D7 Racing
Trinidad Baltzell
In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goal.
A race may be run continuously to finish or may be made up of several segments called heats, stages or legs. A heat is usually run over the same course at different times. A stage is a shorter section of a much longer course or a time trial.
The word race comes from a Norse word.[1] This Norse word arrived in France during the invading of Normandy and gave the word raz which means "swift water" in Brittany, as in a mill race; it can be found in "Pointe du Raz" (the most western point of France, in Brittany), and "raz-de-mare" (tsunami). The word race to mean a "contest of speed" was first recorded in the 1510s.[2]
Running a distance is the most basic form of racing, but races may also be done by climbing, swimming, walking, or other types of human locomotion. Races may be conducted with animals such as camels, dogs, horses, pigeons, pigs, snails, or turtles. They also may be done in vehicles such as aircraft, bicycles, boats, cars, or motorcycles; or with another means of transport such as skates, skateboards, skis, sleds, snowboards, or wheelchair. In a relay race members of a team take turns in racing parts of a circuit or performing a certain racing form.
In track and field, distances from 1500 metres upwards often feature sprint finishes. They can also be found in cross country and road running events, even up to the marathon distance. A runner's ability to sprint at the end of a race is also known as their finishing kick.[5] Multisport races, such as the triathlon, often have running as the final section and sprint finish tactics are applied as they are in running-only events.[6]
In cycling, sprint finishes are an integral part of the sport and are used in both track cycling and road cycling. Cycling sprints are often highly tactical, particularly on the track, with cyclists occasionally coming to a near halt at points before reaching a high speed finish.[7] The longer track races such as scratch races often feature sprint finishes, as maintaining a steady pace within the peloton allows opponents to conserve energy through drafting.[8][clarification needed] Road races are similar in this respect, in both short criterium races and long-distance races. Sprint tactics also form a major part of points classifications in road events, where cycling sprinters specialise in reaching an intermediate point first, thus gaining extra points and resulting prizes.[9][10]
Sprint finish tactics are also used in speedskating, cross-country skiing, long-distance swimming,[11] horse racing and other animal racing sports.[12][13] The finishes of races which are outright sprinting events in themselves, such as the 100 metres track race, are not normally referred to as sprint finishes, as all competitors are already sprinting by default (thus it is not a racing tactic).
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The mission of the Maryland Racing Commission is to regulate pari-mutuel betting in Maryland through the implementation and enforcement of policies, and to safeguard the participants in racing, as well as the betting public. The Commission oversees and regulates both the harness and thoroughbred horse racing industry in Maryland. This includes Maryland's seven off-track betting sites. Maryland is also the proud host of the Preakness, the second jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
All of the participants, from the track itself to the jockeys to the concessionaires who provide the food and drink at the racetrack, are licensed by the Maryland Racing Commission. The Commission ensures proper distribution of wagering dollars and regularly reviews the financial statements of the racing associations. The Maryland Racing Commission also maintains its own lab to test for drugs in horses to maintain the integrity of the sport. All of these measures protect and perpetuate first class horse racing in Maryland. E-mail Maryland Racing Commission for more information.
La Comisin de carreras de caballos de Maryland supervise y regula la industria relacionada a las carreras de caballos, incluyendo los caballos con arreos y los caballos de pura sangre. Esta Comisin incluye los dos sitios fuera de las carreras. Tambin, Maryland es el anfitrin orgulloso del Preakness, la segunda joya de la Corona Triple de carreras de caballos de pura sangre.
Todos los participantes, desde la carrera a los jinetes y los concesionarios que provean los alimentos y las bebidas obtienen sus licencias de la Comisin de Carreras de Caballos de Maryland. La Comisin asegura la correcta distribucin del dinero de las apuestas y examina peridicamente los estados financieros de las asociaciones de carreras. Para mantener la integridad del deporte, la Comisin de carreras de caballos tambin mantiene su propio laboratorio para realizar las pruebas de drogas en los caballos. Todas estas medidas protegen y perpetan las carreras de caballos de primera clase en Maryland.
This morning I ran my 11th Firecracker 5K. I started running this race in 2010 when it first launched, and have run it most years since, with a few exceptions for injury and illness. I even ran the virtual race in 2020! The first time I ran this race back in 2010 my time was 23:21. Since then, I have gotten significantly faster.
This year, the time to beat was 20:57 from 2022. Before today's race, I went back and read my race report so I would know what mile splits I needed to beat. 6:40, 6:28, 6:44. It seemed perfectly doable to beat these splits given my recent track workouts. But I run my workouts at around 6:00am in the summer, before it gets too hot. This race started at 8:00am.
Before the Race
I felt really confident going into this race. I slept really well the night before the race and didn't wake up in the middle of the night like I have been doing recently. The last time I ran a 5K, I ran it on several nights in a row of horrible sleep, so at least I had that going for me today.
We arrived at 7:05 and my first order of business was to find a bathroom. I had already picked up my bib a few days before, so I didn't have to worry about that. I always try and get my bib before race day if possible because it's one less thing I have to worry about on race morning. I can simply get there and start warming up right away.
I saw my friend Laura at 7:30, which was right when I wanted to start my warmup. We ran about a mile and half together and then I took my Maurten caffeinated gel 15 minutes before race start. I drank a few sips of water and splashed water all over my back and chest. I ran a few fast strides and then headed for the start line. At the start, I chatted with a few other runners, some of whom I knew from Instagram.
Race Weather
It was 77 degrees at race start with a dew point of 67 degrees. About 50% cloud cover. I debated not wearing sunglasses but ultimately I decided I wanted them. Even though the relative humidity wasn't nearly as high as it could have been, it still felt quite humid. I would give this a 2 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. 77 is a really high race temperature, but the 67 dew point saves it from being a 1. I was certainly at a disadvantage from the 71 degrees and even lower dew point from the 2022 race. As a tease, it was about 15 degrees LOWER than normal on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
Mile 1: 6:27
My plan was to run this mile around 6:35, but with 5K races, I usually run purely based on effort so the goal pace is more of just an informational benchmark. It felt like the right amount of effort. Hard - but sustainable for 20 minutes. When my watch beeped and I saw my time, I hoped I hadn't gone out too fast, but my body was telling me it was the right effort. During this mile, I repeated one of my favorite mantras in my head: "Relax and push forward".