Posts Tagged ‘5K’

I have no idea what to expect for tomorrow’s 5K. NONE. In the past three years I have gone from being a regular 5K runner to it just being a distance I’ve done once a fall when I’ve let myself get out of shape. Now I am in really good shape - the best in a while - but I know I have so much room for improvement, like losing some of last year’s extra weight. And while things have gone great recently, I haven’t done all that much speedwork … but my training runs overall are faster. So, we’ll see.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment in last night’s entry predicting my time for the race. Check out the post here for the contest details. The predicted times are:

22:20
22:52
22:59
23:10
23:11
23:13
23:21
23:40

All times are within 80 seconds of each other; there were no guesses over 24 minutes. I haven’t had a 5K under that time in nearly three years, but I’m hoping you’re right tomorrow.

This probably sounds weird, but I love seeing other people’s race shirts. I also like going out of town and getting a race shirt from somewhere close to where I don’t live. Thanks to having in-laws, I have two Turkey Trot shirts from Warren, Ohio, which is a full 400-plus miles from where I live. I’ve had the “what race is that from?” conversation from race shirts before – it’s a great conversation starter.

So that brings me to my 5K this Saturday – I want you to have my shirt. If you’re not around the Lynchburg, Va., area, think of the conversation you could have if someone asks you about your shirt. So to win the shirt (size is large) – that I promise I will not wear or let my dog lay on or clean my truck engine with – all you have to do is guess my time for this 5K in the comments section for this entry. The cutoff time is 9 p.m. Friday.

To help you in guessing my time, this 5K – called the Race for Life, a fundraiser for the Liberty Godparent Home – is unique. The first half is all downhill; the second half is uphill. There is some flatness to the middle part, but it’s pretty much a down-and-up out-and-back course in Lynchburg. My goal is to give this race all I have. For those who have followed this site, you know that I have focused on distance in recent years – this is only my third 5K in as many years, although the gap between my last 5K and this one isn’t nearly that much.

On race day, it will have been 123 days since my last 5K in December – a 24:34 in the Bedford Christmas Classic, in the rain, 413 days after a 5K in October 2008. Before October 2008, I had a 420-day gap between 5Ks. My PR in a 5K is nearly three years old – 22:42 in August 2007. Out of 13 5Ks, I’ve had just three faster than 24 minutes. Keep in mind that just a month ago I set a PR in a flat half marathon in 1:42.

Please guess the times to the nearest second. I’m not sure if the race will be measured in tenths of a second or not, but I will round down the time for the giveaway if that happens. (For example, if my time is 23:49.9, a winning entry would be 23:49.) If there are any ties, I will use Random.org to help pick the winner. If you pick the exact time, I will slip in a little something extra. And this will not be like the “Price is Right” – the winner is the closest second whether you’re over or under.

Again, the cut-off time to guess a time is 9 p.m. (ET) Friday. Please leave an accurate email address in the comments section so I can contact you. Good luck! (Please note, to be officially entered, leave a comment here. Guesses through Facebook and/or Twitter will not be accepted.)

Cold rain. A few snowflakes mixed in. No watch. But I’m happy to have a 5k under my belt 400-plus days later.

But I did it … I think. “It” is setting a course record for the Christmas Classic. Unfortunately there was no clock at the finish line and I somehow left my watch at home. I overheard someone in front of me say they were just a little more than 24 minutes, so I’m pretty sure I beat my 2004 time of 24:51. Official results have not been posted yet. I know I easily beat 2005′s time of 26:51. It’s nice to get older and get faster in a race, but honestly I know I can do faster. I won’t beat myself up, but if I could knock off 10 pounds I could knock off another minute or so of my 5ks.

Anyway, this was a crazy day to run outside. The temperature when I woke up was 40, but that gradually dropped in the morning. And it was raining. As the race ended, a few huge snowflakes were mixing in, but it rained the whole 3.1 miles. I don’t really have too much to say about the race — I did what I could, but I couldn’t push it very hard in the last half mile, which is pretty much uphill. My shoes were water-logged and my toes were getting numb. And I was cold. I just couldn’t push myself through that today.

This is a great way to close off the crazy running year of 2009. Had injuries not slowed me down in the spring, it’s hard to tell where I would be right now. But I can’t dwell on that — I can only look forward. Ending on a high note like this certainly helps.

On a side note, it did snow today … in the mountains. Here’s proof from a visit to the Peaks of Otter this afternoon:

A couple of months or so ago, I said that in 2010 I would run the Shamrock Half Marathon again. But after unexpectedly getting a new job and all that, I didn’t know if I would do it again. Last night, though, I signed up for it. There’s part of me that knows I would have missed doing it if I skipped it and there’s also a part of me that knows that a good Shamrock Half will set me up for successful Richmond Marathon training later in the year.

Plus I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself over the next three and a half months. I have that infamous 10 pounds I want to lose, plus I really want to set a PR in this event. While my No. 1 goal will be to run my race to the best of my ability, I will keep a big focus on getting faster this winter. I’ll worry about focusing on the PR the closer the event gets here.

***

Speaking of 2010, I doubt that I’ll run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half again. While the timing is good with training for the marathon, the money to travel to Virginia Beach twice in one year just isn’t worth it. Now that I’m back in the Lynchburg area, I’ll likely focus on many smaller races that I used to run. I had fun here a few years ago with these races and they’re a lot of cheaper. I’ll spend less money running a few races here vs. traveling on Labor Day weekend. There’s actually a half marathon in Lynchburg in August that I’ll likely do.

***

The Bedford Christmas Classic is this weekend, the fourth time I have done this event. It’ll briefly overtake Shamrock as the event I’ve done the most. Oddly enough, though, I’ve never blogged about this specific race since the other three events (twice as a 5k and once as a 10k) occurred before my blogging days. The forecast right now looks, well, a lot like Christmas. It’s looking like rain will turn to snow that day with temperatures falling during the day, but around here I’ve learned not to pay much attention to the forecast. Either way, I’ll be unprepared for any of those conditions, including really cold, so I’m just planning to go with the flow.

Travis and I ran the course the other night and I finished in just a little more than 25 minutes, which is actually in between my previous two 5k race times, so I’m confident I can set my course record. I felt like I could knock a couple of minutes off that time in a race. But we’ll have to see how I feel and how the weather plays out. Right now I’m still feeling tired from my Thanksgiving trip — there’s been very little down time since then. I’m hoping tonight though to get some extra rest.

Earlier this year when I ran two races two weeks in a row, I walked away satisfied, but hurt. So now I’m doing it again, but it’s a far cry from a half marathon and a 10k back to back. Instead it’s a 2 miler and a 5k.

Next week I am heading to Ohio to visit the in-laws for Thanksgiving. It’s the second time I’ve been there for Thanksgiving and it will mark the second time that I’m doing the local turkey trot there. I’ve entered the 2-mile race to give myself a speed test. There is a 5-mile race too, but I don’t quite feel up to running 5 miles fast right now. I’m sure I could do OK, but it probably wouldn’t be a boost to my confidence. Four years ago I ran this race in 16:18 in some crazy pouring down snow and extreme cold. It was wild, but fun. This year it’s looking like it’ll be fairly cool in the low 40s with a chance of rain.

I’m pretty sure I can pump out two miles in about an 8-minute pace, so I’m aiming to break that “record” for that distance.

On Dec. 5 I am making the return to the Bedford Christmas Classic, a race I have done three times — two 5ks and a now defunct 10k — before my blogging days. The course is simple — Bedford, Va.’s loop. But it’s not easy. The first mile and a half isn’t bad — it’s mostly downhill. After that a big hill smacks you in your face and separates the field. Every year I’ve done this race it’s been cold — low to mid-30s — but I’ve had fun at each one. My 5k times were 24:51 when I first started running in 2004 and 26:51 the following year when I had let myself get out of shape a little bit. It was that race that kind of sparked me to get in better shape and run the Virginia Ten Miler the following year.

Right now, even though I know I’m not in the shape I’d like to be, I would love to go out and set a course record and PR for a 5k in my 30s (24:45). Now that I’ve been back in Bedford for almost a month and ran the loop several times, I think I can do it. I’ve been running faster by default with Duke and a couple of times with my friend Travis, so I think in race conditions I can step it up. I’ll see how next week goes with the 2-miler first. I need to pass that test before jumping too far ahead.

No matter what, though, it’s nice to be signed up for these community races. In an odd twist with my 5k experience, when I run the race on Dec. 5, that will be my first 5k since last October — more than 400 days. And in looking back at my post, that race was my first 5k in 420 days. I guarantee I’ll run another 5k before March 2011.

For those of you who only like long-distance races, you’re missing something special in your community. It has taken me a long time to realize this, but 5ks have a way of bringing together a lot of different people.

There’s the fat dad looking to get into shape; there’s the mother of three who runs no matter how busy her life is; there are runners who run so fast that it doesn’t make sense; there are people who run so slow that they get passed by walkers; there are the teenage girls who have on way too much make-up at 7:30 a.m.; there are kids who walk after a half-mile, but keep on trucking it; there are cross country teams; there are neighbors who join together to pass out water … this list could go on and on, but the thing I like most is that there’s nothing wrong with any of these people. We’re all there for the same reason.

Today was one of those races (5k Eagle Challenge in Bon Air) in which people of all shapes, sizes and ages were well represented. There were probably way too many kids up front , but this was their event at their school after all. I actually didn’t mind too much (except for the one girl who decided to stop a half mile in and turn around and let her friends catch up) and nobody else seemed phased either.

Like I said in my post last night, I just wanted to have fun. In my head I wanted to beat 25 minutes and hit close to 8-minute miles — actually putting that down in words last night seemed difficult. Well, at the first mile I was at 8 minutes exactly. I was kind of surprised considering how slow the first quarter mile felt, but I was feeling great. The first mile was essentially flat until about the last tenth, which was uphill.

The second mile was up and down some hills — for what I’m used to, they weren’t that big. If you live in the Mid-West, they might have looked like mountains. I ran between miles 2 and 3 just under 8 minutes. Still felt great. Between miles 2 and 3 weren’t too bad either — I’d have to say it was relatively flat. I hit that mile in exactly 8 minutes. The last tenth was as smooth and consistent as the first 3 miles. I probably could have pushed it a little harder, but considering it wasn’t anywhere close to a PR, I wanted my first 5k experience in 420 days to be one that would have me happy to be doing a 5k again. I didn’t want to do anything stupid, in other words.

My finishing time was 24:45 (7:58 pace) — good enough for third in my age group (out of eight, unless one of the unnamed runners listed in the results is in his 30s) and 48th out of 301 runners (should I be happy that I beat so many kids?). While it’s a couple of minutes off my PR, it is a new mark to beat for my 30s. I’d love to get back to where I was last summer with my speed. Eventually I will, but considering my injuries in the past year and my focus on longer distances, I’m certainly happy with what happened today.

To close this post off, I highly encourage everyone out there to take part in a community 5k. If you can get your mind off racing for 10 minutes while you’re there, take a look around you and you’ll quickly realize what a great experience it is.

Last August in the middle of marathon training, I ran my first 5k under 23 minutes. It was part of a streak of PRs in a 5k. I had a 23:03 the month before and 23:49 in November 2006. It was my 11th 5k since late 2004 … little did I know it would be 420 days later that I would be doing my next 5k. That’s my longest drought without a 5k since 2006 when I went about nine months without racing that distance.

The check is written and the entry form is filled out to run a 5k at 8 a.m. tomorrow. It’s looking like temperatures will be a bit nippy with lows forecast in the mid-40s tonight. It was 85 degrees two days ago. For the record, this race is called the 5k Eagle Challenge, which benefits St. Edward-Epiphany School on Huguenot Road in the Bon Air area of Richmond.

As you know it’s not like I haven’t entered races. Since that time I’ve done a 4-miler, an 8k, a 10k, a virtual 8 miler, three half marathons (Lynchburg, Shamrock, Rock ‘n’ Roll), a 30k and a marathon. But I’ve gotten away from this great distance, and I’m looking forward to it. I don’t really have any goals — how can I when it’s been that long? I just want to have fun, and that’s what 5ks have always been for me. I’ve missed it … just how much is something I’ll find out in the morning.

For the past three years on the first Saturday of December, I have ran in the Bedford Christmas Classic in Bedford, Va. Even though I moved to Richmond a few months ago, I had every intention of making this race my first post-marathon event. I think it would have been a perfect chance to return to the 5k distance that I first fell in love with.

But as you’ve probably already read, the snot in my head had other plans for me this week. Two days after getting on a prescription, I’m finally feeling worthwhile today. There’s not as much cloudiness in my head. I was sluggish this morning, but by noon and a quarter box of tissues later, I took my sad-looking dog out for a walk. Poor thing hasn’t had his usual walk/runs this week. We even ran for 0.7 miles, which felt pretty good. It had been a week since I last ran — my longest running drought since September 2006. Even though it wasn’t even a mile, it does a lot for my confidence. My legs still work and they felt great! And I think the full week off helped me fully recover from the marathon. On Thanksgiving and on Saturday, I had some discomfort in my right heel and my left knee, but nothing major. I stress discomfort over the word pain. Perhaps completely taking time off is the medicine my lower half of my body needed to get back to running again.

So, on a day that I lost a 3-year-old holiday tradition, I feel like I’ve actually gained a lot when it comes to running. Now, about those 1,000 miles I want to hit …

I pretty much got talked into running a 5K this morning and I’m so glad I did. Despite the heat and humidity and being unfamiliar with the course, I once again posted a personal best at 22:42, a 7:19 pace. I beat my previous 5K best from June by 21 seconds. The course, which was described on the brochure as “relatively flat,” was one of the hillier courses I’ve ran. Rolling hills would’ve been a better description. The first mile wasn’t too bad since it was mostly downhill. My first mile was 6:30, which seemed way too fast. I slowed down between miles 1 and 2 so I could save something for the end, and because of the hills involved. The last mile was brutal and seemed so slow, so I was more than pleased when I got near the finish line and realized I’d finally have a sub 23-minute 5K. (Click here for the results.)

The thing that made today so different is that I forgot my GPS watch. And I also forgot my sunglasses, which have been part of me the last few races. So I was completely off my normal race day routine, but in the end I’m so glad I didn’t have a watch on me. Like a run several weeks ago, I felt free and I didn’t feel obligated to try and stick to a certain pace. I just went for it.

To add even more excitement, I “won” my age group … but I happened to be the only runner in the field of about 85 in the 25-29 age bracket. Had it been 20-29, I still would’ve won my age group.

So all in all, I’m glad I was convinced to run today. I missed my speed/endurance group run this week, so this definitely made up for it. I’m still planning to get my long run in tomorrow, but may cut back a bit if this blistering heat continues.

I’d also like to give a shout out to Jill, my future ex-co-worker who talked me into doing this race. It’s been great doing this races with you, and don’t worry, I’ll come back for some of these. Another co-worker would get a shout out, but she failed to show up … just like she did for the Academy Mile.

A couple of days after a race, I always like to write about the experience of what happened, what I could have done differently, what I learned from that specific race, etc. This past Saturday I was 4 seconds away from having my first sub 23-minute 5K. I had my personal best of 23:03, a 7:27 mile pace. That time was 40 seconds faster than a 5K I did on a track about two weeks ago, and 43 seconds faster than my last road 5K in November.

Saturday’s race, the Presbyterian Homes 5K in Lynchburg, was an interesting course. The first and last half mile of the race were uphill, with lots of rolling hills in between. Perhaps interesting isn’t the right word — it was fairly typical of races in Lynchburg with all the hills. It was the first race in a while that I feel I effectively used what I have learned in the past year. Going up the hills, I shortened my stride and let the arms do more work. While I was getting passed going up a few hills, I was not wearing myself out like some people were. Going down the hills, I let the hills carry me and gave my body a chance to relax while still going faster (and passing those people who passed me going uphill).

I don’t think I could have done much differently. I had a pretty decent final kick the last tenth of a mile and I felt like I left everything on the course. There are no regrets there. The weather was perfect. For late June you couldn’t ask for much better weather than mid-70s and relatively low humidity.

So, what’s next? This Wednesday I join a morning training group at 6:15. It’s a speed and endurance group geared for the Virginia Ten Miler, but will help me tremendously as I get ready for the marathon. Next week there’s a one-mile race on July 4. Last year’s time was 7:11 and I really hope to break the 7-minute mark this year.