Race #133 - Firecracker 5k - Huntersville, NC - 07/02/11

After last week's DNF debacle in Oakboro I was anxious to get back out to a race this weekend and put all of that behind me. This was our first race in two years at the HFFA (Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics) and I didn't really remember the course the race took, so it was nice to be reminded that it's a fairly flat course. It does go up and down some but it's mostly long, gentle slopes, and to make things even better it's both a downhill start and a downhill finish.

I'm now in my third week since I've returned to the Weight Watchers program. The 10 pounds or so that I had gained since I did my best running back in the fall of 2009 had me running increasingly slower times. I had been trying to watch my diet a little bit, but that never works, and even with all of the running I managed to add about a half pound or so every month.

In the three weeks of my new Weight Watchers program I've been pleasantly surprised to see that the new guidelines since I've been away from WW are much better than the old program, which is saying a lot since the old program was better than anything else I'd ever seen or tried. Over the past three weeks I really haven't been hungry at all, and most importantly, I've managed to lose about 7 of the pounds that I had gained, so I feel like I'm really back on track for the first time in a while.

I knew that with the lost weight I should run faster, and nothing less than running a race would really give me an idea of whether it's working or not. I felt really great compared to how I felt at China Grove three weeks ago, where I ran my slowest 5k in eight months (21:44) and felt awful as I was doing it. It was at China Grove where I decided I had to get back to Weight Watchers if I wanted to really get myself straightened out.

I'm excited to say that my plan worked, and after just three weeks of an improved diet but no changes in my training, I went from my slowest 5k in eight months to my fourth fastest 5k ever at 20:23!

I'm definitely not through losing weight, but of course I'd like to settle in at a weight that is optimal for me. Right now my Body Mass Index (BMI) is about 21.4 and I'm thinking I might run my best at a BMI somewhere between 19 and 20. The only way to know for sure is to try it, so over the next few months I'll be trying to get to that level and see if it's a good place for me.






Click Here for Race Results


Click Here for My Race Photos on Facebook


Click Here for Race Website (Photos coming soon after race)


Race Rating:

8 - 1-10  Website (Information, results, registration, photo links, etc.)
7 - 1-10  Awards (Quality of medals, trophies, etc.) (1 to 10)
5 - 1-10  Awards Presentation (PA system, winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
5 - 1-10  Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
5 - 1-10  T-Shirts (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
4 - 4/6   Part of Race Series (Grand Prix, etc.) (6=Yes and 4=No)
5 - 0/5   Professional Photography (5=Yes and 0=No)
6 - 4/6   Chip Timing (6=Yes and 4=No)
7 - 3/7   Certified Course (by USA Track & Field) (7=Yes and 3=No)
8 - 1-10  Course (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
9 - 1-10  Parking (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
8 - 1-10  Entertainment (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
10 - 0-10  Age Groups (10 if 5-year groups; 0 if 10-year groups)
5 - 0/5   Indoor Shelter from Elements (0 if none; 5 if provided)
4 - 1-10  Bathroom Facilities (Indoor bathrooms but no porta-potties)
0-10  Other

TOTAL - 96

Race Stats: 

1st Overall Male:  Brad Popple (15:43)
1st Overall Female:  Michelle Hazelton (18:31)
Total Finishers:  471

My Stats:

Time:  20:23
Pace:  6:34
Splits:  6:02 - 6:51 - 6:47
Age Group: 1 of 7 (55-59)
Overall: 48 of 471


Comments

  1. Larry LinuxJuly 3, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    Awesome results in both weight loss and time! I am trying to follow in your foot steps, but have a long way to go in the time category. I have lost a few more pounds and ran a 5K this weekend in Florida while I was visiting my Mom. I guess a 27:07 is not too bad, and definitely leaves me lots of room for improvement.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard HefnerJuly 3, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Thanks Larry Linux! Of course there's always room for improvement, but the important thing is just to get out there and do it, no matter how fast or slow!

    ReplyDelete

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