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| Around mile 2.5 of the Vineyard City 5K |
Placement: 1st in the 50 - 59 -- 40th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 60's, slight breeze
Course Map / Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First Year for me
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:08 | Really good start. Exactly where I wanted to be. |
| 2 | 8:46 | Some rolling hills here. Felt like I was running faster |
| 3 | 8:51 | What happened? Just not a lot left. Again working hard, but not seeing the time |
| 3.05 | 0:26 | Did my push too late |
| Total Miles: 3.05- 26.21 | ||
Introduction
In signing up for this race, it was mostly about logistics and price. Normally, I do the Utah Valley Race, but in signing up late, the price was pretty high and it involved making a drive down to Provo (about a 40 minute drive) to get my bib.
The Vineyard race just made sense. A course I knew well, a course I'd likely earn an extra medal and at 50% of the price of the Utah Valley one.
It would also allow me to gauge my progress. I ran the exact same course in March for their Gold Rush Days 5K.
The Race
I arrived to Vineyard Grove Park, which is the city's headquarters for their races. It offers ample parking and a pavilion and bathrooms. With the city's celebration, they also sported plenty of porta potties.
I was able to grab my bib in short order and wound up doing about a mile warm-up in my almost brand spanking new Endorphin Elites 4. I was feeling pretty good and I had a feeling I was going to run better than my 26.20 that I had run about 6 weeks ago.
The race started promptly at 8:30 and we were off down a familiar route that I've raced many times.
The first half mile or so tends to be congested as it is sidewalk running and everyone is trying to jockey into position. It isn't the worst situation but it definitely will slow you up a bit as you have to move around and take the least advantageous route.
I had surveyed my competition and saw one guy who might be in my age group (50 - 59) but it was primarily a younger crowd. I also felt that the one guy was older than me, as I have seen him before.
I was running hard, but not all out. The race gets more challenging as it progresses. Also, I was feeling some fatigue in my legs already -- probably from the higher mileage and workouts I had done earlier in the week.
As we headed towards beautiful Utah Lake, I spotted the first mile marker. It was a little short according to my Garmin, but I rolled through in 8:08 after my Garmin chirped. Solid. Now if I could only hold it.
We finally made it to the lake path. It is a paved path that borders Utah Lake. There are some rolling hills here and obviously it is the showcase of the race. Reality was starting to set in though.
I had some solid competition here and people to work with. My weaknesses are the hills and I'd give up my position on the climbing portions, only to retake it once it leveled out. I knew I was redlining at this point, but I felt like my pace was faster than the 8:45. At times, I'd glance down at my watch and see 9 minute per mile pace. This was NOT what I wanted.
Finally, we made a left turn and had more sidewalk running to contend with. This time, however, the crowd was thinner and I was working with a couple of women and another guy.
Once again, I was pushing hard but not seeing a drop in pace. I felt like I was running 8:30 at the least but my pace was 8:45.
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| Typical stretch of lake side bike trail |
This part is also mentally taxing. There isn't much to look at. Just your neighborhood run. We'd have to cross a street once in a while, which was marshalled well. In fact, this course with its many turns and opportunities to take a detour you shouldn't, was well marked and thought out.
I kept a watchful eye out for the penultimate left turn and I couldn't wait to get there. I had run to it (about half a mile from the finish line) before the race as a warm-up. When I made the turn, I was still working with the same group, although I was bringing up the rear.
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| With views like these of Utah Lake.... |
My goal was to try and keep up with them or pass them. I needed something to work with. I had a sense that if I nailed the final mile, I'd at least do significantly better than my March run.
A difficult part of this race is that the finish line is almost immediately after the final turn. I kept trying to figure out my final kick moment. Mentally, I had totally misjudged how much further I had to run and while it would've been simple just to look at my watch and trust my previous history on it, visually I was caught off guard.
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| Final turn ahead. |
The final stretch is 100% flat and as I accelerated my watch beeped 3 miles. The course always comes in a bit short (about 3.05 usually) and I had clearly waited too long. I think I overtook one of the runners, but the other guy was well ahead of me.
As the seconds ticked along, I was crestfallen to see 26:xx on the timer. Icky, I was really trying to get at least in the 25's.
I wound up crossing a few seconds later and with the buffer of a chip time, I managed to squeak in just a second or two above 26 minutes.
Conclusion
So, initially I was sort of upset. I've taken a break from racing and banked some training time, and I was hoping to have a significantly better race. Realistically, I felt 25:40 was going to happen.
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| Finish line photo of me. |
There was some significant fatigue in my legs though and I didn't feel tapered for the race. Still, the race was a letdown performance-wise for me.
I socialized for a bit after the race and wound up getting some photos and checked my results. Given that most of the top talent was at the Utah Valley race and there was dearth of older runners, I placed 1st in my age group. Score! An extra medal for my efforts.
Awards were quick and pretty much self-service. They validated your name and handed you a medal. I was ready to go soon after the kid's race.
Post race refreshments were pre-wrapped goodies and water (with flavor packets). For a $30 race (including service fees) -- it was on par. There was an optional t-shirt to purchase, which had a cool design to it, but in the past they were cotton ones and normally I don't wear those.
After the race I wound up doing about a 2.25 mile slog to get photos of the lake and miles 1 through 2. The photos you see were taken after the race (or before).
This race is run professionally from start to finish. Great timing, quick awards, budget price and an aid station (at about mile 2). I can't recommend this city more if you are liking for a wallet-friendly race that is well run.
The medals were also cool and nicely designed. My only grip is that I'd love to see an earlier start. 8:30 AM is pushing it for a summer 5K in terms of air temperature.
Upcoming Races
07/04: 2025 Sandy City 4th of July 5K - Sandy, UT (Maybe)
07/12: 2025 Farmington Days 5K / 10K - Farmington, UT (Maybe)
07/19: 2025 Mantua 5 Mile Race - Mantua, UT (Maybe)
03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
