What did you think about the race?
It was good. The 2nd mile sucked. – Dave Gildea
I’m going to start this post writing that I know I plan on posting this to the Facebook page of the Tex Mex 5k with the hopes that random people read this experience.
Tex Mex 5k
8th place, 17:08
First things first, I don’t do a lot of races and I know what I like about the ones I do. This is my 3rd or 4th year running the Tex Mex and I’m always pleased with the preparation and organization that goes into this one. It’s not easy getting 1,300 runners all in one place and making it run (nice pun) smoothly.
This is my blog so you have to read about my experience. I understand if you pass on. I ate a bagel and coffee for breakfast and ate a Jewish hoagie for lunch. I came home and drank a coco-water and ate some pineapple before the race. I sat in over an hour of traffic from Philly to get to the race which I was prepared for. I parked in the Merck lot and jogged over to take a whiz and get my bib. I did so no problem and warmed up a bit before the race.
Coming into this race I was encouraged after a nice 40 minute workout on Friday but had taken it easy since then. I wasn’t sure what to expect time wise. Last year I finished in 10th place with a 17:15. This year, my ankle was bothering me and I’ve been training every other day so I wouldn’t sideline myself permanently. My expectations were tempered but I was hopeful.
The Race
2017 Tex Mex 5k Start
I started near the front and got out relatively quickly. I was packed up at about the 10 spot early on and was moderately surprised that they didn’t pull away faster. I hit the first mile in 5:13 and saw that Sam, my brother, was only a few seconds ahead. I wasn’t breathing heavy and felt good on the uphill following the 1st mile. No one was passing me so I was feeling pretty confident crossing the 2 mile mark. After finishing the next uphill, I knew I had only the downhill left. Unfortunately I was gassed and didn’t have much kick coming in. A guy who I’d been running with for the race put about 10 meters on me and I was pleased no one out kicked me towards the end. I finished with a 17:08 and in 8th place.
Click for full results
Further congrats go to Sam for finishing in 5th with a 16:17. Dave Gildea was in the low 21’s which I believe was satisfactory towards his goal of lower times. CK4 set a PR with a 23:23 time that I’m sure he’ll remember for quite some time. Nikkii was in the 27’s and the rest of the Softerware team finished strong. I guess Sam will indeed be shaving his head. Click here for full results.
Afterthoughts
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C’Mon!
I like the promptness of the race starting on time
- The after-party is well done. Free beer and food is enjoyed by all. I wasn’t a huge fan of what was actually being served, but it seemed healthy and well placed for runners.
- Cash bar is fine but charging $8 for the Blood Money pint is overkill. We just ran a 5k and instead of $6, it’s $8.00. People notice.
- Results came in quick and timely. Prizes distributed quickly
- The t-shirt is not one I’d ever wear. I don’t wear shirts that have maps on them. Think style in terms of getting your name out there. I don’t mind wearing a logo, but I have to pass on an entire map.
- The band is a cool feature.
I only do about 3 or 4 races a year and I’m happy to make this one of them.
Do not read further.
If you’ve read further. This is the blood blister I got on my foot after the race and the aftermath.
My thoughts instead of writing my own post:
1) Well run and organized. Like you said to Howard, runners like doing the same race year over year because you can compare your times to previous years. Also surprised there was no national anthem this year.
2) I’m impressed by your run and am genuinely curious what you’d run if you did my training and what I’d run if I did your training.
3) The band / post race food / beer is great and being able to pick up awards instead of having to wait is nice too. If we didn’t live so far away I’d probably have hung out and drank a few more.
4) You were 7th and I was 4th. The first place guy ran 17:37 last year and he runs a lot of these local races and is usually mid 17s, I assume something went wrong with his bib. Good run by him regardless.
I always like reading your pre-race routine and thoughts but so be it.
My max week of miles a week may be 35 and I injured myself doing that this year. I’m more in the 25 range. One thing I do differently than you is the treadmill on an incline. I run a 30-40 minute session at an 8.5-8.6mph pace on a program that moves between 1-9 on the incline. You can’t get this in our area anywhere else and it’s a major help when running flat. Aside from that I don’t do any runs for pleasure. Every single run I do I try to do faster than the time I did it before. If I do the Kelly drive run, I know what I did last time and try to beat it. It’s not quantity, it’s quality. To think that the kid who does 100 miles a week beats me by a minute really makes you wonder.
I’m looking forward to Sam’s new haircut. Good to see you again TC! Right when you left they opened the beer table for AYCD.
well done guys great running, ive just run a 21.30!! not bad for 69 and returning from injury after 9 months!!