3rd annual Pilot Point Four-Alarm Chase 5K Race Report
Friday night, I got hill work in during a 5K.
This morning, well, that was mostly flat - and my time was just off what it was for the Resurrection Run 5K a few weeks ago. (But I hadn't run a 5K the day before though.)
This afternoon, in Pilot Point at the 3rd annual Four-Alarm Chase 5K, I got my first good dose of heat for the summer -- and my time reflected it (32:33.92 - and it could have been a couple of seconds less because I didn't get my watch stopped right off the bat and they weren't recording it.) They handed you a sheet of paper with your place on it and yelled out your time to you! :)
Weather Underground reported the temperature at 4:53 p.m. as 84 degrees and it dipped two degrees - to 82 - by 5:53 p.m.
The race, won by Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier Andrew Cook from Flower Mound the past two years, was scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m., but didn't get underway until 5:30 p.m. because they had some organizational issues. I later found out that they had a volunteer issue; however, they had a volunteer at every turn on the course (and there were lots).
The event was all part of the town's Firemen's Fest. They had good country music on the downtown square (June would have appreciated this) with one guy doing a pretty good version of Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes".
Small town races are a different breed. They're fun. You have to approach them with lowered expectations because so few people are doing so many different things. Of course, one of the exceptions would be the Polish Pickle Run 5K in Bremond.
The course looked like this here. It was pretty much flat, even though it says that there a 53-foot difference between the course's highest and lowest point. If it was the case, then that explains the slower miles 2 and 3! :)
The splits looked - ugly - but like this:
Mile 1/2 -- 20:27.75 (I heard a guy call out 9:38. I looked at my watch and saw 9:4x, but I definitely didn't know that it was the mile marker until we had passed it.)
Mile 3 -- 10:57.77
Last .1 -- 1:08.40
Overall -- 32:33.92
We know that I ran better in the morning, but it was still pretty cool too. Oh well, I just need to start doing miles in the heat (especially while I'm home and not on a project.)
When I made a right hand turn on to Jefferson (which left just a left and a right to the finish), I went two blocks before I started to see runners approaching on White St. from my left. I stopped for a couple of seconds to see if I had possibly missed a turn; however, there was an unmarked police car blocking the intersection. (They had arrows on the course, but they were in the middle where you'd never see them. They, of course, have to be in the curves.)
At first, I thought to myself that I might have run a short course -- and then my time would have really, really sucked. But when I got to the finish line, I realized that I probably ran the right distance. (There were many folks who ran a few blocks more.)
I found out after the race that when the lead police car came through with the leader and a guy (who I talked to) that finished second, the young volunteer (teenager probably) left her post that caused many people to go off course. When I got there, I'm sure that the occupant of the unmarked care had had time to go get something to eat!
It just added an interesting element to an interesting day.
I'm in Dallas (near Market Center) as I'll do the Rise and Shine 5K in Reverchon Park at 1:30 p.m. Another run in the heat. Let's see if I can better the time from yesterday.
This morning, well, that was mostly flat - and my time was just off what it was for the Resurrection Run 5K a few weeks ago. (But I hadn't run a 5K the day before though.)
This afternoon, in Pilot Point at the 3rd annual Four-Alarm Chase 5K, I got my first good dose of heat for the summer -- and my time reflected it (32:33.92 - and it could have been a couple of seconds less because I didn't get my watch stopped right off the bat and they weren't recording it.) They handed you a sheet of paper with your place on it and yelled out your time to you! :)
Weather Underground reported the temperature at 4:53 p.m. as 84 degrees and it dipped two degrees - to 82 - by 5:53 p.m.
The race, won by Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier Andrew Cook from Flower Mound the past two years, was scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m., but didn't get underway until 5:30 p.m. because they had some organizational issues. I later found out that they had a volunteer issue; however, they had a volunteer at every turn on the course (and there were lots).
The event was all part of the town's Firemen's Fest. They had good country music on the downtown square (June would have appreciated this) with one guy doing a pretty good version of Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes".
Small town races are a different breed. They're fun. You have to approach them with lowered expectations because so few people are doing so many different things. Of course, one of the exceptions would be the Polish Pickle Run 5K in Bremond.
The course looked like this here. It was pretty much flat, even though it says that there a 53-foot difference between the course's highest and lowest point. If it was the case, then that explains the slower miles 2 and 3! :)
The splits looked - ugly - but like this:
Mile 1/2 -- 20:27.75 (I heard a guy call out 9:38. I looked at my watch and saw 9:4x, but I definitely didn't know that it was the mile marker until we had passed it.)
Mile 3 -- 10:57.77
Last .1 -- 1:08.40
Overall -- 32:33.92
We know that I ran better in the morning, but it was still pretty cool too. Oh well, I just need to start doing miles in the heat (especially while I'm home and not on a project.)
When I made a right hand turn on to Jefferson (which left just a left and a right to the finish), I went two blocks before I started to see runners approaching on White St. from my left. I stopped for a couple of seconds to see if I had possibly missed a turn; however, there was an unmarked police car blocking the intersection. (They had arrows on the course, but they were in the middle where you'd never see them. They, of course, have to be in the curves.)
At first, I thought to myself that I might have run a short course -- and then my time would have really, really sucked. But when I got to the finish line, I realized that I probably ran the right distance. (There were many folks who ran a few blocks more.)
I found out after the race that when the lead police car came through with the leader and a guy (who I talked to) that finished second, the young volunteer (teenager probably) left her post that caused many people to go off course. When I got there, I'm sure that the occupant of the unmarked care had had time to go get something to eat!
It just added an interesting element to an interesting day.
I'm in Dallas (near Market Center) as I'll do the Rise and Shine 5K in Reverchon Park at 1:30 p.m. Another run in the heat. Let's see if I can better the time from yesterday.
posted by WalkSports.com | 11:59 PM
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