A real early start time (7:30) sees me having to wake up at about six for a quick breakfast and set up. I am out the door at about 6:30 for a twenty minute or so drive, figuring to park at the same church I did yesterday. It is still dark, and it is also relatively cold and rainy, but since I am not really expecting to hit any type of time goal, I am not too concerned. Both commute and parking availability are not really an issue.
I am surprised to find quite a crowd already there. I am also surprised to see quite a few racers of all ages, especially kids. There is always a smattering of very young and older participants at every race, but this one seemed overstocked, to say the least. Everyone seems to be gathered in an open space just outside the bicycle shop at the starting point, so I kind of mull around aimlessly looking for the race bib table, finally locating it under a tent. I was a little concerned that, since I signed up so late, there might be a problem with my registration, but no worries, I grab my bib and am good to go.
I decide to be touristy (I think that's a word) and decide to take my warmup run on the trail, heading in the opposite direction that I went yesterday to both avoid the crown and see just a little bit more of the trail. I am intrigued to see that this part of the trail seems to fit the old railroad line picture more than what I saw yesterday. I only went out about a third of a mile, but it had a backwoods feel, complete with a skeleton of an old factory to the west side. It also crossed the Reedy River, where you could see the old remnants of the bridge. After about eleven minutes, I am back in the crowd, again moving aimlessly among the back of the pack.
After some small talk with a fellow racer, the race is about to begin. The horn goes and being a back of the packer, I really do not move for about a minute. When I finally cross the mat, the course takes us on a brief tour of the somewhat antiquated but none the less charming immediate neighborhood, featuring small 1930's housing and, in some spots, very narrow streets. Since time is not really a concern, I am enjoying the slow pace and the scenery. 10:24 at the first mile.
The rest of the race is, for the most part, on the trail that I ran on yesterday. My K splits are on either side of six minutes, and at about two miles I am starting to feel some fatigue. The finish line is visible at about 4.25km, it is a sort of a "take a left and another quick left" making it not only visible but audible (sounds like a party) as well. The first left is at about 4.5km, but by now I am really fighting it, so my pace quickens briefly, then falls as I am out of gas. I am passed at the last second by a blind runner with an escort; I would like to make the excuse that the finish line was somewhat at an angle and that I lost my bearings at the end, but the fact is probably she was better than me.
I again wander aimlessly in the finishers tent, drinking the free water and eating the free oranges. I am struck by the fact that my lungs feel incredibly uncomfortable, they feel as they were swollen. Then I realize I forgot to shut down all of my measuring devices, causing some tech panic. Despite all of this angst, I am still pretty happy to have completed my first 5K in a while, so after picking up my very sweetly designed t-shirt, I am off to the bus to return to my car, but not before I get someone to take a finish line photo.
Okay, I am going to try to post my stats in a table, keep your fingers crossed......
Not bad, but I can do better. Thanks for reading!
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