Placement: 10th in the 45 - 54 age division, 187 out of 472
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 70 with 10 mph breeze from the south.
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:13 | Going out conservatively. First part is kind of uphill. |
| 2 | 8:12 | A set of rolling hills. At least I am consistent. Took advantage of the downhills |
| 3 | 8:16 | Bringing it home. Felt like I was running faster, but I'll take this for a final mile! |
| 3.06 | 0:25 | Trying to break 25 |
| Total Miles: 3.06 - 25:13 | ||
Introduction
So another weekend, another "Days" race. This weekend, it was the Alpine Days 5K -- an event to kickoff their city's celebration.
I ran the race last year and I with not a lot on the agenda this weekend, I figured why not get in a good workout?
This race is a fairly large one and is strictly a 5K. Most of the race's participants are high school students, as the local high school, Lone Peak High School, has an extraordinarily large track / cross country team. So they definitely come out in force to participate.
The Race
I showed up at 6:15 for the 7 AM start time. I was one of the first there and got decent parking (there is plentiful parking). I managed to snag my bib and a t-shirt and take some photos as the timer started assembling the start / finish line.
The race is headquartered at Burgess Park in Alpine and is a beautiful baseball field with walking trails with some stunning views of the Wasatch Mountains. I wound up getting about a mile warm-up and took in the last part of the course and got some photos.
The race started promptly at 7 AM. With all the high school students in attendance, most of whom could easily run under 20 minutes, I lined up well behind where I'd normally start. The first quarter mile was pretty packed, but with a wide area to run in, it wasn't too terrible.
The race makes a left turn after exiting the park's entrance before dumping you onto the street. It is about a half mile run, with a gentle uphill, until you get to Alpine's North-South drive. Another 2 hours after the race, this section would turn into the parade route -- people had already setup their spots and some of the parade vehicles were assembling.
I was running smoothly and in control. I remembered from last year that this course had a lot of rolling hills and I didn't want to overcook myself. I was overtaking a lot of runners that had started out too quickly and was running well. Mile 1 rang up as an 8:13. A little slower than I would've liked for a mile 1, but given the nature of the course, I'd take it.
Eventually we had to make another left hand turn and exited the main street. It was a nice mental break and signaled a change. I'd miss the crowd support (there were a few people along the parade route), but I was greeted with some nice stretches of downhill. I was able to pick up my pace.
My fellow runners had thinned out at this point and while I was working hard, I still had a lot to give. I was coasting on the downhills, taking on the uphill sections and making ground on the flats. I'd pick out groups of runners ahead of me and work to catch them and then pick another group. The strategy was working and spurred me on.
Mile 2 came in at 8:12. I was really hoping to go sub 8 minutes on this one but I was cruising.
The last mile started off with a nice downhill and then a slow grind to the finish. It was hard to pick up any momentum here. I was occasionally picking off people but my rate was declining. I was more concerned about how much distance I had left and since I had run the final .65 of a mile to the finish, I knew exactly how much more I had to go.
My mind was wanting to go, but the rest of me just couldn't respond. I just didn't have the gusto to smash the last third of a mile. I was maxed out.
As I headed into the park, I saw the mile 3 marker. The markers were pretty close to spot on, but my Garmin would chirp a few seconds after I had passed it. I came in at 8:16, still much better than last week's not so great race.
The finish line looked so far away yet I recalled all the strides I've done over the past year and I knew I had something to give in that final .1 of a mile.
I glanced at my watch -- I had a shot at sub 25 but it wasn't going to be promising. Pushing as I hard as I could I made a dash to the finish line and crossed in 25:14.
Conclusion
So this race went way better than last week's disaster. I was spent after this one -- I had used a lot of whatever I had left in the final push and I remember as I closed in on the finish line I was holding back on getting sick.
I figured I had a shot at an age group award on this one, as I hadn't seen very many people my age. There were lots of high school students and for some reason a ton of women running with their children (some turning in some great times).
I had forgotten though that this race has some funny age divisions and me trying to compete against those in the 45-year-old age division put me at a disadvantage. Next year, presuming that I am still in the Utah area, maybe I'd have a shot (they had some nice placement medals).
Overall, I ran the race well -- with even splits. I was much slower than where I was last year, but given my training and medical issues I've had, I'll take this one as a success story.
Post race refreshments included water, protein bars and caffeinated chocolate milk. Sort of a motley assortment for a race. I had brought Gatorade to the race and I wound up using that afterwards. After the awards, they were basically begging people to take home the left overs, which I greedily took. The shirt was a cotton one but nicely designed. I wish it was of polyester fabric, I'd certainly wear it.
For a $25 race, I got my money's worth. It was a low-frills race, but well organized and well marshalled. It was nice to see so many younger runners in attendance: it has been one of my regrets not to have run in high school.
I liked the course as well. It had its shares of hills and it all seemed to even out. This race gave me a sense of confidence that my speed is coming back. Hopefully this continues with a positive trend.
Upcoming Races
08/17: 2024 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)
09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)
09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND
10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
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