32 posts tagged “racing”

Yesterday I ran one of the few certified 5K’s I have raced. It is the Brunswick “Hot Pursuit 5K.” I did it last year for the first time, and finished in 2008 in 20:51. I was hoping to be much faster this year, hopefully by a full minute, breaking the 20-minute mark.

It is advertised as “fast,” and I agree. Here is the elevation graph:

To be different, I set my Garmin GPS watch to lap every kilometer. In past races I used miles. I think I may do that again in upcoming 5K’s. The course and Garmin were spot-on, as the race ended at the same time the Garmin said I had run five kilometers.

There were a lot of runners in the race. A little over 300 was the number the race official gave at the pre-start speech, but the results show 242. Still quite a lot for me. I got in the third or fourth row at the start, and had no problems getting off fast. Someone hit the back of my shoe (or I hit the front of some one else’s foot) in the first kilometer, but that was it.

The first K went by in 3:52. That was a mistake. If I ran every kilometer that fast, I would finish in 19:20, a lot faster than my goal. However, during the race I thought the time wasn’t bad. It is going to take getting use to the kilometer lap setting, but I think it is worth it. I have been running one-kilometer intervals between 4:05 and 4:10 (with 90-second jogging recoveries), so I am getting use to the metric system.

One kilometer is 0.62137 miles (according to a Google search.) Looking at the elevation map above shows the first .62137 miles of the race is mostly uphill. That makes the first kilometer time go from “a mistake” to “that was stupid!”

The second kilometer was mostly down hill, and went by in 3:53. Again, during the race I felt good about that time. However, looking at the numbers – the first 2K went by in 7:45. That is a 6:14 mile pace. I believe I am in shape to run a 19:50 to 19:59 5K. However, only if I run each mile between 6:20 and 6:25. Those 5 to 10 seconds, especially in the beginning will cost 20 to 30 seconds at the end of the race. Today proves it. Crap.

You probably know where this is going. The third kilometer (1.24 to 1.86 miles) was quite rolling. Man, I love those graphs and my Garmin! I slowed. It took me 4:09. The 3:52 and 3:53 previous kilometers put 15 seconds “in the bank” (as they say), but I withdrew nine seconds in the third kilometer. Just like the economy, I am starting to crash!

And I was not bailed out. Actually I sort of bailed. Take a look at this graph.

The fourth kilometer, mile 1.86 to 2.49, shows a heart rate dip after the two-mile mark. I remember that moment. It coincides with a hill; notice the elevation line directly below the heart rate dip. My pace was slowing. I was feeling I could not hold pace for the next 2K, and a miserable hill appears. The fourth kilometer was the slowest, 4:19.

I feel good that I regrouped and ran a faster last kilometer: 4:04. The total time was 20:21. I get a kick out of the fact it is the exact same time as the Unity 5K I did in April.

Here are the results.

My plan over the summer is to run a bunch of 1K’s in 3:55 to 3:59, trying to get that pace nailed down.

Next race is a five miler in June.

Today I raced Unity College’s annual Spring 5K. This is the 27th time they put on this April race. I have done it seven times. It is a fast course! Here is an interesting graph, thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 305:

It shows the elevation of the race. Pretty steep drop in the first .5+ miles, eh? That explains the first mile – 6:22. There is quite a climb right before the first mile ends, but I think my feet were moving so fast from the down hill, the hill didn’t seem too bad. It is very early in the race too, that helps.

Mile two, my Garmin kept saying the mile pace was in the 6:30’s. I was disappointed that I was slowing down. I was running by myself at this time. The start was pretty crowded. Quite a few actually passed me and went out fast. By the end of mile one (actually by the end of the first half mile), all the initial changes were done. I thought I was pretty far ahead of folks behind me, and quite a distance away from the people in front.

At the turn around point I counted the people in front of me. There were 75 to 80 total racers, and I was in seventh place! I was in front of the #1 female runner too. Looking at the elevation graph, mile two was quite rolling. Check out this chart:

It shows the elevation, but also has the pace. I finished mile two in 6:46. Around 1.75 miles it seems I slowed quite a bit and was running around 8:00 pace! What a loser! I must have lost concentration there. It was during an uphill stretch, so I’ll give myself a small break.

Ok Mile one was 6:22. Mile two was 6:46, for a total of 13:08. My goal was sub 20 minutes, so I was 10 or so seconds too slow!

Last chart!

This was the heart rate my Garmin recorded.  I am happy with the heart rate numbers. I think I did a good, solid, 5K effort. Unfortunately, the time that result from my effort is not quite what I want. The last mile went by in 6:39 – for a 19:47 total time. It took me :39 seconds to finish the race, for a total of 20:26.

Here is an interesting map:

The Garmin records lat/lon as I run. The data can be downloaded and mapped! The green bubble was the start. It is the top of a hill. The red bubble is the end. Close to the bottom of that hill, though you may notice there is a nasty rise at the very end of the race (if you look at the elevation graph again.) I think all this stuff is great! I should run more though, and not look at the graphs. That is probably the best way to get a sub 20 minute 5K...

One thing happened in the race that I thought was interesting: If you look at the map, you will notice that there is a sharp turn before the three mile mark, and then the finish. At that point I was surprised by three people – they all passed me! I dropped from seventh to tenth place. Two of the people were females, so I was watching the battle for the women’s race! One of the ladies took off, but the other fell back. I passed her, but couldn’t catch the other two. I ended up in ninth place.
 
I use www.runningahead.com to log my runs, and the graphs and map come from there. Best thing – it is free! The log anyway, the Garmin was kind of expensive.

My next race will be in May. Thanks for reading! I think I may find photos that I will post. Also when the results are published I will update with that information.

Today was the last race of 2008. I was excited about this race, thinking I could end the year with a PR. I had a few of those in 2007, but this year has been a step back. The Unity 5K I did in April (21:01) was 37 seconds slower than last year's time (20:24). I am very happy with the Brunswick 5K (20:51) I did in May. I will do both races next year, in my never-ending attempt to get a sub 20 minute 5K.

My most disappointing 2008 race was the Gardiner 5 mile race (June). The time was 36:40. Last year I had a break out race, getting 34:17 - a 54 second PR. July's race (Lisbon Falls) was a tough 5K, and I got a respectable 21:08. I think I will skip it next year. In the same category (too many hills), was my August Race (which I did in July - it's complicated, don't ask.) I ran a 21:45 5K. That was the Guilford race that I actually WON! Ha! The September race, a 5K in Augusta was also 21:08.

I am happy with all those times, I suppose, but I want to do better. I ran the Brunswick 8K in 2006 and the time was 34:20. My goal was 34:19 or better!

I took a long, hard look at my training this year, comparing it to 2006:

- I have almost averaged four miles per week more, ~34 mpw compared to 30.

- My tempo (7:07) and stamina paces (7:22) have been a little quicker than a couple years ago (7:17 and 7:43), but I have run fewer hard(ish) miles.

- My endurance pace is quicker also, and have run more slow(ish) miles than in 2006.

- I am disappointed in my weight. It is a little over four pounds higher (163 pounds in 2006, 167 now.)

So, with all that information - do you think I ran it faster than 34:20????? Lets take a mile by mile look, comparing the 2006 race to 2008. Kind of like SportsCenter.

In 2006 I covered the first mile in 6:46. That was a little fast, as the average pace for the entire 8K was 6:52. Not too bad though. As I started today's race, an odd thing happened. My heart rate monitor strap slid off my chest and settled around my stomach. What a pain. I run long runs with a "fanny pack," so the feeling of the monitor strap around my midsection was not too distracting. I finished mile one this year in 6:57. I was happy with that time as it was pretty close to my goal. I would not have heart rate information to help this time.

Ok mile two: 2006 went by in 7:02. The total back then was 13:48 - a 6:54 overall pace. Funny how things work, but I was neck and neck with my 2006 self in 2008: Today, I went by the mile two mark in 6:51, also covering the first two miles in 13:48. However, this year I am using my Garmin reported miles. In 2006 I did not have the Garmin, and used the course marked miles. Unfortunately, the miles marked on the course did not match up with the Garmin - the marked miles were long. I actually was slower than 2006. I remember getting to the mile 2 marker in 14:04, and being bummed to be slower than a seven minute pace.

I wanted to be faster, so this year I remember speeding up. In the middle of mile two was the one and only water stop. I skipped it. I also skipped the water in 2006, however back then they put the water break in mile three not mile two. But how am I doing? In 2006 I covered mile three in a blistering 6:46. This year, mile three was 6:51. Oh oh, our hero 2008 version of me is five seconds behind the skinnier 2006 me. Actually, I was a little more than five seconds behind, because my Garmin marked miles 20 to 30 feet before the race mile markers.

Up to this point, this year I had been running a nicely paced run - 6:57, 6:51, and then another 6:51. As in 2006 the first three miles were easy - down hill. Mile four started an up hill climb. I slowed down quite a bit in 2006, doing mile four in 7:16. This year I am happy to say, I made up some ground. Mile four passed in 7:07. It makes for an exciting ending: 2008 Dean (27:46) is actually four seconds ahead of 2006 Dean (27:50)!

It looks good on paper, but alas, it ain't so. The four mile marker was placed around 4.11 miles! At the beginning of the race, the race director stated the four mile marker was not right. I can't remember if it was in the same place as 2006. Oh well, my Garmin had me go through the first four miles in 27:46. My goal was to finish in 34:19 or better, so I needed to finish the thing in 6:33. An 8K comes out to 4.97096954 miles, so I had less than a mile to go.

One odd thing - my garmin measured another 1.008 miles, which I covered in 6:53. It appears the course is a bit over 8K, closer to a five miler. In 2006 I covered from the four mile marker to the finish in 6:30. I am unhappy to say my 2006 self beat me (the 2008 version) by 20 seconds. Again, the 2006 time was 34:20. Today's time was 34:40. Bummer. Here are the results: http://www.mainetrackclub.com/pt8k08.html

Thanks, if you read the whole nerdy report, and good job if you just jumped to the bottom to see my time, that probably was the smart thing to do.

Good running all - my next race will not be until 2009!

 

Friday morning, bright and early, I ran my last 5K of 2008. The final time was 21:08. I did not think I ran it in the most efficient manner. Here are the individual mile times: 6:36, 6:50, and 6:56; the final .1+ miles were 46 seconds - a classic positive split. Kind of a bummer. If I had held back a little in the first mile, I may have finished with a faster time. I really think I could have got 20:59 or better. Oh well, racing is not easy.

It was the first time I entered this one. It is called the "Rise 'n Shine" 5K because it starts at sunrise the last Friday in September. I am not sure I like early workday morning 5K's. Sitting all day at a desk for work, after running hard, is not pleasant. The radio station 92 Moose was broadcasting from the race. Their morning DJ, John James, was there. I always pictured him looking like the DJ from the old "WKRP in Cincinnati" television show. The DJ that DESPISED Barry Manilow. I cannot remember the character's name. 92 Moose's DJ, John James, didn't quite look like the TV show's DJ, but there is a resemblance.

The race started at 6:35AM or so. It was a little late. Sunrise was at 6:32AM. The start was down a hill, but the end was back up it. That was a big reason my first mile was the fastest. The other miles were very flat. The start was near the Kennebec Savings Bank in Augusta. The course went by a fire station, took a sharper than 90 degree right into the Maine State Housing parking lot, out the rail trail a bit, then turned around, and back to the start.

The miles were marked, and the first mile had a timer. My Garmin was spot on for each mile and also at the finish. The race director said the race was wheel measured, and it seems they did a good job getting it right.

Here are the results: http://www.mainetrackclub.com/RiseNShine08.html

One more race this year - the Physical Therapy 8K in October! Thanks for reading this.

Everyone needs to check if pigs are flying, Hector found his pup, or that Hell has frozen over because I actually won yes WON a race! Yea me! Ha. It was a small, not very talented group of racers, but I was the first person to cross the finish line. That means I won.

Doreen, Steven, and I just came back from Canada (our travel vacation this year), and were staying in Dover Friday into Saturday. Dad told me about the race, and I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately Dad was not feeling well, and skipped it. I had not run the actual race in the past, but have run over the course with quite a few of the folks who entered the race. They are Dad's (and sometimes my) running buddies, and a fun crowd to hang around.

At the start a couple people toed the line, but most were reluctant to get close to the front. I wanted to be in row two as that is where I normally start, but nobody wanted to get in front of me. It started and everyone tore off. I held back, and let half the runners get in front of me. There were only about 20 people in the race, so not many were ahead of me. Within a 1/4 to 1/2 mile I was comfortably in fifth place, and thought that would be a good goal - 5th place!

Right after setting the 5th place goal someone passed me, kind of ruining my plan. However, I stuck with him and passed someone else to maintain 5th place. The person who went by me was in his 20's, looked strong, and I thought would be the eventual winner. I let him go, and settled into my happy fifth place goal. Shortly after though, I caught two fellows who apparently went out too fast. One was an older guy who Dad and I have run with. He told me to "go get 'em." The other guy turned out to be his son-in-law.

I got to mile one with a time of 6:57. I was in third place, and thought about the Olympics. I decided to go for Bronze - third place not fifth. A hill started at the end of mile one, and did not really end until the start of mile three. It was a challenging course. I had quite a bit of distance to cover to catch up with the leader and #2, and didn't expect that I would do it. I kept running the same effort/pace, and around 1.5 miles I was right behind them. "How did that happen?" I remember thinking to myself.

At the 1.5 mark, the person in second place slowed. Wow - I was actually in second place, running a half a step behind the leader, who turned out to be in my age group. At one point a car was heading toward us. I hopped in front to let the car go by. A little bit later another car came, and this time the other guy took the lead. Other than that we ran side by side until mile two. It took me 7:07 to cover that mile, 10 seconds slower than the first mile. However, it was mostly up hill so I think the effort was stronger. The other guy though probably finished mile one in 6:30 or so, which means he covered mile two between 7:25 and 7:35. The time at mile two was 14:05. Oh, if I could only think when I am racing. I would know this guy would not be able to keep up the pace because he started way too fast. Oh well, I pulled ahead of the guy at the start of mile three, and ended up beating him by 15 - 20 seconds! Deep down I think I knew I was going to win!

Guilford was having a "celebration" day, and a parade was going to go through the middle of town. I ran as hard as I could through downtown Guilford. There were lots of people watching me. I heard someone say something like "oh, here comes a racer." I thought, "a racer? Don't you mean the first racer?" At one point I thought about raising my hands and asking people to cheer! Luckily I hadn't run hard enough to be so uninhibited, so I did not do that.

I finished mile three in 6:58 and the last .1 or so miles went by in 42 seconds for a total of 21:45. Not a great time for me, but a win is a win. Some where I am sure a fat lady is singing!

I think my next race will be in September. Thanks for reading!

Woke up around 5:30am on my own, not by an alarm clock. That is happening more and more as I get older. I asked Doreen if she wanted to go to the race this morning. I didn't expect her to say yes because it was so early. However, she wanted to go. We were up and on the road a little after 6:00am.

We drove down using Doreen's parents GPS. It worked well, but I still like our original one. I went for a quick 1.5 mile warm up run and then waited for the start. This friendly guy talked a bit, saying his son-in-law is the race director. He said he would see me at mile two, at what he called "heart break hill."  Oh boy. I said I hope to see him between 13 and 14 minutes. He said he was going to give out the time as runners went by.

I lined up quite a bit from the back. The start was a little slow. I started to pass people. It was a much larger race than the last few I have been in. The Unity 5K had 76 people, the Brunswick 5K had 158, and the Gardiner 5 Miler had 56. This one had 270. After I got home, I loaded the race information my Garmin recorded into a program to give me elevation changes. The course had two nice big hills. One in the beginning, and the next one in the end. Even though mile one had a nice incline, it also had some down hills, making the entire mile lose 44 feet in elevation. I finished mile one in 6:42. My goal was sub 21 minutes, around 6:44 pace, so I thought I was doing good.

Mile two had such a huge hill! (How huge was it?) It started at the end of mile one, but didn't end until the beginning of mile two. I thought the volunteer was going to be positioned at the top of the hill. However, he was right in the middle of it. He called the two mile split and said it was 13:35. My Garmin indicated I covered mile two in 6:49 - so I recorded the two mile split as 13:31.

I wasn't too happy with the mile two split giver volunteer, thinking he ought to have been at the top of the hill, but he was at the two mile point so now that I am thinking more clearly it wasn't really his fault. According to my Garmin, mile three lost 126 feet, and the last .1 miles gained 47 feet. I am not sure about the numbers. The total net loss of 79 feet (126 - 47) is probably right, but I think mile three didn't have that much down hill, nor did the last .1 mile have that much up hill. My Garmin reads 6:55 for mile three and 42 seconds for the last tenth of a mile.

The total comes to a sort of aggravating 21:08. I would much rather see less than 21 minutes, but this course had those tough up hills. I think a flatter course would give me 20:40 or less without much difficulty.

Here are the results of the race: http://www.mainetrackclub.com/moxie08.html

I hope my next race will be the Breakaway 5K in Old Orchard Beach. I have not run that one, but it is advertised as fast!

Thanks for reading.

Today was the 29th time the Gardiner 5 Mile road race was held. I have done it every year since 2002, so this is my sixth time. I am not in PR shape, but wanted a challenge/plan that would make it interesting. Here was the plan: Run mile one in 7:30; mile two in 7:25; three - 7:20; mile four 7:15; and the last mile in 7:10. I added up all those times, and the total comes to 36:40. My time actually ended up being 36:37! Sounds pretty good, but the mile splits were not what I was shooting for.

I started close to the front, even though the first mile was supposed to be the slowest. During the first 1/4 or so mile, I kept checking my Garmin for the pace. It read between 6:30 and 7:00 minutes per mile: so much for my plan. The problem I had was getting passed by many people! It got to the point I felt very few people were behind me. By the middle of the first mile, though, I started to pass people.  I slowed up a bit, finishing mile one in 7:15 -- 15 seconds faster than my goal. I should not have started so close to the front.

Mile one was mostly over gravel roads. Mile two starts where the gravel ends, and is pretty straight - down past Quimby field (where Little League to Babe Ruth baseball is played.) I felt good and continued to pass (or re-pass) runners. My goal was to run mile two in 7:25 - getting there in 14:55. Mile two was actually covered in 7:09, and the time read 14:24; too fast by 34 seconds.

Mile three was pretty much the same. I still felt strong, and continued to run hard. By this time the field was spread out. There was no one left to pass. The race is two loops - each 2.5 miles long. In the middle of mile three the first loop ends. I ran strong, not taking the offered water. I kept running and arrived at mile three with a time of 21:27, for a mile split of 7:03. My goal was to get to mile three in 22:15, covering that mile in 7:20.

I am sure everyone knows what is coming. My plan/goal was to finish this race in 36:40. I finished the race in 36:37. However, at the end of mile three I was 48 seconds faster than I planned to be. Well, mile four was the culprit. I slowed during this mile. Somewhere around 3.25 to 3.5 miles a fellow pulled up next to me. He was a guy that looked to be real fast, and I think he was taking it easy. I decided to run with him. After 100 to 200 yards, I checked my Garmin and it read 5:50 something pace. I think he sped up. It wiped me out. I said "thanks - good job" and slowed up. He said "thank you" and kept running. (We are polite!) At the end of mile four the time was 29:05. Even though part of that mile was spent at sub six minute pace, I covered the whole thing in 7:38. My plan was to finish mile four in 29:30, so I still was ahead of my plan - by 25 seconds now.

One mile to go, and it went by in 7:32, to get me to the end in 36:37 - three seconds faster than planned. It would be interesting to see how much I would have had left for the last couple miles in I had run as I set out to do. Maybe someday I will figure it out, but I could not do it in this race.

Thanks for reading. I am not really sure when my next race will be.

Good running all.

Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/bin/res_load/res_print.cgi?r=08/me/Jun21_Gardin_set1.shtml

20:51 was the time of today's race. I am happy. The last race was 21:01 at the Unity College Spring 5K April 19. It is only ten seconds faster, but 20:51 sounds a lot better than 21:01.

I got in line to pick up my race packet. The lady handed it to me and said, "Did you get such a low number because you are fast?" My bib number turned out to be "2."  I explained it was probably because I was registered early, but thought she made a funny joke. Thanks Troy - this was the last of the races you got me for Christmas last year. The other ones were the 10 Mile Mid Winter Classic Cape Elizabeth February 3 and the Portland Irish Road Rover 5K March 9.

I found a corner in the large room where registration was happening, and pinned the bib on my shirt. A couple minutes later, a fellow racer asked, "Did you come in second place last year?" Ho! Ho! Thanks buddy! I thought. That was one happy moment. I must look fast! Hee Hee. I explained how my brother registered me for this race as a Christmas present, and thought I was probably the second person to register, but definitely will not be the second person to finish.

I then went for a 13-minute run to warm up. Not on purpose, but that was the number of minutes it ended up being. It was a rainy day. I lined up to start the race. A fellow made a witty pre-race speech, a neat bagpipe band played a song, and the race started with a cop car speeding off with its siren blasting. The Brunswick Police Department organized the race, honoring police forces everywhere.

My goal was to run 20:59 or better - which was around 6:45 pace. My plan was to run hard, speed up if I noticed my Garmin showed a slower than 6:45 pace, and slow up if I saw something faster than 6:45. More often I had to pick the pace up. A few times I saw 6:30's, but felt good so kept running hard.

Mile one went by in 6:48. Mile two was 6:41. Mile three - 6:47. The last .1 miles were in 35 seconds. Covering 3.1 miles in 20:51 comes out to just under 6:44 minutes per mile. I am happy, and hope to get faster at upcoming races.

Here is the link to the results: http://www.mainetrackclub.com/hotpursuit08.html. I came in first place in my age group. Unfortunately, I left before the rewards were given out. I wish I had not left. I find it discouraging when winners do not hang around to claim their recognition.

Thanks for reading. My next race is June 21, the Gardiner 5 Mile Road Race.