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races

Race 6: The UjENA Double 5k

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It’s been an amazing week. I’m blessed to have so many friends and colleagues supporting my fundraiser for the GBS/CIDP Foundation. As of this morning, we’re at $5,124 raised on our way to the $52,000 goal. Please like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/fiftytwofives, and donate over at IndieGoGo.

Working as hard as I can -- just after crossing the finish line
Working as hard as I can — just after crossing the finish line

This morning I ran the UjENA Fit Club Double 5k race in San Jose. It’s a new concept in running: run part of the race, take a “half time” break, and run the rest of the race. In the case of this 5k, it’s a 3k race, an hour break, and a 2k race. You sum the times from both races to get your overall time.

Getting ready for the start of the UjENA Fit Double 5k in San Jose
Getting ready for the start of the UjENA Fit Double 5k in San Jose

I ran the Double 15k race last year at the same location. Afterwards I decided this wasn’t the greatest new concept in road racing. It’s tough to stop running for an hour and start again: the legs seize up and you don’t feel great on the second leg. It’s boring to stand around for an hour waiting for something to happen. Throw in that it was badly organized, and it didn’t make for a fun day. I mean, what’s the point?

So, why run it again? Well, I promised if we raised $5,000 by midnight last night, I’d run two races this weekend. And there wasn’t any other nearby race to run. So, Double 5k it was.

The good news was I cranked it out. I ran the first 3k in 11:58 and the second 2k in 8:16. They gave me a 20:15 for the 5k total. By far the fastest I’ve run 5k since I started racing or timing myself. I don’t know whether it really counts — having a one hour break makes it rather non-standard. On the one hand, you could argue taking a rest break is an unfair advantage. On the other hand, you could argue it’s a handicap and I would have gone faster without it. Who knows. In any case, it’s the fastest I’ve run a Double 5k (and, er, the only time).

Got a slight calf tweak in the last quarter mile. Another good indication that it’s not a great idea to have a “half time” in a running race. Hopefully, I’ll be ok for the race tomorrow — the whole family is running with me in the Mardi Gras Madness 5k in San Jose. See you then.