Training

It's been a long two weeks here in the sweltering heat of Florida. I've done no races lately, mostly focusing on training. These past two weeks have been my two highest weeks of mileage ever, 27 miles in both. My next race is this Friday, the Celebration 5K. It's a fast, flat course with few turns and I hope for it to be my PR race. Following the 5K I will have a running camp conducted by the Ancient City Road Runners that runs from July 7th to the 12th. It will be my first structured running class of any sorts and will help me improve my running style. My summer is going to turn into a hectic mess with all the traveling I will be doing later so be sure to check my travel blog! I will periodically post here during vacation to tell you how my training is going as well as the unique places I run in. Remember to watch both blogs for updates (check the travel blog, there will be a new post soon www.alektravels.blogspot.com). So long and keep running!

Run for the Pies 5K

Saturday, June 14th, was the day of one of the biggest, most popular 5Ks in Jacksonville:The Run for the Pies 5K. The race is designed for both serious and recreational runners. The first race of the two is the Mizuno 5K championship that you have to qualify for by running a sub-17:00 5K for men and sub-20:00 5K for women. This race has some of the area's top runners. Any male who breaks 16:30 and any woman who breaks 20:00 receives Mizuno running shoes. At 7:30 the race started with the women's race, which starts two minutes before the men. There is a $100 bonus to the first person to cross the line, men or women. The course was about five loops around a 1K course. Kim Pawelek and JC Pinto, two of the area's top women, held the men off for a few laps before they got caught. Ryan Woods, one of the fastest 5Ker's in Florida, won the race and beat the women in a time of 14:39. Once all the championship competitors were finished, people started lining up for the Run for the Pies. This race is open to anyone and allows runners to compete for pies. To earn a pie you need to run sub-20:00 for men and sub-24:00 for women. My dad and I were out of contention for a pie this year but we made it our goal to get one next year. The top 5 in my age group also receive Run for the Pies medals as well as the top 15 in my dad's age group 40-44. I was almost guaranteed a medal but as for my dad he would have to run a very fast PR to just get 15th. The temperature at the race was extremely humid and hot even though the race started at 8. But I made do. Once the race started, I stuck with my dad through the stampede of runners for a 6:45 1st mile, my slowest yet. But that was my race strategy. The crowd thinned and so did my grip on Dad's pace. I let him go chase a fellow competitor as I grinded through a tough 2nd mile in Honey Stinger colors. 13:50 was my split. I didn't want a PR as much but just to get back into 21 territory after some drastically slow 5Ks. And that I did. I kept pushing in one of my fastest 3rd miles ever, but with that came some pain. I was on the final strech and kept pushing until the finish where I clocked in a 22:01. I was very pleased with myself and so was my dad who ran a 21:22, his best time in Jacksonville. In a field of 1150 runners, Dad placed 137th and I placed 162. We stuck around for the party and waited for the awards. I got a lot of looks and people pointing to me saying "That kid" and checking out my Honey Stinger jersey. I also got a wide-eyed look from Ryan Woods, the winner of the Mizuno 5K, as I passed him to get some pizza. I enjoyed the fanfare at the Jacksonville Landing as race director Doug Alred gave out lots of training gear to the crowd and raffled them off. Then came the awards. I was thrilled to learn that I was 1st in my age group and gladly accepted my Run for the Pies medal. What we were waiting for was if my dad medaled or not. The moment of truth came and we found out that my dad missed a medal by two spots and 20 seconds. But all in all, a great race for both of us. Once I got to check the results in my age group later I found out that I was only one second away from not being in 1st. If it weren't for my gun time and start in the front of the pack I would have been 2nd. Another worry is about my Grand Prix points. As of now I have 405 points but they say you have to have 500 points to be eligible for a prize. And I also did the 10 mile Winter Beach Run instead of the 5 mile race that day and my split for 5 miles would have won my division in the 5-mile race. So my mom is going to appeal about my eligibility for a Grand Prix award. Besides that, the next race for me is going to be the Celebration 5K on July 4th. Dad and I are thinking about a mid to late June track meet or race, but it isn't confirmed yet. These are the dog days of training where every mile counts. So long and keep running!

P.S. As you can see I posted a picture of the shrine as well as my medal!

World Golf Village 5K

It was a hot June day as usual at the World Gold Village, the site of a 5K Dad and I were going to participate in. It was a "landmark race" for my Dad, but not so much for me since the biggest race of the season, Run for the Pies, is next week. I was sporting my Honey Stinger jersey while my Dad was wearing his Stinger cap. The weather was brutally hot, but the racing conditions were decent nonetheless because the humidity wasn't too bad. My goal for today was merely beating my time from last week, 22:22, while saving some fuel in the tank for next week. The field was moderately sized with about 500 participants. I had the chance for an age group award while Dad would have to push hard to get top 3. The race started in an orderly fashion and I took off in my regular 6:30 first mile. Dad's plan for the race was to try to stick with me for the first mile. My Dad did well with the plan (hence the word "try") but was about 15 yards behind me. Once we approached the water stop at mile 1.4 he passed me, his usual gasping self as I asked "Are you OK?" He grunted with a "yes" and shook me off. Mile 2 was more of a struggle for me as I clocked in at a slow 14:06. We were headed on the back leg of the course for mile 3, which finished with a loop around village lake. I held off some other runners and finished in 22:20, my 3rd fastest time and beating my time from Memorial Day. I accepted defeat from my Dad who finished in 21:40, his 2nd fastest time. But he couldn't be cut a break as he finished in 6th place in his age group while finishing in the top 10% of the field yet again. I was happy when I learned that I placed 1st place in my division. More people came up today and introduced themselves to me and told me how I am a good runner, how they see me in each race, etc. We stuck around afterwards for the awards and the raffle (we didn't win anything in the raffle, as usual). In other news, I still am in 2nd place in the Jacksonville Grand Prix standings in the 11-13 age group with 305 points. Follow up next week as I take on Run for the Pies, the most prestigious race in Jacksonville! So long and keep running!