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First Dam Run 5K

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Location:

Fort Collins,CO,

Member Since:

May 15, 2003

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided PR's:
5K: 14:48 (Track - 2001)
10K: 30:45 (Track - 2001)
10K: 31:32 (Bolder Boulder - 2013)
Half Marathon: 1:06:09 (Duluth - 2013)
Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)
Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)
Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:
10K: 29:38 (Des News - 2011)
Half Marathon: 1:05:30 (TOU Half - 2011)
Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)
Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in June of 2008. Started taking Enbrel in March, 2009.

Run as much as I can, and race as well as I can. Make the most of however much time I have left as an able-bodied runner.

Training for the 2018 Colorado Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

  Run until I'm old, and then run some more. Stand tall.

Personal:

1 wife, 2 kids. 1 cat. Work as a GIS Specialist/Map Geek

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your good. - Ovid

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5

 

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Trail Shoe Lifetime Miles: 247.50
Hoka Clifton Lifetime Miles: 491.50
Saucony Type A6 Lifetime Miles: 186.50
Saucony Zealot Lifetime Miles: 478.75
Saucony Kinvara 6 Lifetime Miles: 433.50
Saucony Kinvara 6-2 Lifetime Miles: 358.75
Brooks Pure Connect Blue Lifetime Miles: 337.25
New Balance Trainers Lifetime Miles: 314.50
New Balance 1400 Racers Lifetime Miles: 65.00
Brook Pureflow Lifetime Miles: 99.50
Race: First Dam Run 5K (3.107 Miles) 00:15:25, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.400.000.003.100.0010.50

Today I ran the First Dam Run 5K. This is a local fun run, and I thought it would be...fun. It is a 5K or a 10K, and I elected to do the 5K because it is twice as easy as the 10K, plus I figured since my typical daily run is 6 miles, it wouldn't be wise to race that far.

It's a 10AM race, so I had time to sleep in (6:45AM), eat my typical breakfast (bacon, eggs, yogurt, and a grapefruit), read the paper, and prepare for teaching Sunday School tomorrow. Ah, Saturday, I love it. Then Stacy, Seth, and I headed out early into Logan, and had coffee/tea at Cafe Ibis, which used to be one of our favorite stomping grounds, but we haven't been there since we moved to Smithfield. Already the day was off to a good start.

Around 8:45AM we left the coffee shop and went to the start line. I registered, which was super-fast because there was hardly anyone there yet. Then I warmed up by running the 5K course. This is my favorite tempo workout course, so I know it very well from training on it so much. Warmed up the 5K in about 19:30, which I figured was a good sign. Also, this was a 5-star race, not sure if that was a good sign or not.

The weather was about perfect. Mild/cool and overcast, no wind. Temps about in the upper 40s, maybe low 50s. I wore shorts, a t-shirt, no gloves. My main goal was to run around 15:30, but anything under 16:00 would be acceptable. Obviously I was pretty laid back about this race, but it's a pretty fast course and a nice day, so I wanted to run a decently fast time to take advantage of the conditions. I figured there was a good chance it would just be a solo time trial, barring the presence of any high school super-stars.

They started the 10K race pretty close to on time. And 10 minutes later they started the 5K. I took it out pretty hard because I wanted to distance myself from all the high school runners. High schoolers, bless their hearts, tend to be zealous but inexperienced racers, and I didn't want to be caught up in any bad tangents, bumping, or name-calling. The first mile is all uphill, about 65 feet of very gradual climbing. After the mile marker, the course turns, and you lose that elevation (plus some) even more gradually over the next 1.75 miles, and then it's a slight uphill the last couple blocks to the finish.

After about 400m I was breathing way too hard, and feeling things in my legs I haven't felt for a few years (I haven't run a real 5K since summer of 2007). Oops, maybe out a bit too hard. But at least the high school kids were well behind me. I settled down a little bit and tried to find a rhythm. Went through the first mile in 5:00. Easily worth a 4:50 or 4:45 on flat terrain.

I made the first turn and started the flat/gentle downhill. I snuck a look to my side as I turned and noted that I already had about 100 yards on everyone. So I was definitely on my own to maintain this pace. During the 2nd mile, the course weaves through the Island neighborhood, and drops about 50 ft. I hit the 2nd mile marker at 9:57, so 4:57 for Mile 2. I was very pleased and encouraged by this. I was running hard, but not redlined or anything.

During the 3rd mile, the course drops another 30 feet, until the last turn, and then climbs about 15 ft to the finish (which is the same location as the start; it's a loop). Not much to say, other than I just tried to keep pushing. It's hard to run a good 5K when you haven't ran any for quite some time; it takes practice and repetition to be tenacious through the end. I don't have the flat speed I used to have, but I have much better endurance, so if anything my main problem is getting out hard enough in a 5K. Once I get in the groove, it's hard for me to go any faster or slower, and finishing a race as fast as I started is almost a given, whereas when I was a young buck it was much harder to hold back on the reins at the beginning, but I tended to fade a lot as well.

Anyway, I didn't fade this race. There was no Mile 3 marker, but based on my finish time, it must have been around 4:58 or maybe 4:57 or so. My official finish time was 15:25, and I had 15:24 on my watch, but I probably started it a little late. I had that burning in my chest afterward that I only get for distances 5K and shorter. I often forget that feeling; it's both a good and a bad feeling. I much prefer the feeling of finishing a half marathon, which is much easier on the lungs.

I was quite pleased with this time. I don't think this course is certified, but I've ran it enough to know that it's accurate. It's close enough anyway, and organized by the same people who put on the TOU races. My post-collegiate 5K PR is 15:23 from a competitive Draper Days race in 2007, which was an aided course. I almost beat that on a solo effort on a loop course with minimal training, so that's cool. Since I have to find a PR for everything, I'll call this my "Non-aided Utah 5K PR". And actually, my road PR on a loop course back in Michigan was only 15:22, so this was pretty close to being a road PR for any elevation. Good stuff.

Congrats to the Red Rooster and DaveS for running good races today. It was a great day to be running.

We went to Pounders afterward for lunch, where I ate large quantities of meat. The end.

Saucony Type A Miles: 5.00Brooks Adrenaline 8 Blue Miles: 5.50
Comments
From Cody on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 16:21:57 from 71.219.66.5

Nice PR and another yes, another win!

From JamesH on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 16:39:26 from 74.211.22.194

Good race Paul and as always great race report.

From Jon on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 17:34:14 from 75.169.140.28

Congrats on the, um, "PR". ;)

Good job, once again. Although your Pounders afterwards sounds the best. Love the description of high schoolers, bless their hearts.

If you want some company next year, you can hire me to be your rabbit. I think I could pull you through 2 5:00 miles, then I would drop. Food would be an acceptable payment.

I'm calling this race report Sasha-ish, given its length versus word count.

From Lybi on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 17:43:48 from 70.190.199.29

WOW! What a great race, Paul! Congrats! They should pave the streets with high schoolers if they produce these kinds of results. (I laughed my head off about how you described them.)

Also, I knew you ran like blue blazes, but I didn't know you were a Sunday School teacher. I guess that explains the down home good guy vibes you radiate.

From JD on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 18:04:52 from 166.128.3.157

Good job! Love the report.

From Paul on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 18:11:27 from 174.23.72.133

Thanks. I try to spend more time writing about non-running than about the actual race. That helps the word count, and also entertainment value. There's only so much to say about a 5K.

From Burt on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 18:26:52 from 98.177.216.165

There's a simple explanation for that. You see, the slower you are, the longer the time you spend running, and the more you have to talk about. So for me, I could and have written a 5000 word essay on a 5k (that's one word per meter.) You're so fast the race is over in the blink of an eye and you fill your report with intriguing details of what led up to the race. There's plenty to say about a 5k when you're not running sub 5 minute miles.

From redrooster on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 19:19:39 from 71.219.150.58

congrats on a great race Paul, and thanks for giving me some company for part of my second run as your cool-down. and I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the elevations, I have always wondered where the ups and downs on that course are, they are pretty subtle to my untrained eye so it would be nice to see the elevation maps . Did you map the course to get those elevations? if so did you map the 10K too?

From Paul on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 19:29:25 from 174.23.72.133

Scott - I'm going off of a map and profile I made "for fun" several years ago. I made a 5K map and a 10K map. Note that the 10K map is incorrect because I missed the turn onto Island Dr. on the way out, but the 5K is correct.

5k:

http://www.marathongis.com/images/5k_map.jpg

10:

http://www.marathongis.com/images/10k_map.jpg

From jtshad on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 19:35:20 from 69.20.183.178

Smokin' time, congrats on the "new" PR!

From redrooster on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 22:35:46 from 71.219.150.58

Paul, thanks for the map links, very helpful. no wonder I am always so tired at the turn around with that gain. I guess 180 feet net gain over the first 2.5 is fairly modest, but at my age I can sure feel it when I am running 6 minute miles!

From Walter on Sat, Nov 07, 2009 at 23:56:31 from 76.27.15.208

Wow, you really amaze me Paul! I did hit your 5k time on 3 of my miles at the Provo Halloween half on a 12% grade! Its all relevant right? So I just need to learn how to maintain that on an uphill and flat course to be legit. haha Great racing, your my hero.

From Twinkies on Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 11:51:10 from 98.202.132.86

Great race Paul. Your speed amazes me. Your warm up on the course is faster than I could run the course.

From Brent on Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 15:18:52 from 66.7.127.219

Paul, 1,000 commando points for the win, must feel great to still have your 5K PR speed. Nice picture, looks like the trail to Navajo arch in Arches. Also, good race report, tough to get back into your rhythm when your out too fast, nice work.

STay kool, B of BS Rools out

From Dave S on Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 15:36:32 from 4.254.226.147

Great race and a smokin fast time. Congrats on the PR. Makes you wonder how fast you'd have been if you were training hard for it.

From Lyman on Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 21:08:21 from 75.169.105.114

I really wish I could eat a breakfast like you do before a race and still get a PR. Great run.

From Paul on Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 21:27:52 from 174.23.72.133

Breakfast of champions. It's no accident.

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