Runnin' with the Law 5k race report

Activ8 was helping to run a race this weekend. I got to the race at 7:30 to help out with the packet pick-up and to help with anything else that they needed. Well, it turns out they had enough help so I didn't do very much. I handed out a few t-shirts and registered myself for the race.

I did about a mile warm-up. I would have done more but the kids race was starting and I wanted to watch it. I got to hand out prizes at the end of the race! It was so cute to watch them racing across the finish line and then keep running because they didn't know where to stop.

I was told not to place in the top 3 because there was prize money and they didn't think I should get it. Okay, I haven't been training so that won't be a problem. I will be lucky if I can race anywhere close to a 20 min 5k. Side note, my hip is feeling better so I am going to start training! I have a half marathon in 2 weeks.

I started the race and tried to hold back. The first half mile always feels so easy. I ran it in 3:07. That is faster than I am going to be able to hold for the next 2.5 miles so I slow down. The next half mile was 3:17. Okay, that is hard but I think I can maintain it. I got passed by a woman about 3/4 of a mile into the race and I thought, oh well, just let her go. She didn't seem to be going to much faster than me so I kind of hung out at the back of the back of 5 runners. A few times I would fall off the back and think I should just let them go but I didn't and would catch back up. Then I decided that I was going to go the front of the pack where the other girl was and run with her. I got behind her and followed her for a quarter mile then I moved up beside her. I said, let's catch the girl in front of us. She looked over surprised that I was talking to her and nodded. So we ran together until about 3/4 of a mile to go when I pulled away from her. With a half mile to go my legs were burning and I just wanted to be done. I hear someone coming up behind me and they are moving fast. Bummer, I am going to get passed and I can't do anything about it. Good thing it was a 15 year old boy and not a female.

Final time: 20:09 - Where did that come from?
Overall place 11/272
Gender 3rd/? - Oops, I figured there had to be more women in front of me. So I won $50.

At the start of the race, I like to pick out who I think is going to win. I was right. She killed the field and ran a 17:44. Now that's fast. Second place was over a minute and half behind her.

I had planned on doing something really stupid this Saturday. I hadn't told anyone about it yet so no one could talk me out of it but I won't be doing it so I can tell. I really wanted to run a marathon after watching the Twin Cities marathon a couple weeks ago. I found a marathon in Mankato, Minnesota on Oct. 23. I was going to run it and just see what I could do without training, which is probably a really stupid idea since I have been injured for the last 3 months. Well, the marathon filled up before I could sign-up for it. Too bad I won't be running a marathon this fall.