Inaugural OK5K Run
Ran the inaugural OK5K Run at Mount Trashmore this morning — a small, but well-organized new addition to the local race calendar with proceeds from the race benefiting Eggleston Services programs for the disabled. Eggleston Services has been around since 1955, and has helped thousands of individuals with disabilities gain freedom from dependence on government support by providing them on-the-job training and stable work opportunities.
Anyway, on to the race recap. I decided to just jog an easy mile as a warm up today. Last week at the LEE’S Friends Run on the Wild Side 5k I ran a two mile hot and humid warm up which probably did more harm than good. Lining up at the start today, I felt much more refreshed and ready to race.
The race started promptly at 8:30am and I soon settled into a good rhythm just behind the lead pack. The trickiest part of the first quarter mile turned out to be avoiding the race cameraman who somehow managed to fall off the back of the pick-up truck he was riding in. Oops. Luckily he was okay.
I took the lead just after the first right turn, but wasn’t able to shake off eventual female winner Octavia Rinehardt and good friend Jon Leiding until we’d passed the one mile mark. I glanced at my Garmin and was pleased how comfortable the 5:42 felt.
Mile two was all about maintaining focus and keeping the stride ticking over. Thankfully I was able to follow the excellent bike lead (Michael Kottmer) through the many folks out exercising on the paved trail around the Mount Trashmore lake. Thanks Mike for clearing the way.
The first loop was soon over and it was nice to receive some encouragement from the finish line folks and numerous spectators/volunteers. I pressed on and reminded myself I was half way done. Mile two was a big surprise in that it was quicker than the first mile — 5:38 to be precise. I still felt fairly strong but was concerned Jon or Octavia could still come from behind and steal the win.
Thankfully I was able to maintain a good cadence and rounded the final bend far enough in front to hold on for the win. My finish time was a big surprise. After last week’s 18:12, my main goal was to break 18 minutes today. Imagine my surprise as the clock still displayed 17:20-something as I crossed the line!
The race win was definitely nice, but the official time of 17:21 very encouraging — just 12 seconds off my lifetime PR and my third fastest 5k time ever. Good times!
Thanks to everyone involved for putting on a great event. Hopefully this one will be around for many years to come…
Grip Your World: Win Trip To Chamonix, France & Vibram FiveFingers
Just received word of the “Grip Your World Giveaway” sweepstakes where the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Chamonix, France and tickets to the famed The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc ultra-trail marathon this August!
In addition, twenty second place winners will take home a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Shoes.
The deadline is next Friday, June 18th and entry is simple: just visit www.gripyourworld.com, Vibram’s new website for outdoor enthusiasts, upload a photo (and share a story if you like!) and you’re entered to win.
Vibram engineers high-performance rubber soles for the most extreme and varied terrain and conditions, and is a proud partner in The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Time is running out to enter the competition, so head on over to www.gripyourworld.com soon. Good luck!
If you are not fortunate enough to win a pair of Vibram FiveFingers in the giveaway, most of the VFF models can be purchased from RockCreek.com, who are currently offering FREE shipping * on orders over $49. Some of the current best sellers include:
Vibram FiveFingers Moc (Men’s)
Vibram FiveFingers KSO (Men’s)
Vibram FiveFingers KSO (Women’s)
Vibram FiveFingers Bikila (Men’s)
Vibram FiveFingers Bikila (Women’s)
[* Lower 48 States; see site for exclusions.]
Vibram Five Fingers and MISSION Anti-Friction Cream
As many of you know, I log a few miles a week in my Vibram FiveFinger KSOs, mainly for fun, but also with the aim of strengthening my feet and improving my running form, balance and body awareness.
Looking back to the day I purchased the KSOs, it took a few attempts to find the correct size. The Men’s size 39 (10”) was too small, and the 40 (101⁄4”) too big. I ended up with the slightly narrower Women’s size 41 which is bang in the middle at 101⁄8”. Perfect!
To complicate matters further, however, my little toes are weird in that they curl into the 4th toe, and I vividly remember during the first few days of ownership it was a real struggle to separate the toes and actually get the KSOs on.
I’ve since found a much easier way to slip into the Vibrams which also makes for a pleasant blister-free experience too. Before wrestling with the KSOs, I simply apply a thin coating of MISSION Skincare’s Anti-Friction Cream to my feet, which helps my toes slide right into their respective pockets!
Anti-Friction Cream is also perfect to defend and relieve chafing, cracking and chapping, and is sweat resistant too. Click here to read more about the anti-friction cream and the other great products in the MISSION Skincare line-up.
LEE’S Friends Run on the Wild Side 5K Finish Line Video
If you haven’t run a KaleRunning race in a while, you probably should. The local ever-looking-to-the-future event management and timing company recently started filming the closing stages of their races before uploading the footage to another forward thinking company FinishCam.
Here’s the video of me finishing last Saturday’s LEE’S Friends Run on the Wild Side 5K. Pretty cool, huh?
LEE’S Friends Run on the Wild Side 5K from steve speirs on Vimeo.
A Rare Race Victory
Despite logging my highest weekly mileage since the first week of March, I decided somewhat last-minute to sign up for the LEE’S Friends Run on the Wild Side 5K, which took place at the Norfolk Zoo on Saturday morning. Despite the 8 AM start, humidity was already high with temperatures rising all the time. My warm-up was a good one but reinforced the fact that I wouldn’t be running fast time today –– way too hot and humid for my heavy legs! However, I did think I would be able to run faster then my 5K on the boardwalk couple of weeks ago [17:56].
The race got underway promptly at 8 AM with the usual fast kids starting off swiftly. There was also one guy who set off especially fast –– for a brief couple of seconds, I thought maybe I had entered a 1 mile race by mistake! Anyway, I soon settled into a rhythm, and hit the 1 mile mark in five minutes 44 seconds, with Renee High tracking me in second place and Jon ‘Flex’ Leiding not far behind in third.
However, I went from feeling fairly comfortable at the mile, to very heavy legged at the turnaround point. From ticking along nicely, it was almost like I was treading water. I managed to hold pace fairly well and stay under six minute mile pace [5:57], but it was definitely a struggle.
Leading the race was cool, but the threat of being overtaken was always in the back of my mind. The oppressive heat and thick humidity really got to me in the final mile and I remember gasping for air and trying hard to maintain form as best as possible. Somehow I logged another sub minute mile [5:59], but it was ugly! Only when I reached the 3 mile mark did I dare glance back to check how close Renee was. It turned out she was about 10 seconds behind and just far enough out of reach. I also saw Jon about 1/10 of a mile behind and racing strongly.
I crossed the line with a grimace on my face, but a huge sense of relief that I had held on for a rare 5K race victory. The time wasn’t great [18:12], but a win is a win, and I will take it!
Hopefully next week I can get back to a sub-18 minute 5K when I race again at the OK5K at Mount Trashmore.
Saucony Kinvara — New Shoe In The Closet
Recently added a new shoe to my current collection — the Saucony ProGrid Kinvara. The Kinvara is touted as a “minimally constructed, lightweight performance training shoe for neutral runners”, and was awarded “Best Debut” by Runner’s World magazine in the publication’s 2010 Summer Shoe Buyer’s Guide. “Best Debut” winners highlight new product releases that receive high marks from the Runner’s World Shoe Lab, wear-testers and Runner’s World editors.
The following video, which can also be found on the Saucony web site, highlights the main features of the Kinvara and explains the technology behind the shoe. You can also read more about Saucony’s latest offering over at the DailyMile Community Blog, where good friend and fellow DailyMiler Thomas Neuberger and I compare the Kinvara with another of our favorite shoes, the Newton Gravitas. Click the link below to read the full review:
Running Shoe Review – Saucony ProGrid Kinvara vs Newton Gravitas
