I have one word to describe this race. Hot. No, let me edit that. Freakin' hot! It was already muggy when I got up at 6:30 this morning. This was one of those times where an 8:00 start wouldn't have even helped us out much. But it was still a fun time and I'm guessing there were a good 1,000 runners or so.
The course itself would be absolutely perfect for a PR if race conditions are good. It starts outside of UD arena, runs across the Stewart St. bridge, along the river, and back to UD (with a nice downhill) finishing with a lap around the track.
I decided to not even attempt to race this thing, especially with a half marathon in 12 days. I even wore my iPod, which I never do at 5ks. After going through warm-ups and already building up a nice sweat, I made my way to the start line.
The congestion at the start of this race was more than I was expecting. It's usually not a big deal for me at half marathons because I start out very slow at those. I had to weave around a lot of people through the first half mile or so. It got better after that and I settled into a nice little groove. The first mile was around 8 minutes even, which I was fine with today. The fact that this is one of the few days we haven't had rain made me appreciate just being outside. The second mile was about the same as the first. We turned around by the river and made our way back to UD. I'm thinking I was just under 16 minutes at this point. The third mile was fine as we made our way back across the bridge and down a nice little hill to the stadium. I passed probably around a dozen people going down the hill and around the track. Final time- app. 23:48. About a minute slower than Vandalia, but about all race conditions would allow.
Nothing major is planned prior to the next race. I may try to get some speedwork in and probably a 7-8 miler next weekend. My key race for the first half of the year is coming up fast.
Next race: Carmel Half Marathon- Carmel, IN
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Vandalia 5k
This was a last minute addition to my race schedule. It's organized by the Ohio River Road Runners Club, which is a top notch organization. A $9 registration fee and a chance for some speedwork on a Tuesday evening made it a no-brainer. This was my first 5k since the Glass City debacle, so I was eager to see where I was in my recovery.
I made my way to the Vandalia Rec Center after work and got there in plenty of time to warm-up. It was rainy which is par for the course this spring. It wasn't too cool though and made for comfortable race conditions. Plus we could warm-up in the Rec Center prior to the race.
The race report itself is pretty short as there were no clocks along the course. The only thing that irked me was the first half mile or so. The race starts in the parking lot of the Rec Center and goes on to a bike path through the complex. A very narrow bike path. With close to 200 runners on it. You see where I'm going with this. It was jam-packed and made very difficult by the fact that nobody wanted to pass in the grass due to the rain. The grass looked pretty slick so I had to just hang tight. The first mile went fast, almost too fast. We went through town and I started feeling it around the mile 2 marker. I really didn't have a goal or plan coming into this due to a lack of heavy training. It seems my legs are getting really tired early in races right now. I upped my pace slightly during the last mile, which was back on the bike path, which was a lot less congested than in the beginning of the race. I was able to kick it in during the last 100 meters for a respectable 22:38.
Next Race: Lou Cox 5k- Dayton, OH
I made my way to the Vandalia Rec Center after work and got there in plenty of time to warm-up. It was rainy which is par for the course this spring. It wasn't too cool though and made for comfortable race conditions. Plus we could warm-up in the Rec Center prior to the race.
The race report itself is pretty short as there were no clocks along the course. The only thing that irked me was the first half mile or so. The race starts in the parking lot of the Rec Center and goes on to a bike path through the complex. A very narrow bike path. With close to 200 runners on it. You see where I'm going with this. It was jam-packed and made very difficult by the fact that nobody wanted to pass in the grass due to the rain. The grass looked pretty slick so I had to just hang tight. The first mile went fast, almost too fast. We went through town and I started feeling it around the mile 2 marker. I really didn't have a goal or plan coming into this due to a lack of heavy training. It seems my legs are getting really tired early in races right now. I upped my pace slightly during the last mile, which was back on the bike path, which was a lot less congested than in the beginning of the race. I was able to kick it in during the last 100 meters for a respectable 22:38.
Next Race: Lou Cox 5k- Dayton, OH
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Seymour Mini Marathon
This was a big event for me because I'm still trying to get over this IT band problem. I only ran around 8 miles in the five days leading up to this event, so training had obviously slowed down. This gave me a chance to see how the healing was going.
The price of this half was by far the cheapest I've seen. $20 plus ten canned goods (the race was for the local food pantry) got you in the race! The race is in its second year and is only about 160 people strong, though up from 80 last year, so it's growing. I also forgot how much I love race day packet pick-up! Parking was a breeze at the local church. It's times like this that I love the small races. The large races are fun with the expo and crowds, but these smaller races have a charm all their own.
Let's get to the race. I had to stretch a lot longer than is the norm for me since this injury hasn't healed completely. I did wear an IT band strap and used some Icy Hot, too. We lined up for the start and before I knew it, we're off!
Miles 1-3- I knew that these could be the most important miles in this race. Would the injury be an issue or not? There was some mild pain but nothing bad. The first mile had plenty of curves as we made our way through town. We made our way into the country, and more straightaways, over the next two miles. My realistic goal for this race was 2:30 since I figured I'd have to take an occasional walk break if the injury became too nagging. It was hard to figure what I was running because there were no clocks on the course and I never wear a watch. I asked someone at mile 3 and she said we were at 29:37. Usually I would try to be around 27:15, but I was very happy with 10 minute miles for this first race back.
Miles 4-6- A nice long straightaway for most of this stretch. I started taking water at each aid station, which was located every two miles. The course was nothing special. Pretty much what I expected from a smaller town. What I loved was the lack of hills on this course. We turned down a little country road about five and a half miles in and hit the mile 6 aid station right before heading back toward town.
Miles 7-9- We finally hit the few hills on the course, but they were actually a nice change of pace. Nothing major, just the rolling variety. The steep climb down the last hill right at mile 7 was a little unpleasant because it was hard to not fly down the hill. We started making our way back to town by running the same country road from earlier. It actually seemed shorter on the way back. At this point I knew I was going to finish this thing and in a much better time than expected. I wasn't even feeling any pain from the IT band, but my legs were feeling heavy due to the lack of training. I started sprinkling in a few one minute walk breaks around mile 9.
Miles 10-12- More country roads until mile 11 when we hit town again. I took a few short walk breaks but still felt pretty good. We hit some different roads in town and winded around quite a bit since a true out and back would have been short of 13.1 miles. There weren't many people outside even though it was gorgeous out. Not much in the way of spectators, but the ones I did see were very enthusiastic and thanked the runners for supporting the town. Around the 12 mile mark I really started feeling like crap. I was getting pretty dehydrated even though I stopped for water at each stop. My one complaint was that there was no Gatorade along the course. But with only one mile left, I toughed it out.
Mile 13-end- I ran very easy over the last mile since I was feeling pretty dehydrated. There really wasn't anyone around me at this point and I just ran easily. No reason to try to improve my time by a few seconds because I knew my time would be slow anyway. Finally hit Stadium Dr. by the high school and finished at the church in 2:09. Got my medal and headed straight for the Gatorade, which I promptly destroyed.
Thoughts- The was a very well managed race for such a small race. I was pleasantly surprised with the goodies we received from a $20 race fee; a classy medal, tech tee, water bottle, and lunch cooler. I've received less at races that cost two to three times more than this one. Each mile was marked and aid stations were plentiful. It's about a two hour drive from Dayton, but it was very well worth it. I see this event growing exponentially in the coming years and wouldn't be surprised if it rivals events like the State to State Half Marathon in size. The most pleasant surprise is that I was able to run most of the course and my IT band is not giving me any problems the morning after the race. I've got a three week break until my next race and am looking to get back into race shape soon.
Next race: Lou Cox 5k- Dayton, OH
The price of this half was by far the cheapest I've seen. $20 plus ten canned goods (the race was for the local food pantry) got you in the race! The race is in its second year and is only about 160 people strong, though up from 80 last year, so it's growing. I also forgot how much I love race day packet pick-up! Parking was a breeze at the local church. It's times like this that I love the small races. The large races are fun with the expo and crowds, but these smaller races have a charm all their own.
Let's get to the race. I had to stretch a lot longer than is the norm for me since this injury hasn't healed completely. I did wear an IT band strap and used some Icy Hot, too. We lined up for the start and before I knew it, we're off!
Miles 1-3- I knew that these could be the most important miles in this race. Would the injury be an issue or not? There was some mild pain but nothing bad. The first mile had plenty of curves as we made our way through town. We made our way into the country, and more straightaways, over the next two miles. My realistic goal for this race was 2:30 since I figured I'd have to take an occasional walk break if the injury became too nagging. It was hard to figure what I was running because there were no clocks on the course and I never wear a watch. I asked someone at mile 3 and she said we were at 29:37. Usually I would try to be around 27:15, but I was very happy with 10 minute miles for this first race back.
Miles 4-6- A nice long straightaway for most of this stretch. I started taking water at each aid station, which was located every two miles. The course was nothing special. Pretty much what I expected from a smaller town. What I loved was the lack of hills on this course. We turned down a little country road about five and a half miles in and hit the mile 6 aid station right before heading back toward town.
Miles 7-9- We finally hit the few hills on the course, but they were actually a nice change of pace. Nothing major, just the rolling variety. The steep climb down the last hill right at mile 7 was a little unpleasant because it was hard to not fly down the hill. We started making our way back to town by running the same country road from earlier. It actually seemed shorter on the way back. At this point I knew I was going to finish this thing and in a much better time than expected. I wasn't even feeling any pain from the IT band, but my legs were feeling heavy due to the lack of training. I started sprinkling in a few one minute walk breaks around mile 9.
Miles 10-12- More country roads until mile 11 when we hit town again. I took a few short walk breaks but still felt pretty good. We hit some different roads in town and winded around quite a bit since a true out and back would have been short of 13.1 miles. There weren't many people outside even though it was gorgeous out. Not much in the way of spectators, but the ones I did see were very enthusiastic and thanked the runners for supporting the town. Around the 12 mile mark I really started feeling like crap. I was getting pretty dehydrated even though I stopped for water at each stop. My one complaint was that there was no Gatorade along the course. But with only one mile left, I toughed it out.
Mile 13-end- I ran very easy over the last mile since I was feeling pretty dehydrated. There really wasn't anyone around me at this point and I just ran easily. No reason to try to improve my time by a few seconds because I knew my time would be slow anyway. Finally hit Stadium Dr. by the high school and finished at the church in 2:09. Got my medal and headed straight for the Gatorade, which I promptly destroyed.
Thoughts- The was a very well managed race for such a small race. I was pleasantly surprised with the goodies we received from a $20 race fee; a classy medal, tech tee, water bottle, and lunch cooler. I've received less at races that cost two to three times more than this one. Each mile was marked and aid stations were plentiful. It's about a two hour drive from Dayton, but it was very well worth it. I see this event growing exponentially in the coming years and wouldn't be surprised if it rivals events like the State to State Half Marathon in size. The most pleasant surprise is that I was able to run most of the course and my IT band is not giving me any problems the morning after the race. I've got a three week break until my next race and am looking to get back into race shape soon.
Next race: Lou Cox 5k- Dayton, OH
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Glass City 5k/Injury Status
I am way behind so I'll try to keep this one short and sweet. You'll notice that I ran the Glass City 5k instead of the half marathon. I developed an IT band problem soon after the ORRRC Half Marathon on April 3rd. At first it felt like a strained quad, but now I'm sure it's an IT band issue. Anyway, I was in no shape to try a half up in Toledo and opted for the 5k instead. My time was 24 minutes and change, which is about 3 minutes slower than my normal time. I do have some thoughts on the race.
The expo that Saturday was much better than expected. Everything was running very smoothly and there were quite a few vendors. I wasn't really in the mood to look at too much, but it looked like there were some great deals on gear. The race itself was very well organized. It was pretty windy on Sunday morning, but thankfully Savage Hall Arena was open for runners to stretch prior to the races. The half/full started at 7:00 and, I'll admit, I was ticked off seeing them go out without me. I never thought I'd get to the point where I was so disappointed to not be in the half marathon. The 5k started at 7:15 and went well considering I wasn't in any shape to race. The first mile was very, very slow as I was simply reading how hard my body could go. I actually was at about 9:30 for the first mile. The second and third miles weren't bad at all as I clocked in at roughly 7:30 for each. The finish is very cool in the Glass Bowl Stadium. I finished about 62 out of over 800 runners. Not bad on an injured IT band.
I had to cancel running a 5k on Easter and didn't do much running for a couple weeks after Toledo My workouts have consisted of icing the leg and working out with a foam roller. I'm finally able to run again and have had some good workouts. This weekend is very important as I've got a half marathon scheduled. I plan to use the run/walk method and simply see where I am. My goal race is the Carmel Half Marathon on June 11th, so I am hoping for a full recovery and possibly a 5k on Memorial Day. I'm not looking for a PR until Fall, but I'm hoping to be back to normal soon.
Next race: Seymour Mini Marathon- Seymour, IN
The expo that Saturday was much better than expected. Everything was running very smoothly and there were quite a few vendors. I wasn't really in the mood to look at too much, but it looked like there were some great deals on gear. The race itself was very well organized. It was pretty windy on Sunday morning, but thankfully Savage Hall Arena was open for runners to stretch prior to the races. The half/full started at 7:00 and, I'll admit, I was ticked off seeing them go out without me. I never thought I'd get to the point where I was so disappointed to not be in the half marathon. The 5k started at 7:15 and went well considering I wasn't in any shape to race. The first mile was very, very slow as I was simply reading how hard my body could go. I actually was at about 9:30 for the first mile. The second and third miles weren't bad at all as I clocked in at roughly 7:30 for each. The finish is very cool in the Glass Bowl Stadium. I finished about 62 out of over 800 runners. Not bad on an injured IT band.
I had to cancel running a 5k on Easter and didn't do much running for a couple weeks after Toledo My workouts have consisted of icing the leg and working out with a foam roller. I'm finally able to run again and have had some good workouts. This weekend is very important as I've got a half marathon scheduled. I plan to use the run/walk method and simply see where I am. My goal race is the Carmel Half Marathon on June 11th, so I am hoping for a full recovery and possibly a 5k on Memorial Day. I'm not looking for a PR until Fall, but I'm hoping to be back to normal soon.
Next race: Seymour Mini Marathon- Seymour, IN
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