The Ten 5k Challenge, Race #4 Recap (Midsummer Night's Dream Run)

The Ten 5k Challenge, Race #4 Recap (Midsummer Night's Dream Run)

My New Year's Resolution for 2010 was to lose ten pounds and run ten 5k races. So far I'm down 8 lbs from my January 1 weight, and last night I completed the fourth 5k race of the year. I am registered already for races 5-7 which take place over the next several weeks, and I'm still eyeballing those last few races.

So, yesterday's race was unique for me for a couple of reasons. First, it's likely to be the only race of the year that I run on a weeknight, as the other ones have all been Saturday or Sunday morning affairs. Also, this race was divided up so that the first race was all high school kids, and then the adult men and women each ran separately. So I was running exclusively against other adult men, also new for me. Lastly, this was my first ever cross country race. I have been training mostly on paved roads. There are some dirt trails that I run on at Onondaga Lake Park but they are fairly well worn.

This was real off-road racing though! Running through grassy fields, up and down some serious hills, across bare dirt, and all kinds of new terrain. I found it challenging and fun.

The course was laid out at Long Branch Park, another state facility just down the road from my home. The organizers had laid out a 2.5k loop around the perimeter of the park that was essentially run twice, with some minor variations for the start and finish lines. A single water station was set up near the halfway point.

I hit the first mile split at 7:45, not my best pace but considering the terrain, I was happy with it. The killer feature of this course was a really big hill, just after the 1 mile mark. This beast was at a near 45 degree angle and probably about 60 feet high. The first time I hit it at a pretty good clip, made my way own the other side and on through the forest.

The weather was really nice... overcast, a little breeze and the occasional sprinkle of rain to cool me off.

Hit the halfway point at about 12:10. Again, I was hoping to finish under 25 minutes given the nature of the run. I found that running over soft ground, on trails, and the gravelly roads was putting a bit more pressure on my feet and ankles. Not enough to hurt, but enough for me to notice the difference from my usual runs.

This was an elite group of runners, compared to the other races I've run this year. The first three races of 2010 I've managed to finish in the top 20-25% of the field. But looking at this race's 2009 results I could see I'd be near the back of the pack. No bother -- I am running my own race. I very quickly fell behind the larger pack of runners in the first quarter mile.

Hitting that hill the second time, at about the 2.5 mile mark, really beat me down. I scaled it in a near trudge. From there though I was able to keep a good (for me) pace and even kick at the end a bit. I ran a 24:33, slower than I did in races 2 and 3 but still comparative to what I've been doing on my practice runs in the extreme heat we've had this year. I earned a nice orange tee shirt for my efforts and I feel great today. No lingering effects from running cross country.

I always feel like Rudy from the movie "Meatballs" when I'm running through the woods.

Race number 5, assuming I don't enter another one in between now and then, is another cross country run, this time at Beaver Lake in Baldwinsville. That's a full loop around the lake at a park that my family and I have visited many times. I'm looking forward to it.

UPDATE: Official results clocked me at 24:32, and in 29th place of 36 runners.

The Ten 5k Challenge, Race #3 Recap (Reston, VA)

I decided to run a 5k far from home, as we had made family plans to visit my cousin in Virginia for the July 4th holiday weekend. There was one nearby, the inaugural Firecracker 5k in Reston, Virginia, which I registered for online.

It was quite the race!

I got up early, got my packet and got my chip all tethered to my shoelaces nice and early. Was ready to go a good 50 or so minutes before the 8 AM start. We were racing in a nice little neighborhood of condos and bars/restaurants. Basically we started in the middle of it, ran a loop around the outside of it and then finished near where we started.

Somehow, due to the increasing heat and the one-way nature of the loop, it seemed as though 90% of the run was uphill. Much of the middle 2 miles or so was also in the direct sun and it was warming up out there by the minute. Good crowd, over 500 names pre-registered and more showing up. They announced it as over 800 runners though ultimately only 675 finish times were posted.

The mile markers were not in the correct locations, as far as I could tell. I broke into a nice sprint out of the box and even though I was running uphill in the sun, I felt like I was setting a decent pace. That first mile marker just kept not showing up, the fuck! Finally I hit what they are calling one mile at 8:02. I think, "That can't be right." And as I think it, someone else says it out loud and another guy goes "that's long." So I assume they've staked out the marker incorrectly, this being the inaugural 5k on this course.

I keep huffing it uphill, around and around the loop. A nice quiet run with 700 people I don't know. No physical problems, a tiny twinge in my right knee but nothing that affects my pace. I hit the second mile marker at 14:50! Now, that's 21 seconds faster than my fastest ever split, and I deduce that once again they've messed up the mile markers. Ah well, just run your race I tell myself. I hit the water station, one cup to the head/back and I don't break stride.

At some point a kid, maybe 14, asks me what my pace is. "Usually about 7:30-7:40" I pant to him. He gives me a "Really?" and then, of course, dusts me. I can't help but laugh, and I remark to a woman my age how much I love getting whipped by these kids. "I know," she replies, "I've been trailing him the entire race." This is funny to me.

Finally, as I keep winding up the corkscrew, I hit the third mile marker at a total time of 22:30. Now I'm happy, this lines up with how fast I feel like I've ran and what I have left. The last .1 is, of course, a run uphill and around a bend. I keep my pace but don't have enough to sprint the finish... I'm giving it all just to keep the pace. Gun time of 23:49, and chip time (and my watch time) of 23:39. I finished 94th out of 317 men, 21st out of 55 men age 35-39, and 124th overall out of 675 runners. Very happy with my performance... again, I beat my last race time by a substantial margin and made a good showing. The shirts they gave away are very nice, like that cool running mesh type instead of just a cotton tee.

Followed this up with a trip to DC to watch the Mets whip the Nationals, soak up more sun, have beer and burgers and good times all around. A super day.

Next race is in July 28th in Liverpool. A weeknight 5k race, should be an interesting day.

Public Apology

I'd like to publicly apologize on behalf of my two year old daughter, to the older woman we often see eating alone at Wegman's on Friday nights, who looks like she's wearing a wig that sits too high on her head.

I'm not sure if you heard her say it, but if you did, I am sorry that my child said that you have "a critter on your head" and that you were the "critter lady."

That is all.

The Ten 5k Challenge - Race #2 Recap

I made a New Year's Resolution to run ten 5k races in 2010. Here is a recap that I wrote this past Sunday, for the Father's Day 5k in Fulton.

Felt great the entire run today, finished with a clocked time of 24:09 (my watch said 24:07 but there was a 1-2 second delay as I was a few rows back of the front row of runners). Knocked out the first mile in a cool 7:31, which was good. A slight hill in the first mile as it went up and away from the lake, and a water stop at the 2:30 mark that I ignored. Since this was a up and back race this stop was more strategically placed for the end-run.

Knocked out the second mile in exactly 8 minutes, so I was at 15:31 for 2 miles. This was after reaching the turnaround point and dousing a cup of water on my back. I realized that I had been coasting a bit at the 2 mile mark, so I turned it up, found a nice rhythm and some shade and upped it a bit. Got to the third mile at 23:17, so I was a 7:48 for the third mile. The race ended around the corner from the start and they threw one more big hill in at around the 2.8 mile mark, but I had enough juice to push up the hill. Didn't even try to drink the water, just dumped it on my back again at that point.

Finished 35th out of the first 135 runners to finish when they posted the times... and there were still people finishing when they posted it. I suspect they had over 150 finishers. The 24:09 time put me fourth overall in my M35-39 age group, which was won by a guy about 75 seconds ahead of me. UPDATE: Results updated, finished 34th out of 180 runners who finished and 3rd overall in my age group.

I think if I keep improving I could actually finish first in my age group in one of these smaller races, that has 100-200 entrants. And that would be a real coup! In the interim I was happy to be 69 seconds faster than my race time from two weeks ago. Next race isn't for another 5 weeks so I have time to work on it. God damn, it is fun to do these races I must admit. Way more fun than I thought it would be. Having success, finishing high in my age group, helps to make it more enjoyable. It's such a contrast to my horrific golf game, where I'm the worst golfer in my league.

UPDATE #2: Registered to run a 5k next weekend in Virginia while there visiting my cousin.

Five Fun Things To Do at a Urinal

1. Sidle up next to someone already using a urinal and start using the same urinal at the same time. But be nonchalant about the whole thing.

2. Work on your arc -- see how far you can stand from the urinal without making a mess on the floor.

3. Exclaim loudly to someone using the adjacent urinal about how much fun you're having.

4. Bring a toy sailboat and put it in your urinal, to leave it as a nice surprise for the next guy.

5. Tell your urinal neighbor about the time you met Bea Arthur at adjacent urinals.

Running Updates

Yesterday, I ran my fastest ever 5k. I felt great, the weather was warm and sunny, and I loosen up quick in those conditions. I ran hard right out of the gate and finished my first mile in just 7:25. I then eased up for the last two miles and ran closer to my normal 8 minute pace, and finished in under 24 minutes for the first time at 23:58.

It's hard to believe that seven months ago, when I started running, I labored on a treadmill to run 2.15 miles in 30 minutes, and I ached in fifteen different muscles the next morning. I am proud of my progress.

This upcoming Sunday I am running in a Father's Day 5k in Fulton, New York. It's in memoriam of a guy like me, who was 35 with two young kids before having a heart attack and dying. Sad story, and it makes me appreciative of my health and my family both.

Last year this race had about 140 participants. So this will be smaller than the 1200 runners I ran with 10 days ago in the Paige's Butterfly Run, but bigger than the 20 or so people I ran against last week in the 5k-that-wasn't.

I hope to get two more practice runs in this week, one tomorrow afternoon and one Friday afternoon. The goal, right now, is to continue to improve my finish times and maintain my health in the process.

Like Forrest Gump, I'm a Runnin Fool

Just home from my first ever competitive 5k, and I have to say that it was by far the most fun I ever had running. Without question.

I did everything my running friends all told me not to do, and common sense dictated, last night and this morning -- last night I had a big panini for dinner, and then gin drinks at home, and a big bowl of cereal and milk this morning. I figured I'd be best off keeping my normal Friday PM/Saturday morning AM routine intact. Got there ridiculously early -- about 50 minutes before race time, and just milled about. I was hoping to encounter someone I knew, but apparently most of my Syracuse friends are doughy fucks. I did knock back a cup of coffee.

Big crowd at this race, I saw registration numbers up into the 1300s. I fell into the starting group about 20 rows or so back from the start.

Got going into a nice pace about 15 seconds after crossing the starting line, felt awesome. Sweet running weather -- overcast, a light breeze. A little humid but nothing oppressive. Hit the first mile split at 7:55 net time (I used my own watch to track my time). Had a half a cup of water and nearly choked on it... I don't usually drink anything while running so I wasn't sure how to drink out of a cup and run at the same time.

Hit the second mile split at 16:05 net time, about what I've been doing in my practice runs.

Last water stop, just shy of mile 3, I took a few sips and dumped the rest on my back (I can't dump them on my head without getting a lot of water on my glasses). Third mile I hit at about 24:15. Again, not my best ever pace but the course was pretty hilly. A nice run, along the inner harbor of Syracuse. Lots of kids and adults cheering the runners on as the race went, which was cool.

In the home stretch I noticed a little girl, running at a good clip. I asked her how old she was. "Nine and a half." I told her she was awesome and I was going to try and keep up with her to the finish line. It didn't happen -- she dusted me in fact. Not only that but two guys caught me in the last 10 feet, even though I turned on the jets at the end.

Finished with a gun time of 25:37, net time 25:18. They posted the first 900 finishers (which only went up to about 33 minute times, so they had a LOT of runners out there). I was 252nd overall, and 17th in my M35-39 age bracket. One of the two guys who caught me was 16th in my age group. Drat.

Still, it was really fun to run with other people, in what is usually a very solitary thing for me. Even though I didn't know anyone out there today, I still felt a kinship with the other runners. And, of course, all of my online running buddies who were with me in spirit.

After I finished I knocked back a bottled water and watched other people finish for 10 minutes and then split after they posted the results.

I would do this again in A SECOND. Nice of my wife to take Nate to karate class this morning, and take Isabel along for the ride, so I could do this race. Need to figure out my next race to run.