Official Time: 23;46
Placement: 47 place overall, 5th in the 45 - 49 age group.
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Lower to mid 40's, no wind.
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:15 | I wanted to run 7:30 but the downhill kept me moving. Felt good though |
| 2 | 7:42 | Slowly climbing at this point. |
| 3 | 8:03 | This mile is always the toughest on this course. Just a steady grind up. |
| 3.1 | 0:35 | Booked to the finish |
| Total Miles: 3.07 | ||
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| Bountiful Sweethearts 5K Race with elevation profile. |
Introduction
I've run the South Davis Recreation Center's Sweethearts 5K now three times. In a way, it has become a Valentine's Day tradition for me. You can read my previous recaps here: 2013 and 2014
Located about 25 minutes north of my house, this race is a no brainer. It is about $20 to register (which I did at the Thanksgiving Day Race) and they always put on a good race. You have clean bathrooms, a decent finisher's medal and plenty of food and some really nice awards -- if you are lucky enough to finish in your age group.
Located about 25 minutes north of my house, this race is a no brainer. It is about $20 to register (which I did at the Thanksgiving Day Race) and they always put on a good race. You have clean bathrooms, a decent finisher's medal and plenty of food and some really nice awards -- if you are lucky enough to finish in your age group.
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| Full parking lot at the South Davis Recreation Center in Bountiful, UT |
The Event
It's been a while since I've raced a 5K. All my training has been marathon paced. I am not a big believer that racking up miles is a good way to do well in a 5K. For a marathon, yes, 5K? Not really. When I wrapped up the Thanksgiving Day races, I was just a hair over 24 minutes. I was starting to worry that this was the beginning of the end in terms of 5K racing. Would I hit 25 minutes?
I am happy to report that I did run a 23:46 which is a good 30 seconds faster than what I did on Thanksgiving. At least this is yet another race where I am heading in the right direction.
The race started at 9AM and I rolled in at 8, collected my swag bag and then wandered around the workout facility and listened to music. Around 8:30 I did a shakeout run and some drills. I cycled through the bathrooms a few times as well.
The race started slightly after 9AM and 500+ runners and I hit the first mile in good stride. The 1st mile is largely downhill and once you hit 1.25 miles, the fun begins. You round a corner and then you see a slow incline. Luckily that stretch of road is only about a quarter mile long and then once you turn the corner, you see that the last half of the race is entirely uphill. Imagine turning on a treadmill to 2% - 3% incline and you have what this race is like.
I was really pushing the last mile and I was getting upset with myself when I saw my pace was 8:45-ish at times. I was like "Come on, I ran faster than this at mile 14 in my most recent marathon!" I honestly gave it all I got and I was happy with my finish and my time. Once again, this is another race where I improved on a time, so something "might" be working for me.
I am happy to report that I did run a 23:46 which is a good 30 seconds faster than what I did on Thanksgiving. At least this is yet another race where I am heading in the right direction.
The race started at 9AM and I rolled in at 8, collected my swag bag and then wandered around the workout facility and listened to music. Around 8:30 I did a shakeout run and some drills. I cycled through the bathrooms a few times as well.
The race started slightly after 9AM and 500+ runners and I hit the first mile in good stride. The 1st mile is largely downhill and once you hit 1.25 miles, the fun begins. You round a corner and then you see a slow incline. Luckily that stretch of road is only about a quarter mile long and then once you turn the corner, you see that the last half of the race is entirely uphill. Imagine turning on a treadmill to 2% - 3% incline and you have what this race is like.
I was really pushing the last mile and I was getting upset with myself when I saw my pace was 8:45-ish at times. I was like "Come on, I ran faster than this at mile 14 in my most recent marathon!" I honestly gave it all I got and I was happy with my finish and my time. Once again, this is another race where I improved on a time, so something "might" be working for me.
Post Race
This race gives our premium finisher's medals. I grabbed a protein drink and eye balled the prizes. Unfortunately my runner card said I finished in 5th, so no swag for me. Last year I got ripped off. My card said I was in 4th but when I saw the official listing, I was in 3rd. I never did get a prize from last year.
Check out the prizes from this year:
After socializing a bit with a cool doctor that happens to work at the hospital I went to I wound up taking off and headed north to the Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville Utah. I've been itching to go up there for a LONG time. Faithful readers may recall that I ran the Lucky 13 Half Marathon there last year.
The springs are located about 40 minutes past Bountiful and I made the trek up there. I spent a good 90 minutes soaking and relaxing. By the time I made it up there, it was pushing 50 degrees and the water and air temperature was perfect. I felt like a new man:
After cleaning up and sucking down an entire bottle of Gatorade (the salty springs will dehydrate you pretty quickly), I wound up driving south to Layton and hit up my favorite Golden Corral. For Valentine's Day, it was a zoo, but I managed to eat a healthy meal and not get too carried away.
Conclusion
I really lived it up today and I had a blast. I ran a pretty good race -- although a very far cry from my fastest 5Ks. I got to go to the Hot Springs and just relax (although relax might be too strong of a word -- there are a TON of kids there) and polished it off with a nice meal at the Corral.
I am hoping to run a few more shorter races to really dial in my speed again.
The Recreation center certainly delivers on a good race and they kept the price very reasonable. Especially with all the goodies they hand out: protein drinks, fruit, bagels, sports drink and even a finisher's medal. I'll definitely continue to run their races, although I am not a big fan of the 5K course. It isn't an easy one, but it certainly is honest.
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