Race for the Arts 5k

This was my first time running the Race for the Arts 5k. I have avoided it in the past because it’s held in the late afternoon, in late August, and I hate being late. But I wanted to see if I could improve my ranking in the Buzz Oates Run Sac Race Series and this was the last short race on the schedule that I could do.

It was 93 degrees at start time – I cut my usual 10 minute warmup short because I was drenched in sweat after a quarter-mile. I tried not to let the weather psych me out, but I wasn’t expecting anything special. There was a pretty good crowd (481 finishers) but that is far short of what you usually see at a 5k around here.

There was a starting mat, so I was comfortably ensconced in the first third of the pack when the horn went off. And of course, since I was already warm, I started off like a maniac, passing a lot of runners right off the bat. Even while I was doing it, I began to worry about the last half-mile. Nonetheless, I maintained the pace I was on.

Mile 1 – 7:21

That’s an awesome first mile split for me, and it usually predicts disaster for the latter stages. I settled into a steady pace behind two young guys and one white-haired old-timer who matched them stride for stride. I distracted myself by watching how they were doing.

Mile 2 – 7:26

I slowed a little, but I couldn’t hear anyone behind me and the three guys in front of me were starting to flag. I heard the old-timer say to one of the young guys, “Let’s pull each other along.” Their fatigue encouraged me a lot, and I took the opportunity to pick up the pace and pass with authority. I spent the rest of the next mile trying to ensure they didn’t come back on me. Strangely enough, I hardly noticed the heat.

Mile 3 – 7:21

A PR was out of the question now, but I was determined to come in sub-23. There were two older runners just in front of me at the final turn (where the hell do they get the speed?) and I put the pedal down and managed to nose them out at the finish.

Mile 3.1 – 0:42

Finish – 22:50
91st out of 481
7th out of 27 in 50-54 age group

That time is 22 seconds off my PR, but it constitutes a 2 minute improvement in 3 months, and a 46 second improvement in a month. I absolutely credit the track work. I’m kicking myself for waiting all these years to find a track for such crucial workouts.

This was a real confidence boost and now I’m looking forward to the longer races this fall.