5k

Race Weekend, Day 2

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After 19 years of entering races, here’s the main lesson I’ve learned: I can trust what my body says.

I thought I may have pushed a little too much on Saturday’s 5k. But Sunday morning, all seemed well. I heard, “You may be up for a better run than you thought.”

Pushing at the end of the 5k to make each mile faster than the last

According to my Garmin, the starting temp for the half marathon was 39F. But it didn’t feel that cold. The 8AM start time probably had something to do with it. I heard, “You’ve layered just fine. Relax.”

Choosing no gloves or hat to manage proved ideal

When I crossed the 10k time mat just over 58 minutes, I thought, “I’m working, but I can push more and see what’s possible.” I decided to eat my second gel and push from there. I heard, “GO!”

That’s what I did. Around mile 9, a runner passed me that I chose to make a target. I heard, “Match their pace. Return the favor. No regrets.” That motivation led to my final four miles being my fastest and mile 13 the best of the day.

This weekend was a unique effort for many reasons. A tad ambitious. Ran the King Neptune Challenge not to survive but to test my 58 year-old body. I heard, “Thanks for the challenge. Thanks for listening. Let’s keep moving!”

Race Weekend, Day 1

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Drove to Atlantic City, NJ., to run two races this weekend. 5k today. Half marathon tomorrow.

This Floridian was thrilled to see the weather forecast earlier in the week. A cool down, lows in the 40s.

Not so thrilling was the delay of the rain through this morning bringing the cold, just long enough to make things interesting.

Thoughts crossed my mind to scratch the 5k. “This bed is warm. Who purposefully runs in the rain? I don’t have to overachieve today.”

Those thoughts didn’t win. Showed up. Surprised myself with an age group win (3rd).

These events always provide inspiration. It’s not hard to see if you pay attention. Today’s examples:

  • The 2nd overall 5k female finisher with a time of 19:38 was 10 years old. (Not sure if that’s inspirational or just mindblowing)
  • The oldest runner today was Alan Donziger. At age 83, he finished in the top 25% of all 5k runners with a time of 29:59.
  • At the turnaround on the wet boardwalk, one of the guys in front of me wiped out. He got right up and kept going. “Not the first time I’ve fallen.”
  • As I drew to the finish line, the 10k runners were looping by us. In that pack were two runners pushing wheelchairs of their disabled partners. Always crowd favorites.

To all 960 runners today, congratulations on showing up, not letting the invasive thoughts win.

See you again in the morning for day 2!

Five Whys from Bridge A Life’s Superhero 5K

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Ran a 5k this morning at the 13th Bridge A Life Superhero Race. This was just my second time at this race, first since 2021 when the event included a 10k for their 10th Anniversary.

Each time I run a 5k I ask myself why. It’s certainly not as taxing as a full marathon, but it’s not my favorite distance. That’s for another post…maybe.

After being at the race for a second time, the answers why this 5k are many.

One: To share about our work at Samaritan Counseling. The tent was busy!

Two: To see what’s possible. Always with goals in mind, I had given myself four lofty goals this week. Managed to achieve one of them: Placed 2nd in Age Group. I’ll take it. (RACE ORGANIZERS: Thanks for including a child’s name on my bib. Thinking of them kept me moving in Mile 3.)

Three: To encourage other runners. Five coworkers also entered the race, and several community partner colleagues were on hand as well.

Four: To be inspired. The oldest male competitor, Bill Welch from Parrish, introduced himself at our tent. He said he enters a 5k every Saturday to support charity. He’s completed over 1,100 races. He’s 86. He took home 3rd place in his age group. Let’s just say it’s going to take over 1,000 races for me to catch Mr. Welch.

Five: To support Bridge A Life‘s vital work in Foster Care. This event brings awareness to the reality of children in out of home care in Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto Counties. This year, nearly 700 names were chalked at the start/finish line.

P.S. Great Job, Bridge A Life! I imagine you feel somewhat like I did at the finish line. 

To Do #8, according to science

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In an article posted yesterday, Jeff Haden lists nine things science says to do to be happier. Here’s #8 (time to “moderately” hit the pool):

8. Exercise for twenty minutes after you wake up.

Researchers at the University of Vermont found that aerobic training of “moderate intensity,” with an average heart rate of around 112 beats a minute–elevated, sure, but it’s not like they were hammering away — improved participants’ mood for up to twelve hours after exercise.

According to Dr. Jeremy Sibold, “Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to 12 hours. This goes a long way to show that even moderate aerobic exercise has the potential to mitigate the daily stress that results in your mood being disturbed.”

And you’ll also feel smarter; exercise creates new brain cells and makes those new cells more effective. As Gretchen Reynolds says, “Exercise does more to bolster thinking than thinking does.”

So there you go: Work out first thing. Feel better. Be smarter. Sure, you could work out after work, but then the happy feelings and extra brain power will be wasted while you’re asleep.

Remember, you only need to do about 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. For most people, “moderate” means your heart rate should be within 100 to 120 beats per minute (depending on age, fitness level, medical conditions, etc.).

That’s a small price to pay for being happier all day.