Christopher's 1st Annual 5K Run Race Report

This 5K was a new event to memorialize an 11-year-old young man named Christopher Schindler, who passed away a year ago, October 29, 2004 from Mitochondira Disease. It was done as an opportunity to raise money for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

Once I had decided that I was going to do a 5K on Saturday, I knew that, unless I pulled something, I was going to do this one as well. PLUS I was looking forward to seeing Cassie Cowan (wore out from Friday's U2 concert) and Steve Bezner (wore out from a 30K training run on Saturday) both there! (But, neither was to be found!) I even wore my orange shirt to motivate Ms. Cowan on the course!

Race day registration was $20. If you were a planner, it was regularly $15. Not a bad deal at all for a 5K. (If you were late for the Pumpkin Run on Saturday, it would have set you back a week's worth of Starbucks - $25 - for a 5K.)

Waverly and I got downtown at about 6:45 a.m. I registered, got my bib number (#62) and my timing chip. (On the way down, I asked her if she wanted to run it this morning; however, she wasn't in the mindset to go all out so she decided not to. Plus I'm not sure how she would have handled the 3 underpaces in the second mile.)

Getting there pretty early, we were able to see that the organization of a first-year event was quite new for many; however, the event went off fine. Plenty of volunteers. Post-race food was more than abundant. Water stops just past mile 1 and right before mile 2.

It took the timing company a little bit to get set up right. (I don't think that they had their "A" team at this event this morning.)

The course is the exact same one that is used in May by the Houston Young Lawyers Association' Tie One On For Charity 5K. (And I can see Lance Collins' eyebrows being raised already!) Yes, this meant that many runners swear that the mile markers, even though it is a certified course, are off. Here's why (May time is in parenthesis):

Mile 1 -- 8:37.28 (8:39.73)
Mile 2 -- 9:58.01 (9:03.00)
Mile 3 -- 10:21.81 (11:13.55)
Last .1 -- 1:04:33 (47.08)

Watch time -- 30:00.43 (29:43.36)
Chip time -- 30:00.5 (was posted on-site, but not online)

From my Tie One On race report, "...a runner during the post-race indicated that he thought mile 2 was short and mile 3 was long as his split was a minute off." That was Lance!

I know that mile 2 included going down and back up the underpass at Montrose twice and Waugh once (down outgoing and up going back), but I just didn't think that I slowed down that much AND I didn't think that I was going as fast this morning in mile 1 as I had yesterday. Who knows? I'm not complaining, but there were really good runners (like the second female finisher) who were standing around after talking about the splits.

And I told them of Lance's comment from earlier in the year. I just don't know how you can set up the mile markers off on a certified course. (Sidenote: Before the race on the event's website, they listed an '02 course certification. So I went to the USATF site to see if I could find the map. However, it had been updated with an '05 recertification and listed the name as the June-run Pride Week 5K. BUT, the map in the race packet was one of the course from 04/04/02 by Tom McBrayer.)

If you run the course twice and you only here the mile markers being off one time, you might believe that the markers were set up wrong. But if both times, there are comments about the mile splits being off, you have to wonder about the course itself. I do not believe that in the case of Edwin's race on Saturday that the course was short. In fact, if anything, the finish might have been a little long according to the diagram. (There is just no way in almost same weather conditions that I slow down 15 seconds in the last .1 mile one day later.)

So this race was really hard to benchmark. The one in May, on the same course, was humid and I was sick. Today, it was cool (although it warmed up with the sun in your face coming back) and I'm healthy and ready to run at New York City next Sunday.

Notes: Since there are no results posted online, I can't tell you how people did that I know or have seen before. Anne Ekern and Helge Haldorsen from the Houston Harriers both ran pretty well. I think Anne won her age group as she did yesterday in the Pumpkin Run. As did Suzy Seeley (Bayou City Road Runners) ..... I had a chance to visit with Suzy a little bit after the race. She is an excellent runner, but a very classy person as well. I really appreciate the time that I get the chance to talk with her at different events. I found out that she has had a little bit of a burnout issue as well. At yesterday's Goblin Gallop, Steve Schroeder was telling me that Suzy was getting ready for marathon #100 here shortly. I asked her about it and she said that she is sitting on #97. She was going to do San Antonio in two weeks, but I believe has decided against it. She said that she's trying to keep it all fun. (Suzy runs about 10 marathons a year and her last one was back in September in Des Moines, Iowa where she posted a 3:48:26. It was her 7th marathon of 2005.) ..... A reader of this blog, Jack McClintic (I hope I remembered this right), walked up after the race, introduced himself and said Hi! But, I'm a bit confused. He had a "Katy Fit" shirt on but is listed as a Tornados member on the HARRA member list. [Jack, tell me I got this right!] ..... And finally there was a woman who I chatted with (bib number 6), who I surmised was between 30-34 because that age group didn't print on the results that were posted on the gazebo, that said she was a friend of Christopher's mother. She has problems with her right kneecap and was thinking about running the half but wasn't sure since Houston Fit had already got underway. I told her of Cassie, who had an IT band injury and had just posted her training plan for the Half, and this site. So maybe she'll remember and find it of some help for her.