6 May 2016 - Annual Mason State Bank 5K Race

6 May 2016 - Annual Mason State Bank 5K Race

This was my seventh year of the Mason 5K race. My goals this years were (1) to finish the race and (2) to avoid finishing with my worst time ever. Fortunately, I succeeded on both counts, finishing with a better time than in my last two years. Though I didn't train specifically for the 5K race, I have been achieving good totally step counts most days for a long time. I only beat last year's time by 20 seconds, but I still count that as a success. My times for all seven years are displayed to the right.

As with last year, all photos were taken with the iPhone 6 Plus. Carrying my camera wasn't reasonable, but an iPhone in my belt pack wasn't too bad. I used a nasal strip to keep my nose open for good breathing as I did last year, and that really helped. I tried jogging as much as possible to keep my speed up, but as the race progressed jogging became more difficult. The weather conditions where excellent for the race, and I treated myself on the way home by stopping at the Daily Scoop ice cream shop on Jefferson Street. It was a very popular spot and a long wait was necessary. One issue was the High School play. Most of the regular employees of the store are high school students who were in the play.

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My Times

2010 - 41:26
2011 - 39:24
2012 - 41:59
2013 - 41:08
2014 - 45:33
2015 - 43:59
2016 - 43:39

Here I am arriving at the race start line with my wife Anne, who watched me begin the race to support me in my efforts. Also shown is the area with massage tables and the tent providing participants with their starting materials.

Above is the official starting line (already crowded), a poster about the two kids' races, and a play area for kids in front of the courthouse.

A small merry go round for children, a clown face painting station, and participants starting the race.

Here is a selfie just before I crossed the start line, the timing sheet posted shortly after I finished the race (showing my finish time) and a photo of me waiting for my ice cream treat at the Daily Scoop ice cream shop.

Above is a panorama photo showing the crowded 5K race starting area. During the photograph two spectators in the foreground moved creating an interesting artifact. The child on the right in the blue shirt can be seen as a multiple photo as she moved to the right. These hand-held panorama photos frequently have these artifacts. The photos are still very entertaining. The panorama below was taken at a greater distance from in front of the Ingham County Courthouse shortly before the race started.