W/u: 1.67 mi in 13:15.65 - 7:57 ppm.
Race: 3.1 mi in 18:58.59 - 6:07 ppm.
C/d: 1.9 mi in 17:05.62 - 8:59 ppm.
Running Buddy
It's been a long time since I was this poorly prepared for a race. I felt rundown towards the end of the week and I hadn't slept well or eaten well as a result. I also didn't get out of bed on time, which led to me failing to run the desired distance as a warmup. Let's break it down.
My alarm went off at 6:00 this morning, which would have allowed my standard two hours plus until start time to eat some oatmeal, do some calf raises and push-ups like normal, and actually wake up. The problem is I reset it for 7 and went back to sleep. Even at 7, I didn't completely get out of bed. I just sort of laid there for a few minutes as if I was trying to figure out what it was, exactly, that I was supposed to do today...
Don't get the wrong idea, here - none of this stuff should matter. It's a 5k, not a marathon. I can tough out that short distance without good preparation. I received a text from Jamaar that he and Christi, who were both racing today, were about to start their warmups. At that time I was walking around my apartment trying to find my car keys. I made it to the park around 7:30, picked up my chip, said hi to Chad (racing) and Danielle (cheering), then began to do my warmup. I saw Bert Rodriguez warming up as well and figured that dude really picks odd times to show up on race day. This would be a pretty thin field today. I was hoping to leave with some hardware.
After less than two miles (sheesh) of warmup I shed my outerwear and headed over to the start line. There was a long line forming behind the chute on the greenway that goes around the Freedom Park lake. If you can picture the park, we were facing out towards the large picnic shelters with the stage and the lake on our right. I went all the way up to the front and hopped in behind Chad, Bert, Christi, and some trash-talking high school kids.
The command was given and we were off. As usual, everyone started off too quickly, and with the greenway being rather thin for a race start, there was a bit of elbowing going on. I hurdled a sign and went by Christi, with a small pack ahead of me. I was right in front of Jamaar, who said something I didn't understand (I later found out he was making a comment about my back dimples - I'm glad I didn't hear him), and right behind an older dude. Up front, Bert shot ahead and began to pull away.
We ran all the way around the lake and across the small bridge that goes over the creek, then meandered along some of the little side paths and down the service road. This was to be a flat course but there were a lot of sharp turns and small obstacles that slowed us down. We made a hairpin turn and got on the greenway headed towards East Blvd., then made that quick turn onto the sidewalk (precarious!), through the little atrium area behind the tennis courts, and down some stairs. Yes, down some stairs. There was a ramp right next to the stairs but no one I talked to thought to go down it, including Bert.
After that, though, the weird part was over and I tried to do some racing. I had passed the older guy right before the mile, which was reached in 5:56, and pulled away from the chase pack, which included Jamaar and Christi. There was one high school kid not too far in front of me and I began to reel him in as we went up the slight incline in the woodsy section of the greenway that is just out of view of the lake. I passed him in a way that made it clear he wouldn't be passing me back, then tried to keep surging. There were a couple more high school kids not too far ahead, and had I started my kick earlier, I could have had them. No dice, though.
This race was actually very well set-up. The distance was true and there was a clock set up at the 3-mile mark. I saw that I had a slight chance to break 19 if only I could book it, and that's what I did: I ran the last 0.1 mile in 30 seconds, which is 5-minute pace! It's nice to be able to have a kick like that, but clearly I had saved too much. I'm not too upset about it, though; my training has been marathon-specific since the end of July. And, let's be honest, it wasn't really specific to much of anything before that, other than simply getting back into shape.
I wasn't sure of my place but was confident I would get an award, as Bert and Chad were the only men of legal voting age who had finished ahead of me. There was another race - a 5k walk, I believe - so the Crockfords, Jamaar, Christi, and I set off to do a long cooldown on the Booty Loop. I decided about a mile in that I didn't want a long cooldown, and as I came back into the park I saw that the awards ceremony had begun. Great. I actually heard my name called while I was running towards the large group that had gathered around. I waited til they finished and then claimed what I had earned: a $25 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse. Sweet! I was 9th overall and won the 20-29 male age group. I honestly didn't think this was a great effort, but it was in fact my second-fastest time of 2011 (in six races) and it's clear I'm getting into better shape. I still don't have any idea how to race a 5k, but I'm not really worried about that right now.
Results
Race: 3.1 mi in 18:58.59 - 6:07 ppm.
C/d: 1.9 mi in 17:05.62 - 8:59 ppm.
Running Buddy
It's been a long time since I was this poorly prepared for a race. I felt rundown towards the end of the week and I hadn't slept well or eaten well as a result. I also didn't get out of bed on time, which led to me failing to run the desired distance as a warmup. Let's break it down.
My alarm went off at 6:00 this morning, which would have allowed my standard two hours plus until start time to eat some oatmeal, do some calf raises and push-ups like normal, and actually wake up. The problem is I reset it for 7 and went back to sleep. Even at 7, I didn't completely get out of bed. I just sort of laid there for a few minutes as if I was trying to figure out what it was, exactly, that I was supposed to do today...
Don't get the wrong idea, here - none of this stuff should matter. It's a 5k, not a marathon. I can tough out that short distance without good preparation. I received a text from Jamaar that he and Christi, who were both racing today, were about to start their warmups. At that time I was walking around my apartment trying to find my car keys. I made it to the park around 7:30, picked up my chip, said hi to Chad (racing) and Danielle (cheering), then began to do my warmup. I saw Bert Rodriguez warming up as well and figured that dude really picks odd times to show up on race day. This would be a pretty thin field today. I was hoping to leave with some hardware.
After less than two miles (sheesh) of warmup I shed my outerwear and headed over to the start line. There was a long line forming behind the chute on the greenway that goes around the Freedom Park lake. If you can picture the park, we were facing out towards the large picnic shelters with the stage and the lake on our right. I went all the way up to the front and hopped in behind Chad, Bert, Christi, and some trash-talking high school kids.
The command was given and we were off. As usual, everyone started off too quickly, and with the greenway being rather thin for a race start, there was a bit of elbowing going on. I hurdled a sign and went by Christi, with a small pack ahead of me. I was right in front of Jamaar, who said something I didn't understand (I later found out he was making a comment about my back dimples - I'm glad I didn't hear him), and right behind an older dude. Up front, Bert shot ahead and began to pull away.
We ran all the way around the lake and across the small bridge that goes over the creek, then meandered along some of the little side paths and down the service road. This was to be a flat course but there were a lot of sharp turns and small obstacles that slowed us down. We made a hairpin turn and got on the greenway headed towards East Blvd., then made that quick turn onto the sidewalk (precarious!), through the little atrium area behind the tennis courts, and down some stairs. Yes, down some stairs. There was a ramp right next to the stairs but no one I talked to thought to go down it, including Bert.
After that, though, the weird part was over and I tried to do some racing. I had passed the older guy right before the mile, which was reached in 5:56, and pulled away from the chase pack, which included Jamaar and Christi. There was one high school kid not too far in front of me and I began to reel him in as we went up the slight incline in the woodsy section of the greenway that is just out of view of the lake. I passed him in a way that made it clear he wouldn't be passing me back, then tried to keep surging. There were a couple more high school kids not too far ahead, and had I started my kick earlier, I could have had them. No dice, though.
This race was actually very well set-up. The distance was true and there was a clock set up at the 3-mile mark. I saw that I had a slight chance to break 19 if only I could book it, and that's what I did: I ran the last 0.1 mile in 30 seconds, which is 5-minute pace! It's nice to be able to have a kick like that, but clearly I had saved too much. I'm not too upset about it, though; my training has been marathon-specific since the end of July. And, let's be honest, it wasn't really specific to much of anything before that, other than simply getting back into shape.
I wasn't sure of my place but was confident I would get an award, as Bert and Chad were the only men of legal voting age who had finished ahead of me. There was another race - a 5k walk, I believe - so the Crockfords, Jamaar, Christi, and I set off to do a long cooldown on the Booty Loop. I decided about a mile in that I didn't want a long cooldown, and as I came back into the park I saw that the awards ceremony had begun. Great. I actually heard my name called while I was running towards the large group that had gathered around. I waited til they finished and then claimed what I had earned: a $25 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse. Sweet! I was 9th overall and won the 20-29 male age group. I honestly didn't think this was a great effort, but it was in fact my second-fastest time of 2011 (in six races) and it's clear I'm getting into better shape. I still don't have any idea how to race a 5k, but I'm not really worried about that right now.
Results
