Patriot 5K recap

What better way to celebrate National Running Day than a road race recap? 🙂

I’ve been a runner for what seems like forever…

Nah, really it’s only been about seven years.

But me and racing go back and forth between being tight friends and loose acquaintances.  I guess we’re back to being best buddies, because I’m all about signing up for races recently.  I can’t get enough of them.

My friend Michelle mentioned the Patriot 5K to me last weekend when we ran the River Bound Race Series 10K and I knew as soon as she mentioned it that I wanted to do it.  No matter than I had planned to backpack the two days prior or that I would be attending a Memorial Day party the night before.  I was going to race on Monday morning and that was that.

But I didn’t want to just race, I wanted to PR, which should have been pretty easy since I ran my second and fastest 5K after a night of staying out late in Montreal, Quebec.  I’m pretty sure I’ve only ran two 5K’s in my life (beside two Girls on the Run 5K, which are non-competitive), so I don’t have a clear grasp on how fast I am with this short distance.

I showed up to the race in plenty of time and met up with Michelle.  The race was pretty small with only 239 finishers.  For the first time in my entire life, I forgot to eat breakfast.  I had planned to grab a date or two on my way out the door, but in hurrying to be on time, I completely forgot.  So unlike me.  Thank goodness, Michelle had half a bag of sport beans that she offered to me and I gladly accepted them and ate them just before the start.

I took off way too fast and finished my first mile in about seven minutes.  That is a ridiculous pace for me and I knew it as soon as I passed the first mile marker.  I could not keep that pace up for long and started to fade fast.

The course was hilly (as is most of Charlotte) and the humidity had already set in before the race even began.  My pace dropped and dropped and dropped some more as I got close to the end.

I picked up the pace as soon as I saw the finish line, pushing myself to run way past what was comfortable.

The results:

Division: Female 20-29 (I’m practically a senior citizen in this age group)
Clocktime: 24:38
Overall place: 60th out of 239
Sex place: 14th out of 117
Division Place: 7th out of 26
Age grade: 60.1%

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the results, but I really think I can do better.  I’ve never had a problem training for distance.  I don’t mind putting in the time.  But when it comes to improving my speed, I’m pretty darn lazy.  I can admit that.

Also, I don’t treat my body how an athlete who wants to perform well would treat their body.  This couldn’t have been more true the night before the race when I decided to have several beers at a Memorial Day cookout.  Thankfully, I turned in pretty early and didn’t overindulge on all the yummy foods, but that doesn’t negate the fact that I could have done better.  I could have treated my body better.

Racing isn’t cheap and it’s not something everyone can do, so I shouldn’t take it for granted.  I feel the need to reevaluate the way I’ve been doing things and make some changes.  I am loving running and racing right now, but if I’m going to do it and put the money and time into it, then I want to do it right.

Now, back to the story.

The race didn’t stop there…

Both Michelle and I signed up for the extra mile to run in honor of military heroes.

I really liked the idea of having an extra mile.  Runners had family and friends that couldn’t run the 5K join them for this last mile, including this really cute little boy who couldn’t quite keep up.

The extra mile was also the perfect opportunity to take some really horrible, but laughable photos.

Buahahahaha!

Let this be a testament to how much I love you guys, that I’m willing to share this.

Another great one for the books!

After the race, Michelle and I met up with Brittney, who was our cheerleader for the race.

We headed over to the local Dean and Deluca for breakfast.

Each of us took turns hanging out with Clyde so everyone could go in and order their food.  The weather was perfect for eating outside.

My post-race breakfast of choice was an omelet with mushrooms, cheese, tomato, spinach, and onion.

After a leisurely two mile walk after breakfast, we all said our goodbyes and I rushed off to shower and spend the rest of the day choosing our kitchen appliances for our new house (I owe you guys an update on that soon!).

To continue on this celebration of National Running Day, here are a few of my favorite running-related posts.

Disney World Marathon Recap
Brad’s Disney Half Marathon Race Recap
20 Miles Done and Done
OBX Half Marathon Recap <– my half mary PR
Anything is possible

Runners and non-runners out there: what are some changes to your training or nutrition that incited a remarkable change in your running/fitness level? Any book recommendations?