I was shocked when I realized that I haven’t run this 5K — the one that’s literally in my backyard — since 2004! There was the year I overslept (2005), the year I woke up with a pounding headache (2006), and the year I was hanging out with my boy in Boston (2007). It felt good to get back to this race. The course has changed since the last time I ran it, and it now goes entirely through the JSC campus, so that was pretty neat. (Though I joked that it meant I had to be at work on the weekend.)
As we ran in the first mile, I overhead a conversation next to me. One runner remarked that “you’d think NASA was be more impressive. All these buildings are so plain!” Her companion responded “yeah, but it’s NASA. NASA’s so cool that if their buildings were cool too, it would just be too much coolness.” If only that were true… 😉
I arrived at the race with plenty of time to pick up my chip and say hi to people. Debbie and I headed over to the start line, where Jon turned up. As the race started, Debbie took off ahead of me, but Jon decided to run with me — or rather, he ran about 5 feet in front of me the whole way. I told him to go ahead, but he didn’t, and he was great motivation for me to keep pushing. I only walked for about a minute total, just the two times I stopped to get a drink of water.
Joe was calling times at the mile 2 marker, and I greeted him with a “hey Mr. Triple Bypass!” It was only after I called to him that I realized everyone around me now thought Joe was likely recovering from major heart surgery. Nay, I say — instead, the term refers to the monster bike ride he did last weekend that took him over three major mountain passes, with a total elevation gain of more than 10,000 feet, in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
But I digress. Here’s the damage from this morning’s race:
Mile 1 – 10:17
Mile 2 – 10:44
Mile 3 – 10:46
Last 0.1 – 0:50
Total – 32:37 – 10:30 pace
Overall, I gotta say I’m quite pleased. It was hot, it was HUMID, and I ran a strong race. Going in, I felt like a optimistic-but-not-impossible goal for me was 33:00, so I’m happy to have beaten that. It helped a lot to have Jon in front of me, especially at the end, when he kept up a litany of “come on Sarah,” “let’s go Sarah,” and “push it in Sarah.” I was gasping for breath and the tired part of my brain was thinking “why doesn’t he just shut up?!?” Ha! But it was actually ok, and it helped me push hard through the last couple tenths of the race.
I had planned to go over to Webster Bike this afternoon and sign up for the duathlon tomorrow, but apparently it sold out yesterday! That’s the first time the du has ever sold out, in my knowledge. The organizers say it’s going to be the biggest one ever with more than 200 racers. (I believe they are limited by their transition area, not by the course.) While the organizers were nice enough to let those of us in BAM who missed out that they might still be able to let us in if we went over today, I decided to just sit this one out. If I had really wanted to do it, I would have signed up well in advance like I do for every other race. I may go volunteer. Or I may just sleep in!!
I figured you would have been disappointed if we had just leisurely run it in.
The way the tired side of your brain was talking, my only reaction would be to say, “Welcome to Waverly’s world.” 🙂
10:30 pace is pretty darn good in the heat and humidity.
Your official time is 33:02 as on the results page.
Yep, on the results page they only listed gun times. They were having trouble with the timing system and lost all the chip times. Actually, when the results came out immediately following the race, everyone’s time had an hour added to it! So obviously some timing malfunctions. Always unfortunate.
Officially you’re right, I ran 33:02. But I started my watch as I crossed the start line, and when I stopped it as I crossed the finish line it read 32:37.
Don’t you wish the Garmin always counted?
TECHNICALLY I ran a 27:54 at the Flying Owls for 3.1, but well, for THEIR 3.1 I ran 28:32 (which was really 3.23)
Unfortunately I have to keep the time that is handed to me.
I don’t buy everything the Garmin says. For instance, it told me this race was 3.14 miles. It wasn’t. It was 5K. The GPS isn’t 100% accurate. And during races, I hit the lap button manually as I pass the mile marker instead of relying on Garmin’s measurement.
The time kept by the watch, however, is accurate.
I ran 32:37 chip time. What was recorded is 33:02 gun time. Both of those numbers are correct.
The official time is the time that is recorded and published, which is the 33:02. That is your time for this race, not what is on your Garmin, just as if it were any other gun-timed event, so both are NOT accurate.
Not really sure why this has become an issue.
I’m well aware that 33:02 is my official time, and the only one that matters to anyone other than myself.
I choose to use my 32:37 watch time for my own records, since it reflects the pace I ran and the effort that I put in.
Sarah, is your Garmin set for auto pause? If so, that would explain the difference between your time and chip (published time) and 3.14 is very accurate for a 5K course. I believe a 5K should be around 3.12 and that is using the shortest distance possible which most people do not run.
SteveS
I’m not sure Steve. I’m not familiar with the auto pause setting, so while I don’t think it’s on, I’ll have to check to be sure.
5 km = 3.10 miles, but I know there is some slight “wiggle room” allowed when measuring a course to account for the error inherent in any measurement.
My mistake. I have got to stop reading blogs and driving. 5K=3.1 miles. A course measured by a runner running on that course and registering 3.14 on their GPS is well within specs considering all factors. The real question would be to ask runner #333 (John Walk) what time he registered. Did he wear a GPS or a watch? Inquiring minds want to know?
SteveS
Jon ran 33:02 according to the official results (gun time) and 32:35 according to his watch. Don’t know if his watch was GPS or not.