Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series Race #2; Race Report #7

     On Tuesday, June 20, we drove down to Bakersfield for the second race in the Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series. Since the weather forecast was for hot temperatures, I had hit Home Depot and bought both Robin and myself Enduracool hats and a new Enduracool neck wrap for Robin as well. The weather forecast turned out to be true as the temperature was 108 degrees at the start according to my Garmin app. We both made sure to hydrate extremely well all day long to prevent any medical issues from popping up, I know I did a good job as I had to use the toilet twice before the start of the race. I also froze our handheld water bottles we carry when we run about one-third full, laying on their side, so the cold bottle would be against our hands as we ran the race. When we arrived we found Trevor and Andrea already there, so I parked, changed my shoes, shirt, and shorts, and put on my bib number and custom Depends.
     I did manage about a mile and a half total warm-up before the race, and I felt pretty good despite the heat. As seven o'clock came up, we all gathered near the start line. Everyone was talking about running slower because of the heat, and the announcer kept reminding everyone to hydrate, carry water, and walk if you needed to. Robin was the first to take off, followed by Andrea, myself, then Trevor followed by all the fast runners. I felt that I had run the first race a little easy since I didn't know the course yet, so I went out faster on the downhill first mile this time. With the high temperatures, I was sipping and pouring water on myself starting at about a quarter mile into the race. It wasn't long before I passed Andrea, gave a wave, and was zeroing in on Robin. I went through the first mile in 6:48, and felt good. The heat didn't seem to be playing a factor, but I didn't want to push my luck, so I went to easy mode when I got to the hill. The water bottle was awesome. It felt great to be able to pour water onto my neck and head. The Enduracool products seemed to really help. My second mile, with the hill, was 7:15. The track club did an outstanding job placing five water stations along the course, one of which we ran by twice to make a total of six opportunities for water in a 3-mile race. this was in addition to the water and misters that were at the start-finish area. Most 5k runs provide one water station along the course if that. I continued along to the finish and got passed by a few of the faster runners that had started behind me. I finished the race in 22:05 which was about 35 seconds faster than the first race, and in 108-degree temperatures. I hung around and watched Shane, Joe, and Carl finish refilled my handheld water bottle and set off to find Robin and pace her back to the finish.

My Garmin screenshot from the Bakersfield Summer Series Race #2

     As I ran down the first hill, I stopped and chatted with some photographers and asked about using their pictures on this blog, which they said would be fine. Of course, I haven't been able to find them online yet. Soon enough I found Robin and Trevor running together, so I went back a little further to Andrea and paced her into the finish. 

Screenshot of the finish results showing our real times plus our handicap based on age.

     We all stood around and talked about the race, I was looking for someone from McFarland to ask about the upcoming Jim White Invitational. Naturally, I couldn't find him after the race. Everyone was talking about a runner that had a medical issue during the race. We changed into dry shirts and headed to Ethel's Old Corral Cafe for some food and cold adult beverages. 

My sandwich, salad, and beer at Ethel's after the race.

     Ethel's was a classic vintage roadhouse. I had never stopped in there in all my years of driving by. The food was great, service quick, and, most important when it's over 100, the beer was ice cold. It was definitely a welcome respite from the heat and sweat only an hour earlier.

     

     On a side note, I am sad to say that I found out the next morning that the runner who had the medical issue did not make it, and passed away at the hospital. My condolences go out to his family and friends in this tough time. I will touch more on this issue in a future blog post.