PR in Long Race (or Not?) (Tailgate Trot 5K Race)

Official results

.5 mile warm up
3x50 meters striders
3.17 miles race (21:43 - 6:51/mile, 21:14 5K pace)

total: 3.76375 miles

prerace - 7:12
55°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 100%

expected at race time
58°F
Current:Mostly Sunny
Wind: N at 2 mph
Humidity: 80%

Did I PR at the Tailgate Trot 5K Race 5K in Downers Grove, IL?

I saw two maps. One, just now, claiming a precise 5K as per the USATF. The other, at race time, also with USATF letterhead, that the race was 3.17 miles. The difference? A PR or not.

Either way, a decent race despite a rough night. Never pushed. Started slow, with a 7:01 mile. No one near me for the last 1200 meters, which would have helped. Second in the 40-44 age category. Nice red ribbon.

Mile 1 - 7:01
Mile 2 - 6:38 (?)
Mile 3 - 6:53 - 7:20 (?)

Met Mike Barret, a 58 year old runner who ran a 20:02, and, more importantly, has read this blog. Good guy. Low mileage, with roughly 20 miles per week. Last year, he took second overall in the Run for the Mind, just as I did this year.

Also met Karl, the guy I met at the St Mary's of Gostyn run. He's running again tomorrow in Plainfield.

Time to nap.

Faster & Slower - 32:38 - Course PR

4.30 miles 32:38 (7:35/mile)
0.50 warmdown

total: 4.80 miles

68°F
Current:Cloudy
Wind: N at 9 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: COD Loop

It's so groovy now, sort of. PRs all over. Tonight, for the big lap around the yard, I knocked off around a minute. My pace is the same, though. Doggone GPS told me so. That 0.12 miles not run told me.

The "sort of" has to do with the big drop in mileage the last two weeks. I don't know how much -- my thumb drive might be broken (big stress there), but the loss in training will make a difference later on.

I gotta feel good, though, about a minute drop. Even if the distance is different, the route remains the same, so the course PR is completely valid.

Felt good the entire run, relaxed throughout. Another cool night, and if I focus on running a steady pace, another minute could be eliminated.

Thursday night will be mile repeats, so I am curious how I bounce back. Tonight's run was after Friday was off, Saturday was a race (but low mileage), Sunday was a slow, short run, then Monday and Tuesday off.

"Let's Get Together" by the Youngbloods ("It's so groovy now")

5K PR 21:35.5 - St. Mary of Gostyn's - Attacked by Dog

0.5 warmup
3.1 mile race
0.25 warmdown

total: 3.85 miles

51°F
Current:Clear
Wind: SW at 0 mph
Humidity: 94%

21:35.5 - 18th overall
3rd in age group (40-44)
6:58 pace.

mile 1 - 6:45
mile 2 - 7:05 (13:50)
last 1.1 - 7:03

I started too fast (wanted 7:00, 7:00, then finish @ 6:45). My focus was better than any other race so far, but room for improvement was evident. I had slept poorly. The night before I was sick (indigestion), and so missed my pre-race-day workout.

Things were looking good the last mile, but a huge dog attacked me at around the 2.5 mile mark. No contact -- the owner grabbed him at the last instant, but I came to a dead stop. How did this impact me? No idea. No one passed me.

Knocked off :25 from last year's 22:00, and :67 from this year's 22:42. Got a red ribbon for my efforts. Mostly flat, very mild inclines. The start bottlenecked from kids dashing out the first 400, and things settled quickly. All volunteers were a nice lot, very kind.

Met Liz Flowers and her friend Carl. Liz keeps a blog focused on her tri experiences. Tri-ing Like a Girl - Extreme Liz. We laughed about inexperienced runners not taking advantage of tangents. Geometry 101. We agreed too, that races are extremely social events, a good thing for runners.

A PR is good any day, but this day, my 42nd birthday, it was welcome, especially after a PR-less summer. I do not think the season is over for me, though. September 27: has the Park Ridge Charity Race 5K. Unsure what my goal should be, but the way I felt today plus better weather, no dogs, and another month of training, and something well under 21:00 seems possible.

Spent the rest of the day walking around Brookfield Zoo, and will sleep tonight like a 42 year-old baby.

Last year's birthday run: Running Hard at 41 Years Old

Tomorrow is a long run. Depending on the weather, and time of day, 8-12 miles.

400 PR During An 800 PR?

3200 meters warmup
6x100
4x150 f (50)[400]
3x200 gfgf (100)[5 m's]
800 m (1st lap f, 2nd lap g -- 94, 82)
jog 4m's vf
2 x150 f (50)
500 wd

tota: 5.0 miles

79°F
Current:Haze
Wind: SE at 2 mph
Humidity: 71%

course: Wheaton College track

I felt shaky during the warmup, running 8:45 out and 8:30 back with Dave Christensen. I mentioned to him that sometimes, it gets frustrating -- who will show up? Good Tony or Bad Tony? Both made the trip tonight. As I slogged through the warmup, I wondered if this would be as last night. My 40:00 run was shot -- ran 41 seconds, felt entirely out of it, and went home.

With a race Saturday, tonight's workout was adjusted slightly. My 800 was scheduled as a mile, and my 2 x150 was originally 3 x200.

All felt at ease, even the 800s. My PR for the 800, set on a treadmill, is 2:50, but my outdoor 800 maybe around 2:58. I need to sleuth that out, looking through my blog to see. Still, no matter what, I feel good about the 2:56 because at no point was I straining, and finished with a 400 PR. It had been :83, but I knicked a second off. What if I ran a little harder for the first 400? There was a :12 difference. There was supposed to be maybe :05 between the first and second. I think a 2:50 was possible, maybe even 2:47.

All speculation. What matters now is Saturday's race. Resting well, hydrating thoroughly, eating intelligently, and racing the race.

Four At Nine Will Get You Eight in Negative Splits - Workout Course PR

8.0 miles - 66:51 (8:21/mile)
33:46 out (8:26/mile)
33:05 back (8:16/mile)

65°F
Current:Clear
Wind: W at 0 mph
Humidity: 80%
course: Illinois Prairie Path

finish
73°F
Current:Clear
Wind: W at 0 mph
Humidity: 59%

First mile = 8:16, and I worried that I spent it all. While completing mile four, I felt a stitch, and thought maybe this was confirming it all. Not so. Not so. Not only was my pace fine, but it picked up on the way home.

Part of the reason for the good run might be yesterday's day off. Or, cooler air. I hit the trail around 9:00. Or later. What matters is that I wish was earlier. Weather was OK, but at 7:00 was perfect.

Add to all of this a new 31-day mileage total top, 139.37 (31.47 miles/week).

Trivia: You spent more time reading this post than Jamaica's Usain Bolt took to run 100 meters getting the gold medal: 9.69 seconds. Well done Mr. Bolt!

Curly the Caterpillar Didn't Run on a Foggy Night

4.42 miles - 33:33 (7:35/mile)
0.50 miles warmdown

total: 4.92 miles

68.5°F
Current: Mostly Cloudy
Wind: 0 mph
Humidity: 100%
course: COD Loop

finish
67.6°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: 0 mph
Humidity: 100%

While Cary Grant looked desperately for Pinky's lost caterpillar, Curly, in the 1944 classic Once Upon a Time, I took a long lap around the College of DuPage. My usual route.

Happily, it was cooler. No less humid, but I'll take it. A course PR by 11 seconds, and I felt as ease throughout. I could have worked it harder and dropped another 10-20 seconds, but that can wait. Steady pace from start to finish, but I felt the lack of a warmup.

Tomorrow is the JSRC workout, so I'll find out how I recover.

Springing at the Springbrook Prairie - 43:18 - Course PR

5.5 miles - 43:18 (7:52/mile)
1.0 mile warmdown

total: 6.5 miles

weather? no idea
not especially hot or humid

It feels appropriate to have a great evening run on the same eve of the Olympics. The opening ceremonies are on now -- Sergei Bubka, the great Ukrainian pole vaulter just walked by all dressed in blue.

I felt great from the start, and held close to just under 8:00/mile the entire way, working a little harder on the hills, and relaxed all the while.

Tomorrow, at 7:30 am, the JSRC will be hitting Blackwell Forest Preserves, and hopefully, I'll be able to keep up. Night, then morning. All will feel swift, but will my workout be also swift?

It's the Heat, Not the Humidity, Stupid: Running Hard, Running in the Thick

4.42 miles - 33:44 (7:38/mile) - course PR
4x100

total: 4.67 miles

76°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 2 mph
Humidity: 64%

finish
75°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 1 mph
Humidity: 66%
Course: COD Loop

Ripped out a sturdy time tonight. The heat had dropped from last night though not so much the humidity. The two together are beastly, but it is better that one is reduced.

First 2.5 miles = 7:16/mile, and I slowed once again. I realized a few reasons are involved, not just the uphill and heat/humidity impact. In the beginning, my run is on the road, and requires less attention to cars. At the finish, I'm dealing with cars, stoplights, and gravel.

My stride felt loose, and my arm swing strong. Maybe the push-ups and sit-ups are paying off. Too early to make a difference.

Tomorrow's JSRC workout will be a collection of 200s and 400s. That will be tough, and Friday has 40:00 fresh (decent pace, but not all out, less than race pace).

Sunny at Dusk: Workout Course PR

4.42 miles fresh -- 33:50 (7:39/mile)
0.50 warmdown

total: 4.92 miles

76°F
Current:Cloudy
Wind: N at 3 mph
Humidity: 35%
course: COD Loop

finish
73°F
Current:Clear
Wind: NE at 1 mph
Humidity: 40%

Finally, some semblance of weather that has no resemblance to an Amazon rain forest. That is, discounting the abundant presence of mosquitos.

Ran a little later, hence, 'dusk', and encouraging it was, this run. It felt right to move well. It felt sunny.

Each stage had good times for each corner. 1:52 at Lambert and 22nd. 9:45 (1.3 miles) at Lambert and Butterfield. 15:07 (?) at the Lutheran church. 18:48 at Butterfield and 53 (2.5 miles). 23:40 (?) at 53 and Glen Valley (3.1 miles). 27:34 (?) at Glen Valley and Park (3.6 miles). 29:09 at Park and 22nd (3.8 miles). All summing up to a nice 7:39 pace.

The first few pieces of the route are downhill, through 2.5 miles, to Butterfield and 53, when a slow incline carries through for the next 1.1 miles, to Glen Valley and Park. A sharp, but brief incline, then an equally brief downhill takes me to Park and 22nd, finishing with a long uphill slope all the way to my place.

Come on, George, take it home:

Here Comes the Sun, George Harrison

4.42 Miles Striding Well

4.42 miles -- 35:46.63 (8:05/mile)
0.5 warm down

total: 4.92 miles

83°F
Current:Clear
Wind: SW at 3 mph
Humidity: 36%
course: COD Loop

finish
79°F
Current:Clear
Wind: SW at 3 mph
Humidity: 46%

What a difference humidity makes. Still as hot as yesterday, but 14% less humid. Still a sweaty afternoon, but I felt in stride. I have been working on being relaxed, and today, mostly, I was.

Now, I need a shower, change into dry clothes, and grab some dinner.

Freedom Four 4-Mile PR (29:28.41)

Official results
29:29.5 time
144 overall place
116 sex place
35 age group
7:22.3 mile pace

Reality?
7:05
14:39 (7:34)
21:05 (6:26?)
29:28.41 (my watch) (8:27)

Those are the splits I heard, though my finish time is accurate as per my watch. Mile three split is so off it puts the other times in question. Management should go to a chip-based system next year.

Good kick at the end. Maybe too good.

Overall, a solid race for me. Started exactly as intended, lost little ground. I held my pace better than I had been, though there is room for a stronger mid-race.

Freedom Four 4-Mile Glen Ellyn results are online: http://www.drkomputing.com/results/2008/ffour08.htm

Course PR (No Winsome Loping)

4.42 miles -- 36:31 (8:16/mile)

75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SE at 1 mph
Humidity: 40%
course: COD Loop

Felt boxy coming out of the driveway, but, within five minutes, felt comfortable with my stride. Never pushed, but worked hard to avoid lapsing into a winsome lope.

Was it yesterday's rest? Or am I finally sliding out of my winter fat?

I need to up the mileage of this route if my time has settled here. I can add a half mile loop at the end, but this requires running around my neighborhood.

Last year, in September, I ran 5.5 miles at Springbrook Prairie at an 8:10 pace. A couple weeks later, hit my PR for a 5K. I hope I can find a similar correlation.

Which reminds me: time to get back to Springbrook Prairie.

Stuck Inside These Four Walls: Four Mile PR

1 mile wu (9:31)
3 miles (22:49 - 7:36/mile)
0.60 wd

total: 4.60 miles
course: Grainger treadmill

The math said it had to happen. Comparing my four mile time to my 5K time suggested I just had to try. Yesterday, I ran four in 32:42. Today, I decided, just for kicks, to beat my 32:24 record of October 8, 2007.

That is pretty much all there is to it. 32:20. And, once again, the first mile was a pedestrian 9:31. I think with a good warmup, brief rest, I can get a 29-something in. It will take better than 7:30 miles, but it also means something slower than what I can do for 3.1 miles. First is breaking 32:00.

Four miles seems to be a snug distance for my lunch hour. That, and a pulse lowering warmdown, and a shower, and my hour is up. I have been getting in early to allow a longer time, but I would prefer to keep everything tight. This will matter as my job gets busier later this month.

The next week, my work schedule will keep me hopping and I might not get in the quality workouts I need. My distance base is still hurting, and though I am getting in workouts, none have been especially long. My mileage the last two or three months overall has been weak, and I am again ramping up.

Miles By Month
May-07 -- 66.29
June-07 -- 96.80
July-07 -- 97.23
August-07 -- 102.85
September-07 -- 91.34
October-07 -- 73.86
November-07 -- 47.03
December-07 -- 66.81
January-08 -- 9.07

Chasing the Giant Silver Snowflake (and Getting a Mile PR)

1.5 miles wu
1 mile hard (6:20)
2.7 wd

total: 5.2 miles
course: College of DuPage Fitness lab

How is a 6:20 would be so, so hard? Age 41 is part of the reason. Lackluster workouts for two months hardly helps either (last 60 days, ending yesterday, equals just 104 miles). Just the same, I take my hat off to myself (OK, few real runners are impressed, so I'll hold back the self-congratulations). Tonight, after a 1.5 mile warm up at 9:31 pace, I stopped, gathered my breath and minor calf stretch or two, and set the machine for 9.5 mph. It was slow getting up to speed, and near the end, I jacked it up to 10 mph. Balanced out to 9.47 mph/6:20. Dropped :02 from my August 28, 2007 PR of 6:22.

I'm encouraged since a month after my 6:22, I hit my current outside 5K PR of 22:00. I am not reading this as prophetic, that I am ready to a 22:00 next weekend if the weather were warm. I am reading this as I have generally maintained my summer speed gains. That, with Monday's 2:50 half mile is merely a good sign, that though I have not had the quantity or intensity as I did in July and August, God has decided not the set my gains off into the netherlands just yet.

While running the mile, dealing with pain with around 600 meters to go, I focused on the giant silver snowflake taped to the south window. My bandana is on, as you might expect, horizontally, helping level set my head. I don't bob like I did in high school, but I do go up and down. Some, I guess, is to be expected. I don't know how much is too much.

After the mile, I ran an easy 2.7 miles, then hit the weights.

Weighed in at 134.4 lbs. My weight is steady, which is OK now. I can attribute this to lifting weights and gaining strength through running, but also, my lower mileage. A few more miles a week should resolve this matter, and, I'll get those in as I can.

My pulse had shot up to 192 when I checked it immediately after my mile.

A salute to those losing weight through the discipline of a careful diet. Below is Dinah Soar's blog on her own challenge. Running is enjoyable for me, and an easy way to manage weight. Even if I only walk a few miles, I lose several hundred calories. Still, for those foregoing the exercise, losing weight can still be done. Don't look to me for tips about all that, or to Dinah for that matter. See your physician for real advice. However, check out her blog to learn the reality of the struggle, and be encouraged by the common effort.

Staying the Course (Diary of a Not So Mad Housewife)

800 PR in a Quick Treadmill Run

1 mile wu
0.5 mile hard (2:50)
3.0 miles wd

total: 4.5 miles
course: College of DuPage Fitness lab

Time was lacking, as traffic delayed my getting to the lab until 7:00, at which point I had to zip down my warmup pants and quickly hit the treadmill. With the lab closing at 8:00, I had to be hasty. I wanted to get some weights in, and this meant cutting back my intended 7.0 miles.

After a 9:31 mile, I stopped, let my pulse drop some, and set the machine at 10.8 mph. The goal: a 2:45 half mile. The reality, I could not handle the pace, and notched to end in a 2:50. Still, a PR in these modern times, and much fun. It is hard to believe I ever ran a 10K only slightly slower than that.

After entirely exhausting myself, I endured the languished tiring 3.0 miles warmdown. Along the way, though, was David, a former engineer at Lucent, and now, a HS teacher in Hyde Park, teaching (imagine this!), engineering. Good guy, and welcome company.

I did some weights, including the stomach muscles. Fat Tony has hardly left the building, and tightening my gut is part of the solution.

Now, the remnants of last night's Gino's East pizza is feeding my calorie needs.

PR at the Park Ridge Charity Classic 5K (22:00.84)

Park Ridge Charity Classic 5K

Time: 22:00.84
Overall: 154
Sex Group Finish Place: 121
Age Group Finish Place: 23
Per Mile: 7:06

Mile 1 - 6:39
Miles 2-3.1 - 7:18-7:19?

Don't about my other miles, except that I must have averaged 7:18-7:19/mile.

Not a 21:00, but a PR just the same. Knocked :31 off my time. I crashed and burned, but did not meet my goal. My feelings are mixed. I had a PR, so that is good. A real one too, a full 31 seconds. Where I am disappointed is, like the Glen Ellyn St. Pet's Run, I choked in the second mile.

I started on my intended pace, looking to be 6:30-6:40. No complaints there. However, I felt horribly, unusually tired. Never saw the two mile mark. I made the turn-around at 12:00, but that was not a true halfway.

Picked it up near the end, with a brief 50 meter kick.

Race day, today, started with being late out the door, unable to find a bandana. Then, I missed the turn onto Touhy, and had a hard time getting there. Normally, my sense of direction is good, but this time, it led me astray. I had just 15-20 minutes to sign-up, warm-up, and stand at the line.

Last week, I ran twice - Tuesday, an LSD 4.8 miler, and Thursday, the JSRC track workout. Felt dragged all week. Should have run yesterday, but did not feel well, and life's tasks kept me busier than expected at the times I might have run.

Rudi was there, ran well, in the mid-18s. He told me, but I can't recall his time. Another Jim Spivey Running Club runner passed me at around the two mile mark, but I did not recognize him... just his blue singlet. Met a guy named Manual with whom I chatted old running stories with - he graduated from Thornwood a few years before me and new people my brother knew.

I haven't picked my next race yet. In the interim, I need to shake this one off, get back on the trails, and put in some miles. I don't know what I really need to do, but I think, althought I've been at this since May, there is still a fitess component slowing me down. Lose weight, do some LSD, some tempo work, and start thinking about how I'll handle the next few months.

Hard Fought Mile PR - 6:37 (In the Middle of a Workout)

2 mile wu
6x100 striders
3x200 (100)
400 (200) (1:30)
400 (400) (1:32?)
1 mile (400) (in and out mile)
3x400 (60 seconds) (1:41, 1:34, 1:28)
600 wd

total: 6.1875 miles

78°F
Clear
Wind: S at 10 mph
Humidity: 30%
course: Wheaton College track

In and out mile - 400 fresh, 400 hard, 400 fresh, 400 hard
? 400 (?)
3:16 800
4:58 1200 (1:42)
6:37 1600 (1:39)

Wasn't feeling great going into the workout, so, though my mile time is weaker than I might have hoped, I did well. My 400 times were good, better in the scope of a fairly hard workout.

Even though tonight was a struggle, I achieved an outsude mile PR, dropping 11 seconds from 6:48 to 6:37.

The final 400, ran in 1:28, in my fastest 400 on a Thursday night. Margaret stole my bandana so I had to get it back. Unsuccessful in that, I still ran a little harder. She is deceptively fast. Her stride does not seem like the turnover is there, but, just the same, she get the intervals done well. I think her mile was finished at around 6:25. Not just intervals either. She finished a half marathon this weekend in 1:41 (7:42 pace). Quite an encouragement. She believes in me as a runner more than I do, I think.

Strong Outing, 800 PR (Yes, Again)

3200 meters wu
800 meters 8x100 striders
600 (300) fresh
400 (300) fresh
3x800 (400) good
2x400 very fresh
600 meters wd

Total: 6.625 miles

79°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 12 mph
Humidity: 83%
course: Wheaton College track

finish
74°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 16 mph
Humidity: 87%

It was a workout I dreaded. Whatever is causing me to sleep terribly was at it again. I began the warm up dragging. First mile was a sluggish 9:10 -- not just the time, but I felt awful. I did my striders before Jim showed up, but then rain came. We all traipsed back into Gilligan's Island underneath the bleachers.

Anyway, when I heard 'good' in reference to the 800s, I was concerned. I don't know my pace for any of this yet, and my pace buddy John was already done with his workout. Jim suggested 3:38, but I didn't know if he was suggesting-suggesting, or just pulling a time out of a hat. I thought it sounded as good as any time, so 3:38 it would be. How would I know how fast to go, given I can't quite 'feel' a pace?

Lee stepped up to the plate. He was aiming for a 3:40. Follow his pace, then shoot up a few meters. Seemed easy enough, until ice skate racer boy Lee shot out of the cannon. Lee unapologetically claims from his ice skate racing days, that's the way it gets done, and hard habits are hard to break. Made sense. I felt good, and left him at the 150 m point.

First 400 = 1:39, finished in 3:25 (1:46)
Next 800, first 400 = 1:37, finished in 3:06 (1:29)
Next 800, first 400 = 1:31, finished in 3:00 (1:29)

I freaked out a little as I did the math. I knew my previous best was 3:05 (August 31), and I had just finished a 3:06. Realizing I did the 400 harder than I usually do single 400s, with another to go, it went to reason that I might not have the juice to get the job done.

Good advice as it related to 800s - the toughest part is the final back straightaway. Why? First 400, less tired. Last 100, that's easy to endure. But there is 200 meters, starting with around 300 to go, that Jim believes is tough. Could be. I haven't run so many yet as to know, so I tried it, and that point of view helped tremendously.

Looking back, as Lee and I discussed, maybe the 3:25 was too slow. Jim wanted us to run these at the same pace. I didn't. Might be 3:15s would have been better. No way to know where I could break equally on each, but to average each, it could mean I should have run 3:10s. Next time.

The victory is not the 3:00. It is that the track workouts are becoming more fun, and I am finding my speed. It makes the rest of the fall look tasty for running.

Outdoors PR - 5K - Less Than Fantastic Race - St. Pet's 5K

St. Petronille 5K - Glen Ellyn, IL
22:31 - 7:16 mile (unofficial)
official:
61st place
9th age group (M 40-44)
22:32.8 (7:16/M)

.3 wu
3.1 miles

total: 3.4 miles

63°F
Clear
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 81%

finish
73°F
Clear
Wind: SW at 5 mph
Humidity: 68%

1. 6:48 (6:48)
2. 14:09 (7:21)
3. 22:31.98 (7:37 x 1.1 miles)

As you can see from above, I started fast, finished slow. This was partly because of pre-race jitters, poor sleep and not feeling well the last two days, and a long hill just after mile 2. I also didn't fight like I should have to maintain pace. The biggest matter I could have controlled, I didn't. My plan was a 6:55-7:00 mile 1, but started faster, and paid dearly.

Still, the victory is that I knocked off about 45 seconds from my July 25 Viking Run 5K time, making it an official PR. Any PR is a good race.

The treadmill times are not 'fake', but do not achieve true outside conditions. I have a better race in me, so I am encouraged even by my weak finish.

Margaret ran well, winning her age group, despite starting fast well well. My friend Brad U. stepped in for a very impressive first race out of nowhere, in 29:41.9, after being cajoled into it yesterday. Better things to come from Brad, who showed a strong finish, and the will to power through the last 100 meters. If he sticks with it, gets in enough miles, he is bound to drop a few minutes quickly.

I don't feel great now, and will lay down.

Post-script: I added a fresh picture, after a short nap and long shower. A race picture isn't available. That's a long-sleeved t-shirt which came in the goodie bag.

Otherwise, the bag was filled with candy (cough drops?), race announcements, and a magnet that did not look very appealing.

The race itself was well-organized, despite being handled entirely by a neighborhood church. That's no crime to be a church organizing a race, of course, but I was concerned that a church might not realize the needs of a runner. Hats off to St. Pet's, which covered it all.

Volunteers were in full-force. I spoke with one guy who was cheering on runners near the final turn, "My job is easier than yours," he said with a smile. I disagreed, as "my job" was over in 25 minutes, while he had an hour of clapping out there.

The course utilized the Illinois Prairie Path, a local park, and the streets. The only downside was two quick left turns in the beginning, creating a bottleneck issue. No great matter, but it slowed down the middle-of-the-pack runners.

Water was offered at key points. For many 5K runners, the ones finishing under 30 minutes, this is less important, but to the ones out there longer, as the sun beats down amidst strenuous effort, it makes a difference. One stop, at least, was manned by the diligent and kind runners of the Glen Ellyn Runner's Club.

The finish was a funnel, which was a little disappointing. I had a good sprint going, but deferred to safety rather than running down the fellow I was about to pass.

800 PR, Good Quick Workout

1700 meters wu
800 3:23 (400)
600 2:33 (400)
800 3:05 (400)
600 2:22
1800 wd

total: 4.6875 miles

78°F
Clear
Wind: NE at 5 mph
Humidity: 42%
course: COD track

I wanted to follow-up yesterday's workout with a somewhat hard, but not long, workout today. Accomplished that. With the race coming up Monday, I will not be able to get in a long hard run tomorrow. Instead, I'm planning a relaxed six miler, with a day off Sunday.

Once again, the difference between COD's track and Wheaton College's was evident. Dirt clumps through lane 1, especially in the final 100 meter section.

Tonight was simple: warm-up, plus a few intervals, then an easy warm down. The victory was my second 800, the fastest I have run yet in this era, a 3:05. It is a long way from my 2:07, but still, much faster than my first one a few months ago. Hopefully, from this can be extrapolated a faster 5K. We'll see on Monday.

Now, my legs are tired and ache a little. Hopefully no big deal. I'm doing exercises to mitigate shin splints, stretches for calf and other flexibility issues, and as many sit-ups as I can handle. A few push-ups now and again to get some upper body strength.