Finally the race results are in....and as expected timings are 27:13mins which translates to a pace of 08:46mins/mile. This is about 34-secs faster per mile. This is in spite of the fact that the temp was less than 40F and 30mph wind. I am hopeful that in my next race, I could be faster than 08:30mins/mile.
My training is also going great. I am now running 3.2miles or so on my normal runs, which is a little more than 5kms. These runs now average about 08:15mins/mile. And my faster runs are also much faster. On my most recent fast run, I ran a little more than 2.4miles in 19mins. This is about 07:51mins/mile. I am happy with my progress. My immediate goals are to run about 4miles on my normal runs and to complete the 5K race in under 26mins. I am hoping to accomplish both by the end of June.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Second 5K race...
Today, Sat May 16th 2009, was my second 5K race, the annual Spring run for Fun in Eden Prairie, MN. It was a very windy and cold morning with temp close to 40F and winds gusting to 30+ mph. The combination of temp and wind made is especially hard to run on the open course of the Purgatory creek, near South-west station in Eden Prairie.
There were about 300+ runners for the combined 5K/10K race from all age groups. There were runners as young as 10years upto runners that were senior citizens. Many runners were overdressed for the cold. We all gathered in the pavilion opposite the South-west station where the Shirts/timing-chips were distributed. It wasn't a very organized event however, it was for a good cause --- a benefit for the Girls on the run, charity. After picking up the T-shirts, attaching the timing-chip/runner-number-badge and a few minutes of stretching, I was ready to go. Around 09:00am we were asked to gather near the start line and after making some announcements, the race started.
We started running and within a few minutes, the group spread out quickly --- the pro-runners near the front, runners like me (intermediate stage) in the middle and beginning runners and children near the back. The route was common for the first 1km or so for the 5K and the 10K and then it split. More runners were in the 10K camp than in the 5K camp. The wind was gusting and roaring and it lead to wind-chill. I was feeling more colder than what the thermometer was showing. A few minutes of running quickly warmed me up. Soon I branched onto the 5K track and I was running alone for several more minutes. Next couple of kms were on a track that is fairly well shaded from the wind ad so I didn't feel the chill as much. The last 1.5kms (~ 1mile) or so was an open route, right through the purgatory creek with no trees to block the wind. With a strong head-wind, I slowed down significantly on this stretch. In fact, at one time I walked for about 5secs or so when the wind was blowing right in my face and I again picked up speed as wind slowed down a little. There were volunteers on the last half-mile cheering the runners.
As the last quarter mile approached, I got a amall boost from the now tail-wind and picked up some speed. In the last 0.1 mile or so, the finish line and cheering people gave me a psychological boost and I picked up even more speed. Finally, I crossed the finish line when the clock was reading something around 27:10. However, because I was not at the front of the start line, I am assuming that it took me about 5 seconds to actually cross the start line. That would reduce my actual run time to about 27:05 which translates to a speed of 08:44mins/mile. While this is much better than my first 5K race (28:48mins and 09:20mins/mile), I could have been faster by 30-60secs without the 30+mph wind. That would have put me close to 08:30mins/mile. Hopefully, weather will be more co-operating for my next race.
Anyways, onto the next race now.
There were about 300+ runners for the combined 5K/10K race from all age groups. There were runners as young as 10years upto runners that were senior citizens. Many runners were overdressed for the cold. We all gathered in the pavilion opposite the South-west station where the Shirts/timing-chips were distributed. It wasn't a very organized event however, it was for a good cause --- a benefit for the Girls on the run, charity. After picking up the T-shirts, attaching the timing-chip/runner-number-badge and a few minutes of stretching, I was ready to go. Around 09:00am we were asked to gather near the start line and after making some announcements, the race started.
We started running and within a few minutes, the group spread out quickly --- the pro-runners near the front, runners like me (intermediate stage) in the middle and beginning runners and children near the back. The route was common for the first 1km or so for the 5K and the 10K and then it split. More runners were in the 10K camp than in the 5K camp. The wind was gusting and roaring and it lead to wind-chill. I was feeling more colder than what the thermometer was showing. A few minutes of running quickly warmed me up. Soon I branched onto the 5K track and I was running alone for several more minutes. Next couple of kms were on a track that is fairly well shaded from the wind ad so I didn't feel the chill as much. The last 1.5kms (~ 1mile) or so was an open route, right through the purgatory creek with no trees to block the wind. With a strong head-wind, I slowed down significantly on this stretch. In fact, at one time I walked for about 5secs or so when the wind was blowing right in my face and I again picked up speed as wind slowed down a little. There were volunteers on the last half-mile cheering the runners.
As the last quarter mile approached, I got a amall boost from the now tail-wind and picked up some speed. In the last 0.1 mile or so, the finish line and cheering people gave me a psychological boost and I picked up even more speed. Finally, I crossed the finish line when the clock was reading something around 27:10. However, because I was not at the front of the start line, I am assuming that it took me about 5 seconds to actually cross the start line. That would reduce my actual run time to about 27:05 which translates to a speed of 08:44mins/mile. While this is much better than my first 5K race (28:48mins and 09:20mins/mile), I could have been faster by 30-60secs without the 30+mph wind. That would have put me close to 08:30mins/mile. Hopefully, weather will be more co-operating for my next race.
Anyways, onto the next race now.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Practice makes running better.....
They say, "Practice makes man perfect". I don't know about that but I can definitely say that practice makes running better. Since my first 5K race (which I ran in 28:48 mins), I have been practicing a lot. My most recent 5K run was in 26:30 mins which is more than 2:18 mins better than the first race.
Also, I have managed to increase my running distance. I used to run 2.3 miles (one round of the Staring lake in Eden Prairie, MN) when I ran my first 5K race. Right now I am running around 3.0 miles and since the 5K race is approx 3.1 miles, I am confident that my race performance will be much better this time around. In my first race, I was tired around the 2.5 mile mark and had to drag myself to the finish line at a very slow pace. I am hoping that I will be able to avoid that this time around.
See you on race day !!!
Also, I have managed to increase my running distance. I used to run 2.3 miles (one round of the Staring lake in Eden Prairie, MN) when I ran my first 5K race. Right now I am running around 3.0 miles and since the 5K race is approx 3.1 miles, I am confident that my race performance will be much better this time around. In my first race, I was tired around the 2.5 mile mark and had to drag myself to the finish line at a very slow pace. I am hoping that I will be able to avoid that this time around.
See you on race day !!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Official race timings are in......
The official race timings are in and they are 28mins 48secs. This is almost 22secs better (or faster) than my previous estimate of 29:10. This means that my speed is 09:18mins/mile which is good !!!
My intentions are to run another 5K in Eden Prairie on May 16th. Hopefully, I will be able to better this time of 28:48. My goal for the upcoming race is just to run the race completely without any regard to the timing. Anything faster than 28:48 will be bonus.
I used to run about 2.3 miles until last week. This caused problems because 5K = 3.1miles and just around the 2.5mile marker, I was really tired. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to run the complete 3.1mile distance. As a result, I have started running 2.5miles and I am hoping to run at least 2.7miles as practice before the actual race. Practice runs of 2.7miles or more will give me a better endurance to run the actual 5K race. Hopefully, I will be able to run the actual 5K race in much better shape. Unless I can regularly run 5K, I cannot even dream of running a 10K. My plans were to run at least one 10K this year but that looks very ambitious now and I will have to scale back my targets for running.
However, the official race timings are making me happy and its' time to celebrate....
My intentions are to run another 5K in Eden Prairie on May 16th. Hopefully, I will be able to better this time of 28:48. My goal for the upcoming race is just to run the race completely without any regard to the timing. Anything faster than 28:48 will be bonus.
I used to run about 2.3 miles until last week. This caused problems because 5K = 3.1miles and just around the 2.5mile marker, I was really tired. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to run the complete 3.1mile distance. As a result, I have started running 2.5miles and I am hoping to run at least 2.7miles as practice before the actual race. Practice runs of 2.7miles or more will give me a better endurance to run the actual 5K race. Hopefully, I will be able to run the actual 5K race in much better shape. Unless I can regularly run 5K, I cannot even dream of running a 10K. My plans were to run at least one 10K this year but that looks very ambitious now and I will have to scale back my targets for running.
However, the official race timings are making me happy and its' time to celebrate....
Sunday, April 19, 2009
My first 5K race.......
Today (04/19/2009), I ran my first 5K race and was able to complete it in about 29mins 10secs. I had been dreaming about running this race for the last 2-3 years and today is the day my this dream has come true.
The race was in Edina, MN near the Southdale mall. I registered for the race a few weeks and one of my colleagues was also supposed to join me. However, he injured his foot this week and decided to drop out of the race. Supposedly there were other people also in the race from my office but in the sea of people that it was, I could not find anyone.
The day started out by me getting up early and not wanting to get out of bed. After hitting snooze a few times, I finlly woke up, got ready and drove to the mall. The mall is about 15miles or so from my home so I reached there about an hour or so before the starting time. There were pleny of people at it took me quite sometime to get into the parking lot and find a spot. It was drizzling and the temp was around 48F (~9C). After parking the car, I went into the registration area (I had pre-registered) so I just had to pick up my number badge and the electronic tag to measure timing. After picking up the T-shirt, the badge and the electronic tag, I went out, put on the T-shirt, the badge and finally the tag. The tag is attached to the shoes as the electronic timing devices are placed in mats near the start and end of the race.
I searched for my office team but could not find it so about 10 mins before the race I went near the start area. There were hudreds, if not more than a thousand people waiting there. At 09:00am the race started but, since I was way back it took me a few seconds (I am estimating 5-10 secs) to come to the timing mat. I started running as the crowd started thinning out. Note that the crowd thinning was NOT due to people dropping out rather people running at different speeds and some of them just walking. The walkers and slow runners were left behind and we ran. I was cautious so as not to run too fast at the start and exhaust myself so I kept a steady pace. The road was fairly flat with just a little bit of up/down at a couple of places.
The organizers ad posted boards at each mile to help the runners get an idea of the disatnce they ran. I was able to cross the 1mile marker fairly easily. At the 2mile marker, there were water cups and I grabbed one, had a sip and disposed it off (in a trash can). After running another half a mile or so (approx 2.5 miles) I started feeling a little tired. I usually run 2.3-2.4 miles during my practise runs so once crossed that distance I was somewhat tired. I was thinking of completing the remaining distance walking but decided to carry on just a little further. There was a turn in the road after which I could see the finish line about 0.4miles or so away. That breathed new air into me and I decided to run some more distance. I was trying to talk myself up saying that I can do it. I slowed down a little as my aim was not to run very fast but complete the race. For the last tenth of a mile, I picked up a little more speed and crossed the finish line when the display clock indicated 29:15. Since I had started a little late, I am subtracting 5secs to put the actual run time at 29:10. I should get the official time in a couple of days. That works out to 09:24mins a mile which is good for the first race. My goal was just to complete the race (either running or thru a combination of run/walk) and I managed to beat that by completing te race running. That was better than I thought.
I was completely exhausted after the race bt had to return the electronic-tag and then had a cup of hot coffee. Caribou coffee and a few other vendors had arranged for the runners to have snacks and coffee free and that was really helpful (especially considering that it was raining). After a few minutes snacking, i took off and came back home proud. Immediately I jumped online looking for more 5K races next month. I would like to complete more races and build up stamina and if possible, speed.
The race was in Edina, MN near the Southdale mall. I registered for the race a few weeks and one of my colleagues was also supposed to join me. However, he injured his foot this week and decided to drop out of the race. Supposedly there were other people also in the race from my office but in the sea of people that it was, I could not find anyone.
The day started out by me getting up early and not wanting to get out of bed. After hitting snooze a few times, I finlly woke up, got ready and drove to the mall. The mall is about 15miles or so from my home so I reached there about an hour or so before the starting time. There were pleny of people at it took me quite sometime to get into the parking lot and find a spot. It was drizzling and the temp was around 48F (~9C). After parking the car, I went into the registration area (I had pre-registered) so I just had to pick up my number badge and the electronic tag to measure timing. After picking up the T-shirt, the badge and the electronic tag, I went out, put on the T-shirt, the badge and finally the tag. The tag is attached to the shoes as the electronic timing devices are placed in mats near the start and end of the race.
I searched for my office team but could not find it so about 10 mins before the race I went near the start area. There were hudreds, if not more than a thousand people waiting there. At 09:00am the race started but, since I was way back it took me a few seconds (I am estimating 5-10 secs) to come to the timing mat. I started running as the crowd started thinning out. Note that the crowd thinning was NOT due to people dropping out rather people running at different speeds and some of them just walking. The walkers and slow runners were left behind and we ran. I was cautious so as not to run too fast at the start and exhaust myself so I kept a steady pace. The road was fairly flat with just a little bit of up/down at a couple of places.
The organizers ad posted boards at each mile to help the runners get an idea of the disatnce they ran. I was able to cross the 1mile marker fairly easily. At the 2mile marker, there were water cups and I grabbed one, had a sip and disposed it off (in a trash can). After running another half a mile or so (approx 2.5 miles) I started feeling a little tired. I usually run 2.3-2.4 miles during my practise runs so once crossed that distance I was somewhat tired. I was thinking of completing the remaining distance walking but decided to carry on just a little further. There was a turn in the road after which I could see the finish line about 0.4miles or so away. That breathed new air into me and I decided to run some more distance. I was trying to talk myself up saying that I can do it. I slowed down a little as my aim was not to run very fast but complete the race. For the last tenth of a mile, I picked up a little more speed and crossed the finish line when the display clock indicated 29:15. Since I had started a little late, I am subtracting 5secs to put the actual run time at 29:10. I should get the official time in a couple of days. That works out to 09:24mins a mile which is good for the first race. My goal was just to complete the race (either running or thru a combination of run/walk) and I managed to beat that by completing te race running. That was better than I thought.
I was completely exhausted after the race bt had to return the electronic-tag and then had a cup of hot coffee. Caribou coffee and a few other vendors had arranged for the runners to have snacks and coffee free and that was really helpful (especially considering that it was raining). After a few minutes snacking, i took off and came back home proud. Immediately I jumped online looking for more 5K races next month. I would like to complete more races and build up stamina and if possible, speed.
Friday, January 23, 2009
More bino-Messier objects.....
I went out to the Onan observatory on 18th Jan 2009, a moderately cold Saturday evening. I was surprised to find a few members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS) out there. I learnt that they had come to tidy up some equipment and other stuff.
The skies were extremely clear and almost perfect, a 9/10. I used my Celestron Upscale 10X50 binoculars and finally today, I was able to peek at M41, the open cluster in Canis Major. Although easy to find, I was unable to observe this cluster mainly because it used to be too low on the horizon. I was out at the observatory a little late and at 08:12pm, I could make out the cluster. It is a few degrees South of the bright star Sirius. Through binoculars, it appears as a small collection of stars.
Next up was the beautiful Beehive cluster, M44 in Cancer. Most cancer stars are faint to it took some time to locate the exact position initially but soon figured it out. A small group of stars is all that is seen through the binoculars.
Then I moved closer to the meridian, to M34. It is a open cluster in Perseus. Finding this one is easy as it is located very close to the line connecting Almach (Gamma Andromeda) to Algol in Perseus. I moved West to Cygnus for M29, another open cluster. It is located at about 10'O'clock position from Deneb, when Cygnus is setting. Seen as a small patch.
I also looked at M31, the great galaxy in Andromeda. Under these nice skies, the galaxy is clearly visibe to the naked eye. With binoculars, I could clearly make out a fuzzy patch with a white central core and a fainter outer area. I also looked at a number of objects that I observed previously, the three open clusters in Auriga, M36, M37 and M38, the Pleiades (M45) and the Orion Nebula, M42.
The skies started clouding up and I had to abondon my pursuit. I hope to have more objects on my list to get the astro-league Bino-Messier certificate.
The skies were extremely clear and almost perfect, a 9/10. I used my Celestron Upscale 10X50 binoculars and finally today, I was able to peek at M41, the open cluster in Canis Major. Although easy to find, I was unable to observe this cluster mainly because it used to be too low on the horizon. I was out at the observatory a little late and at 08:12pm, I could make out the cluster. It is a few degrees South of the bright star Sirius. Through binoculars, it appears as a small collection of stars.
Next up was the beautiful Beehive cluster, M44 in Cancer. Most cancer stars are faint to it took some time to locate the exact position initially but soon figured it out. A small group of stars is all that is seen through the binoculars.
Then I moved closer to the meridian, to M34. It is a open cluster in Perseus. Finding this one is easy as it is located very close to the line connecting Almach (Gamma Andromeda) to Algol in Perseus. I moved West to Cygnus for M29, another open cluster. It is located at about 10'O'clock position from Deneb, when Cygnus is setting. Seen as a small patch.
I also looked at M31, the great galaxy in Andromeda. Under these nice skies, the galaxy is clearly visibe to the naked eye. With binoculars, I could clearly make out a fuzzy patch with a white central core and a fainter outer area. I also looked at a number of objects that I observed previously, the three open clusters in Auriga, M36, M37 and M38, the Pleiades (M45) and the Orion Nebula, M42.
The skies started clouding up and I had to abondon my pursuit. I hope to have more objects on my list to get the astro-league Bino-Messier certificate.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Continuing the Bino-Messier project....
On another Brrrrr..... cold Minnesota evening, when the temp was about -19F (~ -29C) and when the wind chill was close to -30F (~ -35C), I decided to continue working on the Bino-Messier project. I drove-out to the Onan observatory on 01/14/2009 (Wed) in the evening and looked at a some Messier objects using my Celestron Upclose 10X50 binos. The seeing was wonderful and on this cold winter night, the transparancy was 9/10.
I started with the open cluster in Gemini --- M35. I initially confused this cluster with another open cluster but was soon able to spot the right one using a the S&T pocket star atlas. Once you know the position of this cluster, it is easy to locate and is fairly bright. Gemini was up in the sky in East and this cluster was approx 40-45 degrees in the sky.
I tried looking for M44 which is in Cancer but, Cancer was washed out in the lights of the nearby Young America, MN.
So I moved to the open cluster (some list it as an annuerism) in Cassieopia, the M103. This one was near the meridian and as such at a very awkward angle using the binos. This one sits between the delta-star and the famous double-cluster.
I decided to call it quits after starting to feel the wind-chill. I intend to complete as many Messier's as possible before my trip to India.
I started with the open cluster in Gemini --- M35. I initially confused this cluster with another open cluster but was soon able to spot the right one using a the S&T pocket star atlas. Once you know the position of this cluster, it is easy to locate and is fairly bright. Gemini was up in the sky in East and this cluster was approx 40-45 degrees in the sky.
I tried looking for M44 which is in Cancer but, Cancer was washed out in the lights of the nearby Young America, MN.
So I moved to the open cluster (some list it as an annuerism) in Cassieopia, the M103. This one was near the meridian and as such at a very awkward angle using the binos. This one sits between the delta-star and the famous double-cluster.
I decided to call it quits after starting to feel the wind-chill. I intend to complete as many Messier's as possible before my trip to India.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)