Every Race is an Adventure!

Hale Freezes Over 10K

Recent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesPaul Thomas's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageWeek ViewMonth ViewYear View
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Orem,UT,USA

Member Since:

Apr 03, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

HS/COLLEGE:
mile: 4:56, 2 mile: 10:21 (1978)
marathon: 2:52 (St. George 1982)
OLD MAN (20+ years later):
5K: 19:53 (Nestle/Art City Days 5K 2007)
10K: 39:55 (Spectrum 10K 2008)
half marathon: 1:26 (Hobble Creek 2008)
marathon: 3:07 (St. George 2007)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get back to a BQ marathon time (currently 3:40).

Long-Term Running Goals:

Have fun running, keep fit, and fight middle age spread. Run consistently and injury free. Maintain a healthy balance between running and other life priorities. Encourage my ever-aging running buddies to keep running so we can continue to share runs on the trail instead of rocking chairs.

Personal:

Blessed to be married to Karen for 30 years. We have six children (4 daughters/2 sons) ages 16 to 30, and one wonderful granddaughter.

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Altra Instinct 1.5 Lifetime Miles: 83.50
Altra Lone Peak 1.5 Lifetime Miles: 21.80
Saucony Guide 7 Blue 2 Lifetime Miles: 376.95
Saucony Fastwitch 6 Lifetime Miles: 200.05
Saucony Guide 7 Black 1 Lifetime Miles: 271.15
Race: Hale Freezes Over 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:45:59, Place overall: 3, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
1.000.006.200.000.007.20

I'm glad I decided to run in the inaugural Hale Freezes Over 10K put on by the Hale Center Theater in Orem. There were 200+ participants in the 5K, 10K, and 1 mile walk. There were some issues, but for a first time event I thought it was run pretty well. RunnerCard handled the timing, the post-race food (including hot pizza) was pretty good, and they had the awards and prize drawings inside the theater out of the cold, which was nice.

One hiccup was that the course markings in some spots were hard to see. There were a bunch of the lead runners that missed a major turn near the beginning. There were a lot of turns in the course as it winded through neighborhoods. Wayne missed a turn later in the race, and I had a little glitch myself on a corner where someone had apparently taken the cones.

Another fairly major hiccup was that they had no age division awards, only 1st-3rd male and female in each race. No masters division, either, which I just realized I would have won (I'm 48 and the two ahead of me were 24 and 33). After the race, one of the organizers told us it was their first time and they will fix things next time.

There were only 17 men in the 10K. To my surprise, I finished 3rd overall. I've never finished higher than 10th overall before. Sure, it was a small field, but it was fun to stand on the podium and get my picture taken. I got a nice medal, a pair of Asics running socks, and a season ticket to the Hale Center Theater. I also won another pair of Asics running socks in the drawing. Every participant got a couple of vouchers to upcoming shows (and a pen, and a deck of cards, and some discount coupons to various businesses).

The 5K and 10K runners started together and ran the first couple of miles together. I knew where the 10K runners were supposed to split from the 5K runners, but as we approached the turn nobody was taking the 10K turn. I confirmed with a guy at the aid station where the 10K was. I was hoping many of the numerous runners in front of me were running the 5K, but I was shocked when the only person to turn to the 10K course ahead of me was the woman in the tie-dye shirt about 20 yards in front of me.

The course works its way down to Geneva road during the first half then climbs back up the second half. I didn't want to die on the uphill, so I tried to balance taking advantage of the downhill with not overdoing it. I averaged about 7:06/mi before the uphill and averaged 7:25/mi overall. I slowed on the uphill as expected, but I was pleased that I never felt like the wheels came off. I actually feel like I could have pushed quite a bit harder near the end, but there was a huge gap both ahead of me and behind, and I wasn't anywhere near a PR. I didn't feel the risk of injury was worth any potential reward for pushing really hard. I recovered very quickly from the race and feel better than I have in a long time.

Mile splits: 7:14, 6:53, 7:14, 7:40, 8:06, 7:30, 6:54/mi for 0.2  - Overall: 45:59.6 (7:24/mi)

Saucony Tangent Miles: 7.20
Comments
From adamr on Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 15:56:59

Paul, it was good to see you up on that podium. I knew who you were, but I don't race around enough for anyone to recognize me. We definetly did not see any kind of course marking turn up there. I knew were were supposed to turn at 120 N or something like that but never saw the road. we ended up going all the way down to 400s and running over to 1200w, then I somehow got onto geneva road and at some point met up with some runners. Those were nice socks, too! I would have taken those over the season ticket.

From Paul T on Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 16:26:29

Adam - I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I'm terrible at recognizing people and remembering names. I'd blame my old age, but I've always struggled with it. Please feel free to tap me on the shoulder and (re-)introduce yourself as often as you like.

I know I wasn't the 3rd fastest male runner that ran the 10K today, and I feel bad for those who got lost, but I'm keeping the medal and the socks. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes just showing up and doing your best (and staying on course) is enough.

From Burt on Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 17:02:18

Amen to that. Bummer for the other runners, but what are you going to do? Great job!

From adamr on Mon, Feb 02, 2009 at 16:20:48

Paul, I think you actually were the 3rd place runner. The guy who came in second told me after the race that he was next behind me when we all went off course (me and the couple of faster 5k guys). He went off a little as well but got back on sooner than I did.

From Terry on Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 17:11:24

Nice job on the 3rd place overall!! A very nice prise also. Keep up the good work.

Add Your Comment.
  • Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
  • Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
  • If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.
Only registered users with public blogs are allowed to post comments. Log in with your username and password or create an account and set up a blog.
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Recent Comments: