5K Race Report and Then Some

It has been several days since I have written.  And those days have been quite interesting. 

Let us begin with the 5K on Saturday.  It was a 5K to benefit the ALS center at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  I’ve personally known one person with ALS.  It was a devastating condition to observe.  Although the person who had it went down fighting all the way.  A friend invited me to run with his team—honoring his father who is still alive and looking pretty good.  He had a huge team.

I arrived an hour before the race.  Met some of the rest of the team.  Caught up with several other runners I know.  Participated in the group shot and went for a one mile or so warm-up around 7:45. 

The race began a few minutes after the targeted start of 8:00.  I was near the front but not in the front row.  Got off to a quick start running south away from the Power Plant Live and toward Pratt Street.  Left on Pratt.  Jostled around a bit turning from Pratt onto President.  At that corner I was trying to move between two runners.  They closed in.  Not intentionally to block me, and I didn’t see either one of them the rest of the race as far as I know.  I was frustrated and almost expressed it verbally.  But I have to remind myself that while I have some goal times, I am ultimately out there for fun.  I kept quiet, pushed ahead, and continued down President Street.  While I had gone out what felt a little fast, I had settled into a reasonable pace.  At the end of President Street I hit the traffic circle and then headed down to Lancaster.  As we continued along my watch beeped, then I got to the one mile marker.  I hit lap. I heard the person by the sign shout 6:20.  When I got home I had 6:21.  So far, so good.  Fast, but not too fast. 

I continued along.  From this point on there were only a few shifts in place.  As we approached the turn around point there was a water station.  The people attending the water station had put out lots of cups but were just standing there.  Skipped the water.  Passed a teenage kid as I neared the turn around.  Got to the two mile mark.  Person shouted 12:50.  That seemed slower than where I thought I was.  My watch had again beeped before the second mile marker.  I hit the lap.  Checked it when I got home—second 6:21.  Solid and on pace. 

I continued back toward Power Plant Live.  Not sure where I would hit mile 3.  Was passed by one guy who just pushed quite a bit ahead.  But otherwise, kept going.  Nearly caught a guy as I came to the mile 3 mark and headed turned back onto Lombard.  Got my third mile time.  Checked when I got home 6:18. 

Had nothing left for the last 0.1  Ran it in 0:44.

Life was good.  A 19:44.  What was interesting was the fact that my times were so consistent.  And the fact that the person nearest ahead of me was about 7 seconds ahead and the person behind was about 19 seconds back.  I did not think that with 1500 people in the race I would be so far away from people on both sides.

I ran Sunday and I did 13 starting very early.  I enjoyed it but had some shin issues starting at mile 6.  Hobbled a bit.  But was cleared after I flew to give a presentation on Sunday.  Have rested since then.  Will test it out tomorrow morning. 

The Boston jacket led me to an interesting conversation on Sunday at the airport on the way home from giving a presentation about low vision and economics.  Talked with a guy from Cincinnati who has run 102 marathons.  60 years old.  Coaches the marathon training group at a running store in Cincinnati.  Did Boston this year. 

The total distance at this point is 731.9 miles.   That puts me in Teutopolis, IL on E1400th Ave.  Continuing on.  Even with 2 days off, I am still 10 miles ahead of 40 miles per week.  Life is good.  I count my blessings.