So... anyway... I wasn't really planning on running anymore 5ks until it got cooler around here and I could attempt to finally post a new PR for the 5k. And then, Vandy-Montana mentioned that he was interested in running one while he was in town. And... if a friend is running a 5k, I can't be a pansy and bail on it. So... I signed up, too.
This race is sponsored by a local company that makes the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookie in the entire world. Christie Cookie. I find it interesting that a ton of races are sponsored by somewhat unhealthy food chains. Anyway, that's a whole other post. So, I was kind excited about the prospect of having Christie Cookies at the finish line. An added bonus for sure.
Vandy-Montana and I... in true hardcore runner fashion decided to run to and from the race. He was staying at a friends house that was about 2.5 miles from the race start, so it was the perfect warm-up. I drove to the friends house and was getting out of the car to hand him the band-aids he asked me to bring and he was walking out of the door when the door closed behind him. And that's when he realized... the key was sitting INSIDE on the counter. No big deal, right? Wrong. The friend is out of town. And, has a dog. Locked inside (along with all of Vandy-Montana's stuff, too).
The morning wasn't off to a good start. We called the friend, left a message (afterall it was like 6:30 on a Saturday morning) and decided to deal with it when we got back from the race.
The weather was STEAMY. It had monsooned the night before and the air was still thick with moisture it almost felt suffocating. Stupidly... I had been thinking the day before that I would just go out balls-to-the-wall during the race. Why not? I'd never done it before and 3 miles is nothing. Even if I crashed and burned after a mile or two, I'd only have a little bit left to finish. No harm, right?
As we're waiting for the start, there are sausage biscuits laid out and I see several people going over and eating them. Seriously? Who does that? Who eats a sausage and biscuit BEFORE a 5k?Lots of people, apparently.
Anyway, the race was pretty big for a 5k. And so Vandy Montana and I lined up separately... him towards the front... me towards the back. And the race started and I still felt good. I still felt like it was a PR day.
I started out at a good speed... I knew I needed to average better than 7:55 to PR. My first mile was right on target... 7:52. Balls-to-the-wall? CHECK. I felt like I was going to die at any moment. I continued on and then what I thought would be rolling hills turned into GIANT hills and my time started to get slower... so slow that I stopped looking at my watch.
I finished with a crummy 25:20 (my watch said 25:19, thankyouverymuch). That's an 8:11 average. Boo. Sucky, sucky. So much for a PR. My excuses: the heat and the hills of course.
Strangely enough... I ended up finishing 3rd in my age group! BOO-YA. Not only 3rd, but 3rd out of 57. Holla!
My prize?
Just a tin of cookies. How awesome is that? I was pretty stoked. And then I realized... Ummm... I have to run home with this tin of cookies. So. I did. I ran through the streets of Green Hills holding a tin of cookies. Did people think I stole it? Probably. I did have my race bib on though... so, hopefully that helped.
Still searching for that 5k PR. I have a feeling it's not going to happen till the winter. I just can't run fast in the heat.
Also... I should mention that Vandy-Montana didn't win a tin of cookies... but he shaved a full minute off his 5k PR*!!! Makes sense though... I call him the Hill Whisperer, because he kills hills. He powers up them suckers like it's nobody's business. So, Congrats to Vandy-Montana!
*Such a show-off. Who shaves a minute off their 5k PR in one race? Ugh.
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5 comments:
Were the cookies all crumbled by the time you got home from shaking the tin while you ran? That would be sad :-(
Congrats on your 3rd AG! That is an awesome award too!
CJ
congrats on your AG award, sweet like cookies! or sweet as a tin full of cookies.
also, me! I would eat sausage and biscuits before a 5K. ummmm soooo goood!
I cracked up at hearing about people eating the biscuits before the race. I can't even imagine!
Your age group reminds me of my two July 5ks. Just a few seconds over 23 in one put me 4th in my age group. Out of 5. No prize, and bottom half of the group. Very depressing. But 2 weeks earlier, I'd run about the same time as yours in a much, much bigger field, and placed 2d. Out of like 50-70. There's just no telling.
My worst was a random recovery half I did in Fort Worth a week after a marathon as a recovery. I did it in under 2:10, which would have been a PR for me a couple years ago, but I was one of the last 10 runners out there on the course. Out of a few hundred. It was a fast group to say the least!
Dude, a cookie 5k is right up your alley...and what an awesome prize! Congrats! Winning is Awesome!
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