Flying In My Former Home Town

It was a nice, cool morning in Sturtevant for the Iron Horse 5K on Saturday. One of the things that made this race so special is that my brother, Andrew, and his two daughters, Ella and Lily, were in attendance to cheer me on, as well as my parents. I lived in Sturtevant for five years, so I've run around the village more times than I can count.

The race began at 8 a.m. near Fireman's Park, just east of the corner of Charles Street and Wisconsin Street. We headed east on Charles all the way to 90th Street. The wind was at our backs, and it was also slightly downhill, so it was a very fast start. I attempted to hold back a little and let the rabbits zoom ahead. We turned left and went north on 90th all the way to the Educator's Credit Union parking lot. I clocked the first mile in a pretty speedy 6:38.

Heading west through the parking lot and then south on 92nd Street, I tried to stay fast, but not too fast, reserving some energy for the last mile. A right turn onto Rayne Rd. led us west past the DMV and to the mile 2 mark. My split was 7:04, perhaps a bit slow. Considering that the wind was in our face and we were heading back uphill, it wasn't too bad. While I let people pass me in the first mile, nobody passed me in the second mile.

After a left turn on Wisconsin St., I was heading back south. My strategy seemed to be working -- I was now passing runners and feeling energized. I turned on the afterburners with about half a mile to go, passing a few more runners before turning left on Charles St. and sprinting toward the finish.

Mile 3 was a speedy 6:47. I could see the finish clock in the distance, and breaking 21 minutes seemed like a possibility. However, there was too much ground to cover despite my full-on sprint. As my running buddy Jerry says, the clock waits for no one. Still, it was a great race for me, as I crossed the line in 21:10.6, about six seconds off my personal best (21:05).

The wait didn't seem too long for the results. I was the twelfth runner across the line, and the tenth male. The best news -- I enjoyed the thrill of victory as I came in first in the male 30-34 age group! Woohoo!

I didn't take a closer look at the results until today, and I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in my age group finished in 21:27.5 and 21:29.6, less than twenty seconds behind me. The odds are that I passed them both on Wisconsin St. just before making the turn toward the finish. Now, if I can improve my 5K racing skills a bit, and conditions are favorable, I'll crack 21 minutes next time out.

My brother took a lot of video of the event, so I'll be putting something together soon. Until then, enjoy a photo of me with Ella, who happens to be wearing my dad's hat and my 1st place medal.

Iron Horse 5K

21:10

12th place overall
1st in the M30-34 age group

Details soon!

Wisconsin Marathon Movie

Here's a link to a movie from the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha on May 2:

Wisconsin Marathon Movie

Also, if you're interested in a DVD of my marathon races, let me know. I actually have two DVDs with ten marathons each.

Saturday Sizzle

After the rain passed over, I got out for six miles in 50 minutes today (about 8:20 pace). The weather reminded me of the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon -- muggy, a tiny bit windy, and you wish the sky would open up and give you a cool shower -- and then it doesn't. It was actually more comfortable running into the wind because the breeze cooled me off a little.

This run was followed by one of the most refreshing showers ever.

Pleasant Prairie Family Days 5K

It was a bit chilly for August 1 in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. But it was definitely comfortable for running. Jenelle and I arrived at the race site a little after 7:30, giving me almost an hour to warm up and get ready. We met up with several friends who were also running the race. Janet, who ran her first 5K in St. Germain on June 28, was looking to improve her personal best. Janet's neighbor and babysitter, Kelci, ran alongside her. Mary and Maryke, members of our weekly young couples gathering, also came out to run. To add to the fun, Jenelle signed up! Quite a party.

The course was basically a lap around Lake Andrea, with a bit extra to get the total distance up to 5K. We started at 8:30, heading west on a paved road for about a quarter mile before making a U-turn onto the trail right alongside the lake. As I made my way back east, I waved to Mary, Maryke, Janet, Kelci, Jenelle, and Mary's husband Steve (who was waiting at the finish). With a significant wind predominantly out of the west, I felt great, finishing the first mile in 6:44. Mile 2 took me north and eventually to the west, continuing along the lake path. The winds were now against me. I told myself to stay strong. The sooner I made it around the lake, the sooner the winds would be at my back. I reached the halfway point in about 10:36 -- just a little behind my goal pace (finishing in 21:00). My split for mile 2 was 6:58.

The first half of mile 3 was still against the wind. I tried to keep up the pace while at the same time saving some for the last quarter mile. There were two runners in front of me that I hoped to catch along the final straightaway, and nobody was close behind me. As soon as I made the last turn and had the wind at my back, I turned it on as best I could. I finished mile 3 in 6:45.

I was flying to the finish. I successfully passed one of the runners. I glanced at the clock as I reached the finish. No sub-21 time, but another personal record peformance -- 21:05. I covered the last .11 miles in 37 seconds, corresponding to a pace of about 5:22/mile. I wish I could run that fast the entire race!

After taking a short break and downing three cups of water, I walked/jogged back to Jenelle, cheering all my friends on as I passed each of them. I smiled and laughed as other runners informed me that I was running the wrong way. I sooned reached Jenelle, and I accompanied her for a mile or so, stepping to the side as she sprinted for the finish. It was her first 5K, and thus a personal best. Way to go, Jenelle!

I managed 13th overall and 3rd in my age group. Maryke and Kelci also won age group awards. Janet ran a new personal record, and Mary may have done so as well (I'll check on that). So, a wonderful day. Congrats to everyone!
Kelci (33:21), Janet (33:23), Mary (31:36), Jenelle (41:31), Ben (21:05), Maryke (31:41)

PR again!

I finished the Prairie Days 5K in 21:05, good enough for third place in my age group and another personal best. Details and pictures soon!