First 5k race of the year yields fastest times of the year!

joehempel
joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
in Success Stories
Did the Heart-Mini 5k this year, because I didn't really train at all for the half-marathon. Rather than do what I did last year and just say, screw it, I decided to just run the 5k and try to run my best 5k of 2014.

It was cold....like, the wind was cutting through every layer I had before the start. Not to mention Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati is by the Ohio river and the wind didn't help at all.

I lined up in the middle of the pack like 5 minutes before the race, staying warm in a nearby building and started slowly because people wanted to walk as well....even though there was an event to WALK!

I was able to quickly maneuver around though and get a good pace going that I thought was sustainable. My only goal was to get under 30 minutes for the 5k, but wasn't sure because Columbia Parkway is the king of large (to me) rolling hills.

When my phone told me I went a mile I was actually kind of shocked because I was feeling great, so I peeked at my watch to see my pace and was happy to see 9:35.

I picked up the pace down the hills and slowed it back up and decided to just skip the water station, kept on trucking, mile two I peeked at my watch again and saw 9:29....awesome, just have to keep it up.

Mile 3 was all up hill it seemed so I was kind of worried, but I kept moving and running, paying attention to my Nike GPS Sportswatch with the HRM for my exertion level. I saw I could push a bit harder and I did...mile 3 hit, 9:13! My fastest of the year!

The course is actually 3.3 miles (I'm not sure why, but it was like that last year too), but I hit my 5k in 29:11, and the total race was 30:50.

I'm extremely happy with this!!! I couldn't have run a better/smarter race in dealing with the hills, monitoring my exertion levels (not letting my mind tell my body to stop type of thing, there were times I wanted to walk but didn't) and having a good time in the frozen temperatures!!

Mile 1 - 9:35
Mile 2 - 9:29
Mile 3 - 9:13
0.3 split - 2:33

Replies

  • dabucks
    dabucks Posts: 82 Member
    Friggen great run man - especially considering the conditions!
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
    Right on! I'm currently doing the Couch to 5k. I have a 13 minute per mile pace (pretty good considering I'm 253lbs). I'm sure that would change come around mile two and especially mile three but I'm going faster & going longer every day I train.

    Good job man!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Thanks guys!!

    It was a fantastic race for me. Ran it smart too with all the people and hills!
  • Lollyvoddy
    Lollyvoddy Posts: 194 Member
    Nailed it, Joe. Well done. I hate running in the cold. - Hay
  • eena56
    eena56 Posts: 1,456 Member
    Awesome!
  • skittlesnhoney
    skittlesnhoney Posts: 651 Member
    That's fantastic!
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    And also the slowest time of the year.:wink:
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    And also the slowest time of the year.:wink:

    Slowest race time anyway.

    Thanks guys!
  • WallyH4EverVersion
    WallyH4EverVersion Posts: 172 Member
    Congratulations !! I bet you feel on top of the world:smile: Wonderful accomplishment. :happy:

    I am going to be running the Atlanta Women's 5K on the 29 of this month and I am hoping to do it in 36 minutes; 2 minutes drop from the previous 5k in December. :laugh:

    Once again, great job!
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
    First, congratulations.

    As a marathoner, I really like 5Ks because they can give me a venue that is sufficiently long that running hard will still be a challenge for time and there are lots of really good runners to give me a challenge. And it seems like in these shorter races you can see the greatest improvement of time as you prepare for other distances. And those shorter races can act as training for longer distances.


    As for the distance, I generally assume that the GPS reads a little long. Now part of that is due to the inherent nature of the update from point to point made by most GPS watches/software and part is because we aren't really running the exact 5K distance. Last week I ran the Twilight 5K for the NC Half-Marathon and my app distance was 3.14 miles (just beyond the 5K distance). I was running on the Charlotte Motor Speedway, had a clear shot to open sky for maximum satellite reception and still show little "squiggles" when running down the straightaway or down pit row.

    See:

    http://my.digifit.com/site/share/workout/845a5959a72911e38861ab9c1418a7db.html

    You can see all the squiggles and the inexact nature of the path. Doesn't matter which program I use (though some are better than others). So, some of that is "real" (weaving around other runners) and some of that is just an artifact. I have been told that in a marathon where you have to deal with a number of a lot of people, you can end up adding nearly a mile to the run just because you weave around.

    Note that the half-marathon that we ran the next day registered as 13.6 miles total from start to finish, not 13.1 miles of the official distance.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Thanks everyone!!!

    @STropper, I would tend to agree, but my watch hasnt been off more than a couple tenths for long distances (my marathon it was only off by .1) or hundreths even on a measured course for short distances. I should say that I am coupled with a footpod as well.

    This actually was a source of complaint for many people at the race. It was the same last year too. They just put the turn around at the top of a hill I think.

    Comparing with other peoples we were all the same just about...3.25 to even 3.4!

    Either way, Im happy with the run no matter what the actual dustance was. I ran a smart 5k race for like rhe first time lol!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Official results are in:

    Overall: 763 / 3,162

    Male: 461 / 1,333

    Age Group: 61 / 183.

    Not too shabby!!!
  • loriemn
    loriemn Posts: 292 Member
    vey cool!
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    Great job!

    I ran 3 miles today for the first time in almost 3 years. I couldn't believe I ran without stopping! Mine were 12:00 minute miles though ;)
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Awesome job and an inspiration for us just starting out.

    I am not a runner but a walker .. embarrassing to admit, but I am hoping for my first running 5k this year. C25K program already loaded, just waiting for some snow to melt.

    My fastest walking pace is about 12:24 / mile and I hope to improve that in my running. It is a very psychological thing, I haven't run in 30 years. I am hoping to get some of your enthusiasm and get into some good running.

    Oh .. I have the same Nike+ Sportwatch GPS and love it. Great device and keeps me motivated. The measurement of the distance is amazingly accurate from what I have seen. I also use the shoe pod.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Thanks a lot everyone!!

    And to all the new runners out there, congrats on starting, just beware it's a drug!!!

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