August 28, 2013
17:31 (on a slightly short course), 4th of 105, 1st in age group. Results here.
Arrived about 45 minutes early, and went for a 1.5 mile warm-up with Mike B, FiveK, Matthew, and Jonny E. Since the pre-race speech was about an hour long, I tuned out and missed that the starting line had changed this year, but it was somehow still a certified course. Interesting - I'm guessing they pushed the turn around cone further down on Margin to accomodate. We'll see, it's time to rock.
Mile 1: One of my favorite parts - the police part the "Red Sea", or in this case busy High Street in downtown so you get to run right down the middle of the road. There is a guy running barefoot ahead of me; it sounds noisy and painful each time his feet slap the road. After about 1/4 mile and jockeying for position, I settle into 6th place behind Muddy, where I remain for the rest of the 1st mile, net downhill to the river. 5:25!
Mile 2: A very short hill leads us up from the hill to the turnaround cone. The turnaround cone is the same place as last year - right near the entrance to the cemetery. How is the course going to measure out to 5K? Focus on the race. Turning onto Clark Street, I passed the guy who was leading the race for the first mile, and move into 5th. Mile 2 pace 5:50; too much of a drop-off, even figuring that Mile 1 was net downhill and Mile 2 net uphill.
Mile 3: On Elm Street, I pass a high school age guy that looks familiar, and I'm now in 4th following Muddy and Nick Celico (FiveK is ahead of them out of my sights). Even the small hills have me huffing and puffing, and I've slowed down more than I would like to finish Mile 3 at 5:55.
I crossed the finish line at 17:31, happy with a fast finish but knowing something didn't add up with the course length. My GPS shows 3.07. I have a quick talk with SNERRO inside their van. They initially said they started right where the USATF certification map shows, measurements from crosswalks, etc, but the problem is that it's a 2007 certification and the crosswalk they're citing didn't exist back then. After the awards, the head of SNERRO told me he had found the true starting point, and that tonight's race probably measured a 3.05. Oh well, fun local race, fun time, let's accentuate the positive:
17:31 (on a slightly short course), 4th of 105, 1st in age group. Results here.
Arrived about 45 minutes early, and went for a 1.5 mile warm-up with Mike B, FiveK, Matthew, and Jonny E. Since the pre-race speech was about an hour long, I tuned out and missed that the starting line had changed this year, but it was somehow still a certified course. Interesting - I'm guessing they pushed the turn around cone further down on Margin to accomodate. We'll see, it's time to rock.
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| Start of the 2013 Schonning 5K: l-r: Nick (3rd place), barefoot guy, Muddy (2nd), FiveK (1st), me (4th) |
Mile 1: One of my favorite parts - the police part the "Red Sea", or in this case busy High Street in downtown so you get to run right down the middle of the road. There is a guy running barefoot ahead of me; it sounds noisy and painful each time his feet slap the road. After about 1/4 mile and jockeying for position, I settle into 6th place behind Muddy, where I remain for the rest of the 1st mile, net downhill to the river. 5:25!
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| Neat pic of a lot of us "top 10" finishers, about 1/4 mile in on High St |
Mile 2: A very short hill leads us up from the hill to the turnaround cone. The turnaround cone is the same place as last year - right near the entrance to the cemetery. How is the course going to measure out to 5K? Focus on the race. Turning onto Clark Street, I passed the guy who was leading the race for the first mile, and move into 5th. Mile 2 pace 5:50; too much of a drop-off, even figuring that Mile 1 was net downhill and Mile 2 net uphill.
.JPG) |
| Finishing up in front of the Y |
Mile 3: On Elm Street, I pass a high school age guy that looks familiar, and I'm now in 4th following Muddy and Nick Celico (FiveK is ahead of them out of my sights). Even the small hills have me huffing and puffing, and I've slowed down more than I would like to finish Mile 3 at 5:55.
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| A large WTAC turnout |
I crossed the finish line at 17:31, happy with a fast finish but knowing something didn't add up with the course length. My GPS shows 3.07. I have a quick talk with SNERRO inside their van. They initially said they started right where the USATF certification map shows, measurements from crosswalks, etc, but the problem is that it's a 2007 certification and the crosswalk they're citing didn't exist back then. After the awards, the head of SNERRO told me he had found the true starting point, and that tonight's race probably measured a 3.05. Oh well, fun local race, fun time, let's accentuate the positive:
- Great WTAC participation! It's always fun to see so many of our teammates.
- Matthew killing it in 18:33 (previous PR of 19:01)! Even with an adjustment for the slightly short course, he still would have dipped into the 18s for a PR.
- Tommy 5K with the overall win.
- About a dozen WTAC runners placing in their age group.
Even if though it was short, it was still "fun" (ugh). And, I do agree--it doesn't appear to have much elevation gain but there are just enough short, small inclines to make you hate it!
ReplyDeleteGood race!
Jeff I think everyone I spoke to with a GPS had the course at 3.07, which makes perfect sense given the start line move. My splits echoed yours in progression (fast 1, slower 2, slower 3. Got work to do, but feeling good for this time of year. Like Miles Davis, I'm into the cool.
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