The weather was bright and sunny with temps in the mid to upper 40's which made for great running conditions, but for gusty cross winds from the north. The race began one block east of St Thomas on Summit Avenue heading east on Summit for 2.5 miles before retracing it's steps back to the finish line. Roughly 800 runners participated in the 8k race and the course is known for being relatively flat and fast with minimal turns.
I've run many 5k's and 10k's but this was my first 8k (5 mile) race. My goal was to run a sub 6:30 mile pace which would put me at the finish line around 32 minutes. I ran the first mile right on pace (6:28) which included a gradual incline midway through the mile. I then ran a 6:20 second mile and kept pushing the pace. I reached the turn around and began heading for home. The turnaround is always a big psychological boost for me in these 'out and back' races as I know each step is bringing me physically closer to the finish line.
I reach the mile 3 mark having run a 6:17 third mile, my fasted so far, but with 2 miles to go the finish line still seemed far away. Mile 4 was my slowest mile of the race (6:33) as I think I lost my focus for a while as fatigue set in. But, I was still ahead of my pre-race target pace and tried to suck it up for one last mile. I ran the last mile (my fastest by far) in 6:04, crossing the finish line with a time of 31:42. My overall pace per mile was 6:23 which is faster than all but one of my 5k races.
Overall I finished 156 among 781 finishers and 17 of 67 in my age group. In most races of this size my time would put me in the top 50 overall and top 3-5 in my age group, but as I said earlier, this race brings out many of the best runners in the state among all age groups. I was very happy with my time and also humbled by the fact that 16 other men in their 50's ran faster than me!
I finished 18th among Grand Prix runners earning an additional 667 points in the year long competition. After 3 Grand Prix events I have earned a total of 2,240 points but fell from 8th place to 11th place overall in the standings (2nd place in my age group). Unfortunately I will miss the next Grand Prix event which takes place the same weekend as my next race. On April 25th I will be running the Big Sur International Marathon in Monterey California. Looking forward to a few days of relaxation and vacationing along the Monterey coast with my wife before participating in the Big Sur. The Big Sur is widely considered the most scenic and beautiful marathon in America as it winds it's way north on along the rugged Pacific coast line.
The number of points you earn during these grand prix events seems totally random. 667 points? That's so many! I don't get how they figure that all out. Reminds me of a video game. When do you start earning rings and coins?
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