Cavalier 5k

With nervousness and trepidation ---guess it's been too long since I raced! --- I made it out the door and over to the start line of my little 5k race today. Not as nice a morniing as yesterday when it was warm and sunny. Today it was still quite warm, temps in the 50s, but it was overcast, a bit windy, and there were occasional showers.

This race is a benefit for a local Catholic high school. This is just the second year for the race. The course is set up on a bike trail at a municipal airport about 3 miles from my house. This has become a popular staging area for small races, as it offers several organizational advantages --- no need to close any streets to traffic, a shelter area for registration/awards with indoor bathrooms, and plenty of parking. A crowd bigger than about 250 people might be too much, though, for the narrow bike trail to accomodate easily. Today there were about 150 runners, maybe another 50 walkers.

My goal today was just to get a data point on my current speed or lack thereof. I was hoping for a time in the 25s, but it's been so long since I've raced a 5k that I really didn't know what would happen.

Part of my nervousness was due to my fear that Creepy Guy might show up. I tried to dismiss this issue, telling myself not to let him spoil my fun. The rest of the nervousness was due to how fat I am, how slow I am, and my fear of injury and/or embarrassment.

Left the house around 8 am for the 9 am start. A small group had already gathered in the tennis center where they had set up registration. Race t-shirt is a very Irish kelly green cotton. I've stopped buying these now for all but the most special races but this time it was included in the registration fee. Returned to my car to read a few pages of "Marathon & Beyond" until it was time for my warmup. As I sat down in my car it started raining heavily. Bummer. I hoped it would let up before my warmup, and for the race start.

By about 8:40, the rain had in fact lessened. I put on the lightweight nylon anorak I had brought along and went out for my 11 minute warmup jog. About halfway into it, I thought I saw Creepy Guy running back along the path. Bummer. Anyway, couldn't be sure, and WAS NOT GOING TO LET HIM SPOIL MY FUN.

Returned to the car for a stretch and a sip of water, and then it was time to line up at the start. Saw one fast looking woman who could be in my age group but nobody else familiar. Tried to avoid looking for Creepy Guy. Took off the anorak and tied it around my waist. I was careful to line up in a spot where I would neither get run over nor have to run around a lot of people, as I knew the course would narrow fairly quickly. For this race, it meant behind the fast young guys and right behind the possibly fast young girls, but in front of most of the other middle-aged women and men.

We made a short loop of the parking area, and then hit the bike trail. After about a quarter mile, I started passing people, more people than I'm used to, but I didn't have to run around them so I think I positioned myself just right. After about a half mile, passed one tall, fit looking woman wearing an Ipod, who could have been my age (turns out she was). Got passed around the first mile marker by a young woman and a man who ultimately finished just ahead of me. Saw "tan guy who usually runs shirtless and shouldn't" (today, he was wearing a singlet) but I couldn't quite catch him today.

Hit mile one in 8:13, quite a bit slower than I had hoped. So, no wonder those half-mile repeats at 8:00 minute pace have felt so difficult! Then it started raining and the wind picked up. We were running into the wind, but at least I could look forward to the wind at my back for the second half. And although the trail is fairly flat, I think there is a slight uphill grade going out so it would be easier coming back.

Approaching the turnaround, I tried to count the woman who were ahead of me. I counted five, but I must have missed a couple because I ended up as eighth woman overall, and wasn't passed by any other women after the first mile. Did not stop for water, which is rare for me. Even in a 5k, I usually have to slow down and get a drink.

Mile 2 time was 8:21. Geez, a time in the 25s wasn't looking too good. But I was happy that I was out there running and beginning to get the endorphin rush that comes with a hard workout.

I was breathing hard, a lot louder than usual I think. I'm sure the people around me were nicknaming me "heavy breathing fat lady." There were two guys just ahead of me and although I must have sounded like I was going to die, I still felt like they were going a little too slow for me. But I didn't want to pass them and then find out I was wrong. And it was tough to get around them on the narrow bike trail with other runners and walkers still approaching us from the opposite direction. I did finally pass them, and they passed me again about a minute later. But, not too long after that, one of them had to stop to walk and they fell behind. I heard the one guy apologizing to the other guy for not being able to keep up the pace. So I was too fast for them after all. Haha!

I passed a couple more people in the last mile, but no other woman to make it a real race. Just wanted to get it done. Mile 3 time was 8:07, but I didn't look at my watch until later. Managed 49 seconds for the last .1, again no need to bust a gut with no competition at that point.

Post-race I immediately put that anorak back on and after a short walk, decided to go for a one mile cool down run. This was a first for me, as usually I just stretch a bit. But since I had decided to hang around for the awards, it seemed like a good way to keep warm and kill time. This little jog felt really good and I think I am going to make this a permanent part of my post-race routine.

I finished my jog and headed to the car for a bit, as it had now begun raining harder again. Debated how long to stay in the car, and whether I really wanted to stay for the awards, in case it really was Creepy Guy I had seen. Thinking that it would be good if it really was Creepy Guy because now I would know for sure I could do a race and he would not bother me.

I took off the anorak, put on a dry shirt, grabbed an umbrella and headed over to where I thought the awards would take place. Turns out I just missed them. By the time I found the right location ---back by the registration area, duh --- they were finished. Saw possible Creepy Guy just departing.

Back home, I have discovered from the results that I finished out of the hardware anyway, so it was just as well I missed the awards. Because how embarrassing is that, when you hang around, cheer for everyone else, and don't hear your name called? My final time of 25:29 put me 2 of 9 in my age group (award only went to age group winner), 8 of 56 woman runners (8 of 117 woman runners and walkers) and 50 of 150 overall. And...that wasn't Creepy Guy I saw after all. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Anyway, it's a good thing I did the race, as it would have been really sad to take yesterday off when it was so lovely out, and then skip this race to avoid an encounter with Creepy Guy.