26.2 Quest: 5k

Showing posts with label 5k. Show all posts

The One Month Countdown

I really wish I could be one of the ones that was nearing the taper, but The Publix Georgia Marathon was not in the cards for me once again this year. A bum calf has played it’s part with keeping me off of the roads and trails, and also from the starting line this coming March 18th when thousands of runners line the streets of Atlanta.

If you thought that it was all about the marathon you would be mostly right, but in case you were not aware, there is a lot more than just an enjoyable 26.2 mile stroll through the streets of Atlanta.

In recent announcements it is clear you have many options with both registration and running the Publix Georgia Marathon or one of the other races that day. Of course you have the option to run free by entering to win the current race entry giveaway right here on 26.2 Quest, but a very cool partnership with the Atlanta Hawks can give you a discount off of the current Publix Georgia Marathon Registration.

When the Hawks win at home, runners benefit with a registration discount. Last night the Hawks won their game against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 92-89 victory which means that if you register today with discount code HAWKS you will get $3 off your registration since the point spread was 3 points. Further information is available here about the Publix Georgia Marathon Sponsorship with the Atlanta Hawks.

I once again was able to enjoy the 13.1 Atlanta, however this year was a little different than the previous two years. I was really looking forward to running this year and trying out the new course, but alas it was not meant to be. It is crazy how fast you can lose fitness while injured and eating too much, I just wish I didn’t know so much about it.

OK, I need to start by saying that this was not an official race, but rather just a run with dad. Given the fact that he had nothing pushing him but desire I think that makes it all that much more impressive.

Brady is my youngest and is 9 years old. He has run with me plenty of times in the past, but it has been nearly a year since he ran with me last. At that time, about a year ago, he told me he didn't want to run anymore. I decided not to push him because he is active in other ways and if I pushed him he would get a negative attitude towards running and the chance of him coming back to it later would be hindered.

If you are in the Atlanta area and are looking for something to do on May 1st, you may want to check out the Lauren's Run 5k. The race is hosted by and benefits CURE Childhood Cancer and includes a 5k, a 2k Fun Run/Walk and a Tot Trot so it can be a great family event.

I haven't promoted local races in the past, but was approached and asked to help promote this race so I figured why not? Atlanta is a big place and I have a lot of local readers to go with the rest of my world-wide readers so if I have the opportunity to give back to the local running community I think I should, especially given the cause that is benefiting. I am not sure if I will be running this race or not so don't walk up to bald-headed guys and introduce yourself, unless of course you are into that kind of thing.

A few weeks ago I signed up to run a Virtual 5K today. Adam from The Boring Runner is the race director for The Freeze Your Thorns Off Virtual 5K and I am sure there will be a wonderful time had by all. I had big plans for today's race, maybe get up late, eat a lot right before the race, over-hydrate and skip using the facilities, overdress so I am hot the entire time, and maybe even go out too fast so I can writhe with pain the rest of the way.

Not going to Race it..... But I will Run it

Tonight is the S.W.A.T. Trot 5k. This will be my third time attempting to run it. Last year was very cool because it was my daughter Payton's first 5k, and the previous year was quite interesting to say the least.

This time is really turning out to be blah. I was hoping that both my daughters would run the 5k with me tonight, but things have changed. My oldest daughter Ashlee is having trouble with her thigh (an over-use injury) and so we didn't even sign her up. I did sign up both myself and my younger daughter Payton to run and was looking forward to setting a new PR.

Over the past week+ Payton has been having some issues with her shins. We are pretty sure that her issues are being brought on by her shoes needing replaced so I have ordered her some new shoes. That doesn't change the fact that she should not run it, and was told absolutely not by her coach when she asked if she could still run it.

S.W.A.T. Trot - Take 3

As I sit here filling out the registration form for the upcoming S.W.A.T. Trot 5k a lot of thoughts go through my mind. The S.W.A.T. Trot is an evening run and it is run just outside of Brookwood High School. This year it is on June 12th and I am once again hoping for a 5k PR.

My mind first goes back to 2007 when I ran my first 5k, the Saratoga 5k Fun Run. There is a long story to get to that point in my journey and the best thing to do if you have some time is to go read about where I started.

I was not able to run the S.W.A.T. Trot that year because of a schedule conflict, so my first one was in 2008. I had run the 2nd annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run and set a new PR of 23:23. The Saratoga race is a very difficult hilly course and so I was really excited to run the S.W.A.T. Trot just over a month later and set another PR. I had hopes of getting down near 21:00 and had a very good shot at it.

The Fourth Annual Saratoga 5k

The forth annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run was this past Saturday and it lived up to it's hills just like it has every other year. The race was well attended and much like it was two years ago when there was almost 50 runners. One of the differences than previous years was the larger number of fairly decent runners that made it out to race this year, which knocked me down a little bit in place.

I didn't get the time I was shooting for. I was hoping to get down in the 23's (hard for me for this course) and was even hoping maybe a new PR. My current PR is 23:23 and was attained at this race two years ago. I have since that time broken my collar bone, taken some time off for healing, ran a marathon, and put on a few post marathon pounds..... the last of which is probably the biggest reason why I was going to struggle trying to set a new PR.

The Fourth Annual Saratoga 5k is Tomorrow

It is hard to believe that three years have past since my first 5k, the inaugural Saratoga 5k Fun Run in 2007. I won't go into much detail about the past three years running this race because it all can be found somewhere on this blog. You may want to start at the beginning when I came in last place in 2007, or when I set a new PR in 2008 and finished 2nd overall, or maybe you aren't so concerned with all the past and you just want to know how I faired last year returning after my broken collar bone. All of the links can be found with a simple search of "saratoga" on my blog, or to make it easier for you by clicking here for those search results.

Tomorrow's race will be my first 5k in almost 10 months. I had not been training for or running 5k's during my training for the marathon and finally running it in November. That being the case I am really not sure how I will fair. I am sure it will be difficult, as those hills always are, but I am really looking forward to it as well. I put on a few extra pounds following my marathon because I had trouble figuring out that I needed to slow my eating as I dropped my weekly miles post marathon, and I am sure that will have an affect on my time.

I am hoping to do another 26.2 in the fall, but would like to put in many 5k's and 10k's before that time (and yes, 13.1's). I have some goals on where I would like to take my 5k and 10k times, so let's see what kind of start tomorrow can bring.

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow blog - virtual4now

Saratoga 5k Fun Run - The Race

The third annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run is now a memory.... a good one.

I didn't think for a moment that it would be anything but a good memory, but as I have proven in the past, you never can tell.

The race, as the two years previous was low key and a small field. I really like this part of the race, but I can see how it can be a bit discouraging for the race coordinator. I think today's race was about 25 runners which is very close to what the first year was, but not as good as last years turnout of over 50. Fifty is still a good number for a small race, I would have liked to see close to 50 again today.

I encouraged a friend of mine to run it as well and I was happy to hear just a few days ago that he was going to run it. The cool part was he really had a shot at winning the race, but the unfortunate part was so did the guy that beat him. :( He will be coming back last year to finish what he started today.

The starting was just like in years previous, kinda informal, and again with the Chick-fil-a cow. It didn't take long and we were off. I started off fast, but not too fast. I was running a good pace to start a 5k race... especially knowing what hills I had ahead of me. The first 1/2 mile was everyone falling into place and setting up their race. I watched ahead as the two leaders ran side by side (one being my friend) and then the two more in front of me just a little bit. The one guy that started pulling away a little bit is one of the better runners that has come out to this race before. Last year I beat him, but I was sure that this year that was not going to happen. The other guy was running just a little bit in front of me and I intentionally used him to pace myself and keep myself from starting the race too fast. As we started up the first hill he started to slow down a bit so I went ahead and passed him making the statement..... if only we knew this was the only hill. :) From this point in the race I ran alone.

The hills in this race are an absolute killer, anybody that disputes that needs to get their head examined. This being the third year I have run it I have yet to hear anybody say "that wasn't too bad"

I continued to run feeling each hill worse than the one before. My legs were feeling good but my breathing was an entirely different thing. As I neared the circle before the turn-around I saw my friend..... but not till after I saw the other guy. I felt bad for my friend as I knew that it wasn't looking good and the other guy was pulling away.

The second mile of this race is the absolute worst. It has the worst hills, but it also sets you up for a nice third mile. The third mile has it's share of hills, but the last 3/4 mile is a nice reprieve following the lung and leg blasting of the first couple miles.

I was heading down that last 3/4 mile and I was moving pretty good, and I was very happy. I knew I was going to be close to my goal time of 25:00, but was also quite suspicious that I would not quite make it. As I rounded the corner to finish off the race I still had all kinds of energy that is only a result of the miles that I put in. I finished really strong with an official time of 25:22. Not at my goal, but close enough that I have a smile on my face.

I stood around for a few minutes talking and when I finally started to head for a banana I felt what the hills had done to my calves. Nothing a little walking wouldn't help.

My mile splits:

8:07 - 8:37 - 8:04 - see more at my running log

Now - a little history

This race was my first race 2 years ago, and that was the first running of this race. I came in last that first year in 36:37, being beat out by a guy running with a hernia. My weight on that day was 219 (down from 258 at the beginning of the year)

Last year I had a few races under my belt and had just recently ran my first half marathon. I came in second overall with a time of 23:23. My weight on that day was 166.

Just one short month after that race I was running the SWAT Trot and trying for a PR when I was tripped and fell to break my collar bone. I have been off for 8 of the last 11 months.

Today was only my second race back following my return from the injury. My first race back was a much flatter course and I finished in 26:26. Today, I finished in 25:22 and 4th overall. My weight today is 178...... and dropping!

You can read more about my history with this race at these links:

First mention

Last Years Race Report

Links to the official results and pictures:

Results

Pictures

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow

My first 5k race take three

It is that time of year again, time for the third annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run. If you are a somewhat recent newcomer to my blog you are not aware of what this race means to me.

The Saratoga 5k Fun Run made it's inaugural run two years ago in May of 2007, just one short month after I started running. You can catch up a bit more with my post about it last year, but the short of it is that I ran the 5k with a time of 36:37, coming in dead last in the race.

Last year was a different story all together. To get the full understanding you MUST READ my race report from last year. All I can say is that you have not read a come-back story like this.....

Well, the third annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run is this Saturday May 2nd, and I am pumped and ready to go. I know I won't do as well as last year, because that is what taking 8 months off will do to you. Injuries are no fun, especially of the broken bone type! I have a goal to finish in under 25 minutes, but we will see how that goes since this is such a tough hilly course.

Wish me luck!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow

Down for the count

Yesterday was the S.W.A.T Trot 5k at Brookwood High School in Snellville, GA. I had been looking forward to this race for a long time for multiple reasons.

The good news first. My Daughter, Payton, and I first ran the 1k fun run together. It was her first race and we were both looking forward to it a lot. My plan was to run the 1k with her and then I would run the 5k following. We took off and some of the kids took off really fast, but I knew they would run out of steam quickly, and they did. We ran hard and she came in second overall with a time of 4:13 (on my watch - 3:59 on the official clock seen in the picture). She was only beat by a young boy who did an excellent job pacing himself and running a good race. She got a nice plaque for being the first place female, I am just bummed she was not there to receive her reward.

Now, the bad news. I lined up to run the 5k and I was excited to hopefully set a new PR. I was secretly aiming for a sub 22 5k as my last 5k was the Saratoga 5k Fun Run, a very hilly course, and I finished in 23:23. I started near the front, but not right at the front. It was neat to see that Mike Beaudreau was there to run this race as well and lined up right in front of me.

The race kicked off and I was taking off fast to try and get a good place and position to run the race in. Not even 100 yards into the race we were all going at a pretty good pace, but yet all bunched together. Someone behind me hit one of my feet and tripped me up. I thought I was going to be able to catch myself and continue but it threw my balance off too much and I went down, and went down pretty hard too.

When I hit the pavement moving along like I was there was no way to catch my fall so I hit the ground really hard with my left elbow, shoulder, and head. I heard the scream, RUNNER DOWN! and unfortunately it was me. A runner stopped to help me up, and then I waddled off to the side where I tried to catch my breath and analyze the damage to see if I could continue. The fall really knocked the wind out of me pretty good and I was having a hard time breathing so I knew I wouldn't finish the race. I started by looking at my shoulder because it was hurting pretty bad. It didn't take long to see I had broken something with the bone feeling so much different than the other side.

Luckily my wife and kids came to watch the race, and after she didn't see me come by she started walking down the road a bit. I told her I was tripped and I thought I broke my shoulder. She looked at me and told me that I had a pretty big knot on my head as well. We couldn't find any paramedics at the race, but there were lots of cops as it was a race to benefit the Gwinnett County S.W.A.T Team. We hopped in the van and headed towards the hospital. Luckily the hospital was only a few miles away.

My wife dropped me off and she ran back home to drop off the kids and get my wallet. While I was sitting in the waiting room I was hurting pretty bad and at one point I started feeling really dizzy and felt like I was going to black out. Luckily My wife got back just in time before they took me to the back. The x-rays came back and proved my theory. I had a broken collar bone. The doctor told me that it was a good break as far as collar bone fractures go and just put me in a sling. My elbow is scrapped a bit, but not bad, and my head is scrapped and has a little bump. The fun thing with my head is wondering how I will continue to shave it.

Well, that is my race report for the S.W.A.T. Trot. Not the type off race report I wanted to give, but that is the way it goes sometimes. I am just really bummed that I will not be able to run the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th now. I just got my Peachtree number this past week, and with my qualifying time of 48:03 I got a number in group 1A, 10521. Depending on how my shoulder goes I may still go down and walk it... we will see.

Wow is it ever hard to type with one hand!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com

WOW - 2nd Overall..... and a New PR!

I really just don't know quite what to say.

Today was just awesome. You have to understand that 1 year ago, the Inaugural Saratoga 5k Fun Run was my very first race since I had run back in high school. To put that into perspective.... I am 38 now. Last year for this race I was 50 lbs heavier and came in dead last. You can see last years results here. You can see more about my running journey here, and my overall journey here, but for now back to the race.

Yes, you read that right.... I came in SECOND OVERALL! It was not a really big race, but it more than doubled from the first year when I think there was a total of 27 runners. Today I think the total runners was somewhere in the 50's, which is not bad considering this is a very hard and hilly course. It really and truly is the hardest course I have run. To give you an idea, here is a shot of the elevation:

I started the race near the front of the pack, and the Chik-Fil-A cow was there and was starting off the pack. I was following him and trying to go around him when he stepped over right in front of me and I ran into him.... that had to be a sight to see! I almost fell over! I ran for the first 1/2 mile with a pack of runners and then started to pull away a bit from them when we got to the first hills. When I was almost to 1 1/2 miles I started to round a corner when one of the course volunteers said "you can catch him"...... What? Him? not Them? I was pleasantly surprised, but I had thought there may only be one in front of me. I ran the rest of the race kinda watching my shoulder to make sure nobody was coming up on me..... It was so much fun! The first place finisher finished in 21:xx and my time was 23:23.

I haven't run a 5k since January because my training turned towards my First Half Marathon. I have only run one 10K during that time as well. One of the cool things is that this race set a new PR for me! 23:23! And that was on a very difficult course to boot! I can't wait to see what I can do on a normal course. I heard a couple people mention that this race was 4 minutes longer than a 5k they ran just the week before. And I think they were in the 20's so that is quite a difference. I don't think it would be that much of a difference for me, but maybe a minute or two.

Here is my splits on my running log: link Robbie said the race results will be up tomorrow, I will update the post when they are posted.

Well, the results are in and my 2nd place stood :) Here is the results from today >> link and some pics as well >> link Hey..... I even got honorable mention on the front page. Thanks Robbie!

Was my first 5k

Kinda misleading title I know. No, I didn't just run my first 5k, but the 5k I am getting ready to run this Saturday was my first 5k last year. This Saturday I plan on running the second annual Saratoga 5k Fun Run.

This race is kinda important to me, and I am really looking forward to it. Last year at this time I had only been running for a short time, just over a month. I had just started to lose weight and finally felt that I could maybe actually run and not just walk. This race last year was my first race. It was a hard course with a lot of hills, and I ended up walking a lot of the hills, but I finished it. It is actually kinda funny, because I came in dead last in this race, not by far, but still dead last.

Last year my time was 36:37, I am hoping that this year I can do a little better :).

I was a bit concerned I was not going to be able to run it this year because of some scheduling conflicts that came about in the last few weeks, but it looks like things have worked out and I will be able to run.

The One Month Countdown

Options To Run The Publix Georgia Marathon

Experiencing the 13.1 Atlanta

My Son Brady's First 5k

Lauren's Run 5k For CURE Childhood Cancer

Virtual 5K - The Boring Way!