Houston Running: Run Wild 5K Splits Analysis

Houston Running

One of the leading sources for the discussion of Houston-area (and Texas as well) road racing. Focus and attention will be given to Houston-area runners, specifically HARRA members, that compete in outside-of-the-area events as well as those who do interesting things that aren't captured in the various media outlets, such as Inside Texas Running, Runner Triathlete News and Roberta MacInnis' Running Notebook in the Houston Chronicle (all fine publications and columns but with limitations too).

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Name: WalkSports.com

Location: Spring, Texas, United States

I'm a mid-to-the back of the pack runner who probably enjoys promoting runners more than I do running myself ... I've completed 21 marathons (with a 4:47:32 PR! in Austin) and 52 half marathons (with a 2:09:58 PR! in Oregon) since November 2003 ... I've done a marathon in 12 states, half marathon in 23 and an event in 30 states and one Canadian province ... I have a 13-year-old daughter, Waverly Nicole, who completed her first half marathon in January 2006, made only two B's each of the last two years, was the only sixth grader to sing a solo (Carrie Underwood's Don't Forget To Remember Me) in their choir program (adding Taylor Swift's Tim McGraw in '08) and scored a 19 on the ACT in December 2007 as a seventh grader ... Waverly and I are members of the following clubs -- the Seven Hills Running Club, HARRA and The Woodlands Running Club ... I'm Marathon Maniac #308 ... I edit HARRA's Footprints in Inside Texas Running and write a column for Runner Triathlete News called, "Talking the Talk" ... I'm also the running columnist for the Courier of Montgomery County ... I'm a three-time winner of TAPPS' Sportswriter of the Year Award as well as TABC's Golden Hoops Award.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Run Wild 5K Splits Analysis

At today's Run Wild 5K in Uptown Park, which is put on by the timing company, Run Wild Sports, runners are treated to being able to have their splits electronically recorded at both the mile 1 and mile 2 spots. (This was the case in 2003, but there was no chip difference recorded in 2004 - which caused me to go to Centerville for Stu's Country Mile on the 4th of July.)

Nonetheless, this allowed me to look at pacing of all of the 619 finishers -- or rather the 538 who hit both of the electronic mats at mile 1 and mile 2.

Negative splits between mile 1/2 and mile 2/finish
65 (only 1 runner - 50-year-old David Washburn - in top 49)
Positive splits between mile 1/2 and mile 2/finish
233 (included the top 8, top 11 of 13, and 28 of the top 49 runners)
Negative split between mile 1/2 and positive split between mile 2/finish
49 (first runner doing this finished 66th)
Positive split between mile 1/2 and negative split between mile 2/finish
191 (included 16 of the top 49 runners)

I can't say that this really proves anything other than that it appears that the faster overall that you become, the less likely it is for you to be able to negative split the entire distance.

1 Comments:

elf said...: I'm glad to hear that, since I tend to run the first mile too fast, and spend the last 1/2 mile hanging on for dear life...; 6:23 AM