2018 Arizona Sunrise Race Series 5K #3 - Freestone Park - Gilbert, AZ

Official Time: 25:09
Placement: 7th in the 45 - 49 age group, 56th overall, 42nd male out of 412
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 84 and sunny. No wind.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural Year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	7:56	Hemmed in at the start, but felt good.
2	7:58	Trapped at times at the turn around but still running well
3	8:25	Gassed at this point.
3.12	0:48
Total Miles: 3.12 - 25:08

Introduction

This morning I did race number 3 in the Arizona Sunrise Series.  Before moving here, I signed up for the entire 7 race series for a flat fee.  Each race includes a t-shirt, part of a medal, and a full supported 5K race.  Each race is held at a different location -- 2 weeks apart.  So I figured it would be a great way to introduce me to the Phoenix area.

This 5K race was held at Freestone Park in Gilbert.  I've raced here twice so far (here and here) and each time the course is different from the last time I've run it.  Some parts are exactly the same but each route has been different. 

It is a really nice park and I actually enjoy the course.  It does have a few hills but overall I feel like it is a good course for a 5K.

The Race

I rolled in at 5:45 AM for the 6:30 race start.  The parking lot was swimming with cars and people, but I was still fairly early and managed to snag a good spot.  Check-in / bib pickup was super easy.  I got my shirt and bib and headed to the bathrooms.

My warm-up was pretty limited.  It was already really warm so I kept it to some light drills and a very short shake-out run.  I felt a little sluggish, but I knew once the gun went off that my legs would snap to attention.

The race started precisely at 6:30 and we started running along the warning track of the baseball field.  It was crowded and clearly some folks didn't understand the unwritten rule of lining up for their pace.  I wound up passing at least a 100 people within the first half mile.  It was congested but I managed to get a lane to myself.

Within a third of a mile or so we were dumped on to a canal path (after speeding down a mini mogul).  This is another warning track lined with crushed dirt.  I had worn my speed Saucony shoes that are super weight.  I normally wear my Brooks Adrenalines but today I felt speedy with the slipper like light-weight shoes that I only break out for 5Ks.

I was still passing people and soon we were got off the dirt canal trail and were dumped onto the street.  I am pretty sure we weren't supposed to run in the bike lane along the main drag and were supposed to run on the sidewalk.  But there were no markings or volunteers there and I was more or less following the previous runners.

Eventually we looped back into the park and did a circuitous route before hitting a turn around sign.  My Garmin read about 1.56 miles at that point.  A hair long despite my best efforts at running the tangents.

I did dump a cup of water over my head at this point.  I was hot and the race director had planned accordingly.  There were a whopping 5 water stations on this course.

I was hurting after the turn around and also hemmed in.  I am pretty much a middle-of-the-pack runner these days so running on a standard sidewalk was challenging.  I had folks coming at me and was nestled in the back of another group.  It took a bit of patience and a sudden burst of speed to work my way around them.  I probably lost a few seconds here.

The last mile was a grind.  Clearly, I've got enough gas to go 2 miles at 5K pace but that last mile is always the worst.

At this point, I was running solo.  I had a few people I was working at tracking down but for the most part, no one was behind me.  I could feel myself getting hazy as I made my way back along the canal trail.  Why did it have to be so hot?

I kept looking for the finish line, hoping it would be magically closer than I thought it was.  I passed a few more people on my way in and crossed a hair over 25 minutes. 

Conclusion

I felt like my time was going to be a lot faster than it was.  I had done sub 8 minute miles for the first two miles.  I really faded at the end and I think part of it was the heat. I just didn't have the speed endurance to hold the 8 minute mile.

I quickly recovered and grabbed some Gatorade and a banana.  Food offerings were pretty standard: bagels, bananas, sports drink and granola bars.

Part of the series is that for each of the 5Ks you get a letter for your Arizona medal.  This week's was "I", which I have added above.

I wound up socializing for a bit before heading out.  I finished a lot better in the overall standings than I thought I would, but a disappointing 7th in my age group.

I really felt like I had run well here. Unfortunately my time didn't really reflect much improvement.  I lost a bit of time being hemmed in and the course measured up a smidge long, so I am still hovering in the low 25 minutes for a 5K -- a far cry from the 20:30's I used to run regularly.

2018 Arizona Road Racers Summer Series #2 5K - Freestone Park - Gilbert, AZ

Official Time: 25:13
Placement: 119th out of 347, 85th male out of 176, 7th in age group
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: low 80's, no wind, sunny
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural Year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:07	Lots of turns and not sure what I had today.
2	8:16	Mostly on dirt -- warning track dirt. Not a lot of bounce. Some climbing here
3	8:24	Pretty much done. Tired.
3.06	0:27
Total Miles: 3.06 - 25:16

Introduction

I am not sure exactly why I signed up for this race.  It was kind of "I am not doing anything on Sunday morning, so why not do a 5K"  I sort of had buyer's remorse, but once I got to the race site, I was glad I had signed up for it.

This race is the second in the Arizona Road Racers Summer Series -- I did race #1 two weeks ago at the Tempe Town Lake Trail.  This race was held at Freestone Park in Gilbert.  Faithful readers will recall that I did a 5K about a month ago at this park.  I expected the same course as last time -- but I was for the most part wrong.

The Race

I got to the race about 50 minutes early. I was one of the first there and it was easy getting my bib.  I had registered for the race online, so I saved a few bucks.  There wasn't any t-shirt on this race -- so a flat $25 plus the usual credit card fees got me into the race.

I used the rest room a time or two and did a little bit a warm up.  It was already pretty warm out so I kept my workout to a minimum. 

The race had over 350 runners and they did a fantastic job of making sure people were lined up in the appropriate spots.   Since we were running on sidewalks or fairly narrow trails, it  made sense and the race was chip timed.  I started out with the third wave and I was able to get into my pace fairly quickly and without having to navigate around people who were in the wrong bracket.

The first mile took us out of the park and onto the road briefly.  There was minimal traffic and I didn't feel like I was in the way.  We then jumped onto a running track that was crushed dirt.  It had some uneven ruts in it, but it was easy to navigate.

It was sort of heart breaking to pass by the starting line and know that I still had a good 2.5 miles of pain left.

We then jumped onto a dusty track.  I could see the lead runners flying ahead of me already coming back from their section of out and back.  I wasn't doing too badly but my pace wasn't the greatest.  Also with all the runners on the canal trail, a cloud of red dirt hung in the air.

While I didn't get any "bounce" from running, it was flat and I tried to dig deep along here.

I was hoping to make up some ground on mile 2.  Occasionally I'd get a burst of energy but for the most part my "A" game wasn't there.  I was also sort of confused by the course.  I had figured we'd be running the same one as the previous race I had done here. 

The course was well marked though and there was never a doubt as to where to go.  Plus I was hanging with a variety of runners who were also 8-minute per mile runners.

By the time I hit mile 2 I knew I wasn't going to have a super great race.  I had hopes that things would come together and I'd be able to blast through the final mile, but it just wasn't there.  The pain of the final mile of a 5K is always the toughest and my legs just wouldn't respond and it was just so warm.

The last third of a mile involved a lot of turns, but I was so happy to finish this one.  

Conclusion

I talked to a few other runners and got various reports on how long the course was.  I had a 3.09 and a 3.12.  So I suspect the course was accurate (or I just run the tangents really well).

I spent some time milling about the finish line and took in an apple and some banana slices. They had plenty of snacks -- cookies, bagels, sports drink, fruit and chips.   I didn't have a lot on the agenda for the afternoon so I definitely soaked in the atmosphere.

I am bummed that the t-shirt is extra.  I have a zillion shirts so I really don't need one but I always like one as a memento.

They handed out age group awards efficiently.  Alas, unless I take a few minutes off my times I am not going to be in the running.

My performance was about as expected today.  It was warm (when I left, it was 91) and my legs were worn out from the previous day's run.  None the less, I did a little bit better than expected.  Despite my Garmin reporting a short course, I suspect it was accurate given the number of people who ran more than me.

I liked the course.  It was scenic and the turns made it sort of fun. However, it wasn't terribly fast and there were a few small hills.  My Garmin didn't seem to record them, but overall it was well marked and kind of fun.

I'll continue to do this race series if it fits into my schedule and I feel like doing something.  If I was a contender, the series does have a payoff at the end, but for the rank-and-file runner there is not much there (not even a finisher medal for doing the entire series).  Still, it was fun and nice to socialize with the other runners.

OUR East Valley Rescue Run 5K Race Recap - Gilbert, UT

Official Time: 23:57
Placement: 10th overall, 1st in the 41 - 50 age group.
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 70's, sunny, slight wind from the east
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural Year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:00	A little conservative here, but definitely right on target
2	8:07	Was hurting here but still very consistent.
2.96	7:52	Crushed it at the end. Was fading but gutted it out to the finish
Total Miles: 2.96 - 24:01

Introduction

I used to run a lot of 5Ks.  In the good old days, I'd pretty much do a 5K (or even two) a weekend and most of them were for charity or a recreation center.  As time has gone on I've drifted into longer events which usually wind up being for profit events.  That is fine... things change.

But now that I am in Arizona and with daytime temperatures reaching into the mid 90's, doing races longer than 10 KM get to be a lot tougher.  It seems that there are races out here, but most of them are 5 KM.

So while trolling the websites for a race, I found the OUR East Valley Phoenix Rescue Run. This group rescues young people from the sex trade and all the money generated from the race went to support that cause. Standing there before the race started, it reminded me a lot of the days went 75% of the runs I did were for charity.

I am usually a little skeptical of inaugural / charity races.  They tend to be not organized very well.  But I was looking for something to do on Saturday morning and decided, why not.  I could be patient.

The Race

The race was held at Freestone Park in Gilbert Arizona.  Beautiful park and it looks like a gem for the city.  Lots of things to do there.  The race started at 8 AM, which in my opinion was a bit late, but the temperatures weren't too awful.

Packet pickup was a snap and I did a brief warmup and I was pleasantly surprised to see the race start on time.  (The guy organizing it, Matt -- looked competent and clearly he was a runner).  The event was also chip timed.

I started off and the first quarter mile or so was on some rough grass that eventually lead to a dirt trail.  It was like running on the warning track of a baseball field.  Not super great for picking up speed but soft on the joints.

The trail eventually led to the bike trail, which was more crushed gravel / sand.  I had gotten a good start and was feeling pretty good.  The aches and pains from all the half marathons I've done were a distant memory. 

I wasn't sure what I had for a 5K -- it's been a while since I've run one -- and the lower elevation was definitely playing to my benefit.

The first mile was sort of silly.  You basically made a turn to the east at the juncture, ran about a third of a mile down the bike trail, came to a sign, turned around, came back to the juncture and ran it again.  Initially I think the course design wanted you to do that turn around as you came back.  It led to some congestion, but being that this was a fairly small race it wasn't too awful and led to getting some cheers from everyone.

Finally you head west along the bike trail and those who were racing separated themselves from those just participating.

I was feeling pretty good although I was already dry mouthed.  I was running pretty evenly and didn't feel like I was dying.  Luckily, it was just a 5K and at the turnaround loop I didn't reach for any water.  It was nice to run on pavement here though and I could get a bit of a bounce after each stride.

After making the turnaround loop, you made your way back to the start line.  I could tell I was tired and reaching my maximum.  My stride lengthened and slowed down.  There were awards at stake and for a small race I wondered if I would qualify if I didn't win it out right.

I had a lot left at the end as I cranked it to the finish line breaking 24 minutes.  However, the course measured up a bit short (general consensus).  Looking at the MapMyRun course mapping, it is 3.11 miles, but I think the east section turn around was a bit short.  It should've gone to the last house on the street where as the racers turned around from the 3rd house.

Conclusion

The race went well for me.  There was some delay in getting the awards out, but generally speaking, the race was super well organized and it felt good to contribute to a worthy cause.  

I registered a few days before the event for $25.  I got my money's worth.  A cotton t-shirt, an age group award, and food and drink at the end.  They had basic supplies: water, fruit and some vendors were providing food as well.

I did well on the run and felt like I had raced with a solid effort.  It also gives me some idea of where I am at fitness-wise.  I did expect a slightly faster time given that I am now racing at 900 feet elevation versus 4300.  The course had a small hill or two but primarily it was flat and fast.

They had a good mix of runners there.  From casual runners participating in a charity event to those a bit more serious.  People were friendly and I wound up meeting several people there (including a fellow Utahn).