HOT! HUMID! That was the Cypress 5K (and 10K). There was a cast of thousands. It was time for all the High School track teams to be out. So, I knew I wouldn’t place first. The race got off to a slow start, because they started the 5K and 10K at the same time (and dogs, walkers, rollerbladers, strollers, and people who generally shouldn’t have been in the front). After fighting my way through the crowd, I was off on the twisty course. The course was VERY flat. The backstretch was boring in that you could see the finish line in the distance, but it never seemed to get any closer. It was even worse for the 10K, because they had to make a right turn about 50 yards from the finish...and run the unshaded course again.
We had been promised split times at each mile, but I heard my time called at mile 1 only (Ed. Note: And miles 4 and 5 were off, because according to them, I ran mile 4 in 4:50, and mile 5 in 11:50!). Thank goodness for the water stops, there were just enough.
My goal was to pass as many “Snail Pace” shorts as possible. I managed to pass at least 6. One guy was upset that I passed him so close to the finish, so he tried to come back, and we battled it in to the end.
I finished in 21:48 (a recent times PR), second only to my rival Judith Fischer (of TRH), who did 21:09. We both felt good about our time, especially because the third place woman was over 3 minutes back. Ed Villalobos (9th, 55-59), and Tracey Johanson (3rd, 35-39) also ran the 5K. And in the 10K, we had a couple of top 3 age group finishers as well in Emmett Rahl and Laura Chaides (see Results).
After the race, we were treated to cookies and popsicles. The longest line was for water, where there was a little old lady trying to fill one cup at a time from one pitcher (being filled with a garden hose). Finally, we stormed the table, laid out a bunch of cups, and did a massive fill-up. After waiting FOREVER for the results, we went over to the Cypress Fair Days and sat through 2 hours of results (they go 13-deep in some age groups, so nearly everybody got a medal.
If you want a flat course and don’t mind putting up with strollers and dogs, and inclement heat, I would recommend this race for next year. The community does a great job.
It was a bright July 4th. Thousands showed up for the 2nd annual Tommy’s 5K. It consisted of two races - HB residents and the Open. I ran the latter. The course took us up and down Main Street (same route as the parade), up a minor hill and two tight turns (on either end). Everyone ran a great time (including Todd Rose’s 18:24), which some suspect that the course was a bit short. I completed the race in 22:14, first in my age group (and 26 seconds better than my last 5K!).
Afterwards, we had our fill of free samples (bars, iced tea, veggie burgers, fruit...), and, of course, the parade. The T-Shirt was disappointing and the goody bag was full of ads (but no freebies). Still, there was a big crowd (actually, they were waiting for the parade), and it was a fun way to spend the Fourth!