Greetings, running friendos! Boy it's been a while. I guess it's not terribly uncommon to have a bit of a funk after a big goal race, so I won't beat myself up too much over it.
I haven't been completely idle; I've run at least a little bit most weeks since the beginning of May but of course not nearly anywhere near the volume I would have liked. A couple of small injuries and some minor illnesses and general life-is-busy stuff, but I'm signed up for a fall and spring half so can't let this space languish too long! More on that later.
For now, a recap...
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| Wore my new rainbow running top anyway! |
This race wasn't on my original plan for the summer, but the race we were holding this weekend free for - the Rainbow Run, which was going to be on the busway and just super cool - never came together. Since we had a free weekend and they have decent raffles (and a pretty decent cookout), we decided to revisit what was my second 5K in 2015. I remembered it being pretty tough (hilly, mix of paved and trail, potential to be hot) and finished in 36:40 two years ago.
It's a pretty low-key race overall. Pretty park setting. We showed up early to have time to use the bathrooms (long lines last time) and had to wait for the bibs to be delivered before we could sign in and get our shirts. They were... small? Smaller than they should be, but at least they were tech tees this year instead of the long-sleeved white(!) cotton shirts from two years ago. I think I gave Mike mine since he's skinnier than I am, but it was too small for him, too!
We had a fair amount of time to blow so we found a cool shady spot and relaxed in the grass (and I ate my banana) until it was time to get started. This race is a part of a series of city races and there were quite a few people sporting shirts from previous years, and plenty of strong runners. Expecting a tough race, I wasn't too worries but since we were using gun time I did try to position myself at least a little bit closer to the front!
The starting pistol didn't work, so with a reset of the timing system and finally a "Go!" we were off. The half of this course is ALL downhill, with the paved section making up the first half mile especially so. I realize that I'm going way too fast because a) I'm keeping up with the biggest part of the pack and b) when the course starts to level out it feels hard, there's that much of a difference. So I wondered how soon I would be in trouble, but figured what the heck. This is a fun race, no shame in pushing as hard as I can as long as I can and then using what's left to bring it in.
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| Behold Mike's magnificent rainbow unicorn glitter tattoo |
First mile is done in 9:43 according to my watch. I remind myself that what goes up must come down. Second mile meanders around the trails of Schenley Park and is overall pretty pleasant. I'm not getting passed by nearly as many people as I remember doing so last time and mostly play leapfrog with a little girl who's run/walking at about the same pace as I'm straight up running. I skip the water station and hit the midpoint to begin the climb back to the start/finish. Second mile, 10:43. This is where I remember the course getting especially tough the first time I did it, because the sun came out and it's all uphill. That lovely steep downhill at the start comes right back in your face, in reverse. I manage to hold on and even pass a couple people on the uphill, and find a kick for the last 50 yards or so! Last mile (and change) - 11:18. I'll take it! Final time: 32:04.
This race is one that offers a "heavyweight" division, which for women is usually a paltry 140 or something like that. If I was at goal weight, I would be under it but could probably squeak over with a big breakfast and a couple gulps of water. I am not tall - for tall ladies, I feel like this is a no-brainer! And in this case, they don't even weigh you, and there are prizes, so as usual when it's offered, I generally sign myself up! No shame here, nope! So I was hopeful that I might squeeze something out, but unfortunately they only award the top male and female in heavyweight; one lady finished in front of me (at 29:43!) so while I got second in the division, no extra medal for me. Oh well!
The raffle was similarly fruitless, but we did eat some good hot dogs and hamburgers, so the event wasn't a total wash, and we spent a fair amount of time chatting about how it felt a lot less hard than the last time we did it. An improvement of almost five minutes for me was a definite personal win, anyway. And Mike set a new PR of 23:35, which was very exciting (his division was competitive enough that it was good enough for fourth, one spot away from a medal).
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