Post-Race Report

The Parkinson's Canal 5k:

The race is held on the Erie Canal Towpath, and is an out-and-back 5k on a flat, fast course. About 150 runners. Weather was clear and sunny, temp about 35 and rising quickly.

In the first mile, I went out too fast. 6:14 for the first mile. I think I went out that fast in order not to get caught in the crowd in the first half-mile or so. The course is only about 12 feet wide, with a slope down on the right and the Erie Canal on the left. All of the runners also had to start by running through the finish gate, so that could have created a backlog at the start, and I didn't want to get caught in that. The flatness of the course may also have led me to go out too fast.

At the turnaround, I had to slow down to make the 180 degree turn, and the slowing and turning started my legs stiffening up. The turnaround came at the halfway point, and my time was 9:45 The return trip was slower for me than the trip out; I don't have a 2-mile time, because the 2-mile point was not marked on the ground. The second mile was perfectly flat, just like the first mile.

The third mile was also perfectly flat. At the finish, I was in 21st place, with a time of 20:14. I was the fourth of the old guys. In the last mile, I noticed two men pass me, who I later discovered (but suspected from the time I saw them) were in my age group. If I could have held on, I would have had second in the age group. First was out of my reach today--the first masters runner was in third place overall with a time below 18:00.

For the first half of the race, I was running 6:17 pace, for the second half, 7:00 pace, pretty good. I'll have to work on that second half.