OWL-DRAGON

Races

If you have come here knowing about racing let me know what you think of my analysis.

I'm writing this as if the reader knows nothing about road racing.

You have probably seen them running through your community. Haverford is especially runner rich – there’s hardly a place or time of day you won’t see someone out for a run. Some, perhaps, most are just getting in some aerobic exercise (more on aerobic vs. anaerobic in a future post). But some are preparing for a future race. There are the most common distances:

K = kilometers

5K (3.1 miles), 10K, half-marathon (13.1 miles), marathon (26.2)

(I thought a cool vanity plate would be 5101326)

You may also see 8K, 15K, 20K, 10 miles and more the popular 5 miles.

I’ll leave the marathon for a future discussion.

5K is probably the most popular distance for road races. On a least two runner discussion groups I have seen threads that bemoan the disappearance of the longer distances especially 5 miles and 10Ks. Part of this is due to the difficulty of setting up the longer distances (more road closures and more marshals mean more costs). But part is the perception that 5K rules as the preferred distance.

Personally I like the longer distance. When I first starting racing, an older runner told me that he preferred the longer distance. At the time I thought he was crazy – 5K seemed impossibly long, but now I understand. A 5K is a hard run where you are gearing up to run at your max for 3.1 miles. It feels hard the whole time. It is strictly anaerobic.

This is quote from a fitness site that captures the 5K: Caution: Exercise performed at more than 85% of your maximum heart rate is classified as anaerobic and is more likely to cause injury compared with aerobic exercise.

Yikes! But that is exactly the feeling 5K gives. But apparently most people like the fact that it will be over quickly.

A 10K is also anaerobic and in fact gives you your lactate threshold.

The half marathon is a favorite distance for runners since it tests your long distance ability but doesn’t beat you up like the marathon. It’s a good distance to try if you are planning a marathon. Because it takes a great deal of organization, halfs (halves?) are as rare as marathons. (Some marathons like this year’s Baltimore include a half.) This area has two great half-marathons Caesar Rodney (Wilmington, DE) and the
Philadelphia Distance Run .