Keep Austin Weird 5K
It was hot, too hot to be running on Saturday at the
Keep Austin Weird 5K. The temperature was 103 degrees and the heat index was at 108 degrees. Not only that, we had to wait 20
minutes or so before the start while APD cleared Congress Ave. of traffic.
KAW5K organizers said they were going to cap the registration at 6,000. I don't think 6,000 made it out in the heat but I did see a few numbers around 5,300 so maybe it was a good turn out. Aug. 28 - The
Austin American Statesman reported 3,500 runners.
The 78704 neighborhoods came out with their sprinklers and hosed everyone off during the race. Quite a nice gesture on their part. Businesses on Congress brought out cases of water and handed them out. Whole Foods donated more bananas than are in South America and there was plenty of cold water to go around.
I felt better during this race, compared to the one last month. No cramps or should pain and my pre-race ingestion of M&Ms , orange juice and honey seemed to work. It didn't upset my stomach. I carried an electrolite drink with me and only needed a little when my mouth got parched.
The race started uphill and continued that way until the mid-way mark. The second of the race was mostly downhill. Given the heat I didn't push it and backed off to a 10-minute mile pace. Some people were running like it was 60 degrees outside. I saw a couple in the South West Emergency Action Team (SWEAT) tent afterwards.
Race Results
Age Group
Place Name Age Overall Chip Time Gun Time Diff Pace
31 Tony Mook 43 244 31:56.65 32:55.95 00:59.30 10:14/M
Milago Margarita Run 5K - Aug. 4, 2005
I finished somewhere between the Kenyans and the wheelchairs. Fifteenth in my age group, which for one month of training is acceptable.
| Place | Name | City | Age | Over all | Chip Time | Gun Time | Diff | Pace |
| 15 | Tony Mook | Austin | 43 | 146 | 28:49.0 | 30:06.5 | 1:17.5 | 9:14/M |
complete results
I had recently trained for a 9:15 pace and seemed to average out to that exact pace. However, it seemed like my first mile was dodging strollers and walkers as I started at the end of the pack. It took me one minute, 17 seconds to reach the starting line. I didn't get to an open area to run until right before the half-way point. Next time I think I'll start in front of the strollers.
Another mistake was taking water at mile one. I hadn't trained taking in water during the 5K run and for some reason decided to grab a glass. It was difficult to get down, It was warm water and eventually made my right ribs cramp. The cramps stayed until mile three.
Working through the cramps my shoulders tightened up and that caused some discomfort through the second part of the race.
Other things worked good. My MP3 player with new headphones worked flawlessly. The new band made it easy to get to, start and stop. I relaced my new shoes and the lacing provided additional comfort to the tops of my feet.
Icing my knees after the race seemed to help as today, I can't tell that I had run last night compared to other days. My legs felt good throughout the race, even on asphalt.
I don't know where I got the gummy bear tip but that one didn't work. They made my lips very sticky and it didn't produce saliva like I thought it would.
It was hot, too hot to be running on Saturday at the Keep Austin Weird 5K. The temperature was 103 degrees and the heat index was at 108 degrees. Not only that, we had to wait 20
