Run Auckland Race 5 2009 Western Springs
I did my first 5K race in a year on Sunday. It was race 5 of the Run Auckland series (I missed race 4 as I was doing the Christchurch marathon) and it was held at Western Springs Park.
My wife was doing it with me which was great so we headed off at about 7:30 AM and boy was it freezing! The temperature was about 4 or so degrees Centigrade when we left which is not particularly cold compared to some parts but it was plenty cold enough for us!
We got there bright and early and then had ample opportunity to stand around and freeze a bit. To be honest it wasn’t that bad if you were in the sun but as soon as you went into any shadows the perceived temperature plumetted.
Last year the race was extremely wet but this year it was nice and dry. The cold temperature was actually rather good was we started running and fortunately there was no wind to speak of so conditions were actually perfect for running.
The 5Kers started about ten minutes after the 10Kers and to be honest I found the first K rather hard going. Most of it was up a longish hill and I’ve never been too found of longish uphills! I know that by the time I got to the top of the hill I was thinking that maybe I should just wait for my wife and have a nice run with her but I knew I had to write my race report so I didn’t want to do that!
At the end of the 2nd K I was starting to go faster but still wasn’t feeling my best. I remember asking myself if I had really run a marathon 3 weeks ago as I was struggling to run 2ks! By the end of the 3rd K I was starting to enjoy myself a bit more and by the end of the 4th K I was thinking it was a pity I hadn’t entered the 10K! My last K was definitely my fastest of the day as I was really starting to find my stride by then. I did a sprint finish for the last 100 m or so as the 10K finishers were just coming in and they inspired me to try and go fast. I finished just behind the 3rd place man so I think some folks thought I finished 4th in the 10K! 
I finished in 26:12 which is not anywhere near my PR in the 5K but it did beat my last 5K time by a good minute and 25 seconds so I’ll quite happily take it.
I’m having trouble getting my data off my Garmin for some reason. It’s not playing nicely with Windows 7 so I’ve had to resort to my map from last year. Just ignore the time. 
Overall it was a fun outing once it was over! That seems to be the way it is for me with the shorter runs. I much prefer the longer distances to be honest.
Comments
8 Responses to “Run Auckland Race 5 2009 Western Springs”
Daily Mile
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RoadID
“I much prefer the longer distances to be honest” – That sounds like a true marathoner talking.
WOW! What a difference Andrew. My story is similar – over 400lbs at my heaviest and am down to around 295 lbs but ideal weight is around 200 lb mark so still a ways to go. Good to see well developed blogs by men sharing their stories and challenges!
Regards,
Mohamed
I have a 5K race on Sunday coming up too. Not too sure how I’m going to go either. Well done!
Good stuff. I reckon the downhil section on that course was worse!
As they say running doesn’t stuff you its running fast that does (and short distances are bad for that)
I cannot recall the last time I did 5K. I am too terrified of doing the 5K since I am addicted to long distance running. I think 5K are too long.
Twitter: seetedrun
Yep! I’m horribly slow going downhill for some reason.
Twitter: AndrewENZ
Damn straight!
Twitter: AndrewENZ
Nice race! I’ve never run a marathon, but I do find it takes a few weeks to fully recover from a race. I think doing some short easy runs the week after a race to help with that. Seems like you hit your stride and recovered towards the end of this race. Congrats!