09-05-2026 Grape Day 5k

Slept okay, had quite vivid dreams throughout the night. Woke up around 5:00 and laid around in bed until 6:00. Then I got up and got ready for the Grape Day 5k. Ate a banana and drank some water but didn't eat a big breakfast. I made sure I had the necessary items to take loaded on my scooter. I left a little before 7:00 and, after navigated around some blocked roads, was able to find a spot pretty close to the start. It was a very cool, not quite chilly ride over the bridge and into Escondido. I got to Grape Day Park and did some stretches to loosen my legs up. Then I met Caleb and chatted with him until it was time to line up. I got in the 6-8 min/mi group, and we were eventually able to move up to the start. The national anthem singer was not good, we were off right around 8:00. I started fast, pulled along by other fast runners. I think they shortened the course on Grand Ave, so it wasn't a full 5k. Nick agreed at the end of the race. Ran a sub-7 minute first mile and then put in a big effort on the second mile, which had some significant little climbs that really hurt. Came down 5th Ave after the climbs and didn't have a lot left. The rest of the course was flat, and I could see a couple of older runners ahead of me. I caught and passed one but didn't have enough of a push to catch the second one (he finished second in my age group). Tried to stretch it out on the last mile with only limited success. According to the time keepers I finished in 21:05, and I think the course was about 3 miles. So I averaged a little over 7 min/mi, which was my target pace. Felt pretty good about that, didn't know if it would be enough to place in my age group. I cooled down for a bit, had some chocolate milk, a granola bar, and an orange segment, then I saw Nick cross the finish line. I congratulated him, then we stood around until Caleb came across the line. Not too long after that they announced the people who placed in their age groups. My group was the fourth last to be announced, and I was happy with the third place finish. Another guy in my age group finished a second slower than me, so I just made it on the podium. Overall I placed 33rd out of 662 male runners, also a nice accomplishment.

Avg pace = 7:09/mi (Zepp)

Total distance = 2.97 mi

Elapsed moving time = 21:17 (official race time was 21:05)

Avg heartrate = 148 bpm (Zepp)

Relative Effort = 28

https://www.strava.com/activities/20048810159

After the race I rode over to Grand Ave and met Nick and Caleb at Burger Bench for brunch. In hindsight, this wasn't the best restaurant choice, it was jam-packed with runners. We waited a long time to place our order, then waited an even longer time for our breakfast burritos to arrive. They were decent enough, nothing special. We chatted about F1, the church's upcoming anniversary, our Houston trip, and some Escondido history from Nick (he grew up in this town). It was pleasant conversation for the most part. After the meal I rode home, temperature was ideal for riding on a scooter. Got home, Ann was still out, so I ate a little more and watched some TV. In the afternoon I rested but avoided taking a nap, was still energized from the morning run. I put my aero bars back on my Fuji bike, it went much more quickly than in times past. Caught up on blogging and watched some TV before we drove up in the late afternoon to Barona for a Native American celebration. The event was at the Barona Sports Complex, which is separate from the casino. It was hot when we got there but cooling down, we walked around the large number of booths selling mostly Native American arts and crafts. Then we went back to the car to get our camp chairs and set them up to watch the dancing. We got some food and ate it before the dances started, ended up moving our chairs to get a better view. We watched a number of gourd dances, which involved drumming, chanting, and stepping around the arena in time with the rhythm. There were some long-winded speakers interspersed with the dances that we had to listen to as well. Then there were some small drum and chanting circles that got brief spotlights before the big Native American procession in costume, which was quite impressive. There were some smaller processions around the arena after that, and we decided to leave around this point. Google Maps had us going back through Ramona, and the section of Wildcat Canyon Rd leading back to Ramona was winding and unlit, not easy to navigate in the dark. I made it, although there was a car tailgating me the entire time down to San Vicente Rd. We turned left there, let the car pass us, and then drove down to Warnock Rd, turning left and following it to Dye Rd and then to Highland Valley Rd. I don't know if I've ever gone down this road in the dark, but it helped to have ridden it many times, so I knew where the sharp curves were, for the most part. Home the normal way from there, arriving a little before 10:00. It had been a long day, and it wasn't long before I was in bed and asleep.