Race Report

I had been contemplating running a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race to help me remain focused concerning my running goals. Just a few days before the event, I decided to enter the "Spring Into Summer 5K" which was held on Saturday.

The race was on Weber State University's' campus. It began very near the school's football stadium. The course followed the main roads that form the campus' perimeter. It is compact campus, so we had to run about 1.5 "laps" of campus.

The challenge in the course lay in its elevation changes. The campus is built right into the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, so there is a considerable change in elevation from one end of the campus to the other. We started at the top of campus. This meant that we got to run downhill twice and only had to go uphill once. The course was easy to follow, and was right on paved roads, so it was relatively safe. There were no water stations on course, but over such a distance they would have been superfluous. We were greeted at the finish line with water and oranges, which were adequate to aid in re-hydration. Even so, I managed to inadequately rehydrate, and wound up with a bad headache later that day.

On the whole, I was pleased with the event. My time was 24:43. This translates to about 7:59 per mile (if I had been 5 seconds slower, it would have been exactly 8 minutes per mile). This time is in keeping with my speed during other organized races. It is a bit slower than the 23:37 I registered in a 5k last year, but that race was on a completely flat course. I would expect a slightly slower time considering the major elevation changes in this course. Now I must get ready for my next race, which will be determined in the near future.