The Vikings Are Coming - 5K Race Tonight In Geneva

Tonight is a somewhat impromptu race. I've been lamenting my hard work has not turned into good 5K times, but the time trials I had been doing stopped. It occurred to me I am working out with a good effort, but haven't tested myself as often.

Bob V., my old running buddy, mentioned he will be hitting this one and taped on me to join him. His long-term goal is to break 18:30. He's close, but close is the same as "haven't done it." Maybe this will be the one for him.

My goal remains to break 20:00. That expectation is not for tonight. There is too much between where I am and there. However, my current time, as per the Cosley Run (see my progress on the top left), is 25:12, an 8:07 pace. I am confident I can break that.

My strategy for this evening is a combination of calibrated foolishness and conservative reality. Fellow running pilgrims, this is not a contradiction. The reality is simple: my best mile in the modern era is a 6:48. That means, beyond any doubt, I cannot run faster tonight than a 21:04.8. Having no delusion that this will happen, I am referring to Runner's World to help predict my time.

In the August 2007 edition of Runner's World, Ed Eyestone's article "Know Your Number" describes the four-second rule. For me, this means, I take my mile time, convert it into seconds, divide by four, add eight, multiply by 12.5. All of this means the formula thinks I can run a 22:44 5K (7:20/mile). The formula is not looking at weather, how much endurance I have.
The formula also thinks I could run a 3:33 marathon, for which I'm not sure I could even finish today. What it really means is the formula presumes I have done the prerequisite training for whatever distance. For the 5K, I think I have.

This still does not relieve me of figuring out what I should aim for. 23:00 seems reasonable, though this would mean I am knocking 2:12 from Cosley. To run a 23:00, I need to pump out 7:25 miles. (see what really happened: 5K PR - 23:13 - Viking Run).

So there it is. That will be my foolishness tonight. I will start at 7:25, keeping running hard until I must slow down, or the race is over. Whichever is first.

Unlike Cosley and the Freedom Four, I will start closer to the front. Last year's race had 504 finishers, so, by comparison, there will be less jostling and jockeying for position. The weatherman predicts a storm, and this could mean at best, it comes early and cools the air, and, at worst, creates a danger and they cancel the race.

Viking Sunset 5K Family Night
Wednesday July 25, 2007 - 7:00 p.m.

5K Course Course Map
The 5K course is USATF certified, starts at the Geneva HS Sports stadium and winds through a scenic Geneva residential neighborhood. All mile splits will be timed with race clocks, and a water station just past halfway. You will finish with a lap around the track in front of your friends and family in the Stadium bleachers. A $25.00 gift certificate will be awarded to any runner who sets a new age group record. See age group records below.

5K Awards
Awards will be presented to the overall male and female winners as well as instant age group awards in the following 15 age groups. 00-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 plus. Awards are 5 deep in the 0-14 and 15-19 age groups.

Geneva HS Sports Complex
1400 Gray Street, Geneva, IL 60134
Geneva, IL