Running the 5km this morning wasn’t the brightest thing I have ever done.
At work on Monday night, I started getting a scratchy throat that turned into a sore throat by Tuesday morning. The associated runny nose and shortness of breath were severe enough to schedule a COVID rapid test for the next day.
My morning pulse on Monday was 49, and by Thursday, it was up to 71. I have not a temperature above 99.3, and the COVID test came back negative.
I was able to walk 30 minutes on Wednesday and Thursday and do a 4 mile run in the rain on Friday when my symptoms subsided and my morning pulse was back to 54. By Friday afternoon, I was feeling good enough that I registered for JFK three weeks from now.
Last night toward the end of my work shift, I started getting a little hoarse. Maybe I need to avoid work to stay healthy? This morning, I didn’t feel great but good enough to run a 5km race.
I arrived at the Rouse Center about an hour before the scheduled start time and headed inside to pick up my bib. I wanted to run a 32-minute warm-up and keep 10 minutes to hit the bathroom, put on my singlet, and get to the start. So, I needed to start my run at 7:53 am.
My “get off my lawn” rant for the day: I parked my car around 7:30 am, far away from the starting line and the entrance door to the Rouse Center. In that part of the parking lot, there were a couple of cars. I pulled in a spot not on the end to avoid falling leaves from a tree.
After I picked up my bib, I pinned it on the front of my singlet and sat in my front seat to figure out a time to start running. Around 7:45 am, here comes a Toyota Highlander, backing into the spot next to me under the tree when the rest of the lot was empty. There were many spots closer to the start. “Really.” I almost did a “get off my lawn.”
At 7:53 am, I took off my sweats, and I headed out to warm up; four repeats of walk 2 minutes, run 6 minutes. My route was mainly in the shade, and I was sweating more than I should be. My breathing was not labored though the uphills did not feel comfortable.
I was trying to figure out what shirts to wear during the race. The racecourse was 90% in the sun. I didn’t want to wear a long sleeve undershirt to overheat. Only a singlet coming off a cold might be an issue.
The temperature at 8:30 am was 54 degrees with a dew point of 51 degrees and six mph winds. I wore my usual attire for these conditions; shorts over compression shorts, FARC singlet, gloves, white hat, and neck gaiter. I put an overshirt on and walked toward the start.
I arrived just before the scheduled start time, and the boys’ mile race was still finishing. It appeared there was going to be a 5 to 10-minute delay. The start line was in the shade. So, I walked back toward the Rouse Center to stay warm in the sun and stretch.
A few minutes later, I heard the command to line up. Walking to the start, I removed my overshirt, rolled it, and tied it around my waist. I moved to about 50 feet behind the line, and the gun went off.
I ran at a comfortable pace. Howard Thomas came up next to me, and I told him about passing my COVID test. I hope I didn’t pass anything along. We went through 1/2 Mile in 4:40 and 1 Mile in 9:19.
After turning onto Embrey Mill Road, the course turns upward on a significant incline for about 1/2 mile. I increased my turnover and reduced my stride length. I ground up the hill, and Howard dropped back some.
After peaking, there is some downhill before reaching the 2-mile mark with a 10:32 second mile. Yuck. My lungs and legs were burning.
Back on Mine Road, I continued the best high turnover I could, realizing the outbound downhill is now uphill. There is a reprieve section down just before the 1/2 mile to-go location and then up for .4 miles. My third mile was 9:39, and the final 1/2 mile 4:59.
My finish time was 30:28 for 78th overall, 41st Male, and third male 60 and over. My time last year on this same course was 26:27.
Congested lungs cost me 4 minutes. This race was my slowest recorded 5km time.
The only benefit of running today was recording a comparison time to monitor my recovery from whatever hit me earlier in the week. For the next three weeks, I have a 5km, a 10km, and an 80km. If it happens, it happens.