The race is a benefit for an organization called Working in Neighborhoods. The mission of the organization is to "harness the power of neighborhood leadership to build strong communities." What that means, apparently, is promoting home ownership, hence the name of the race---"Run for the American Dream." WIN provides assistance to first time home buyers through education, financial counseling, and downpayment assistance programs.
The race is held in Winton Woods Park, a 2500 acre park on the west side of Cincinnati. The course is composed entirely of a paved walking path. There's a 5k run and separate walk, 10k run, kids fun run, and this year, an Easter Egg Hunt (including an appearance by the Easter Bunny). For the 10k, you repeat the same course twice.
This is a tiny little race with relatively large and generous trophies. They give out big ones for the top three overall men and women in each of the events, plus medals to the age group winners in ten-year categories. Ordinarily I avoid those races with the ten-year splits but this is such a small race, so I make an exception. And the first year I ran it, I won a big trophy for third overall in the 10k. Last time I was slower and just won the age group.
I seemed to recall that they had slightly better than usual food at this one (unfortunately I did not remember correctly or it has changed), and the t-shirt is included in your entry fee.
This race was going to be the kick off for my spring 10k training program, in which I am going to try to get a little faster at that distance. My time in this race tells me where I am starting from.
I wanted to leave the house at 8 am on Saturday morning, but I was running a little late, trying to finish up that second cup of coffee, and when I got in the car, I realized I did not remember how to get to the park. I have not been there very many times, and the last time was for this race two years ago. My new friend, "Siri," was no help in this regard, as she was only able to suggest 11 parking lots near my house when I asked her for directions to Winton Woods Park.
Siri really is good for finding coffee shops and that is about it.
My old friend, "Garmina," had even more trouble than Siri. She got stuck in a loop and could not come up with anything. Maybe she is intimidated by Siri? She needn't be.
So I had to go back in the house and ask Tommy. The directions he gave me did not sound correct. So I went online and found an actual street address for the entrance closest to the race. That was enough for Garmina to get started, although I did have to ignore some of her advice.
By that point it was 8:15, and it's a 20 minute drive. This is a tad bit later than I like to leave for a race.
When I arrived, there was some confusion among the volunteers about where to park. I was directed into the lot across the street from the start/finish area, before realizing that I might be better off looking for a spot closer. So that cost me another five minutes. But I did get one of the last spots in the lot right by the start. I didn't have this year's park pass yet but there was nobody around to buy it from so I decided not to sweat it.
I got my shirt and bib and chip, and by the time I got my number pinned on and my chip attached to my shoe (yes, they have chip timing at this itty bitty race, which seems silly but probably does make it easier for the race director), I did not have enough time for my usual ten minute warmup. And I didn't have enough time to visit the bathroom, either. I had to choose, short warmup or bathroom. I felt okay, so I chose the warmup. Barely had enough time to get a half-mile in, jogging around the parking lot. It would have to do.
The 5k and 10k runs start together, and there's no way to tell from looking at people which race they are doing. It was written in black Sharpie on the front of our bibs but you had to look at someone from the front to see it. There were a couple of women who looked pretty fast. Tall, skinny, young woman. Shorter, athletically built woman in compression socks, also relatively young. Tall, skinny, youngish blonde woman in sunglasses. Little girl, looked to be about 12.
And at the start, there was a relatively fit woman in black just ahead of me.
It took me just a couple of seconds to get over the starting line. I almost ran into the dividers they have sticking up on the path to prevent cars from driving on it, because the people just ahead of me were blocking my view when we started running.
The woman in black was a little bit ahead. I could have run fast enough to keep up with her---if I was only going 5k. I wondered which race she was doing and if maybe she would come back to me.
The race course is a little bit confusing, because you cross the same point multiple times even if you are only doing the 5k. Fortunately they had volunteers at every point where you had to make a choice, so even I did not get lost.
Hit the first mile in 8:03. Maybe a little fast but we were only going 10k so I wasn't too concerned. There was an aid station near the two mile mark so I grabbed a cup of water and walked a few steps. Mile 2 was 8:29. Near the end of the third mile, I could see some of the faster 10k runners coming back towards me on their second lap. I counted at least three women, and I knew there may have been more even faster who passed by before I came through. Mile 3 was an 8:40. I guess I really am that slow, after all.
It was really hard to make that turn back out onto the course again. I did not see the woman in black so I guessed she must have been running the 5k. Mile 4 was an 8:34. Mile 5 was an 8:50 and I skipped the water stop this time. It was kind of empty out there the second time around, and I didn't have anybody to try to race against, so it was hard to keep pushing myself. When we made the little turn around just past mile 5 I didn't see anybody close behind me.
But, I reminded myself that I wanted to run as best as I was capable of running. Mile 6 was an 8:23. I was lapping some of the walkers doing the 5k, but fortunately the path was wide enough so they didn't get in my way. Ran the last .2 in 1:42, for an official time of 52:39.
Right at the finish line there was a volunteer who wanted to cut our shoe tags off. I said okay, but I apologize if I throw up on you. Those two cups of coffee with cream and sugar were not staying down. So I held up my shoe for her to remove the tag while I barfed off to the side. Then I walked over to the grass and barfed some more. People were asking me if I was okay and I just kept trying to indicate that it was not big deal, I (almost) always do this.
The race director came over and asked me for my tear off tag, which apparently they were not doing for everybody, but seemed to me to indicate that maybe I was winning something, so what the heck, I would stick around.
I keep hoping to discover that I really am faster than this but I think I have to face reality! This is all I've got right now. At least I was faster than I ran it in four years ago, and a lot faster than two years ago (which was kind of a low point in my life as a runner).
I didn't think I was getting one of those big trophies like I did four years ago, but I thought I had a good shot at the age group awards, especially after the race director took my tag. I was hoping there would be pancakes, but instead all they had were awful supermarket bagels (not made bearable by the addition of cream cheese), Gatorade and stuffed grape leaves (from Oasis Mediterranian Grill, one of the sponsors). There were lamb and veggie stuffed grape leaves. I tried a lamb one. It was way too salty for me and I had to throw it away.
Anyway, it turned out that the tall woman in black had run the 5k, and she was actually the 5k woman's overall winner. I was just a little amused to realize that based on her time, I probably would have beaten her if I had run the 5k---because if I was only going 5k I would have gone a lot faster per mile. The 2nd and 3rd place women in the 5k (who also got big trophies) ran even slower than my 10k pace.
The more competitive runners were in the 10k. The skinny, fast young woman I remembered from the start won in a time of 39 minutes and change. Second place was the blonde woman in the sunglasses, and third place was the 12 year old girl. I was the sixth place woman (of 17) and first of two in my age group, and I was 26 of 44 runners overall. I was also the second oldest woman there---the other woman in my age group was the oldest.
52:39, I have to keep reminding myself, is still faster than I was at this point a year ago. It's a place from which to start.
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