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| Start line. I'm in the tank next to the guy in neon. |
I'd like to call this my first 5k.
I haven't run since 2001 when I did a 5k my senior year of high school after cross country season before track season. That is the last 5k I ran. So I have run 5ks, but not as adult.
So today was my first-ish 5k.
I picked it because it was a trail 5k (I don't run on roads) and it's about time I run a 5k. I run. Everyone asks if I run races. But I don't. So I decided to run one. (I guess I just don't see the point of paying to run when you can run for free.) It was near our town. And it was a fundraiser for the organization my husband did his eagle scout project. Also only $20 with T-shirt, so cheap for a 5k. My husband and I both signed up.
I googled what to do before a race probably 20 times this week. I ate really clean all week. I had my clothes laid out by Wednesday. On Thursday I ran a mile at race pace but generally took the day off (I was tired). On Friday I didn't eat the donuts in the break room, went to yoga after work and packed my bag for the race.
I've been able to run 3.1 miles since February of 2015, so it was probably time to do the race.
I got up good and early the morning of.
• I was ready to go at 7:15 a.m. and Matt was still in the bed.
• We left at 7:33. Matt grumbled that the garage door took 6x to try and close.
• He didn't like the Starbucks drink I got him so we had to stop at a gas station.
• Matt thinks the race starts at 9:30 a.m. It starts at 9 a.m. and we're supposed to be there at 8 a.m. Matt rants about the traffic backup there will likely be.
• At 7:50 a.m. Matt realizes he forgot his watch at home.
• At 8:15 we get there. No traffic backup, traffic is fine. They have our registrations. We walk around stretch. (My size small shirt is way too big!)
• At 8:45 a.m. we line up at the starting line. My heart is racing I try to calm down. (There's a cross country coach who tells her competing team that it's really 3.3 miles. This is an excellent bit of information.)
• 9 a.m. race starts.
I start at the front of the pack. I know there are a ton of slow runners and I'd rather not work my way up through. I start out at 7:30 mile pace. I'm the only woman out front. There's a hill. It slows me down. It's huge and muddy. And there aren't downhills to match the uphills. It's uphills both ways. It's .5 miles in and THIS IS A TOUGH COURSE. It's not flat in the least.
Also, the course is marked—but nowhere does it say .5 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 mile etc. That would have been helpful.
My first mile is 7:56—and perfect considering I was shooting for 8 minute miles. It felt much slower with all of the hills (including a big steep one).
Mile 2. Already I'm dying. I'm slightly dizzy and wondering about not finishing the race. I want to puke. A few high school girls have passed me. No one my age though.
Mile 3. More uphills. I roll my ankle in the trail. I halfway roll it anyway. My ankle goes one way, my body goes 45 degrees to the right. It's a very Gumby like move. My ankles are super strong though, so I'm fine. (I'm wondering if I really roll it, if I can stop running!) I actually start to walk at this point. I see Matt behind me and I really want him to catch me so we can run together. I need the support. He doesn't. I walk again. It's so hot and humid. 83 degrees, humidity probably 93%. This is the worst run I've had in months. (Part of it is mental. I am tougher than this.) I put my watch on distance mode to see how much I have left. It cycles and cycles and can never figure it out so I'm running clueless. There's no one in front of me. I think I took a wrong turn and am running some different part of the course. I see a water stand and figure I'm in the right place.
Finally, my watch chimes that I've travelled 3 miles (which means I've traveled more than 3. It underestimates me by about 10% consistently). The end is no where is sight. I see a building, but it's a false hope. It's still not the end. I run. My legs are lead. When can I walk? I finally see the end. The clock is almost at 30:00.
This is officially the slowest 5k I've run in my life. I try desperately to beat 30, but don't have enough left in my legs. (I shouldn't have walked or waited for Matt). I finish in 30.06.
I shut off my watch without looking at it. I don't want to know.
Then, immediately go to the bathroom. I have to pee.
Matt finishes a minute after me. I grab water and a banana. And generally walk around like I'm lost. I fill in my race card.
They start handing out award for earlier races a 20k and a 10k. I go to congratulate a friend of Matt's family who I work with. She did the 10k. (The 10k started at 8 a.m. and that would have been a better time to run.)
I start to think that I won my age group (despite running the worst race ever). Only the high school girls passed me and that's something! Matt tells me they placed my race card with the men (because I'm a beast. I definitely put it in the women's bin). And for a while I think that I won my age group only because there was no one else. There was—40 places behind me.
We wait around in our sweaty clothes. We watch the leader board carefully.
So I win my age group. And that was my goal for the day.
I get my medal. Matt also wins his age group and gets a medal.
I finished 20th overall. I'm 5th for the women. 4 cross country team members in front of me. In fact, if that cross country team hadn't have run I would have finished 8th overall with only men in front of me. (The cross country runners should have their own division! I did finish in front of more than half of their girls).
We take pictures with our medals. And go to Matt's parents for brunch. I AM STARVING.
And it's Matt's first running medal :) Which is cute. So he's happy we picked a relatively uncompetitive 5k. (The Chilly Dawg that he ran last January had like 500 runners with plenty of women running 18-20 minute 5ks. He said that course was FLAT compared to this beast.)
And when I finally get brave enough to check my splits—And notice that my watch says 3.53 miles for my run.
Splits:
Mile 1: 7:56
Mile: 2: 8:23 (Which is actually decent pace)
Mile 3: Too slow. But under 10.
Mile 4: Not accurate since I stood around at the finish line deliriously
I know the coach had said the race was 3.3 but they apparently added some switch backs to the course this time (Matt noticed a sign changed) and added some length. Everyone Matt talked to said their GPS read 3.5. Even our friend that ran the 10k said the course was not 6.2.
I actually ran my 3 miles in 25:56 according to my apple watch (Which underestimates my speed. It says I run slower than I actually do. I can't get it to calibrate correctly.) So maybe 30 minutes isn't bad for a hilly 3.5? I guess it's not bad for a first race.
And I'm okay with my time.
Until....
Then that evening I get the race email. And it tells me my SLOW AS HECK RACE PACE and links to the timing and race results. Which I'm honestly embarrassed by. But it wasn't a 5k. It was 3.5 miles or 5.5k. So I din't actually run that slow. I wish I could correct it. I delete the email so no one thinks I'm slow.
Review of Crow's Lake 5K course
If anyone is thinking of running the 5k course at Crow's lake—it is difficult. There's a big hill in the first mile. And lot of little hills in it. Expect to run a good minute slower per mile than your road pace. This course is about 3x harder than the Intramural fields at UGA and almost on par with the White Trail at the State Botanical Garden. The course is hard for a cross country course and has lots of places to roll your ankle. NOT a fast course. You will not PR on this course. Part of it is in shade, but not enough to be a cooling factor like some trails.
I'm not sure I'd run this one again. We'll see. I'd say it was well organized. And I would have liked more cheering!
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