Run for your Supper 5k (Reading 7/21/10)
Written by Mr. Triage
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Mr T: "How about a race?"
Mrs T: "Ok, I'm game"
This is how it usually starts, a simple little seed gets planted and then we are off racing. At least it's only 5k, but being on the "less is more" plan since I can't even remember anymore has left me feeling waaaaay out of shape. Before pulling the trigger on signing up for fall track it seems prudent to see how bad things are and to give Professor some sort of guide to how much torture he can reasonably inflict on me w/out killing me in one session! I planned to leave work a tad early and meet Mrs T at the race. She of course beats me there (I hoped not a sign of things to come), and I get stuck at work a little longer than I had intended. I have no goals or expectations for this race, given reasonable conditions I hoped that maybe I could just get under 20 minutes. If I hit that I would at least feel like things are starting to fall into place for a change.
10 minutes of warming up, doing some stretching and strides, and we mill about the start line. The whole time my legs feel like jello (this is sort of normal before a race and to start, but I was really worried it would last the whole race) There are a grand total of about 3 people wearing racing flats. 1 guy (sans shirt, who looks fast, think Taz) and 2 other women (1 of whom also looks fast and the other...well hadn't made up my mind about her yet).
The race director makes a couple announcements and says "it's not too hilly", the count down goes off. 5...4...3...2...1...off we go. The usual crowd of people all take off for 10 seconds with visions of winning the race (I harbor no such illusions unless the really fast looking guy gets swallowed up by a sinkhole or carted off by aliens....you get the idea) The course is really well marked, and I mean to the point that the 1/4 mile markers are painted on the road. This is of course good and bad, good to start because I know immediately that I've already gone out faster than what I think I could manage...better pull back on the reigns a little bit. 1/2 mile mark clicks by at about 3:12ish, ok, that's better, still might be fast, but whatever I'll just go with it. Already we've thinned out a bit. The shirtless wonder boy is clearly in his own class for this race, there are about 3 runners ahead of me (and several more in a pack behind me) Looking around I think for sure at least 1 or 2 of the people ahead of me are going to fade (and me along with them...I know, way to think positive right?) 1 mile goes by, 6:26, now there are 2 ppl still very much in front and a pack of 3 has now formed. Me the fast chica and one other guy. I just keep staring at the shirt he's wearing for great bay half marathon and wonder if he's
a) going to fade
b) suckering me in and going to smoke me
c) not paying any attention because he has headphones on
After mile 1 the course starts to get into some rolling hills, after moving up here to goon country I have to say I don't mind the hills and just sort of chew them up as they come. With each uphill the great bay half marathon shirt start to fade, the other fast woman is still hanging around. Guess that answers my question about what he was going to do. Mile 2 goes by and we've clicked of 13:06 (6:40), which I'll gladly take with the hills/heat/ and humidity (the perfect race trifecta!) We keep on trucking up some more rolling hills and finally it breaks and we're on the way down. Into cruise control/hang on mode it goes, and I'm just trying to put a little distance between me and the woman behind me (no, I don't like to get beat....yes male/my pride is at stake here!) I finally recognize where we are on the last downhill and try and keep up the gap, down the hill and into the shoot (mile 3 6:27 I think), and cross the line in 20:07. A little less humid and a few less hills and I'd have been under 20, so I was happy with that. As an added bonus, the woman capturing results tells me I came in second...huh?!? There were definitely TWO guys in front of me the whole way...what happened to the other guy? (Remember the sinkhole and alien theory...no of course that's not what happened!!!!) Turns out the guy running in second, apparently didn't register and just raced for the hell of it. Go figure. For my troubles I got a shiny second place medal and of course Supper! (which turned out to be a free hot dog!)
Mr T.
Mrs T: "Ok, I'm game"
This is how it usually starts, a simple little seed gets planted and then we are off racing. At least it's only 5k, but being on the "less is more" plan since I can't even remember anymore has left me feeling waaaaay out of shape. Before pulling the trigger on signing up for fall track it seems prudent to see how bad things are and to give Professor some sort of guide to how much torture he can reasonably inflict on me w/out killing me in one session! I planned to leave work a tad early and meet Mrs T at the race. She of course beats me there (I hoped not a sign of things to come), and I get stuck at work a little longer than I had intended. I have no goals or expectations for this race, given reasonable conditions I hoped that maybe I could just get under 20 minutes. If I hit that I would at least feel like things are starting to fall into place for a change.
10 minutes of warming up, doing some stretching and strides, and we mill about the start line. The whole time my legs feel like jello (this is sort of normal before a race and to start, but I was really worried it would last the whole race) There are a grand total of about 3 people wearing racing flats. 1 guy (sans shirt, who looks fast, think Taz) and 2 other women (1 of whom also looks fast and the other...well hadn't made up my mind about her yet).
The race director makes a couple announcements and says "it's not too hilly", the count down goes off. 5...4...3...2...1...off we go. The usual crowd of people all take off for 10 seconds with visions of winning the race (I harbor no such illusions unless the really fast looking guy gets swallowed up by a sinkhole or carted off by aliens....you get the idea) The course is really well marked, and I mean to the point that the 1/4 mile markers are painted on the road. This is of course good and bad, good to start because I know immediately that I've already gone out faster than what I think I could manage...better pull back on the reigns a little bit. 1/2 mile mark clicks by at about 3:12ish, ok, that's better, still might be fast, but whatever I'll just go with it. Already we've thinned out a bit. The shirtless wonder boy is clearly in his own class for this race, there are about 3 runners ahead of me (and several more in a pack behind me) Looking around I think for sure at least 1 or 2 of the people ahead of me are going to fade (and me along with them...I know, way to think positive right?) 1 mile goes by, 6:26, now there are 2 ppl still very much in front and a pack of 3 has now formed. Me the fast chica and one other guy. I just keep staring at the shirt he's wearing for great bay half marathon and wonder if he's
a) going to fade
b) suckering me in and going to smoke me
c) not paying any attention because he has headphones on
After mile 1 the course starts to get into some rolling hills, after moving up here to goon country I have to say I don't mind the hills and just sort of chew them up as they come. With each uphill the great bay half marathon shirt start to fade, the other fast woman is still hanging around. Guess that answers my question about what he was going to do. Mile 2 goes by and we've clicked of 13:06 (6:40), which I'll gladly take with the hills/heat/ and humidity (the perfect race trifecta!) We keep on trucking up some more rolling hills and finally it breaks and we're on the way down. Into cruise control/hang on mode it goes, and I'm just trying to put a little distance between me and the woman behind me (no, I don't like to get beat....yes male/my pride is at stake here!) I finally recognize where we are on the last downhill and try and keep up the gap, down the hill and into the shoot (mile 3 6:27 I think), and cross the line in 20:07. A little less humid and a few less hills and I'd have been under 20, so I was happy with that. As an added bonus, the woman capturing results tells me I came in second...huh?!? There were definitely TWO guys in front of me the whole way...what happened to the other guy? (Remember the sinkhole and alien theory...no of course that's not what happened!!!!) Turns out the guy running in second, apparently didn't register and just raced for the hell of it. Go figure. For my troubles I got a shiny second place medal and of course Supper! (which turned out to be a free hot dog!)
Mr T.
