOWN!"? Well, today I felt like screaming, "I RUN UP A HILL AND THEN I RUN DOWN!" I felt angry at Eggers, who ran this thing on Monday, for telling me this would be a fast course. Flat courses are fast. This was very much the opposite of flat, regardless of the downhills.
I tried not to focus too much on that, though. Just race... Also, my feet were hurting today because I was wearing extra-thin socks on account of being behind on laundry. So that was an unwelcome distraction. For the most part I feel stronger in my older age, but there are certainly aches that crop up now and then that did not before.
I stopped at the point on Bevington where I thought the course would end; my Garmin read 3.08 miles, which given its tendencies sounded about right to me (as opposed to 3.1). I ran an extra mile on the greenway, bought some good eats at Trader Joe's, and then went home. I am looking forward to the race, hills be damned!
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