Last night I was an old lady and went to bed before 9 pm. I got up this morning at 6:30 and was ready to rock and roll. My pre-race fuel was water and toast with SunButter and a banana. Before races I avoid dairy at all costs - running with a bowl of cereal + milk in your stomach is not fun at all.
My friend came over 45 minutes before the race and I drove us downtown to a clutch parking spot that I used last year. We parked far enough away that a jog to the race start was plenty good for a warm up, and we stopped and stretched too. The race was PACKED this year and it only seems to get bigger and bigger. 8,720 people participated today and that doesn't include race bandits (people who do a race without paying the entry fee - they don't get the cool t-shirt, but they get all the refreshments at the end).
We didn't cross the start line for 10 minutes after the race started. Note to self to start closer to the front because the crowd was so aggravating, not to mention all the WALKERS. I blog about this time after time but all the walkers are really annoying to me. If you are a runner and have to walk part of the race that is a different deal, but if you are walking the whole thing, I wish they would start in the back or start at a different time. Overall, because it was such a short race, it was dodge after dodge after dodge and it can really wear you out and slow you down too.
My friend and I ran together for the first 1/2 mile and then we separated. It is SO hard for me to run slowly when I know I can run faster. Adrenaline is a powerful thing! I mentioned in another post that I expected my time to be between 30-35 minutes based on the fact that I haven't been training like I normally do. I ended up running the race in 28:33!
Here are some of my stats:
Mile 1: 10:14
Mile 2: 9:25
Mile 3: 8:27
Those are pretty dramatic splits in my opinion! For the last mile I kept glancing at my Garmin because I knew I could probably beat my worst time for that specific race. 28:33 turns out to be the 2nd fastest that I've run the Anthem 5k, with the best time being 25:37 in 2010. A 3 minute time difference in a 5k race is pretty significant, but I'm still happy with my time!
This is me post-race:
You can't really see my face, but you can tell that I'm happy!
I've had a Myoplex shake, water, hot tea, and Eggs Benedict, and my bed is calling my name. Hope all the other local runners did well!
Great job out there! I ran it last year and got a good start because it only took like 2 minutes to cross the start. I've moved out of the area, so I missed it today, but I heard attendance was high!
ReplyDeleteI live in Lex and did the Papa Johns race last year! Ohhhh the hills! Good job! Are you doing the Derby half? Heard they changed the course this year!
ReplyDeleteOh the hills is right! I didn't think Iroquois was bad, but that last hill on Central Ave (the bridge) was killer. Yes my plan is to run the half, and the course is dramatically different! I posted a picture of the course map in an earlier entry.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI haven't commented in a while, but just wanted to say Way To Go! (And of course I'm glad SunButter was part of your pre-race fuel.) Take care!
You did great! You keep making me want to go buy some SunButter, maybe I will this weekend ;-)
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