Global Warming, My Ass! 6.66 Mile Run Race Report (Part One)

Or....
The March of Dimes Shamrock 5k Race Report

It's all about timing...Razz's virtual race worked perfectly with my plan to run the annual Shamrock 5k...

"But Snail, even someone with a middle school education knows that a 5k does not equal 6.66 miles!" Very true, lucky for me Razz left a nice loop hole in which we can break up the distance into as many increments we choose.

I have chosen to run two separate races.

On to the recap...

The March of Dimes Shamrock 5k marks the beginning of the spring race seasom here in Savannah. The best of the best local runners show up...and they also have a costume contest. After many hours pondering what to wear to the race this year, I settled on something simple and sleek.



Since I live downtown, The Crackhead and Cubbie meet me at the house and we walked to the starting area of the race. Stressing the importance of following a pre-race routine, The Crackhead suggested we do the same warm up we do before track practice. We did an easy 10 minute jog to warm up, followed by a few drills and finished up with strides. I had a good sweat going and got my HR up, with a few minutes left before the start we moseyed over to the starting line and wedged ourselves in with 1600 green clad runners.

My goal for this race was simple, lower my 5k PR of 25:52. I knew this would be a given as I ran a 8:02 pace for a race two weeks ago that ended up being 3.54 miles. That would have computed out to a 25 minute 5k. So my real goal was to run in the 24's, pie in the sky was to dip into the 23's.

We were off and I spent the first 1/4 mile trying to work my way around the slower runners and walkers. I had a hard time getting clear and into a stride. Just before I got frustrated, the course opened up and I was able to run freely. I knew the pace was quicker than normal but I had already decided before the race that I was going to "red-line" it and see if I could push myself to the point of blowing up.

I hit the first mile at 7:40, "WhoaPat!" Bring the pain!

As I labored through the second mile, I knew I had gone out too fast and was trying to hold on. Halfway through this mile I noticed I was being passed more than normal. glancing at Garmy I knew why, 8 minute pace..."Come on, Thomas, get the lead out, this will be over before you know it."

Second mile marker 15:41 (8:01 mile split)

A majority of this race course makes up a portion of my favorite 5 mile loop. The last mile of the race course is mile 4 of that loop. I feel at home on this course and knew just when to step it up. I found an entire other gear and began reeling in runners. A quick glance at the watch showed I was back at a 7:45 pace. "1/2 mile to go, last 800 of the day." As I rounded the final square, I knew the finish was 1/4 of a mile away.

The Garmin beeped three miles and I could see the finishing clock come into focus.

"Does that say 23:xx?"

Push through the finish, don't leave any room for regret.

24:09 Gun Time

Final Stats:
24:01 Chip Time - New PR
7:44 Avg Pace
223/1600+ Overall

23/71 AG


WOW!!
Where did I find that effort? The weekly track workouts are starting to payoff. a quick shout out to the Crackhead who finished 15th overall with a time of 18:15. I also managed to grab this photo of him off of the local paper's website.



Wait, What!?!1!...I still need to run 3.56 miles? I am only halfway through the Global Warming, My Ass! 6.66 Mile Virtual Race...Does anybody have a GU?