I'm rather certain SMCM is a meter track. I believe Ryken has the only yard track in the area. Although I have only been to a limited number of tracks, 400m tracks are typically more ovular and 440y tracks more circular (such that the turns seem wider).

The week of Hospice has arrived, and it's time to start speculating. The battle of North vs. South --- specifically, Rick vs. Phil and Alden vs. Joe --- is shaping up to be very interesting! Phil has run some fleet-footed times on the track lately, but will he be able to outlast Rick, who's had the benefit of marathon training and whose workouts have been more geared towards the 10k? And indeed, Alden has become a juggernaut of endurance, but Joe is on a phenomenal comeback kick, rapidly accumulating a strong mileage base (24 miles over this past weekend alone!) and proving he has some newfound speed on the track. I ardently hope to finish ahead of all of you --- just so that I can be a spectator for the outcome of the match-ups! But this is how I'll grade my performance after the race: -Breaking 41:00 ... A + -Beating Joe's 2008 Hospice 5k time of 41:15 (but not 41:00) ... A -Setting a new 10k PR below 41:45 (but not below 41:15) ... B -Breaking 42:00 (but not 41:45) ... B - -Finishing 42:00-42:59 ... C -Finishing 43:00-43:59 ... D Finishing 44:00 or over ... F

Approximately 6.25 miles. -Beating 49:43 (8 minute pace)... A+ -Beating 50:16 (twice my recent 5k time)... A -Beating 51:58 (faster than the 8:18 pace I ran this weekend on 2.63 miles of trail)... A- -Beating 52:48 (8:30 pace)... B -Beating 54:04 (2006 Chaptico 10k)... C -Beating 57:37 (2008 Chaptico 10k)... D -Less... F

Interestingly enough, my goals are right in between those of DR and Joe. I'll be thrilled beyond belief if I were to break 44:00, and probably distraught if I run at an 8:00 pace. I've been checking the weather, and the high for Saturday was projected for the upper 60s earlier. That will probably mean a race start temperature of at least mid 50s, which is probably slightly warmer than what I've been running in most evenings. For the second year in a row, it looks like spring will decide to get sprung for Hospice.

http://www.runforhospice.org/new-timing-system-chronotrack/ I'm pretty happy to see that we'll be using the D-Tag chip rather than the O.G. ChampionChip for electronic timing. I'm not sure if you guys have used these yet, but Alden an I used them during the Baltimore Running Festival last year. They're much less of an issue to wear while running, and I believe they are disposable. That means you don't have to get hassled five seconds after your final kick to take off the timer and turn it in. I'm now officially registered through Active.com. I didn't even have to pay the normal $3 processing fee!

According to that one article I may or may not have linked here, it can sometimes cost the race more to have the chute setup to retrieve used chips than what it costs to simply eat the loss of the chips.

I have no doubt you'll get a B or higher. Yesterday after work, I just happened to be in Leonardtown, so I decided to do a 10k course drive. Getting familiar with Cedar Lane Rd --- a route I couldn't recall ever passing through during daylight hours --- was my main objective. To sum it up in two words: rolling ... hills. Seriously, it goes up and down like a merry-go-round horse! It also seems rather treacherous, as it's quite twisty and offers no shoulder. However, there are scant few residencies along its length (close to three miles, I think), as it winds solely through wide open farm fields and woods. Thus there should be little to no traffic to worry about on race morning. And none of the individual hills are considerable --- mostly just gentle rises and dips. No, the course's real wallop comes in the final two miles after you turn right onto Rt. 5 and ascend the great big, long hill before turning right onto College Circle. In simplest terms, my strategy for Saturday is to run the first 5k just under 20:45 and the second just under 20:15. My 5k splits at the Kiwanis 10k last June were 21:30 and 20:15, so basically I'd just have to take 45 seconds off the first 5k, when I'd have more energy anyways. However, to really break 41:00, I'll have to hit mile five in under 33:00 and then definitely reach mile six by 39:30 or the opportunity will be lost.