Half-Assed Runner

Today I ran the Minneapolis Recycle Run 5k around Lake Harriet.  This is the third time I’ve run this same course (Reindeer Run and 100% Irish).  It’s a pretty course and is relatively flat, but it gets crowded.  That, coupled with the fact that I ran a hilly 6 mile race yesterday, set my expectations to: slow and easy.

Lake Calhoun...we ran Lake Harriet :-)

I was only doing this run to check off my first race on the Explore Minnesota Challenge series.  I signed up for this series back in December.  You have to complete 8 races (from a list of about 25) in 2012.  You have to complete at least one race in four areas of Minnesota (Northern, Southern, Central, and Metro).  This race counted as a Metro race.  For each area you complete a race in, you get a pin.  Complete all 8 races with at least 1 in each area and you get a medal.  You also get some other swag (hat, magazines, MDRA membership) when you sign up.

Anyhoo…I got a late start (quelle surprise) and parked .7 miles away at about 8:40.  I got my “warm up run” in by jogging from my car to the registration area.  I lucked out again as no one was in the line for my particular chunk of the alphabet.  I nabbed my bib and timing chip along with the green cotton race shirt and aluminum water bottle.  I wore shorts with big pockets so I was able to stuff the folded shirt into one of the pockets.  I would have to carry the water bottle.

Vendor Area

I then went to the Explore Minnesota Challenge table and checked in (you have to do this before each race to get credit).  They checked my name and gave me my Metro pin.  At that point I had just enough time to pin on my bib and timing chip before I had to head to the starting area.

Explore Minnesota Metro Pin

The last two races here have been pretty crowded.  This one ended up having around 500 runners.  That’s about a 1/3 the size of the other two races I’ve run there.  I chose a spot I figured would be in the middle of the pack, but it ended up being in the back 10%.  Soon after getting my music queued and Endomondo app ready, an air horn sounded and we were off.

Start Line

I spent the first 1/2 mile doing the normal zig-zagging bit to get around walkers (few and far between) and slower runners (it’s hard to believe that there are runners slower than me).  This didn’t bother me as much as usual as I was running this one just for fun and only wanted to complete it without walking and under 30 minutes.  When I looked at my pace around .3 miles in, I was at 10:30/mile.  No chance of a PR today.

The weather was chilly: 42 degrees and overcast with a slight wind.  Once I got warmed up, it felt great.  The course circles Lake Harriet, so there were plenty of lake views along with expensive houses and gardens to look at.

I’m still getting used to Endomondo.  One thing that I don’t like is that you only get voice updates every mile (or kilometer if you choose) and you cannot change it.  I’m used to my .5 mile updates from Runmeter.  I was very surprised to hear that I was at a 9:02 pace at the one mile mark, especially with the slow start.  I am very impressed with Endomondo (or the RAZR MAXX) GPS.  I got my mile updates within a few feet of the mile marker signs each time (as I did on the 6 mile race yesterday).

At the one mile mark I started my music.  I was feeling surprisingly good.  I was concerned that my legs would be dead today, but I felt pretty good.  The pack was not crowded at this point and I started pacing off of other runners (passing a few of them along the way).  The course has two minor hills, so my hill climbing muscles got a well deserved day off.

There was no water stop on this race.  I felt fine, but probably should have filled the aluminum bottle with water since I was stuck carrying it. 

At the 2 mile mark I was surprised again to hear that my total time was 17 something.  My pace for the second mile (I wish Endomondo would give average for the entire run rather than just split times) was under 9 minutes.  This put me in a position to get a PR.  I was surprised and pretty doubtful that this would happen, but I vowed to keep my current pace.

As I’ve said, I’ve run this course 3 times now.  I’ve never walked a step on it.  Today, I never felt the desire to walk at all.  I also did not feel like I was pushing myself very hard.

Much sooner than I expected, I could see the band shell across the lake.  It looked very close.  I checked Endomondo and it said I was running an 8 minute pace and I was 2.7 miles in.  I knew it was too early to start sprinting, but I made sure to keep my current pace and started to find runners to pace and/or pass.

I hit the 3 mile marker and heard 26 something in my ear.  I could PR this bitch.  The final portion is a slight hill followed by a downhill to the finish.  I chugged up the hill and once I could see the finish line I picked up my pace.  I saw TC Bear (Minnesota Twins mascot) about 50 yards from the finish line.  By that point I was sprinting.  TC gave me a “paw’s up” and I nodded knowingly back at him.  You damn right, TC.  I’m  about to crush this PR.  I crossed the finish line with 27 something on the clock.  I showed my time as 27:18.  The chip time was actually a few seconds faster than that.  I had PR’d.  Hell, I had PR’d and run negative splits.  I almost felt like a real runner. 

Finish Line

A volunteer snipped off my timing chip and I snapped a few pics of the finish area.  I left shortly afterward as I had to get showered and on my way.

Recycle Run Shirt

All in all, a nice run around a pretty area.  The weather was a bit gloomy, but probably aided my time as much as the flat course.  As soon as I saw my time I started to think that I could have shaved at least 30 seconds off that first mile.  Looks like my new 5K goal is to break 27 minutes. 

Next week is the first of three consecutive weekends of half marathons.

Recycle Run Bottle