Celtic Solstice 5 Mile Run - Run5 Mile


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Baltimore, Maryland
United States
Baltimore Running
37F / 3C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 46m 56s
Overall Rank = 1375/2760
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 38/135
Pre-race routine:

carb the day prior. up at 6:45am, breakfast of oatmeal and hot tea. drink half of normal perpetuem shake. Bring two 8 oz gatorade bottles on race belt.
Event warmup:

left house at 7:15am - only 3 miles to parking. Short walk to tent. Wore running shorts under running tights, wool socks, trail shoes, short sleeve running shirt under long sleeve running shirt, head band and fleece gloves. Dropped off backpack, got hot chocolate and headed to bathroom line. Did dynamic stretches to warm up, jogged quickly around parking lot - comfortably ready to go - got to see the start with the bag pipes and the irish wolfhounds this year - very cool way to start a race
Run
  • 46m 56s
  • 5 miles
  • 09m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

Headed out slow - too crowded to really do anything more. Took it easy on the first 2 miles with the uphills. Watched my heart rate - - it seemed to be in the low 160's - although it did creep up. After the 2.5 water stop (I had my own fuel and sipped it every mile - works like a charm) I picked up the pace. The path around the lake is slanted so tried to stay up by the cars where the road is more even. At one point around 4 mile the path narrows to about 5 feet wide and slowed everyone down trying to squeeze through. The weather could not have been better. I was starting to get hot, took off headband and gloves early on, had sleeves pushed up - - probably would have been fine with just the one long sleeve shirt - but no worries - did not overheat. The last mile was awesome, picked up the pace and tore down the hill passing folks left and right. Very strong finish. Had to get help with timing chip, I would definitely have passed out if I tried to lean over and tear it off - they were very helpful and got it for me. Kept walking - realized I had a new PR - woo too!!!!
What would you do differently?:

wear one layer less - didn't need the short sleeve shirt.
Post race
Warm down:

walk to tent, get hot chocolate, pick up bag and walk back to car - -nice long walk to stretch the legs. Home for a nice big breakfast :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

crowds - -but no worries - - this is a fun race - love all the kilts, Santa's and holiday get-ups.

Event comments:

Great course, lots of people can watch from various points and see all the runners. Nice big tent which keeps everyone warm as they crowd inside. Good food afterwards, everyone always very cheerful. Plan to do this again next year!




Last updated: 2011-10-05 12:00 AM
Running
00:46:56 | 05 miles | 09m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 38/135
Overall: 1375/2760
Performance: Good
Course: The first 2 miles are sort of a gradual uphill, mile 3-4 are fairly flat and the last 1/2 mile is downhill all the way. Love the way the course winds through the park and around the lake - -you get good views of the runners at every mile of the race.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5