February 15, 2014:
Run the Reagan 5K
Goal: A 5K time of 25:54 or less
Today’s race,
the 20th running of the Reagan Parkway in Gwinnett County, was one
of four races this morning: a half-marathon beginning at 9:00 am, a 10K at 9:15
am, a 1-mile fun run at 10:30 am, and finally the 5K at 11:00 am. The races supported the Gwinnett Community
Clinic, which serves low-income and uninsured people in Gwinnett County. The Reagan Parkway is a four-lane limited
express highway, about 7 miles long, connecting Snellville to Duluth. Due to ice and a little snow earlier in the
week, the roadway had been closed for several days, but had been cleared of ice
and snow well before the races began this morning. The 5K route would run past the first exit
(at Web Gin House Road), turnaround at the far end of the overpass, and return
to the finish line, a couple of hundred meters past the starting point, so we
enjoyed both a downhill start and a short downhill finish.
I had a positive
feeling about my prospects for a good time in this race. Although the course would not be level, I
knew from having scouted the Parkway about a month ago that the uphill sections
would not be very steep. My personal
best was 25:57 in the Phidippides 5K in December, and so my goal was to improve
on that time, knowing that 25:54 had been the cutoff for starting wave C in last
year’s Peachtree Road Race.
We arrived
shortly after 9:30 am, as I wanted to watch the winners of the 10K and
half-marathon as they finished. The 10K
winner finished in 38:34, and the half-marathon winner at 1:15:52. I was impressed that they were moving more
quickly at the end of their races than I can run at any time of my own
races! The temperature was about 35 oF,
with fairly strong winds blowing from the northwest, the direction into which
we would be running the first half of the race.
Bonnie and I were well-bundled for this race, including gloves, and
ChapStick (which I remembered after the Livvy’s Love 8K). I wasn’t sure if I would wear the skullcap or
the brimmed racing cap, but then discovered that the brimmed cap fit over the
skullcap, so wearing both provided protection for my ears and shaded my face.
After watching
the children in the 1-mile fun run, we gathered for the start of the 5K, at the
top of a hill on the northwest-bound lanes of the parkway. The mayor of Snellville made a few welcoming
remarks. I realized that we were going
to begin a few minutes early, so I quickly strapped on my phone, cued up the
RunHelper program, and then the starter’s pistol sounded! The race was on!
The first
kilometer: Once again I had not
worked myself quite close enough to the front of the group, but with the size
of the group, it would have been difficult for me to politely move up much
closer. It took perhaps 15 seconds to
reach the starting line, and then I sped up as I crossed. It was slow going for the first minute, weaving
my way around slower starters, but I quickly found my stride and a straight
path ahead. The first part of the race
was a long, gradual downhill section, so I wanted to gain as much speed in the
early section, while remaining cautious that the return trip would be
uphill. I passed quite a few runners,
staying on a pace under 5 minutes per kilometer, although a couple of runners
passed me in this early section. Before
I knew it, the alert for the first kilometer had sounded, at 4:38. Great start!
Probably my fastest start ever.
The second
kilometer: As I continued to run at a
good pace, the road began to level, and I was feeling good, completely warmed
up in my legs. I was watching for the
lead 5K runners on the return leg, but only saw slower runners, probably in the
10K or half-marathon races. As I
approached the 1 mile marker, a clock showed our progress: 7:30 as I passed the
sign. My fastest mile ever! Shortly afterwards, the overpass came into
view. Only after I had begun up the
overpass did I see the lead runners in the 5K (based on their speeds). I could definitely feel that I was slowing
down going up the overpass. It’s amazing
how easy this was in an automobile, but taking it by foot definitely required
more effort. But as I made it to the top
of the overpass, I was rewarded by the two kilometer alert, at 9:32, with 4:54
min/km for the second kilometer! I knew
that if I could keep this up, I would set a personal record.
The third
kilometer: I could not see the
turnaround until cresting the overpass, but finally I spotted a cluster of
people and equipment. The turnaround was
further ahead than I had expected from studying an expired USATF certification
map. I guess by advancing the start up
the hill, the turnaround point was moved further down the expressway. Although the run down the overpass was easily
managed, it seemed to take a long time to reach the turnaround, but I was drawn
forward by the encouraging cries that we had reached the halfway point. The turnaround was clearly marked with cones
and a fenced pathway across the median. A couple of volunteers were exchanging hand
slaps as the runners crossed the median; as I slapped their hands and made the
turn onto the return road, I was energized to pick up my pace. In fact I hardly noticed that I was going
uphill on the overpass. At the top of
the overpass was a water station, to the left.
I first considered passing up the water, but then decided to take a
cup. The runner in front of me almost
completely stopped as she picked up a cup and I was careful not to run into
her, but darted around and grabbed a cup further down the table. I took a small sip of cold water, didn’t
manage to swallow much of it, but it felt good to wet my lips, and I dropped
the cup with the rest of the water in the last garbage can. The third kilometer alert sounded, at 14:48,
5:16 min/km for the third kilometer.
Although I had slowed down noticeably, I was still running under 5 min/km
for the average pace.
The fourth
kilometer: Clearing the overpass, I
was looking across the road for Bonnie, but didn’t see her at first. I passed the 2 mile marker and clock reading
15:54 (just under an 8-minute mile!) and then I saw Bonnie across the
road. I pointed to her, but she didn’t
seem to see me at first, until I shouted “Bonnie!” and waved, and then she
looked up and waved. Having passed her,
I returned to focusing on my own race. I
knew that the road was gradually increasing in elevation, but it was a gentle
rise and I wasn’t having too much trouble.
However three other runners caught up to me and then passed me. I decided that if they were obviously not in the
Male 50 - 54 age group, I wouldn’t worry if I was passed. Congratulating myself on the shrewdness of
this strategy, the first two were not threats: a younger man, and a young woman. But the third was a man with some grey in his
hair and he spurred me to pick up my knees to keep pace with him for a
moment. He did pull ahead but his
challenge also helped me to increase my own pace. For this effort, I was rewarded with the four
kilometer alert at 19:54, 5:06 min/km for the fourth kilometer. Wow! I actually sped up a bit, and more
importantly, still on pace to finish in 25 minutes. However I knew from experience that I
probably had a little more than one kilometer to run, due to my weaving around
other runners in the first kilometer.
The fifth
kilometer and the finish: I
could see the top of the hill ahead, and passed the starting area across the
median. I knew that if I could keep
going strongly up the rest of the hill, that I would be rewarded with a
downhill finish. The runners ahead of me
had not increased their gap from me, and I resolved to keep up with their
pace. However I was starting to feel
tired at this stage. But knowing that
the end was near was the motivation that I needed to continue pressing in the
final meters uphill. At the top, I
realized that I had only about 300 meters to the finish, and that the road
would be level or slightly downhill for the rest of the race. Unfortunately I had trouble finding a higher
gear, and if I did manage to accelerate, it felt like a minimal increase in
speed. The runners ahead of me were
pulling further ahead. Finally I saw the
finish line and the clock, which was at 25 minutes and a few seconds. I wasn’t going to break 25 minutes, but I was
definitely on pace to set a new personal record. Despite that motivation, I could not
accelerate much more, and as I drew closer to the clock, I remember feeling a
little disappointment as the clock ticked past 25:30. But I continued running strong, passing
through the finish gate at around 25:35.
I allowed myself a big fist pump this time, as the volunteers manning
the finish line waved me forward into the cool-down area. 5:08 min/km for the last kilometer.
Epilogue: In comparison with last Saturday’s run, I
didn’t feel as exhausted. Perhaps the
Tuesday afternoon run in the park helped with my conditioning this time
around. I found a cup of Powerade,
picked up a banana, and went back for a refill on Powerade. After giving myself a couple of minutes to
recover and finishing the banana, I walked to the median to watch the other
runners finish, and put my phone into its regular carrying case so that I could
take photographs while keeping the phone protected from an accidental
drop. After a few more minutes, I began
walking up the median, until I reached Bonnie, who had been joined by a
friend from WeightWatchers. I
accompanied them for most of the rest of their race, peeling off about 100
meters from the finish to run around the finish line to take photos of them
crossing the line.
When the
official results were posted later in the afternoon, great news: The official time for my bib, posted in the
afternoon, was 25:23.20. Definitely a
personal record, besting my previous time by more than half a minute! 43rd out of 422 timed
participants. And then: I was 3rd
out of 15 runners in the Male 50 – 54 age group! Of course I wasn’t competing with any of the
more serious runners who tackled the challenge of the half-marathon or the 10K
earlier in the morning, but I was definitely excited about my time and the
results.
Goal: A 5K time of 25:54 or less: Achieved!
http://www.runthereagan.org
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