The 2015 Chapman University 5k

This morning I ran the Chapman University 5k. I am both an alumnus and an adjunct professor at Chapman. Although this is not the race that motivated me to get off the couch, the 2011 running of this race was my first foot race ever.

PR and Goal
My 5k PR is 25:05. I set it on an untimed, unofficial course at the Neverland 5k at Disneyland in May. I replicated the exact same time on Independence Day at the Surf City 5k in Huntington Beach. My goal today is to get rid of the number twenty-five from my PR time. I want a PR that starts with the number twenty-four. It’s just six seconds. How hard can that be?

Training wise I’m currently between marathon cycles. I ran the Santa Rosa Marathon in late August. The training cycle for the Los Angeles Marathon starts October 12, 2015. In this lull, I’m running between ten and twenty miles a week. It’s just enough so I don’t forget how. In an effort to heal from the ravages of my last marathon training cycle, I’m also swimming more. The real focus of my brain is in this period my weight. I’ve dropped 12 lbs in the last month. I’m down to 219 lbs. I’d like to toe the line at LA at 199 lbs.

The Course
The course remains unchanged from years past. The race starts at the Schmid Gate at Chapman University. It heads south, through the traffic circle of Old Towne Orange, through the neighborhood south of the university (filled with Arts and Crafts style homes), and finishes in front of the Leatherby Library back on campus.

Pre-Race FE!
Shortly after picking up my packet, Brilliant found me. We chatted briefly while walking back to our cars to dump the swag bag (full of shelf stable runner chow!) and finding our way to the starting line.

I lined up near the starting line behind the really fast people, and the We Run OC kids, an after-school running club for middle and high schoolers.

The First Mile
At 7:30 am, the horn went off and off we went. About three tenths of a mile into the course, I took a glance at my watch. 7:48 mm pace. Good. If I can hold this pace, the shiny new PR shall be mine. Seeds of doubt enter my mind as I notice that this early in the race, I’m starting to huff and puff. This is mile one and this pace is real work. Passing the first mile marker, I eschew the water stop and hear the volunteer yell out the time: 8 minutes!

Mile 1 – 7:54

The Second Mile
The course now turns north and heads back towards the university. I find myself surrounded by Chapman students and the We Run kids. The difference between them and me is that they are twenty to thirty years younger than me, and this pace appears to be somewhat effortless to them. For me, it’s real work.

Half way through the second mile, I pass St. John’s Lutheran School. They have an unofficial water stop set up along with a rock and roll band on the school’s loading dock. I ran right down the middle of this water stop and waved. The volunteer reading out times at the second mile marker said something I found quite alarming: Sixteen minutes and thirty seconds!
Mile 2 – 8:03

The Last Mile and a Tenth
The last mile is something of a blur. I don’t remember much. Just my brain whipping my body like a jockey whips a horse. The volunteer at the mile three sign said something. I’m not quite sure what it was. I’m running like a madman, trying to keep up with these tweens, teens, and twenty-something kids. I saw the time on the clock crossing the finish line, and felt somewhat dejected: 25:09.
Mile 3 – 8:10 Gun time: 25:09 Chip time 25:01

So I’ve got a shiny new PR… that starts with the number twenty-five. In years past, I would just show up and lop minutes off my PR. Those days are gone. I gotta fight for every second. Going forward, I’m going to keep living the calorically limited life and start training for the Los Angeles Marathon. My next attempt to dump the number twenty-five is at the Carlsbad 5000 in April of 2016.

My next attempt to dump the number twenty-five is at the Carlsbad 5000 in April of 2016.

I would like to run that someday...

That's not a bad result considering the carnage you endured just six weeks ago. It's amazing actually, you should be proud.

A PR is a PR!  Or so I've been told around these parts!  Indeed, those PR's will be tougher to get as you get faster.  You also haven't been training for the 5K, which makes it even tougher. You're looking good, Rick!  The weight loss is noticeable.

You didn't get that sub-25, but you're rocking the calf high tube socks, so you've got that going for you.

Congrats on the PR!

I'm amazed that you noticed so much about the course and other participants.  I was in a complete "put one foot in front of the other and keep breathing" fog.  A friend asked, "Did you see the little boy in front of his house who..." and I interrupted with "No, I wouldn't have seen him if his house was on fire!"

Congrats on the PR!  And the weight loss.  You are kicking life's ass, regardless if it takes you 25 minutes.

Congrats on the PR, even if it is one that seems to be taunting (says the person with a 55:01 10k PR). Was this a flat course?

Congrats!  Great job getting close to that sub 25 and the new PR!

Congrats on the PR!  I know how irritating it can be to get a PR that still "starts with the same number," but hey... a PR is a PR.