As I do most years, I got myself together in time on New Year's Day to get over to Rossyln and run in the DC Road Runners Predictions and Resolutions 5K. My best time in this race was 30:51 back in 2005. I couldn't break 34 minutes in any 5K last year so I knew that time wasn't in any danger.
Quite a few runners made it out for the race and the race was even covered by a Washington Post reporter and photographer. The start was crowded as it always is on a Mt. Vernon Trail race but it quickly thinned out as we ran by Roosevelt Island. I was running at just over a 10 minute pace for the first mile but had to stop to walk at about 1.1 miles. According to my Garmin, my heart rate was at 142 at this point. I really should be able to run at that rate but it seems like that is when I start to feel pretty bad and I always try to err on the side of discretion.
My heart rate got above 142 8 times during the race and I took walk breaks every time. My highest heart rate was 149 just before the finish.
I finished the race is 36:45, 10 seconds slower than the day before on a flat course. This course has a very challenging hill at the end of the race (a bridge over the GW parkway) so relative to that race I'm somewhat satisfied. But I obviously have a LONG way to go to catch up with my times from just a few years ago. My hope is with consistent training, which is now possible being between work assignments, I'll be able to not only get stronger but also lose the 8 pounds or so that keep me from being in the proper BMI level. I do all of that I think I should certainly expect myself to be able to sustain a 10 minute per mile pace for up to a 10K distance. Let's see how the year goes.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Festival of Lights 5K
I dropped out of the King Street Mile due to its time restriction of 9 minutes or less and instead ran the Festival of Lights 5K on Christmas Eve. Man, was it ever cold and windy. Temperatures were in the mid to low 30's and winds were gusting to about 50MPH. Several trees were knocked down and in the road on the way to the race and a priest was killed in the area about the same time as the start of the race when a tree fell on him.
The race was run at Bull Run Park. I had always wanted to run there so this was my chance. Plus, with a 3PM start I could run and get back home in time to celebrate the New Year properly.
I wore my new Garmin Forerunner 305 that Dori gave me for Christmas for the first time in a race. I struggled with reading it while I ran but I think it will be a big help to my running once I figure out how to use it properly.
I ran the first 1.1 miles at a 10 minute/mile pace. That kept me in a pretty good sized pack of runners until I took a walk break at 1.1 miles. Though the course was pretty flat, the wind and cold took their toll on me. Plus, I was bundled up like the character from the Michelin tire commercials so it was a little tough moving around. Anyway, the most interesting aspect of the course was the shooting range just short of the turnaround. There were quite a few people out shooting. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Nothing brings in a New Year like firing off a few rounds. :) Anyway, I flinched everytime they fired. It was loud! I wanted to get away from there as fast as I could but we actually spent a lot of time by them since that is where the turnaround was.
I took a number of walk breaks on the back half of the course, though I was only passed by one runner and I passed another runner during this half. I finished the 5K in 36:35. That's not very good but I'll take it given the conditions.
I hung around for the prizes afterwards, which I usually don't do, but I had a good feeling. So much for that feeling. I froze my tail off and I didn't win a darn thing. What a fitting end to a tough year. I finished with 51 races for the year, none of them particularly good. Bring on 2009.
The race was run at Bull Run Park. I had always wanted to run there so this was my chance. Plus, with a 3PM start I could run and get back home in time to celebrate the New Year properly.
I wore my new Garmin Forerunner 305 that Dori gave me for Christmas for the first time in a race. I struggled with reading it while I ran but I think it will be a big help to my running once I figure out how to use it properly.
I ran the first 1.1 miles at a 10 minute/mile pace. That kept me in a pretty good sized pack of runners until I took a walk break at 1.1 miles. Though the course was pretty flat, the wind and cold took their toll on me. Plus, I was bundled up like the character from the Michelin tire commercials so it was a little tough moving around. Anyway, the most interesting aspect of the course was the shooting range just short of the turnaround. There were quite a few people out shooting. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Nothing brings in a New Year like firing off a few rounds. :) Anyway, I flinched everytime they fired. It was loud! I wanted to get away from there as fast as I could but we actually spent a lot of time by them since that is where the turnaround was.
I took a number of walk breaks on the back half of the course, though I was only passed by one runner and I passed another runner during this half. I finished the 5K in 36:35. That's not very good but I'll take it given the conditions.
I hung around for the prizes afterwards, which I usually don't do, but I had a good feeling. So much for that feeling. I froze my tail off and I didn't win a darn thing. What a fitting end to a tough year. I finished with 51 races for the year, none of them particularly good. Bring on 2009.
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