13th annual Resurrection Run 5K Race Report

Since my time wasn't what I hoped it to be this morning, let's pass along the results of the "How Many People Did Jon Know?" contest. The number turned out to be 30.

Here's who they were (and not in order of appearance):

Sam Rodriguez (was 3rd overall)
June Vidrine (new PR)
Steve Schroeder (was 9th overall)
Sarah Graybeal
Shelly Stephenson
Vera Balic (mile 1 water stop)
Veronica Hoge (1st in age group)
Jay Lee (race director)
Joe Carey (course monitor)
Leeanne Voorhees (1st in age group)
Debbie Rudisill (1st overall female)
John Rudisill
Lisa Tilton-McCarthy (1st masters female)
Walt Yarrow
Thomas King (2nd overall male)
Sydney King (1st in age group)
Gerardo Mora (1st masters male)
Carwyn Sharp (2nd in age group)
Roger Redding (mile 2 water stop)
Ben Harvie (1st in age group)
Mary Patterson (3rd in age group)
Bruce and Gloria Mansur
Margaret Montgomery (1st in age group)
Francisco Perez (1st in age group)
Chris Bittinger (2nd in age group)
Yong Collins (1st in age group)
Raymond Cruz (1st in age group)
Matt McCurdy (1st overall male)
Kathi Mahon (2nd in age group)

I've put off the painful stuff, which is the result of my race this morning. I'm calling this a 30:32 (although the gun time is 30:36). (There was 4.97 seconds getting across the line ... that's why.)

The splits looked like this:

Mile 1 -- 9:17.32
Mile 2 -- 10:04.63
Mile 3 -- 10:06.40
Last 0.1 -- 1:03.40
Total -- 30:31.75

I really, really tried to hold back (although I didn't feel like I was working too terribly hard) as I had both June and Sarah in front of me. I knew that June had just recently gone under 30 minutes and Sarah, quite honestly, I couldn't figure out what she was going to be capable of this morning.

I know that she pretty well hit her time goals at the TIR, but she had admitted on her blog that she hadn't been as consistent as she needed to be since.

I barely nipped Sarah at the mile 1 marker and as she commented on her blog earlier, I said to her, "Too fast." I think I told Sam that last year at the same spot. (Vera and Waverly were working the water stop.) I took a cup, took a few steps and took off again.

I could continue to see June in front of me and she really, really ran a nice, steady race. She really didn't even look like she was working that hard from my vantage point.

Sarah came back to get me during mile two, and I thought to myself that I hoped that it wouldn't become a pattern for the rest of the run.

When I'm running on the treadmill, I think I need to run harder (i.e. increased mph), longer because I felt like I was moving faster without as much pain but that I couldn't hold it - and forcing me to walk for a few seconds.

After I passed mile 2 and took more water (why I don't know), I kept trying to move fairly steady. I was doing the math in my head - part of a great line from the recent Gary Allan hit "Watching Airplanes Fly" - and figured if I could hold the combination of the first two miles that I could break 30; however, it wasn't to be.

I was strong running past Joe just before the little U-turn - primarily because I knew he was going to snap a picture - that would lead to right-hand turn that takes you down the finish stretch. But I sucked wind just before going around the U-turn. Ugh!

Again, I can't say it enough about how well Jay Lee does a great job with the races he directs.

No big news coming from Clear Lake this weekend. Debbie Rudisill thanked me for the mention in Inside Texas Running regarding her performances at the Houston and Austin marathons. She registered top 100 finishes -- one she did the full in and another the half. (I, of course, mentioned that she was a Penn State graduate. She can't get over that I could remember that from last year. Actually Mr. Carey was telling me of it before hand.)

There were four (4) race flyers in the packet and I thought that I'd take an opportunity to mention them:

+ Sunday, 4/6 - JZ 5K (Jori Zemel Children's Bone Cancer Foundation) at Clear Lake High School; http://www.jorizemel.org/; $20
+ Saturday, 4/12 - Yuri's Night 5K Fun Run/Walk at Webster's Challenger 7 Memorial Park; http://www.yurisnighthouston.net/
+ Saturday, 5/3 - 10th annual Pamela's Race & Walk 5K/10K in Orchard; $20 until 4/12; $25 after
+ Saturday, 5/10 - 17th annual Summer Kick-Off Fun Run at Clear Creek High School; http://www.jamesglennrun.com/; $18

I need to get in a longer effort tomorrow (on Sunday).