Official Time: 25:10
Placement: 28th overall, 1st in 50 - 59 age group
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 60's, no wind
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2021] [2019]
Mile | Time | Comments |
---|---|---|
1 | 8:07 | Nice start. Felt a bit fast though but going with it. |
2 | 8:16 | Not an easy mile. I am actually shocked at the pace here. Better than expected |
3 | 8:14 | Running through the neighborhood and the final stretch had me motivated to stay strong |
3.08 | 0:33 | |
Total Miles: 3.08 - 25:11 |
Introduction
Another weekend, another 5K. I've done the Taylorsville Dayzz 5K now three times. It is a fun, local race just a few short miles from my house. It coincides with their city's summer celebration.
The 5K was going to be my "A" race for the early summer. The course is flat and fast and offers some pretty good competition. They also offer cash prizes and you must win your age group (with a 10 year age increment). So each summer I make a mental note to really crush this race. It sets a bit of a barometer for me on how my training and fitness is going.
But since I've been injured and my training has been fairly minimal, I knew my time wasn't going to be worthy of an "A" race. In fact, this race was "let's get it done and hope I can win my age group". My back was definitely not happy at the start of the race and more than likely I probably should've sat this week's race out.
The Race
I rolled into the race around 6:20 AM for the 7 AM start. Packet pickup was a snap and it was a beautiful morning. It was warm but not insanely hot just yet. Also there wasn't any wind to speak of. I did a fairly brief shakeout run and some drills. It also gave me an opportunity to take some course photos. My back was definitely iffy and I focused more on drills to loosen things up rather than easy running. I had a big question mark on my ability to finish this race without my back going into spasm mode.
The race started promptly after 7 AM and the plan was to go out strong but be willing to dial it back if my back started to grow more painful.
I wish I had had another 5 - 10 minutes to get the heart rate going before the race but I started off along the walking path surrounding the city's park. I had eyeballed the competition before the race and didn't see anyone in the front section that appeared to be my age, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I was familiar with the course, having run it now for the 3rd time. The initial quarter mile was crowded but the race thinned out and in no time at all I had settled into a pace.
I had no idea what I was running -- in fact I didn't look at my watch the first mile until I felt like I was getting close to the one mile marker. I didn't want to get hung up on my pace -- I was simply going by feel and pushing hard, but not all out.
About the first mile area |
The first mile came up at 8:07. Way better than last week's race and right on target. I felt fast, but this was a 5K. Hit it hard.
My back was griping a little but it was holding up. I had taken some NSAIDs and rubbed some Voltaren on it and it seemed to be working.
We finally exited the park and I got hung up on a few small hills. They just seemed to take a bit of my steam away. They definitely weren't big but I had to dial it back on them on account my back doesn't want to tolerate any hills (which I had figured out on a training run a few weeks ago).
Close to the last quarter mile. |
There is a long stretch of road along the park's edge we travel along. It is probably my favorite part of the course. Fancy houses on the left and woods / creek and the park on the right. I could see some of my friends in the park I was hurting at this point and figured the last 1.5 miles would be a painful grind.
I recovered a bit and pressed forward. I was actually doing well and I hit mile 2 at 8:15 or so. I had expected an 8:30 at the minimum.
There wasn't anyone behind me but I was working on catching a few of the runners ahead of me -- none of whom were in my age group. It kept me motivated but for the most part it was lonely running. There were some course marshals that cheered me on as I ran through a subdivision and finally back into the park. It was nice to receive some cheers as I surged ahead.
The final half mile seems to last an eternity. You enter the park and you can see the finish line off to your left but you still have to make a wide arc around the right hand side of the park, You do get to run by some of the exhibitor tents but the finish line can't come soon enough.
I had found another gear. It wasn't like last week's race where I was simply out of gas, but I was still pushing hard and holding a solid pace.
Post race finish photo with some of my friends. |
I rounded the final corner and glanced at my watch. Less than a tenth of a mile. I pushed hard and tried to catch a young man in front of me, but he wouldn't let me pass him. I didn't want to pull anything and no one was behind me, so I coasted through the finish line.
Conclusion
I crossed the finish line -- with my back intact - in 25:10. I was really happy with that, especially considering last week's painful 5K (about a 26:31). I had hit my goal - significant improvement.
I actually felt strong at the end and all things considered this was a great race, despite my time being about a minute slower than where I was 2 months ago. So my fitness does appear to be coming back.
The race itself was well organized. Easy parking, started on time, and well marked (despite a lot of turns on the course). Post race refreshments included water and bananas. I had missed the deadline for a t-shirt, unfortunately but I did get a nice swag bag. Note to self: register early.
It was great seeing my friends from various races and I felt really happy I had made marked improvement. I was pretty much all smiles on the way home.
Upcoming Races
07/02: 2022 Riverton Country Mile 10K - Riverton, UT (Confirmed)
07/04: 2022 Sandy City 4th of July 5K - Sandy City (Maybe)
07/09: 2022 Farmington Days 5K / 10K - Farmington, UT (Maybe)
07/16: 2022 Draper Days 5K - Draper, UT (Confirmed)
07/23: 2022 Handcart 5K - Bountiful, UT (Maybe)
07/30: 2022 Alien Run - Farmington, UT (Maybe)
08/06: 2022 Roy Days 5K - Roy, UT (Maybe)
08/13: 2022 Bluffdale Badlands 5K / 10K - Bluffdale, UT (Maybe)
08/20: 2022 Provo Canyon to Pleasant Grove 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)
09/03: 2022 Swiss Days 10K - Midway, UT (Maybe)
10/01: 2022 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
10/22: 2022 Haunted Emigration Canyon 5K - Salt Lake City (Confirmed)
10/29: 2022 Haunted Half Provo 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
01/14: 2023 St George Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)
02/26: 2023 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/22: 2023 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)