Speed and Location

While I was in Jacksonville last weekend the g/f's friend was supposed to run a 5k on the beach. I wanted to but decided against it since it was the day before the Oly and was worried about sore calves from the sand. The girl (L) we were visiting had a friend (C) still running the race and we went down to watch and hang out on the beach.

C ended up winning the race in around 22 minutes. Not to belittle her accomplishment but, I was amazed that 22 minutes was fast enough to win the race. Granted it is a small race on the beach and they had an old school timer but, you'd figure someone would break 20 minutes. I suppose the running scene in Jacksonville isn't as big as it is in DC or St. Louis. 

In DC it seemed like a sub 17 5k was needed to win if you're a guy and sub 18 if you're a girl. In a 5k in DC I finished 383 out of 941 (40%) and in a 5k in St. Louis it was 643 out of 2550 (25%). I'm definitely faster in St. Louis than I am in DC. Looking at the Jacksonville Half-Marathon/5k results, the Women's winning time in the 5k was just over 20 minutes. Maybe it's because of the size of the race and the fact that it's on a beach. However, Jacksonville is a large city and it's relatively warm all year so you'd think there would be more runners. 

I guess I just got used to seeing fast times in DC with all the Type A personalities there. Regardless, the g/f and I are going to attempt to disappoint some people in a 5k in Jacksonville next year. I think I can probably knock 4 minutes off my 5k...if I can lose about 40 pounds. 

Edit 4/24: It should be noted that the sand on the beach is very firm. Everyone was riding beach cruisers and mountain bikes on the beach. I was tempted to take my TT bike on it and see how it did.