Beaten by an Olympian

I ran in the Run for the Grapes 5K today in Tontitown.

Just last week I was hoping for some cooler temperatures where I could prove that I'm in better shape than ever.  Today, I got my chance.

It was about 65F but felt even cooler than that.  Maybe it just seemed that way compared to the recent high temps we've endured.  The course is relatively flat too, by NW Arkansas standards anyway.  It is very nice to run on a certified course, where you know the distance is correct.  My only concern for this race was some lingering pain in my left calf, though that actually might have helped me in retrospect.  I rested a lot more than usual this week.

I had some lesser goals for the race but they seem somewhat moot now.  My ultimate, long-term goal was to break 18:40, a 6 minute-per-mile pace.  Today I did it, I ran 18:36.



That was a 38 second improvement over my previous PR. I was 5th out of 312 runners overall and 2nd out of 25 in my age group. The guy who beat me was Reuben Reina, an 8-time All-American at Arkansas, who then went on to run the 5K at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.  Yeah, I think I'm OK with losing to him.

Another win, and turning Pro

It turns out that my "first" win was not to be my "only" win after all.  I ran the Decatur BBQ 10K today and won.

It was a tiny race, with only 8 runners in the 10K.  There were many other runners, including some fast ones, but they all favored the 5K race.  I wanted to run the 10K; that distance suits me better and 10K races are hard to find.

There were several of us bunched together for the first 10 minutes but then at the 5K turnaround spot, everyone else turned around.  I was seemingly all alone.  It was a good thing the course was marked well because I had no idea where I was going and could have easily ended up in Oklahoma.  I can hear the police call now, "...be on the lookout for a dork with a numbered bib on his shirt, running in circles...".

I managed to stay on course, and after the 10K turnaround I saw there were indeed some others behind me.  I finished about 5 minutes ahead of the second place fellow.  I finished with a time of 42:24, and that is a bit disappointing.  Even with hills, heat, and a dirt road, I was hoping for faster.  I always say that.

A couple of weeks ago I ran the Miles for Miller 5K and won my age group with a time of 19:56.  That too was slower than I hoped.  My training this summer suggests I am in better shape than ever, but I just don't have race results to prove it yet.  I am sure looking forward to some cooler weather.


As the overall winner today, I received a $25 cash prize. Woohoo! Am I a professional athlete now?