Race Report: First on the First, Westerville

I'm kind of a numbers wonk, so the fact that I can get all these graphs and stuff off my Garmin is the greatest thing ever.

I ran my first race with the Garmin today, the First on the First 5K in Westerville, and blew my last PR, 26:06, out of the water. It was a flat, easy out and back course and I rocked it, I finished in 24:27 and I was second in my age group. Full results here. My average pace was 7:46. Next time I'll use the lap button so I can figure out my splits.

I followed the 8:00 pacer the entire time until the very end when she slipped back (probably to finish on time since we were going a little fast). At the beginning I simply thought "oh dear god I'll never keep this up" but then I settled in. I was fine for the first 2.5 miles and then started to feel a little queasy. I realized I was way ahead of my goal pace so I started to drop back. But the guy running next to me kept urging me to keep up, and I did. Whatever was brewing in my stomach fortunately calmed down, and I finished at just under an 8:00 pace. Then they fed us yummy pulled pork sandwiches and black eyed peas.


The weather wasn't bad for Jan. 1. Rainy and windy, but not too cold.

Before the run I did a 2-mile warmup with my MIT pace group. Warming up more, and then taking a lot of time to stretch, helped tremendously. I was supposed to have a total of seven miles today but I only ended up with 5. The pace coach says that's not a big deal and I'll do two extra next week.

Now for the cool stuff from my Garmin. All are screen grabs.

Here's a map of the course and an elevation chart. Out and back, flat, easy. A bigger more interactive version can be viewed on the Daily Mile.

Here is a screenshot of the graph of my pace and heart rate. All the heart rate charts I've seen have my max around 200, so I was definitely up there!

Unless there's a convenient one on a Thursday night or something that's going to be it for 5Ks for awhile. Looking ahead, I'm definitely going to do the Columbus Roadrunners Club winter run in Granville, the 15-miler, on Feb. 13. But, the day before there's something really interesting, the American Lung Association's Fight for Air stair climb on Feb. 12. I doubt I'll be able to do both, though.

The Cleveland Marathon is May 15. I'm looking for a good half to do prior. Last Chance for Boston is on a good date, Feb. 27, but I don't like the idea of the course -- the same one-mile loop over and over. I know a few people going to the Just a Short Run half marathon in Pittsburgh March 26, so that could be an option. The Earth Day challenge in Gambier is April 17 and the course looks amazing. Maybe I'll look for a trail half, OhioOutside.com doesn't have much listed yet but I'll keep my eye on it.

This week won't be too bad.
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles hills
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 3 miles -- will probably sub cross training
Saturday: 5 miles