APSU 5K

     This past weekend, I got the another chance to run a local 5K. Saturday morning was the annual Austin Peay State University Homecoming Scholarship 5K in Clarksville. The race is held in conjunction with football homecoming week and all the proceeds are used to fill cross-country scholarships for APSU students. I am also APSU alumni. I graduated from there in 2008 before I started at Volunteer State Community College. I ran this 5K last year and it was a tough course, featuring several small, but steep hills. My time last year was 22:26, and my goal for this year was to better that.

     Construction on College Street forced a change to the course for this year's race, but it was just as difficult. The start was downhill and flat for the first mile, then we ran onto a hilly road that runs across the backside of campus. We went out and back on this road, giving us 6 climbs, before ending with a long climb up College Street to the finish.

    It was the frosty morning of the year, with the temp around 30 degrees. It made for a scenic drive to the race. The soybean fields were shining silver at dawn. It was a chilly warm-up. I got there late, but registration was quick and left me with enough time for a good warm-up.

     The race was a little bigger this year, with well over 100 runners. There were also more competitive runners there, which made for a fast start. I got a good start position, but the third row still proved to be too far back. I was on the opposite side of the road as the fast guys, and in just a few yards they were already out in front, while I was trapped behind some slower people. This one lady was hogging the road. She had on the batman utility belt with what looked like a gallon of water and enough food to feed every racer there. Geez lady! It's only a 5K!

Campus courtyard where registration and awards took place

Spectators wait for runners to come up the hill

    I was already 10 seconds behind the front few runners at the first turn and struggling to close a few steps on the main group. I stayed 5-7 seconds behind the main pack for the first mile. Then a girl came by and I latched on, hoping to bridge the gap. She just made me hurt more and I had to back off at halfway. I was not feeling good. My legs were not as strong today as they were at the Vol State run and I felt like I was going to eject my breakfast.

     The climbs really hurt me and I faded more as we started back through the hills. I dropped further back from the main group. At mile 2, I was caught by a group of 6 and couldn't even get on the back as they came by. I felt so bad, but tried to keep pushing it all the way to the end. I finished with a time of 21:42, good enough for 27th overall finisher. I took 3rd place in the Male 25-29 division. The overall winner ran a scorching 16:48! I was happy with my time considering how bad I felt. It was still faster than last year on a course that was just as difficult. The sub-20 still eludes me!

From the amount of body paint this runner used, I'm assuming he's a pretty big fan of the Green Lantern