Monday, August 07, 2006
Best 5K ever
I ran the Foot Zone 5K yesterday in Redmond. This is a pretty small race with probably less than 500 runners. It is nice in that the course is pretty much perfectly flat. I figured that if there was ever a time to improve my PR on a 5K this was it.
My strategy was to run based on my heart rate. My Run Coach software says I should average about a 171 to 177 HR for a 5K, so that's what I tried to do. I didn't wear my GPS, so my first indication that I was running an okay time was when I hit the 1 Mile mark. After the first mile, I had a 7:30 pace going. The second mile was a little slower, finishing the second mile in about 8:30. I picked it up in the last full mile, finishing it in 8:20. I had a bit of energy left for the last 200 yards. I finished with my HR registering 189. My time was 25:15.
The last decent 5K I ran was the Resolution Run on 1/1/05. I finished that in 29:30. That means I shaved 4 minutes and 15 seconds off my 5K personal record. Not too shabby!!!
My strategy was to run based on my heart rate. My Run Coach software says I should average about a 171 to 177 HR for a 5K, so that's what I tried to do. I didn't wear my GPS, so my first indication that I was running an okay time was when I hit the 1 Mile mark. After the first mile, I had a 7:30 pace going. The second mile was a little slower, finishing the second mile in about 8:30. I picked it up in the last full mile, finishing it in 8:20. I had a bit of energy left for the last 200 yards. I finished with my HR registering 189. My time was 25:15.
The last decent 5K I ran was the Resolution Run on 1/1/05. I finished that in 29:30. That means I shaved 4 minutes and 15 seconds off my 5K personal record. Not too shabby!!!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Seafair Torchlight Run
I ran in the Seafair Torchlight Run last Saturday evening. This is an 8K in downtown Seattle. The course covers the route of the Torchlight Parade, so there are about 300,000 people watching as you run. It provided a lot of encouragement to run fast.
The course is pretty fast with only gentle upslopes. I guess all those spectators spurred me on to run a PR for an 8K. I finished the race in 43:40, 1 minute and 40 seconds faster than the Beat the Bridge. I know it's not that fast, but I did break a 9:00 pace for the whole race which is good for me.
My next race is the Foot Zone 5K in Redmond on Sunday. I hope to run a sub-25:00 5K. Again, not too fast, but faster than I've ever done a 5k before.
The course is pretty fast with only gentle upslopes. I guess all those spectators spurred me on to run a PR for an 8K. I finished the race in 43:40, 1 minute and 40 seconds faster than the Beat the Bridge. I know it's not that fast, but I did break a 9:00 pace for the whole race which is good for me.
My next race is the Foot Zone 5K in Redmond on Sunday. I hope to run a sub-25:00 5K. Again, not too fast, but faster than I've ever done a 5k before.
