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Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" 5K - Run5k


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Lexington, Kentucky
United States
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
67F / 19C
Precipitation
Total Time = 9h 00m
Overall Rank = 345/500
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 29/32
Pre-race routine:

I woke up late, about 2 hours before the race. Checked the weather (cool, windy, and sprinkling), got dressed, downed some breakfast, and drove downtown to the race. Had to park ~ 1/2 mile from the start and walk to the venue.
Event warmup:

I reached the race start (a park in the center of town) about 30 minutes before the race start and walked around, enjoying the crowd. The atmosphere was very exciting, with lots of people sporting "In Memory Of" and "In Celebration Of" cards. Several survivors were racing, and the UK Women's Basketball team was there. Also (and I think they got short shrift on publicity) nearly the entire UK Swimming team was there in support of one of their coaches, who has cancer.

I jogged a couple blocks (4) to get the heart rate up, and then lined up to run about 8 minutes before the start. It was very crowded, and I've never been in a race event this BIG before. The 500 contestants listed above were only the ones who paid extra for chip timing (I did). There were probably well over a thousand folks total, as the "chip timers" were easily less than half the total.
Run
  • 31m 16s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 03s  min/mile
Comments:

The run went well. The start was crowded, and that slowed me down just a touch. It opened up later, though. My plan was to keep it steady the first two miles and then open it up in the third. I executed just like I planned. At the finish, I caught a guy probably mid-forties maybe a hundred yards from the end. I hollered "C'mon!" to him, and he said "Aww man, you're killing me!" I said "You're almost there! Let's go!" and he sprinted to the finish with me. I thought for a second about letting him "win". Naah. I tucked him at the line. I'm sure he'll be proud anyway, though.
What would you do differently?:

Hmmm... warm up a bit more beforehand, but not too much. Also, if I'd known I was going to finish with a 10:06/mi average, I would have run just a bit faster in the first two miles. Other than that, it was a blast of a race.

Only way I'll do better than this race is to put a few hundred more miles of running in my legs.
Post race
Warm down:

I wandered around the venu for a few minutes, grabbed a banana and a pink bottle of water (hey, I'm secure in my manhood, and it's a good cause). Then I trudged back the 1/2 mile or whatever to the car, drove home, showered, and napped.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing that can be helped. The cool weather was good for me (I wilt in the heat). I need to lose 25-30lb, but that's coming (slowly). I also need more mileage in the legs, but only time and training will cure that.

Overall, this was an excellent race.

Event comments:

This was a surprisingly inspiring race. Even though I was running for my 3-time survivor M.I.L., I had this semi-cynical "all this hype over a 5K??" attitude in the back of my head. But seeing the survivors and their families, and seeing the entire UK swim team supporting their coach really pumped me up. The crowds along the race route also kept things very exciting. I'm wearing the race shirt all day today, and I'm already thinking "next year, I'll do some fund raising and maybe get the kids into the kids race...".




Last updated: 2006-09-23 12:00 AM
Running
00:31:16 | 03.11 miles | 10m 03s  min/mile
Age Group: 29/32
Overall: 345/500
Performance: Good
Hr: 158av/181max Kcal: 441 Mile 1: 10:28 (151/163) Mile 2: 10:22 (161/168) Mile 3: 9:36 (167/173) Finish: 0:49 (175/181)
Course: Mostly flat, with a few short hills. The course loops around the downtown Lexington area. There are two short, steep hills (one up and one down), and one long almost "false flat" grade just past the 2 mile mark. The finish is flat. See my log for a map of the course route. It didn't paste in here very pretty.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2006-09-23 3:45 PM

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