Run for a Child’s Sake 5k

Felix running up Magnolia Street during the fist mile. (Photo: Kerry)

It seemed like my last few races were full of missed opportunities. First, there was the Houska Houska 5k in which I was in third or fourth place for most of the race, yet had to settle for sixth after being outsprinted in the last half-mile by others including a high school sophomore. Then, in the Vail Pass Hill Climb in the Teva Mountain Games, I lost what would have been a sure second place when I got off course after the first half-mile and lost three minutes. So if I had any goals for the Run for a Child’s Sake 5k, it was to Simply Not Blow It.

When I woke up in the morning, it didn’t seem like I was going to break out of L.A. Clipper-syndrome today in this benefit run for the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center. I didn’t sleep well perhaps as a result of drinking a Fat Tire the night before (not even one pint — I’m definitely a lightweight). In addition, my stomach felt a little queasy.

But I started to feel a little better shortly after meeting up with and doing a brief warm-up run with Raquel before the race and then standing for a few minutes around the start line. I lined up behind Brad Pace — winner of the Houska Houska 5k — as I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him for more than a mile. Sure enough, after “GO!” was called, Brad already had several steps on me, but the real surprise was a young man and eventual winner from Wyoming who was practically sprinting from the get-go and was out of everyone’s sight after only two minutes.

After Mile 1 — when I’d encounter Kerry in the middle of the street taking photos and cheering on friends despite being on crutches — I was firmly in seventh place, thinking that I’d try to make a run on fifth and sixth on the slight (1%) downhill stretch on Mountain Avenue coming up. At the very least, I did not want to lose my position.

On Mountain Avenue, it seemed like the two runners ahead were also motivated as I gained absolutely no time on either of them, but I was pleased that I was actually feeling good enough to sustain and even pick up the pace instead of faltering like an old Fiat as usual at this point. By the time I saw Kerry again with half a mile to go (yes, Kerry could really get around on those crutches), I was in an interesting situation — no one was even close to me from behind, but the guys in front seemed a little too far out of reach to make a serious run at them.

Out of principle, the moment I turned onto Howes Street I commenced a full-on sprint and secured seventh place. That was also good enough to win my age group — something that hasn’t happened in a while. More gratifying was knowing that I held onto my position for the last 2.5 miles of the race instead of getting passed, which is usually what happens. I didn’t blow it!

Well, almost. After I learned what was my time, I couldn’t help but groan. It was 19:01. So close to finishing a 5k race in under 19 minutes for the first time ever. Ok, so it was somewhat of a missed opportunity, again!

Postscript

A day after the race, I heard murmurings that the race course was actually a little short, like 3.0 miles instead of 3.1. Looking at my time splits, that rumor may have been correct. However, the course measured 3.17 miles on gmap-pedometer.com. So who knows for sure?

Time Splits

Mile 1: 6:41
Mile 2: 6:22
Mile 3: 5:58

Total time: 19:01 (6:20/mile assuming distance of 3.0 miles)
Rank: 7 / 207 overall; 1 / 21 age group (30-39)