Race Report: Dash for Dad 5k

I haven’t made a serious effort at a 5k PR since last December.  I’ve entered a few 5k’s in the past 12 months, but treated them as fun runs, running and walking with friends.  I did run the St. Augustine Bridge of Lions 5k at my maximum effort, but give me a break, that was July, and my time reflected the hot, humid conditions.

So, on an almost spur of the moment decision, I entered the Dash for Dad 5k in The Villages, FL a charity race to benefit prostate cancer research and treatment.

I have run a lot of 400m intervals over the past few months and I hoped that all of that effort would reward me with a new 5k PR.  My goals for the race were to break through that 23:00 wall I’ve been slamming into and to try to clock a mile under 7:00.

This was a small race run near a retirement community and the competition reflected that fact.  100 yards from the start I found myself among the leaders in 4th place behind a young kid who took off like a flash of lightning and a couple that appeared to be running together.  Less than half a mile in, the Flash faded, slowed to a walk, and I found myself in 3rd place two steps back from the leaders.  My pace felt comfortably hard and I knew I had enough speed in me to take the lead for the first time ever.  I checked my pace though and realized I was already running too fast to maintain so I eased in behind the leaders.  A few minutes later we were passed by another younger guy who ultimately won the race and the threesome slowly started to pull away from me.

For most of the first mile I maintained a pace under 7:00 but as I approached the mile marker I saw the clock tick off 6:58…6:59…7:00 (damn!) and finally passed it 6 seconds later.  7:06, beating my fastest mile ever by 8 seconds but just missing that 7:00 goal.  Well there were still two more miles left in the race.

That’s when I heard Mr. Green making his move.  I’ll call him Mr. Green because he was dressed in green.  He spotted me warming up before the race, jokingly warned me not to run too fast, and took to calling me Mr. Speedy.  He even warned other people about me at the start line – “Watch out for Mr. Speedy over here.”  When I heard those footsteps behind me I knew exactly who it was. I glanced over my shoulder and there he was, 10-15 years my junior and built like a pro running back I leaned forward and vowed to hold him off as long as I could.

The turnaround for the course was at the end of a cul-de-sac. The turn was a little tight but much better than turning on a traffic cone as is often the case in these smaller races.  I held off Mr. Green until just after that turn.  As he passed I gave him a thumbs up and took pride in the effort that showed on his face.  At least I didn’t make it easy for him.

At two miles the first three runners were still in sight but there was no way I was catching them.  Mr. Green was close but I was struggling to keep him in striking distance.  My only hope was a small hill that I remembered in the first mile.  If I was lucky, Mr. Green was weak on hills and I might have an opportunity to catch him.  I looked behind me and the next runner was no threat.  I realized I had a lock on 5th place overall and a shot at 4th.

My hopes were dashed though as he held firmly onto his lead.  I didn’t gain any distance on him on the hill and as we reached the final stretch he started to slowly increase his lead.  I was really starting to feel the effort and I looked at my watch remembering that my real adversary in this race was time – that 23:00 barrier.  I was slowing down and I knew it was going to be close.

The course circled around toward the finish line so that the clock was not visible until the last minute.  I had to resort to repeatedly checking my watch.  At 22:23 I tried to judge the distance left, it didn’t look good.   22:45…22:55…23:00 (dangit!)  I finally finished the final turn and crossed the finish line 28 seconds later.



I had a good conversation with Mr. Green (his real name was Richard) after the race.  He told me that I helped to push him during the race.  I think I surprised him which makes me feel good.

So I finished with no PR and no 7:00 minute mile. On the positive side though I did run my fastest mile ever 7:06, it was my first top 5 finish in a race, first time ever running in the front of the pack, and I won a first in age group award.  So I’m still happy with how the race went.

Kudos to the race organizer Front Running Sports for well run race and to the principal sponsors Zero (The Project to End Prostate Cancer), The Advanced Prostate Cancer Institute, and all of the other sponsors.  The race went off without a hitch and the post race goodies were extravagant.  This is the second year for this nationwide charity race which is hoping to match the success of the Susan G. Koman breast cancer races.

So now for the excuses analysis - Why didn’t I hit my goals?

This was only 20 days out from the Marine Corps Marathon.  I feel great, but it’s possible I’m not fully recovered from that race.

I haven’t done any speed work since I started my taper for the MCM and haven’t done any serious training since the MCM.  I’ve been focused on having fun running in sandals for the past few weeks.

It was also a pretty warm day.  The temperature at the start was in the upper 60’s.  It was comfortable but not optimal.

I probably started out too fast and burnt up a lot of energy trying to hold off and then keep up with Mr. Green.  If I had run a more conservative race in the first half I might have had more energy for a kick at the end.

Lessons learned.  With 5k’s virtually every weekend for the next few months I think I have a pretty good shot at having a breakout race before spring.

Test Driving the Merrell Trail Glove

The local marathon season is grinding to a close so I am planning to give trail running a go. This of course means – NEW SHOES!

As usual I agonized over the decision of what shoes to get for this purpose and after way too many hours spent researching and perusing reviews I narrowed my options to three.

1. New Balance MT 101. This seems to be an extremely popular and well tested trail runner. While it is more minimalist than many trail shoes, my main concern with it was that it seemed to be a step backward from the Saucony Kinvaras I have been wearing for the past few months. It is a very light weight shoe but it has a 10 mm heel drop that is more characteristic of more traditional running bricks (whoops - I meant shoes).

2. New Balance Minimus Trail. With a 4 mm heel drop (equal to my Kinvaras) and endorsed by ultra-marathoner Anton Krupicka (who supposedly contributed to the design) I am excited about this shoe and hope to try it someday. Unfortunately, it will not be available for another month (and I have a “thing” about instant gratification).

3. Merrell Trail Glove. Weighing in at a featherlight 6.2 oz., with a 0 mm heel drop and a Vibram sole, the Trail Glove is part of Merrell’s Barefoot Collection and is creating a lot of buzz. The decision to choose this shoe seemed inevitable when I received word that my local running store, Front Running Sports, just got them in stock (remember my “thing” for instant gratification). My only hesitation was the price (I also have a “thing” about parting with my hard earned cash). It retails for about $105, which seems pretty high for a shoe whose closest competition is supposed to be bare feet. A WVR discount at Front Running Sports helped to ease my pain.

(After purchasing my Trail Gloves, I was informed that Saucony is now offering a trail version of the Kinvara called the Peregrine available at a significantly lower coast than the Trail Glove. I don’t think this would have affected my decision though. I’m on my second pair of Kinvaras, ready to try something new, and I’m excited about trying a perfectly flat shoe. I also learned that Saucony has another new offering described as the Kinvara with “a touch of support” which makes me worry they are losing sight of what made the Kinvara successful in the first place.)

My first impression on seeing the Trail Glove was that it looks a bit like a clown shoe with its oversized toe box. The fit was almost as exactly as described in the product literature, snug around the mid-foot with a toe box that opens up wide to allow your toes to splay. It is cut low around the ankle and is very flexible. It is designed to be worn without socks and I ended up with a size 10, a full size smaller than usual.

The feel of the perfectly flat shoe was strange at first walking around the shop. I took it for a test run outside, both on pavement and on grass, and found that I was almost instantly up on my forefoot, especially on pavement.

The upper is a loose woven mesh that gives the shoe a pleasant ventilated feel on my sockless feet.

Armed with my new purchase I decided on the Lyonia Preserve for my first trail run. I was warned not to overdo it in my first runs or my calves would pay the price. I ended up running 4.8 miles on a mostly sandy trail with just a few challenging hills.



They performed well and I was pleased to find that I had no calf soreness afterward or any unusual leg pain at all. I think this is due to the many miles I have already put on my Kinvaras. I’m not convinced that the shoe, in and of itself, changed my stride significantly although I was very aware of how my foot was landing and the shoe provided a good feel for the ground. The sandy trail was very forgiving so I will have to wait see how they perform on less ideal surfaces and pavement. This run didn’t really test the shoes traction or its effectiveness as a barrier against roots, rocks, water or other hazards I might encounter off road. It was a great first test though and rest assured I plan to put these shoes through the ringer over the coming months.

Base of "Mt. Lyonia"

I did pick up quite a bit of sand and some debris from the run. In addition to sand that makes its way into the shoe around my ankles, I think it can also work its way in through the loosely woven upper. On a longer run I may need to stop to shake them out every once in a while.

I had some concerns about running without socks and was pleased to find that I didn’t suffer any rubbing on my heel. I did notice a small abrasion on the top of my left foot after the run, near the base of my big toe. Feeling around on the inside of the shoe I noticed a rough spot where the tongue is sewn to the shoe that may have been the culprit.  I think more careful attention to the lacing may prevent a repeat but I will have to keep an eye on this area in the future.

View from the summit of "Mt. Lyonia"
Elev: 49 ft*
*per my Garmin elevation profile ;-}

I’m very pleased so far and I’m looking forward to putting in many more miles on local trails in these shoes.

Update (5/3/2011):

I thought I should update my experience in the Trail Gloves now that I have more experience in them. I now have well over 100 miles in them including a 50k trail race. I absolutely love these shoes.

The chafing I experienced on the top of my foot, which I also noted in other reviews of the shoe, ceased by the 3rd wearing and after that they got more comfortable every time I laced them up. I don’t know if the shoe softened up or my foot calloused, or both, but the abrasion never returned, even during the 50k. I didn’t even suffer a single blister during that race.

My experience in them is limited to trail use with the exception of a single 4 mile run on pavement that really gave my calves a workout. I do plan giving them some street time now that the Florida racing season is basically over until the fall.

I have also become so infatuated with running sockless in the Trail Gloves that I tried, and now prefer, to do that in my favorite road shoe, the Saucony Kinvara.

You can read more about my experiences in them here (Silver River State Park) and here (Croom Fools Run 50k).

Candy Cane 5k – Close, but no PR

To quote the great patriot, Maxwell Smart:

“Missed it . . . by THAT much.”

My official time was 23:24, 17 seconds shy of my PR. The official time for this race was the gun time so a comparable chip time would have been a few seconds faster, but I was lined up fairly close to the start line.

On the positive side – I set a new record for one mile with the first split of the race – 7:16, only to beat it again with the second mile – 7:14.

Oh, and then there is also the small matter of this:

My first age group award! 3rd Place in the 40-44 age division.

I placed 61st overall out of 404 runners with an average pace of 7:33.

So, what could I have changed to improve that time and PR the race. It seems I’m full of excuses.

1.  I didn’t plan to eat or rest well the day before the race. I spent the evening stressed out driving all over town and ate a fast food dinner in my car way too late in the evening.

2.  I didn’t even get in five hours of sleep.

3.  I didn’t get to the race early enough to give myself enough time to properly warm up before the race.

4.  I didn’t familiarize myself with the route and was surprised by a bridge crossing at the 2 mile mark. I wrongly assumed it would be the same course that I ran in a 5k earlier this year because it started at the same place. Even worse, there was a turn around at the bottom of the bridge so there was no time to recover before having to cross it a second time. The two bridge crossings left me spent for the final leg of the race and my pace for the last 1.1 miles slowed to 8:05.

On a flat course with true chip timing, I’m confident I would have PR’d and I would have been damn close to that 7:00 mile I’m hunting.

Front Running Sports did a great job organizing the event.  Despite my whining about the bridge it was a nice route that followed the Cross Seminole Trail through Winter Springs.  They somehow even managed to arrange for the rain to hold off until after the race was over.

I owe many thanks to my daughter, Tori and to Rick from WVR who were able to capture some great photographs and even better, rare video of the elusive Running Bird crossing the finish line (I'll try to embed it here if I can figure out how).  Also congratulations to the other WVR members that gave a strong showing at the race:  Mike (3rd in Age group with 19:59) , Luis, Elizabeth (PR'd), Sandy (PR'd while running with a debilitating injury ;-} ), Claire and Walter.

Today I think I’m suffering from a minor case of DOMS. I didn’t do anything to aid recovery after the race and I think I’m suffering the aftereffects. I need to learn not to take these short races for granted.

Last Race of the Year

I made a quick stop at Front Running Sports yesterday to pick up my race packet for the Candy Cane 5k on Saturday. This will be my last race of the year which somehow makes me a little sad even though I’m planning to run the Deleon Springs Half Marathon on January 2.

My luck with bib numbers continues as I drew a nice even number 50 for this race.

It’s been several months since I ran a 5k so I’m interested to find out what impact all this long distance running has on my speed in a short race.

This will also be my first 5k in my Saucony Kinvaras. These shoes make me feel faster from the moment I lace them up so I have high expectations for how well they will perform.

The weather warmed up a bit over the last few days. The temperature should be comfortable in the mid 50’s for the race and there is a slight chance of rain. Hopefully we will get lucky with the rain.

The race course will be the same as the Run for Africa 5k I ran in July. I finished that race in 24:10 and placed 5th in my age group, the closest I ever came to an age group award. The course isn’t optimal for a PR because of some tight turns that cost precious seconds but I have improved a lot since then. My current PR is 23:07 and my best mile split is 7:19. With any luck, I’ll be able to improve on both of those numbers tomorrow.

I've been running well the past two weeks and seem to have completely recovered from my marathon three weeks ago.  On the other hand, I slacked a little bit with my training this week and overindulged last night at the West Volusia Running Group's Christmas Party.  It was worth it though.  We had a great time and the hosts did an awesome job organizing the event.  With about 60 people in attendance, I'm sure it took a lot of work.

Back to Basics

I think I have allowed my running form to get sloppy over the past few months and that may be partly to blame for the knee pain I have been suffering from for the past week.

The knee is improving. I ran in a 3 mile “fun run” sponsored by Front Running Sports to celebrate their anniversary on Saturday. Most of the run was pain free and when the pain did start to emerge I was able to control it by focusing on my form, particularly shortening my stride and increasing the turnover. That worked well and I was able to keep the pain in check.

I employed the same strategy this morning for a 4 mile run and didn’t experience any pain during the run, although I could tell that my knee still did not feel “right.” Unfortunately, after the run I had some fairly intense sharp pain when I attempted a quads stretch that severely bends the knee.

I’ve got the photographic evidence of my sloppy form right here from a 5k earlier this month.

You can see the obvious over striding and heel striking. I made excuses for this picture because it was right at the finish line and I was in the midst of my finishing kick.


However in this picture from the fun run on Saturday, you can see the same over striding and heel striking, although not quite as pronounced. There were no excuses this time, this photo was taken at the very beginning of the run.

Just for kicks, here’s my finishing photo from Saturday.  It’s too bad this was just a fun run with no official time. The field was so small I might have had a shot at an age group medal.

My plan over the next few weeks is to focus on the Chi Running basics and see if I can get back to pain free running. I’m even considering some barefoot running to jump start the correction.

I’ll keep you posted.

Run for Africa 5K

Crash!

That’s the sound of a record breaking. Shattering, like fine china striking tile. I finished the Run for Africa 5k with a time of 24:10, demolishing my prior 5k PR by well over 3 minutes. I missed my goal for the race by a frustrating margin of just 10 seconds, or 3 seconds per mile, but I’m still thrilled with my performance.

The race was organized by Front Running Sports who did a great job. Everything went smoothly from registration right through to the awards ceremony. Even the results were posted in record time. My only complaint for the entire event would be a single parked car that crowded the race course right at the start.

The West Volusia Runners were well represented and we took four age group awards including two first place medals. I placed 5th in my age group, about a minute and a half behind the leaders.

I came off the start fast, jostling for position on the crowded course, unfortunately it was probably too fast. It took less than half a mile for runners to comfortably thin out and when I hit the first mile marker I was happy to see a time of 7:25, 2 seconds faster than my previous fastest mile record. I worried that it was too fast, but I thought I was on target to hit my 24 minute goal.

I settled into the run for the second mile and hit the next marker at 7:59. I knew I had to average 7:45 to hit my goal, I was still on target but I was also starting to suffer for my effort.

At 2.5 miles runners began to fade ahead of me. I had planned to kick it into a higher gear at that point, but I knew it was too soon, there was no way I would be able to maintain it all the way to the end. I struggled to just maintain my pace, but still managed to pick off a few more runners. I bided my time until the final turn and the finish was in sight and then I put the hammer down. I hit Mile 3 at 8:06 with only a tenth of a mile left, but I knew my goal was in jeopardy. I watched the clock at the finish line helplessly as the last few seconds ticked off and the 23 changed to a 24. I crossed the line 10 seconds later, completely spent.

Post race we were treated to music and massages and there were plenty of bananas, oranges and samples of protein and energy drinks. The kids fun run was too cute. The awards ceremony was handled efficiently without sacrificing any pomp so that we wrapped everything up before the temperature hit 90.

All in all, it was a great event.

Post Script:

After checking the race results I discovered that I finished in 44th place overall. That’s bib # 44, age 44, finishing 44th. I think I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone!

Race photography courtesy of:

Good Omen

I just picked up my race packet for my 5k tomorrow from Front Running Sports.  My bib number is the same as my age.

I’ll take that as a sign of good luck.

I ran 3 miles this morning in 24:12 thanks to some pacing assistance from another member of WVR.  I feel confident about my chances for setting a new PR tomorrow, but a little good luck never hurts.

Video Gait Analysis

I had my first experience with video gait analysis today and the experience was totally cool (excuse the 80’s colloquialism – I can’t help myself).

Armed with my credit card, and my current running shoes, I headed out to my local running store, Front Running Sports in Lake Mary, Florida. The sales person first took a video of my feet while running in a neutral shoe on a treadmill and then let me watch it in slow motion. My pronation was slight but easily noticed. She then had me try on a pair of Brooks (Defiance, if I recall correctly) and had me run on the treadmill again. Watching the second video in slow motion I was truly amazed, the correction was instantly apparent. Armed with this knowledge she was able to recommend four different shoes from four different manufacturers, Saucony, Brooks, Asics and Pearl Izumi. I tried them all on and she encouraged me to take them outside for a test run.

I walked out of the store with a new pair of Asics Gel 1150’s, $20 under my budget, and very satisfied with my purchase. I am excited to try them out and will post a review after I have a few runs in them.

I had my pronation correctly diagnosed by a salesperson at another well respected store in the area several years ago and all of my shoe purchases since then have been based on that diagnosis. Without the benefit of the video analysis I was left with the impression that the diagnosis required some kind of voodoo magic. I am now much more confident about what I need in a running shoe.

I could tell even from the short run I took in front of the store that the source of the knee pain I have experienced over the past few weeks was my worn out running shoes.  I can't wait to get back to a regular running schedule.