I consider myself a pretty experienced runner. (“Experienced” does not equal “fast,” by the way.) I’ve run at least 21 5Ks, five 5-mile runs, two 10Ks, and five half marathons, and I crossed the finish line of one marathon. If registration costs didn’t get so expensive when added up, I’d probably have run more! But still, my race numbers are in addition to thousands of training and just-for-fun miles.
Still, despite having all of these experiences, I recently accomplished something I never had before: running 5Ks on three consecutive weekends.
Now, when I first started signing up for 5Ks in the fall of 2011, I ran three races in four weekends, but that afforded me one weekend in the middle to sleep in. Also, as part of my half marathon and marathon training programs, I wake up early on Saturdays (sometimes Sundays if the Saturday weather is unfavorable) to log my training miles – but running races is more mentally intense than completing most training runs. It definitely takes energy and motivation to roll out of bed and log any number of miles, but it takes a different type of energy to get up, prep for a race, drive somewhere, and then try to run as fast as I can for X number of miles. (That’s why most training programs for longer races suggest doing a race of a shorter distance during training – to prep the runner for the race atmosphere.)
I ran my fifth half marathon on Oct. 18 and planned to take it easy after that race-wise, basically giving myself a calm before the storm of marathon training, which will commence in late December/early January. But then I had a few opportunities through my work to run these three 5Ks, which all just so happened to be back-to-back-to-back weekends. And the rest is history. So I ran the Trick-or-Trot 5K on Oct. 31, the Craig Heisey Memorial 5K on Nov. 7, and the Girls on the Run 5K (untimed) on Nov. 14.
The best part about these three races was that each one was different and had its own specialness to it. I’d run each of them again for sure.
Race #1: Trick-or-Trot 5K (Oct. 31)
I was honestly surprised that more people weren’t running this one! I mean, it was right on Halloween this year, and it’s a costumes-encouraged race that begins near and ends in a really cool cemetery. What more could you want?
Originally, I wasn’t going to wear a costume, but my friend Emily from work encouraged me to at least wear my Warrior Dash helmet. I’m really glad I did! I met up with my co-workers Emily, Melissa, Fawn, Ruth, and Clair, most of whom were dressed up (Jocelyn was volunteering, so she missed out on being in the picture).
All dressed up with a race to run!
I had told Emily that I’d be happy to log anything under 9-minute miles, but I wasn’t really sure how likely that was to happen, mainly since I hadn’t been running a whole lot. Also, I didn’t know how annoying it would be to run with my helmet on, and my plan was to take it off and carry it with me the second it got annoying.
The race was basically an out-and-back that started with a huge downhill – which meant, of course, a huge uphill on the way back. Gravity carried me down the hill, but as soon as the course flattened out, my legs felt like lead. As I approached the 1-mile mark, I prepared myself to see a 9:10 or 10:00 pace on my watch. But instead, it read 7:09. 7:09! Granted, the downhill had helped, but it was still much (much!) faster than I ever thought I’d go that day.
After hitting the turnaround point (where the water stop was – the volunteers were practically begging people to take water because nobody was), I reached Mile 2 at 16:10 and was feeling pretty good. Some volunteers cheered me on – “Go, Viking helmet!” – right before I headed up the huge hill at the end. That hill really slowed me down, but I was able to recover at the top for the homestretch around the cemetery.
Strange as it may sound, the cemetery was really scenic. And even better, it ended on a downhill. I saw a guy ahead of me and decided to try to catch him. So he and I sprinted to the finish; he edged me out by a tenth of a second gun time, but I beat him by a few tenths chip time. Such a fun way to end a race!
Catching up to the guy in the long-sleeved gray shirt… (official race pic)
My official time was 25:06.9 – much faster than I ever thought I’d be that day – and Jocelyn captured my post-run grin right after I crossed the finish line:
Having fun!
I was second in the 20-29 age category, and Ruth was second in hers, too! Way to go, Ruth!
Yay, Ruth!
(The award for the best costume, by the way, went to a couple dressed as a pair of feet. So random and hilarious!)
Race #2: Craig Heisey Memorial 5K (Nov. 7)
I wore my Team EPC tank top for this race. I don’t exactly know why; I promise I checked the weather beforehand (meaning that I actually walked outside) and it didn’t feel that cold out. But then we got to the race site, and it was freezing! Oh well. I’d made my decision and I had to stick with it.
Despite the coolness of the weather, the coolest thing about the day was that both my mom and my sister were doing the race too! (Dad had to work, unfortunately.) Maria has done three Warrior Dashes, but this was her first true 5K. Very cool! Our family plan was for Mom and Maria to do the 5K together while I ran my fastest – and then after finishing I’d circle back around and finish again with them. Good plan!
We met up with Team EPC and got a picture:
Team EPC ready to go: (from left) Mom, Maria, Melissa, me, Emily, Pam, and Clair
After trying to keep warm for a bit, we finally started. Aside from being chilly to start, I felt that I was running pretty well. Of course, most of the “out” part of the out-and-back course was a gradual downhill followed by a steep downhill. I hit the turnaround at 11:43 but knew I’d have a positive split due to the majority of the rest of the route being uphill.
As I chugged up the steep part of the uphill, I looked up and saw Mom and Maria coming toward me! That spurred me on, and I gave Maria a high-five as we passed each other.
The steep hill sapped some of my energy, but I still felt I had plenty left in the tank for the remaining long, gradual uphill. I just hadn’t counted on the headwind! It was pretty crazy. But somehow, I was still passing people – including one woman who was like, “I heard you running up behind me; you’re looking strong! Go get ’em!” Very cool.
Victory hands! Or something… (official race pic)
I finished in 25:27, which I was happy with. I grabbed a water and headed back along the route to meet up with Mom and Maria, cheering on Team EPC-ers as I saw them. Everyone was doing a great job!
It wasn’t too long before I saw Mom and Maria up ahead, keeping a pretty good pace and chatting back and forth. Once we met up, we employed a walk/run technique up the long, gradual hill that led to the homestretch. We chatted some more before rounding the final corner and going up the small hill that led to the finish line.
Team Hurley! (official race pic)
We crossed the finish line and congratulated each other. We had all enjoyed ourselves, and Maria did an amazing job completing her first 5K!
We grabbed some post-race snacks and checked our results. I had finished third in my age category, which was cool! (They only gave prizes to the top two, though, but the prize was a headband/ear warmer thing, which I already have, so I was OK with that.)
Way to go, Maria, Mom, and everyone from Team EPC! Y’all rock!
Race #3: Girls on the Run 5K (Nov. 14)
The Girls on the Run (GOTR) 5K isn’t one that adults run to get a good time; it’s one they do to have a good time.
The 5K is the culmination of a health/wellness/nutrition-type program for girls from various area schools, and it’s just a fun atmosphere. Girls can get all decked out in costumes or with temporary hair dye, and it’s always neat to see the parents – especially dads – get into it by dying their hair.
Before the race, I hung out with my friend Jocelyn, a Team EPC-er who was going to be a running buddy for her friend’s daughter. Pre-race warm-ups were led this year by the U.S. national women’s field hockey team, and I think that got the girls amped up, which was good because it was a very cold, windy day.
With everyone warmed up, we all headed to the starting line. While there was a clock at the finish line, the race wasn’t officially timed because the focus of GOTR races is on the girls accomplishing the 5K, not on how fast they go. Pretty cool.
While waiting at the starting line, I met up with Rosa, another Team EPC member. Rosa, Jocelyn, and I posed for a quick picture before the race began.
(I promise that the picture exists, and I’ll post it when I get it!
I wore a watch so I’d be aware of my general time, but I really was just running to have fun. One reason for not being overly concerned with my time was that GOTR 5Ks are usually tough to PR on, as there are hundreds of girls running, run/walking, and walking the route, just having a great time. So my goal was to soak in the atmosphere without getting blown away by the intense wind.
I think it’s safe to say I achieved my goal.
I loved listening to snip-its of conversations among the girls as I ran along:
-“We’re starting off with a pretty good pace.”
-“I’m watching my stride.”
-“Let’s tackle this hill!”
GOTR doesn’t stress the competitive nature of running during its 5Ks. But one thing I found myself wondering was if the girls put any pressure on themselves to be faster than their classmates or if they ever feel badly if their friends finish before they do. Well, my fears were laid to rest when I saw one girl who was walking get passed by two of her friends. Instead of trying to catch up with them or seeming bummed that they were faster, she yelled, “Go, Kelsey and Janae! You can do it!” That was incredible. (Maybe some are super competitive, but for the most part, what I witnessed was girls having a great time and cheering each other on.)
Another cool thing was that there were high school and college students along the course, giving high fives, holding signs, and cheering. It was obvious that having the support of older students meant the world to these girls!
I finished the route in a relaxed 26:57 and went back along the homestretch to cheer on the rest of the girls and possibly to see Jocelyn and Rosa. I didn’t see them, though, because I ended up running the last portion of the race for a second time – this time with a very cool 8-year-old named Kate. She hadn’t been sure which way the course went, so I offered to run with her, and she said yes. We talked about school, hobbies, siblings, etc. When we got to the final push, I asked her if she wanted to run as fast as she could to the end, and she took off! Very fast! It was her first 5K, and she did a phenomenal job! Kate, if you ever stumble across this blog in a few years, it was awesome to have met you. Great run, girl!
I did bump into Rosa after the run, and she had done really well, too! I saw Jocelyn as I was walking to my car, and she said that her running buddy had done a great job also.
Would I run this 5K again? Absolutely! It’s fun, laid-back, and motivating – and, whether you’re running or spectating, you can encourage girls who are tackling 3.1 miles.
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While I was grateful to sleep in the weekend after my third 5K, I was so glad I had experienced these three unique races back-to-back-to-back. Good stuff!
And now on to my next challenge: Beginning to train for my second marathon. Woohoo!
Operation Life 