Race #219 - Lake Wylie Splash Dash 5k - Lake Wylie, SC - 06/08/13

This race seemed to have a lot more hills than I'm accustomed to, or maybe I just wasn't feeling great. As we stood at the starting line, the lady in charge of the timing announced that if anybody wanted to change races between the 10k and 5k, that we should just let her know when we finish so she could change her records. That's all the incentive I needed to switch from the 10k that I had signed up for to the 5k. Even running half the distance it seemed to me that it would never end, and I could only imagine how things would have ended up if I would have run the longer distance.

My video glasses are falling apart but fortunately they're still working, so I managed to get my viewpoint of the race on video. I'm including a few photos here and on my Facebook page I created a public photo gallery that you should be able to view. Click here for my Facebook photo gallery.

I spent the entire race chasing fellow Gaston County Runner Michael Hershman.
This photo was taken just before the start of the race.

As the race began I made the quick decision to switch to the 5k.
That's the first time I've been offered the option to switch during the race.
That's Chris Baucom in the white singlet on the right. You may remember
that I've been chasing him most recently, but today he was running the 10k.
He didn't know I switched and thought I might be right behind him the whole race.

Shortly after the race began I found myself following Michael Hershman.

The course was like a roller coaster as it traveled through the River Hills
community by Lake Wylie. I guess the "hills" part of the name should have
been a tip-off that it wasn't a flat course.

At this point bout halfway through the race the 5k went off to the right
while the 10k went to the left.

Michael picked off several runners after we split off from the 10k runners
and I managed to stay close behind.

I caught up with Michael within about a half mile of the finish line
at the bottom of one final steep hill. Since we hadn't seen anybody
up ahead I asked him if he was in 1st place. He said he thought
there were more runners up ahead. I looked back and didn't see
anybody, and knowing he's much faster on hills than me I decided not to
kill myself and walked up that final hill as he left me behind.

My favorite thing to see in any race... the finish line!

An even closer look at the finish line. My official time was 21:16, which was
5th place overall behind Michael, who was 11 seconds ahead of me at 21:05.
There were three young guys (21, 16, and 17 years old) who finished ahead
of us for the top three spots in the 5k.

Nice post-race food setup, with plenty of healthy snacks!

Click Here for Race Results

My Stats:

Time:  21:16
Pace:  6:51
Age Group:  1 of  6
Overall:  5 of  141 (3.5%)
Average Heart Rate:  166
Maximum Heart Race:  179
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  16:57 (76.09%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
0 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
2 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
1 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
2 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
0 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
0 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes [just a little short of 5k]
1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!
3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
0 - 65+ group (1)
0 - 70+ group (1)
0 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
0 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS
2 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
7 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
3 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
0 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful
2 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
0 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes [limited - 104 total photos]
2 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap! [lo-res download $10]
0 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
0 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
2 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  70

Race #218 - Charity Chase Half Marathon - Hickory, NC - 06/01/13

This was my fourth year in a row to run my hometown half marathon. I invited some of the Gaston County Runners to run it, assuring them it was one of the best half marathons they'd find anywhere. They took the bait, and I still believe that's true, but they generally wanted to flog me after the race since I tend to downplay  the hills in this race.

I know there are a bunch of hills -- I have to run them too -- but I guess I don't notice them as much in this race as in others. Less than a mile from the start we passed the spot where I lived 50 years ago in 1963. The old house is now gone and it's just an empty lot, but I get goose bumps just imagining myself in a time warp, seeing me then and seeing me now. There have been a few rough spots along the way, but as I have gotten older life has been much kinder to me than I ever thought it would be. After the rocky start I had in life, just the reminder that I've made it to a ripe old age without being dead or in prison is enough to keep the adrenalin flowing for a half marathon, so during this race I hardly even notice the numerous elevation changes.

I turned on my video glasses just before the race began and looked around at the crowd to get some photos at the starting line. We took off and about a half mile into the race I decided to turn the glasses off and just use them sporadically during the race so I'd have plenty of battery power at the end. When I took them off I noticed that the power light was already off, which was a bad sign. I tried several more times but it was soon apparent that the glasses weren't working at all, so I've got no video or pics of the race. I was sure that I charged them the night before the race so I thought I'd be sending them back to the maker since I've had them for just a short time, but when I got home and hooked them up to the computer I realized that the glasses weren't working because I had forgotten to delete the race from last week. When the memory is full they turn off automatically, so it's disappointing that I didn't get any video of the Charity Chase but hopefully I've learned the lesson and will remember to clear out the memory for future races.

I'll save us all the indignity of a turn-by-turn account. There were some left turns and some right turns, and we went up some hills and down some hills. You know the drill. I was really happy to run under 1:40 here for only the second time in the four years I've run this race, so maybe I'm not slowing down a lot yet. And I was around 6 minutes faster in this half marathon as compared to the one in Cary a few weeks ago, so that's good. I was dealing with acute bronchitis that week and the day of the Charity Chase was the last day of my tapered 12-day dose pack of prednisone, so I seem to be back to normal in that regard.

Speaking of medical issues, I don't think I've mentioned this before publicly or in my blog, but the doctor told me last week that I'm going to need surgery before the end of the year for an inguinal hernia. He said if it doesn't get too bad I can wait until cold weather. So there goes the running streak, which next Saturday will be two years exactly (730 days). I'm thinking about an exiting strategy for the running streak. Maybe I'll quit at 731 days, or maybe I'll go to 750, which is nice and even, or 777, which seems kind of lucky. I've read that as many as 30% of people who have inguinal hernia surgery end up with chronic pain, so maybe I need all the luck I can get. Or maybe I'll just continue to run every day and wait either until I forget or I'll just run until the day before surgery. Then again, maybe it'll heal itself miraculously, but I've heard and read that this won't heal on its own so that's not very likely.

So for now I'll just keep running until I bust a gut (hopefully not literally). I'm running well and actually feel great most of the time. I finished this race 22nd out of 424 runners and felt fine at the end, so I'm hoping I can continue like I'm running now, at least through the warm months. I don't like running in cold weather anyway so I hope the surgery can wait until October or November. I'm gonna just try to think good thoughts until the time comes.

Click Here for Overall Race Results

Click Here for Age Group Race Results

Note: In the past (two years ago) there had been professional photography for this race, but I don't think that was the case this year (or last year). If I find out differently I will change the rating and add a link here.

My Stats:

Time:  1:39:02
Pace:  7:33
Age Group:  1 of  5
Overall:  22 of  424 (5.2%)
Average Heart Rate:  165
Maximum Heart Race:  173
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  1:19:22 (74.61%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
2 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
5 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
1 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
5 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
2 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!
0 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
1 - 65+ group (1)
0 - 70+ group (1)
2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
0 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS
2 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
3 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
9 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
7 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
2 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful
1 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
2 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
0 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
0 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
0 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
2 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
5 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  94

Race #217 - Cotton Row Run 10k - Huntsville, Alabama - 05/27/13

The Cotton Row Run marks the end of the Running Journal Grand Prix season. This is my fourth year competing in the Grand Prix and the fourth time we've traveled to Huntsville for this final race. It's been one of my favorites each year. On one hand it marks the beginning of the summer season, and since I love running in warm weather I'm always excited about that. On the other hand, for each of the four years it has marked the end of a successful season for me in the Running Journal Grand Prix. I was the Grand Masters Champion for two of those years, the 55-59 Age Group Champion one year, and this year I won the Senior Grand Masters Championship for the season. For me as a runner, winning the Running Journal has been my big goal of the year, and it's been a lot of fun but I've decided this would be my last year. Traveling to races all over the Southeastern United States gets expensive, and the older I get the less I like taking those long road trips. My wife's thrilled with that decision, and I'm happy with it too. With the exception of a handful of races outside our local area when visiting our kids we'll just run the races easy enough to drive to, which will be mostly small local races, and that suits me fine.

Anyhoo, speaking of the Cotton Row Run, it's quite the spectacle, drawing top runners from the region who want to stake their claim for the considerable prize money awarded to the top overall runners and masters runners (ages 40 and over). The prize money, of course, doesn't extend to the senior grand masters categories (ages 60 and up) unless they can outrun the fastest runners who are twenty years younger, and that hardly ever happens, so we're in it strictly for the sake of running and competing against some of our peers, which is fine with us although never very profitable.

There is an official video for this race on YouTube, much better and more professional than anything I can do with my video glasses, and I'll embed it here in my blog. It provides great commentary and stays with the lead runner throughout the race and shows the entire course, including the infamous Mountainwood Hill, which is the steepest hill I've ever tried to run up in a race (I actually walked most of it). Here's the official video...



I'm glad the official video worked out well because my glasses didn't do such a great job this time around. Before the race and until a minute or two into the race all of the video was messed up, possibly because of the glare of the early morning sun where the race started. In addition to that, the video battery conked out just after the 4-mile mark in the race so I entirely missed the last two miles, which is too bad since the race has such a great finish. It's kind of funny to compare my perspective in the race to the one on the official video that tracked the race winner. I wasn't that far back really, finishing in 120th place out of 2,105 runners, which is in the top 6 percent, but things are definitely different anywhere back in the pack. When you think about it, there are hundreds of little sub-races going on in addition to the overall race. I was hoping to beat the guys in my age group. Other people were doing that too, as well as rivalries from offices, families, neighbors, and people just trying to beat what their own times from last year. I guess that's part of what makes running so much fun.

Here's my race video, followed by a few photos taken along the course...

A quarter of a mile into the race I was already a considerable distance behind
the leaders and wasn't sure if there were some others in my age group that
were already ahead of me.

For the first mile and a half or so I chased George Sykes of Spartanburg,
South Carolina, who was this year's Grand Masters Champion of the
Running Journal Grand Prix. He's always a step ahead of me though and
finally left me behind. I finished just a little over a minute behind him and
he was 1st place in the 55-59 age group.

There were a lot of displays of patriotism for Memorial Day.

Of all the patriots I saw along the course, my favorite was this little girl
standing alone on a street corner waving a small flag.

I was right around 13:50 at the 2-mile mark, which is just about right for me.

Just past the 2-mile mark I was passed by 63-year-old Wayne Heckler of
Madison, Alabama, who would go on to win the 60-64 age group.

As we approached the big hill on Mountainwood my heart rate monitor said
I was already at 171 beats per minute. That's about 5 beats above my cruising
range so I knew I had to take the hill slowly to keep from imploding, even if
I felt like I could run it.

The pavement on the big hill is grooved so cars can get traction in bad weather.

I managed to run to the 3-mile marker, which was about halfway up the hill.
At that point I was exhausted and, as you can see, Wayne Heckler was leaving
me behind. I mostly walked the rest of the way up but did run a little bit of it.

I was still going up the hill when I caught this last glimpse of Wayne Heckler,
who had a huge lead on me by then. I finished 2nd in the age group, about
a minute and a half behind him, so I might have actually gained on him a little
after I finally reached the top of the hill.

Despite dying on the hill, I felt pretty good after reaching the top and
knowing the worst was behind me, and I was still with a group of fairly
strong, mostly young runners, which is a good sign that I'm still running okay.

I hit the 4-mile split at about 28:50, which was good to see after my
disastrous uphill climb.

As I mentioned previously, the battery in my video glasses died shortly after the 4-mile mark so I don't have any additional pictures or videos, which is too bad because the last quarter mile or so before the finish line is spectacular. I had known that my friend, Bob Nelson, who had also come from Charlotte to run, was probably close behind, but I didn't look back until around a half mile from the finish line. There are so many people in this race that it's hard to tell, but I couldn't see Bob or anybody else who looked like they were in my age group, so I just ran what I felt like was a good pace down the home stretch. I finished in 43:52 (actually 43:49 chip time), which is a great time for me. It was my best 10k time since the fall of 2011, and a PR for me in the 60-64 age group. I was 2nd in the age group out of 59 runners, followed about a minute later by Bob Nelson, who finished in third place. Our other Charlotte friend, Roberta Villneff (Bobbi V) finished in 1st place in the 60-64 female age division. It ended a successful season for all of us, with Roberta and me winning the Senior Grand Masters Championship and Bob Nelson winning the 60-64 Age Group Championship.

Click Here for Race Results

My Stats:

Time:  43:49 (chip time)
Pace:  7:00
Age Group:  2 of  59
Overall:  120 of  2105 (5.7%)
Average Heart Rate:  168
Maximum Heart Race:  178
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  34:56 (76.87%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
2 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
2 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
2 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
7 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
2 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
3 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!  (15 bucks!)
0 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
1 - 65+ group (1)
1 - 70+ group (1)
2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
2 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS
5 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent  (Big Bucks!)
5 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
9 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
7 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
2 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful
2 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
0 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
2 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
0 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
0 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
0 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
0 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
2 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
2 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
2 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  98

Race #216 - NC Road Runners Invitational Half Marathon - Cary, NC - 05/19/13

Since it was the RRCA (Road Runners Clubs of America) state championship I decided to make the trip to Cary and give it a shot. It was a cloudy day and before the race I thought it would be good to switch to the clear lenses in my video glasses. As I was switching the lenses a small piece of plastic broke off at the top and exposed the wiring. I decided it would be best not to get it wet, so I didn't wear my glasses and don't have a video or pics for this race.

I was glad to see Peter Asciutto from Vac & Dash there, and in addition to taking some photos he gave out the RRCA state championship awards (he's the RRCA State Representative). I won the Senior Grand Masters, so that's nice, but I really had a hard time with this race. There were way more hills than I expected, in addition to probably 8 or 9 miles of unpaved roads (or I guess it was the Umstead bridle trails). I'm a road guy and don't really like getting off the pavement if I can help it. I thought it was strange that the state championship half marathon for the Road Runners Clubs of America would be run on a predominantly unpaved course.

My official chip time in this race (1:44:59) was actually a full 5 minutes slower than I ran recently in the Kings Mountain Half Marathon, which no doubt had more hills, and 10 minutes slower than the Germantown Half Marathon in late March. Looking back after the fact (I'm writing this on the following Wednesday), I believe my biggest physical problem was that I had developed what I thought was a cold that I caught from my 2-year-old granddaughter. She was over it in just a couple of days and I figured that after a little bit of discomfort I'd be back to normal in two or three days (it started for me on the previous Sunday). It turns out that I felt progressively worse every day until I decided I needed to go to the doctor yesterday (Tuesday). He put me on a prednisone dose pack and after just one day I'm feeling remarkably better, so I'm hoping I'll be back to normal for the two races I'm planning for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The course was primarily out-and-back. Much of the first mile was down
one of those huge hills where you have to apply the brakes to keep from
losing control. I worried about having to climb back up it in the 13th mile
but was surprised when just before the hill we switched to a path along the
greenway that completely bypassed going back up that route. It was still
an uphill climb, but nearly as bad as it could have been.

This was just before the finish line, and I'm looking way more refreshed
than I was feeling, although it was nice to see the end in sight.

RRCA Half Marathon State Champions for 2013.

Click Here for Race Results

Click Here for Photos from Carolina Snapshot

Click Here for Photos on Facebook (89 Photos - RRCA North Carolina)

My Stats:

Time:  1:44:59 (chip time)
Pace:  8:01
Age Group:  1 of  5
Overall:  76 of  528 (14.4%)
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  1:24:08 (70.38%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
2 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
5 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
0 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
2 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
2 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!
3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
0 - 14 and under group (1)
1 - 65+ group (1)
1 - 70+ group (1)
2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
2 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
3 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
5 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes (for RRCA)

AWARDS
2 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
3 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
7 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
0 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
2 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful... (except just before start)
0 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
2 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
2 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
2 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
2 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
2 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  95

Race #215 - Beach Blast 5k - Albemarle, NC - 05/11/13

There were races all over the place this past weekend and I didn't decide which one I would run until Saturday morning. I ran the Beach Blast last year and it was a lot of fun so I decided to run it again this year. It's one of Peter Asciutto's Vac & Dash races, which are always good. With his quirky races and non-stop promotional abilities, Peter has turned the small city of Albemarle (population about 15,000) into a running mecca. I would be willing to bet there are more runners per capita in Albemarle than in any city in North Carolina, and possibly more than any community in the entire nation.

As I've been doing lately, I did a video of the race and I'll include some photos as well to tell the story.

Here's the video...

Before the race I asked Sharon Davis about the hills (I never remember those
kinds of details). She gave us a hill-by-hill account of what we could expect.
"It starts out with just a little uphill incline..."

The universal symbol for the top of the hill.

Then a little bit steeper incline.

And this one had me scared.

Bill Shires spotted me a few rows back at the starting line and came back to
chat for a minute. You'll remember he won the Mount Holly race last week.
He was the overall winner of this race too. I told him afterwards that I thought
I might be good luck for him, but he wins a lot of races without me so maybe not.

This was the first major hill. It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but just
after the first hill is a second bigger hill. It's actually more noticeable when
you're running it (or trying to).

 

Last year Gary Parks (directly in front of me in the white shirt) won the 55-59
age group at the age of 59. I figured he'd be my biggest competition this year
for the 60-64 age group so I was glad l caught up with him at around the mile-2
mark in the race. I thought I'd just try to keep up with him until the end and make
a mad dash for the finish but when he stopped at the water stop I kept going.
I finished in 21:10 and he was close behind at 21:35 for 2nd in the 60-64 age group.

This steep hill was the last on in the race (and possibly the one that
Sharon Davis was warning me about). Notice the red sign on the left
that says, "The Last Hill."

Approaching the finish line.

Gary Parks just after crossing the finish line.

Always a good post-race celebration after a Vac & Dash race!

Peter Asciutto, Mr. Vac & Dash himself!

Results were promptly posted after the race.

Click Here for Race Results

Click Here for Free Vac & Dash Photos on Facebook*

Album 1 (288 Photos)

Album 2 (416 Photos)

Album 3 (187 Photos)

*Several other people posted pics from the race. Pics can be found on the Vac & Dash Facebook page.

My Stats:

Time:  21:10

Pace:  6:46

Age Group: 1 of  9 

Overall:  16 of  398  (4%)

Average Heart Rate:  161

Maximum Heart Race:  172

Age Graded Equivalent Time:  16:52  (76.45%)

***************

* RACE RATING *

***************

RACE COURSE  

3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)

0 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)

2 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]

1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good

2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary

2 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out

2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good

2 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!

2 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes

2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes

1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION  

1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!

3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS 

2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes

1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS 

2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)

5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)

1 - 14 and under group (1)

1 - 65+ group (1)

0 - 70+ group (1)

2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better

0 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes

0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes

0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS 

5 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent (Hand-carved Gourds)

5 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent

2 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!

0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE  

6 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)

6 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes

2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS  

2 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

1 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS 

2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes

2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!

2 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric

0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY  

0 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes

x - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!

5 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING  

2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no

2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no

2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no

2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE 

0 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes

2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER 

0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes

2 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent

0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes

TOTAL:  89

Race #214 - Mount Holly Springfest 5k - Mount Holly, NC - 05/04/13

For the first time since last July I ran a 5k in under 21 minutes (20:58) so I was happy to know I still had a sub-21 in me at the age of 61. This race is just a few miles from my home and one of the few Gaston County races I had never run. It's a smallish race with 156 finishers this year, but there are a lot of good things about races this size: parking nearby, not losing your friends, a more casual starting line, etc.

As I've been doing lately, I'll go light on the talking and let the photos tell the story since I wore my video glasses.

Below is the video, followed by a few of the 100+ pictures I took. You can see all of the photos on my Facebook page. Click here for my Facebook gallery of this race.

It was frigid for a race in May, when we expect springtime temperature.
Bill refused to leave his car to warm up before the race.

This was the first race I've been in with Dianne Allen in a while. She's coming
back strong after an injury kept her out of running for most of last year.
She was running the Boston Marathon a couple weeks ago when the bombs
exploded and was just a short distance from the finish line. She's the most
optimistic person I've ever known and is the only person I know who smiles
the whole time during a race (from what I've seen at least).

Bill Shires and I shared notes on video glasses before the race and he wore
his for the race too. He's the president of the Charlotte Running Club and is
known in the area as the "Godfather of Sole." At 48, he's still lightning fast
and was the overall winner of this race. Anytime I feel like it's an accomplishment
that I haven't missed a day of running in nearly two years, I think of Bill...
He hasn't missed a day of running since 1987.

The first half mile was pretty much all downhill.

A couple minutes into the race I settled in behind a couple of GCR peeps.

I spent much of the first half of the race behind Bryan Pitts, then he spent
the second half of the race chasing me and finished a few seconds behind.
He's getting faster and I'm not, so my days of finishing ahead of him are numbered.

Kathryn McIntosh, a 13-year-old, finished as 1st Overall Female.

They say you shouldn't look back, but I guess he couldn't resist, and
I caught him shortly after that. I have to admit I'm always looking back
to see who's back there, and I've even been known to start walking if
I don't see any gray hair back there. I actually took two walk breaks in this race.

This was weird. As I and another runner approached this intersection the
policeman waved the traffic through so we had to almost come to a complete
stop to wait for the car to come through. Kinda wrecks the momentum.

This is the car that we had to wait for. Usually if there's an officer at an
intersection they'll hold the traffic while the runners go through.
At least we didn't get run over, so it's all good I guess.

For the entire last mile I stayed almost this exact distance behind my friend,
Chris Baucom, who oddly enough, stayed this same distance in back of me
for the last half of the race just last week at the Kings Mountain Half Marathon.

As we approach the school at the end of the race, you can see (barely) that
Chris is still up there. I was hoping to gain on him, but no luck.
Love that payback!

I crossed the finish line at 20:58. Chris was exactly 15 seconds ahead of me at 20:43.
He said he never looked back but he knew I was back there. 

Jennifer Wheeler and Bryan Pitts congratulate each other at the finish line.

Yes, there is a Santa Claus, and he's pretty fast! Ralph Shore finished 2nd
in the 60+ division. 

The best part of the race is when it's over and you can concentrate on the
important stuff, like catching up with what's new with your friends.

Results were promptly posted by Queen City Timing. This was the second
week in a row that I finished 9th overall. Love it when I can get into the Top 10!

The real highlight of this race has to be the drawing just before the awards
ceremony. Great stuff, and almost everybody got something. I won a
$20 gift certificate for Tastebuds Popcorn. Other prizes included dinner for two
at The Woodshed (one of the nicest restaurants around), weekend vacations
to places like the tourist town of Helen, Georgia, ten yoga lessons, and
a lot of other cool stuff. Somebody had told me before the race that it was
worth running the race just for the drawing afterwards, and I agree.

All smiles despite the cold weather.

Click Here for Race Results

My Stats:

Time:  20:58
Pace:  6:52
Age Group:  1 of  9
Overall:  9 of  156 (5.8%)
Average Heart Rate:  160
Maximum Heart Race:  171
Age Graded Equivalent Time: 16:43  (77.18%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
0 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
0 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
1 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
0 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
0 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!
3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
0 - 65+ group (1)
0 - 70+ group (1)
0 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
0 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS
5 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent (Vacation in Savannah, GA)
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
8 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
3 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
0 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
2 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful (Just 2 but that was plenty)
0 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
2 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
0 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
x - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
0 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
0 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes
(Results posted on Queen City Timing site but not on Springfest site)

OTHER
0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  63