Notes
Two loop course this year after Cape PD make RD change the course. The old course was long but this course looks to be accurate with many opportunities to run tangents and decrease the total distance due to 6 S-curves on the course. I have ran the course and biked the loop several times and have the "best" tangents mapped out. By hitting tangents, there is opportunity to decrease total distance by over a quarter mile. This race, like many, involved some tactics due mainly to the rolling ups and downs on the course and the 1/2 mile steady ascent beginning at the 1.5 mile in the loop.
Interesting start to this race as the 5K folks begin on the straight-away portion of the CHS track while the 10K folks start to their R and run counterclockwise around 2/3 of the track with both groups exiting out the back of the stadium onto Mt Auburn Rd.
Mile paces per my garmin: 5:46/5:57/5:50/5:54/5:57/5:11(5:38 pace for .92 miles).
Started out "hot" as Bram would say. I was in third coming off the track and onto Mt Auburn as wanted to beat the pack of runners to the road. Started up the incline on Mt Auburn and could tell right off Coach Hahn was all business. Slowed down after checking garmin and seeing 5:35 pace and tucked about 20m off the tail of the CBEM co-founder. Hahn went through 1 mile mark around 5:32 and, after seeing my one mile split forced myself to relax and bring pace to 6:00 area. With my first mile split well under 6 min, I was going to really find out what my fitness level was on the back half of the race.
Stayed about 20m off Bram until coming toward end of Rt 74 and onto SilverSprings. Could feel him slowing a little and pulled up beside as we rounded the corner for the final 5K stretch and the unofficial CBEM photo shoot.
Noticed Coach taking the outside tangent and I took the other side of the road as it was the shorter distance as we came toward the HS. Checking pace with Coach and he is still cruising along and will run a great time. My garmin reads 3.0 miles as I move past the opening of the stadium and I have an elapsed time of 17:33. I feel good.
Next loop will be all alone and concentrate on maintaining current pace of just under 6 flat miles.
Through 4 miles via garmin distance in 23:27, well under 6 min average pace. Next mile of the course is mostly uphill and planning on relaxing a bit as I climb up Rt 74 again.
5 mile mark right as I am turning onto Silver Springs. Two things here: Elapsed time of 29:24 and wind has picked up to around 12-15 mph right in my face. Finish the final .92 miles in 5:11 (5:38 mile pace) and was just relaxing while working my turnover through the first 1200m of this mile. About 200m left and coming off Silver Springs and toward the track gates. Don't have any idea what my elapsed time is as just glancing at mile chirps as the race progresses (know none have been over 6 flat so will be good) but when I see the clock it is low 34 min. Do my weak 47 y/o kick the final 100m, pass a couple of women finishing the 5K and cross the clock at 34:35.... Very happy with that run and hope it is a precurser to better things in the future. Learned some valuable information during today's race.
Bramlett goes 18:24 for top 4 all-time PR in the 5K and a national-class time. He finishes second overall in the 5K to Coach Hahn. Another banner day for the CBEM crew. Three masters runners ran national-class times at this race which probably had 55 total participants. Amazing feat in SE Missouri.
5.92 miles for 47 y/o male:
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Age-graded result = 30:39
Age-graded percentage = 82.35%.............. I'll take it :)