Stop the Cycle of CVS 5K
how refreshing, an honest to goodness 5K. not 2.9 miles or 3.3 miles but a certified 3.1 mile course. while the course isn’t closed for the two-loop race, the organizers wait to start the accompanying walk until the runners complete the first loop. the 9am start time was also appreciated as it made enough time to get a quick haircut before the race.
see jerry run. run jerry run. (#202)
from the start, i was immediately in second place as a younger runner jumped out with a flat-out sprint. recognizing it as a “jackrabbit” start, i tempered my effort a bit through the first half mile and gradually reeled him in. pulling up on his shoulder, and knowing that i don’t have the finishing kick of my youth, i opted to throw down an early surge to put some distance between us. the first mile passed for me in 5:42 and about a quarter mile later i glanced over my shoulder to note that i had established the intended gap.
i rolled past the starting line to begin my second loop and got some applause from the assembled walkers. i returned the sentiment with an overhead clap of my own (like the pro soccer players do) then returned to the task at hand. (instead of clapping my hands overhead, i suppose i could have stopped and perhaps attempted a handstand for the walkers…but that may have been a bit “over the top” under the circumstances.)
passing two miles in just under twelve minutes, i was beginning to feel it. i focused on simply “maintaining” and “breathing” which carried me through the third mile. as i turned east onto the bridge over the fox river, one last glance behind me confirmed that i had enough of a lead to get to the finish line first.
the slight downhill grade allowed me to simply ease my way in. i gave a bit of a fist pump and after finishing i had a little time to collect myself as others finished. the customary “good race” and quick handshakes were then exchanged between those of us who had finished early. still being a bit winded, i slowly walked for a bit until feeling right again.
claiming an overall win hasn’t happened often for me. in fact, this was only the third time in twenty plus years. granted, each win has been at a small race but it’s still a lot of fun when it does happen. this effort netted me a medal and a $100 gift certificate to the Revolution Natural Running & Walking Center for some new running shoes. also, i’d be remiss if i didn’t mention that if you’d want to know more about CVS, visit their web site at cvsaonline.org.
5K SPLITS
1M – 5:42
2M – 6:17 (11:59)
3M – 6:27 (18:26)
.1M – 0:49 (19:15)
RECENT MILES
5/29 – 7 miles
5/30 – 7 miles
5/31 – 5 miles (noon) and 4 miles (evening)
** May – 200 miles (26/31 days) **
6/1 – off
6/2 – 1.8 mile warm up, 5K in 19:15, 4.9 mile cool down
6/3 – 6 miles
MTD – 15.75 miles (2/3 days)
YTD – 914 miles (133/153 days)
Odometer – 33,639 miles