City of Lakes 25k

Sunday, Sep 7:

I’ve never run a 25k before, so in a sense this is a PR, 25k in 2:21:28, pace of 9:06, finishing 15th in a field of 31 men 60-69. Many of the fastest runners in the state showed up, so I got beat by the best. I’m happy with the result and especially with the race and how it felt. It was a masterpiece.

A 25k is about 15.5 miles, which is about 2.4 miles longer than a half marathon. I like both distances. 20k is nice too. Long enough that it’s not a grueling, gut-wrenching near-sprint, yet it isn’t totally exhausting like a marathon can be. In this case the organizers (MDRA) had a clock positioned at the half-marathon point so we runners could record our splits at that distance. My half-marathon time was 2:01:00, which is two minutes faster than I ran the Rochester Half Marathon two weeks ago. I like that for sure.

Overall this is a very good, well-organized race. Negatives: (1) It’s two and a half loops around lakes Harriet and Calhoun, so you see the same scenery more than once. I don’t mind, but some people do; (2) It’s slightly hilly, though not a lot. Positives: (1) Very well organized, with race numbers even mailed out in advance to pre-registrants; (2) All but maybe a mile and a half of the race is on roads that are closed to traffic, and that remainder is in one carefully-coned lane of Lake Street; (3) Lots of enthusiasm by the 1000 runners, many of whom come back every year; (4) Some of the most beautiful urban scenery to be found anywhere.

This year the weather could not have been more perfect. Though the forecast threatened rain showers and even possible thunderstorms, the sky was blue at the start with a few puffy clouds, temperature 55 at the start and 59 at my finish. The clouds grew thicker as I ran, so the sun was never a problem. Wind was modest and cooling; a technical short-sleeved shirt proved ideal for me.

Splits: 10:06, 9:07, 9:14, 9:07, 8:54, 9:35, 9:27, 8:42, 9:12, 9:08, 9:12, 8:51, 9:05, 9:30, 8:26, 3:53 (1/2 mi), total 2:21:28, pace 9:06. That pace would make a 4-hour marathon if it could be continued another 10.7 miles. I doubt I could, but maybe I can do a 4:15 marathon, which would be a Boston qualifying time. According to the splits on my watch, the pace for the last 1/2 mile (actually 0.5343 mi) was 7:27. Maybe it was - I did run like heck then, passing a lot of people, and even had a nice sprint with another 60+ runner in the last 200 meters or so.



Organic romaine lettuce, cucumber, Sunshine-made guacamole, organic plum, organic strawberries, organic red wine vinegar.