Official Time: 23:42
Placement: 2nd in the 45 - 49 age division, 9th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: low 70's, 10 mph wind from south / south west
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First year
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:49 | Off to a real solid start. |
| 2 | 8:45 | What happened here, I don't know, but felt like I was dying |
| 2.86 | 7:13 | Dragged myself to the finish (about an 8:28 pace) |
| Total Miles: 2.86 - 23:49 | ||
Introduction
I was looking for a race to do the other day and decided I'd do the Jordan River 5K. They had a half marathon for the race and normally I'd do that, but lately I've been focusing on 5Ks to focus in on my speed. Also, the half marathon is on a course that I normally run a lot. So paying for 13 miles on something that I normally run on any given weekend just didn't hold any appeal to me.
The race is about 2 miles from my house and I knew the 5K course like the back of my hand. So I figured why not... It'll be good to get a little bit of speed work in and support a locally run race.
The Race
I got to the race site about 40 minutes early. I knew it was going to be a lightly attended from what I was gathering on Facebook. I grabbed my bib, socialized a bit and then warmed up for a bit.
The half marathon had started at 8 and the 5K started at 9. When we started to assemble near the starting line I found myself standing with about 50 - 60 other runners.
The race started on time and before I knew it, I was on my familiar route: the Jordan River Bike Trail. The race started at Millrace park and proceeded north to Arrowhead Park, on the edge of Taylorsville.
I figured the course was going to be a bit short from the get go. I've used my Garmin so many times on the route that I knew from where the race started to the point where we turned around, it was only about 1.40 miles. Sure enough I was pretty much correct.
The first half a dozen runners took off. When I was looking at the competition at the start I figured they'd be leading the race and they left me in the dust after about half a mile. I was chasing after the 3rd place girl. I looked behind me and no one was behind me.
The first mile went by quick. When my watched buzzed at what I expected to be the first mile, I was happy to see a 7:49. I was pretty happy with that but I knew I was fading fast.
After about 1.25 miles the route went on to a fiberglass type of suspension bridge. This was kind of slippery and there were some leaves on it. Normally I am not running that quickly on the zig-zaggy bridge and there were a few tense moments on it.
The turn-around was right where I hoped it would be. There is a tiny looped-park at Arrowhead park and I grabbed a sip of water from the aid station and followed the loop back.
The 3rd place girl was long gone and when I was coming back the nearest male was probably a minute behind me.
I let off the gas a bit. My place was sort of solidified at that point and to be honest I didn't have a lot left. I wasn't not surprised to see an 8:45 second mile. It made me upset a bit that my half marathon pace was now my mid 5K pace. But I was running into a bit of a head wind and to be honest I was hurting pretty bad.
Once I got within a half mile of the finish I looked behind me and the guy who was chasing me down was now gaining on me. He looked to have been my age and they were giving away a free entry into next year's race if you won your age group (outright). I really tried to dig deep here but I was feeling like I really had expended myself.
Luckily, the last .1 of a mile or so I managed to really push it and I outgunned him. I think if there were another quarter or half a mile he would've easily overtaken me. Definitely glad I hadn't run the half today -- I just didn't have it.
The half marathon had started at 8 and the 5K started at 9. When we started to assemble near the starting line I found myself standing with about 50 - 60 other runners.
The race started on time and before I knew it, I was on my familiar route: the Jordan River Bike Trail. The race started at Millrace park and proceeded north to Arrowhead Park, on the edge of Taylorsville.
I figured the course was going to be a bit short from the get go. I've used my Garmin so many times on the route that I knew from where the race started to the point where we turned around, it was only about 1.40 miles. Sure enough I was pretty much correct.
The first half a dozen runners took off. When I was looking at the competition at the start I figured they'd be leading the race and they left me in the dust after about half a mile. I was chasing after the 3rd place girl. I looked behind me and no one was behind me.
The first mile went by quick. When my watched buzzed at what I expected to be the first mile, I was happy to see a 7:49. I was pretty happy with that but I knew I was fading fast.
After about 1.25 miles the route went on to a fiberglass type of suspension bridge. This was kind of slippery and there were some leaves on it. Normally I am not running that quickly on the zig-zaggy bridge and there were a few tense moments on it.
The turn-around was right where I hoped it would be. There is a tiny looped-park at Arrowhead park and I grabbed a sip of water from the aid station and followed the loop back.
The 3rd place girl was long gone and when I was coming back the nearest male was probably a minute behind me.
I let off the gas a bit. My place was sort of solidified at that point and to be honest I didn't have a lot left. I wasn't not surprised to see an 8:45 second mile. It made me upset a bit that my half marathon pace was now my mid 5K pace. But I was running into a bit of a head wind and to be honest I was hurting pretty bad.
Once I got within a half mile of the finish I looked behind me and the guy who was chasing me down was now gaining on me. He looked to have been my age and they were giving away a free entry into next year's race if you won your age group (outright). I really tried to dig deep here but I was feeling like I really had expended myself.
Luckily, the last .1 of a mile or so I managed to really push it and I outgunned him. I think if there were another quarter or half a mile he would've easily overtaken me. Definitely glad I hadn't run the half today -- I just didn't have it.
Conclusion
After finishing I walked off the nauseous feeling I had. They were handing out pretty sweet medals for a simple 5K. I think originally there was going to be a full marathon here and with race attendance down, this race was pretty much a fire sale.
I walked back to my car to get some drink and that is when the dry heaving came on. I am not sure what it is but it could be allergies or milk issue or something, but my throat gets clogged sometimes and it creates a gagging sensation. I managed to get to a drinking fountain to help clear my throat but it was an uneasy few minutes.
The race didn't have a t-shirt. You did get a pair of socks (or two) which were actually pretty nice. I also grabbed another hat. Never can have enough of those. Age group awards (which I got second in mine) netted me an additional pair of socks.
They had water, bananas and ice cream sandwiches at the end....
I paid $20 for this race, thanks to a discount code, the week of the race. For a 5K that is a bargain and I was happy with my experience. I would like to see the distance on the course fixed though.
The course was well marked as well. So even if I didn't know the route, I wouldn't have had any problems.
They plan to have this race again next year and I should be able to do it in some capacity.
I walked back to my car to get some drink and that is when the dry heaving came on. I am not sure what it is but it could be allergies or milk issue or something, but my throat gets clogged sometimes and it creates a gagging sensation. I managed to get to a drinking fountain to help clear my throat but it was an uneasy few minutes.
The race didn't have a t-shirt. You did get a pair of socks (or two) which were actually pretty nice. I also grabbed another hat. Never can have enough of those. Age group awards (which I got second in mine) netted me an additional pair of socks.
They had water, bananas and ice cream sandwiches at the end....
I paid $20 for this race, thanks to a discount code, the week of the race. For a 5K that is a bargain and I was happy with my experience. I would like to see the distance on the course fixed though.
The course was well marked as well. So even if I didn't know the route, I wouldn't have had any problems.
They plan to have this race again next year and I should be able to do it in some capacity.
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