Race Report: UAW Veterans Appreciation 5K in Lockport, NY
I needed/wanted to do a 5k before Thanksgiving to see what kind of shape I was in for the Turkey Trot and just in general. Of the races for this weekend, this one fit best into the schedule choice. Plus it was cheap (20$ day of race) and small (only ~100) people yet it had good competition (top 6 people were under 19). I’ve been running only base miles with no speed work since mid August so I was a little unsure of my speed but I was hoping to go under 18:36 and closer to 18 the better. Plus I was un-tapered in the middle of high (for me) mileage
Pre-race: I registered and got my amazing old school super loud cotton t-shirt. In the day of tech shirts, a little throw back style is nice. I did a 2 mile warm-up to see how I was feeling It was a weird temp, low 40s with wind so I wasn’t sure how to dress. Ended up going with shorts and a long sleeve t, I forgot my gloves so my hands were a little cold.
Mile 1 (5:42): I wanted to make sure I did not go out too fast because I’m tired for doing it. Once the gun went off, I started slow (in maybe 10-12th place) and got settled behind the lead back of 3 next to the eventual 2nd place finisher. Some little kid (like 10 years old) was way off the front but he only lasted like 3 minutes and was done. The guy next to me took off to catch the lead group and I was alone. Felt surprisingly good.
Mile 2 (6:04): Tried to keep the pace up but this mile was mostly uphill so the pace dropped off a little bit. The front got stretched out and the lead group (probably ¾ of a min up) spit off a runner that I was trying to catch.
Mile 3 (5:57): Now it leveled off and started to go downhill a little. I can always pick it up the last mile and I’m excited to get done. I was pushing to trying to get the guy in front of me but I was burning pretty bad.
Finish time (18:26): Couldn’t quite catch the guy in front of me but came in 5th overall and 3rd in my age. Did my 2 mile cool-down and drank some beer and had some pizza.
Overall I was happy with my time and the race in general. I would definitely keep it on the calendar and maybe do it again next year. Very nice for a super small race. PM: 6 easy miles (3 with each dog). Pace: 8:40
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