Cobbs Creek 5K

The Cobbs Creek 5K (http://cobbscreek5k.com) is a race that is co-sponsored by the West Philly Runners. All funds raised from this event are dedicated to outdoor recreational activities within Cobbs Creek Park for children and youth. The running group had worked with the park staff to clean the trails in the weeks preceding the race. The course was in great shape and was part asphalt and part trails in the park. The race attracted 150 participants on a gorgeous Saturday morning. I didn't really train for the 5K as I was deep in training for longer distances races coming up, so I figured I could use it for some speedwork.

I started the 5K at a pretty quick pace. Once I got onto the trail, it was a little more difficult to navigate on some of the gravel patches and potholes in the trail.  The runners were spread out pretty good by the end of the first mile. I was running on my own with no one close in front or behind me. I think I was doing slightly under 7:00 minute miles for the first two miles. There was a slight turnaround near the second mile mark where it was easy to see how far in front and behind people were. I looked back and saw Heeju and Flint were about 100 yards behind me. The third mile was a little tougher as I was kind of winded but continued at roughly the same pace. As I came down the final stretch, I could see a runner pretty far in front of me but didn't see anyone behind me. Knowing I really couldn't catch him, I settled in to finish comfortably. When I was able to see the clock, I picked up the pace to finish the race in 22:30. I think the final times in this particular 5K were a little slower than a normal 5K since we had to navigate the gravel on the trail.

The West Philly Runners had a great turnout that day and stole the awards show. Aaron Roche and James Ceronsky finished 2nd and 3rd in the Men's division (and overall). Heeju Sohn and Julia Wroebel came in 1st and 3rd in the Women's division. I placed 14th overall and I was the Master''s Champion as the fastest finisher over 40 years old. I did get some gift certificates for winning my division, but the only trophy's that were presented went to the first place Men's and Women's champions, not the old people division. Heeju and I, pictured below, were looking good sporting our blue shirts and black shorts before we went to get our awards.

As the post race award ceremony wound down, the West Philly Runners gathered for a group photo op after a successful race all around...

Doylestown Duathlon

In preparation for my Olympic triathlon, I noticed in an email from Mid-Atlantic Sports of a race named the Doylestown Duathlon. I thought this would be a good race for me to try out to help me to prepare for the triathlon. The duathlon is composed of a 5K run, 25K bike ride, and a second 5K run. It's almost the same distance as a sprint triathlon except it starts with a run instead of a swim. You do have to be a USA triathlon member of pay the $10 one-day pass fee.

The weather in early-April can be iffy but with the winter that we had, I felt that it should be good for this type of race. It was a cool day but certainly not as cold as the St. Petersburg race, tolerable by all means. I got up to Lake Nockamixon early on Saturday morning to make sure I left plenty of time to pick up my registration stuff and get my transition area ready. Once I got my bearing on the course setup, I brought my bike into transition and started setting up. Not really sure what I was supposed to be doing, I watched other people setting their gear up. I chatted with a few people and felt that my bike and everything were good to go. I waited for the pre-race instructions and then got ready to start in the race. This particular race had a first-timers wave so I signed up for that start and was grouped with other first-timers, people over 50, and the Clydesdale division (I think it's anyone over over 225 lbs.). The only downside was that we were the last wave to go off although I think there were only four waves in front of us. The other odd thing I thought was the race was chip-timed but there was no starting mat, just some guy telling us when to go.

I wanted to start the 5K off with a good pace but not get out too quickly. That only lasted for about a half-mile. I was in the back of a pack of 8 runner at the front of our wave. I felt the pace was too slow so I started picking them off one by one. Eventually, I got right up behind the wave leader around the end of the first mile. I could tell he didn't want to give up position as he picked up the pace as I started pushing him. Unfortunately for him, he winded himself out by the end of the second mile and I cruised past him. I kept my pace strong but I also got a little winded with about a half-mile left. For my own confidence sake, I really wanted to be the first person from my wave into the transition. I succeeded in posting the fastest time in my wave with a run of 22:41.

The transition to my bike was smooth but maybe I took my time a little too much (1:16). I got onto the bike course and started out pretty well. The course featured rolling hills so there were some good uphill sections. I have a decent road bike but I could easily see how superior some of the other bikes were as I was being passed by some people as if I was standing still. The back end of the course had a couple big hills that slowed me down as I tired from the biking. My bike time was a much slower time of 59:13, which when compared to others in my wave was 7-8 minutes too slow. I got back into transition and dropped my bike off and got out to start the last run.

The last 5K was a bit of a challenge, especially at the start. Just changing from biking to running takes some time to get used to so I tried to manage my pace until my legs were back into running mode. I know I will have to practice this as I'll be in for the same thing when I do the triathlon. My legs finally caught up to what I wanted them to do and I finished the last 5K run well. I passed several people again and finished in 24:19. After the results were all tallied, I came in third among the first-timers wave. I placed 133 out of 248 people.

My running time was comparable with the finishers ahead of me, but I got killed on my bike time. It's good to know where my strengths and weaknesses so that I can work on areas that need improving. Plus, I'm pretty new to biking so I had some ideas on how to improve my biking for the triathlon. The bottom line on this race was that it was a great learning experience and I felt that I performed well for being a first-timer to a multi-sport event.