As I mentioned yesterday, I ran a 5k on Saturday- my first race of 2015!
I had been thinking about doing a 5k but I didn’t really want to commit to anything until I knew that my body would be ready to race. However, I also knew I wasn’t in “racing” shape so I planned to push myself but didn’t expect any PRs.
When I saw that there was a local 5k this past weekend with race-day registration, I figured I could decide that morning if I felt up to running it. When I woke up the weather was perfect for running- not even 50 degrees, and no humidity. So I drove over to the neighborhood where the race was being held.
I was able to park at a local school, and walked around the block to register for the race. It was an easy process, and I even got a t-shirt (although they only had XS and XL left. I took an XS but not sure if it will fit comfortably enough to wear). I had some time before the race started so I ran about 2.5 miles to warm up.
At 8am there were some announcements and the national anthem, and then we were told to line up. Up until this point I wasn’t 100% sure where the start line was but it wasn’t at all where I thought. So I made my way over and the first two rows were jam packed with kids around ages 8-10. I was able to squeeze in around the third row but I knew I would have to start out slow until the race thinned out. It was definitely a family race, which I knew it would be, plus I knew I wasn’t going for a PR, so it didn’t bother me too much.
There was a steep uphill to start, and even though I wasn’t going that fast it took a lot out of me. It felt like a pretty hilly course, but looking at the elevation map later it really wasn’t that bad. I think it would have helped if I knew what to expect ahead of time.
My pace felt hard, although I knew I could hold onto it, but my body still felt pretty tired the whole time. The first mile felt like the longest mile of my life, and the other two went by a bit faster. One interesting part of the race is that at one point the course actually crossed over itself! So I was running down a street and had to cross a street where there were other runners who were technically behind me. It wasn’t a big deal since it was a small race and there was plenty of room to get through.
I managed to pass a girl during the last half mile, and then I recognized where I was from my warm up and knew it was all a downhill to the end so I really pushed it. My watch read 22:25, official time was 22:27 (there as no chip timing). This was about 45 seconds slower than the 3 5ks I did in 2014, but I was the 4th female and first in my age group.
I ran a mile and a half to cool down, then ate a banana while waiting for the awards. It was a really fun event and great way to get in a 7 mile run on a Saturday morning.
As soon as I got home my allergies hit hard, and I suddenly felt extremely run down and out of it. I couldn’t help but wonder if the allergies contributed to the run feeling a bit harder than I expected. But at the same time, I have only been back to running consistently for a little over a month, and I just recently started adding faster intervals in again.
This got me excited to get back to racing, and I am hoping to do more small 5ks this summer to work on my speed!
Have you ever done a race at the last minute?
Does it bother you when kids line up in the front row? I don’t mind so much when kids do this (especially during a “fun” race) but it bothers me more when people who are planning to walk line up in the front!
Do you find that allergies affect your running?
I bet the allergies plus hard effort combined made you feel so bad. That’s an awesome time and super lucky on that cool weather before this week of HOT! Congrats on 1st, a good feeling no matter what!
I was so grateful for the cooler weather- not sure if I would have done it if it was at hot as it was later in the weekend!
Awesome race! I am laughing because yesterday I said there are no races for you to run here over the summer unless you want a 5k lol….Allergies can definitely affect your running because they affect your ability to breathe normally. You did amazing though anyway!
Thanks! And I think that the summer 5ks will just be super hot. If I decide to run anymore this summer I will just need to accept that there will be no PRs:)
Great Job and congrats! The 5k is no joke. Whether you are in or out of shape…it can be a difficult race on the body! My allergies have been killing me while running too. I can see the pollen in the air and it’s so annoying!
I’ve seen the pollen too! Ugh, it’s so annoying!!
Awesome job!! You nailed it after coming back from time off from racing and doing speedwork!!
My allergies have been so out of control recently too. I am sure that it affects my running when I try to push the pace since I can’t breath properly.
Thank you! Im sure the allergies are affecting you too. I just started using flonase and that seems to be helping more than any other meds!
That’s an awesome time! Congrats!! I’m too much a planner so I never do races at the last minute. I’ve never really had allergies, but I have noticed this year that I’ve gotten a lot of sinus headaches, especially when I run outside. I think I might be developing them… ugh
I hope you aren’t developing allergies, they are the worst!! And I am usually a planner too..this was very unusual for me:)
Whoo hoo! Congrats on the AG win! I’ve never done a race as small as this, although I would like to. I’m getting tired of the huge DC races!
Thank you! We are lucky that there are alot of small local 5ks around Baltimore. Its definitely a nice change from the bigger races!
Good for you! I bet it was so nice to get back out there 😀
I can’t stand when people aren’t in an area that is someone on line with their pace. Do they WANT to get run over? I just don’t think I would find that fun!
Yea I never know what the deal is when people line up in the front and are running a slower pace. Unless they just don’t know that some people “race” for a time?
Congrats on a great race! 🙂 I hate when kids line up in front of me. The first (and only) 5k I ever did, my goal was to do a sub 20. Well, a bunch of kids lined up RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME but I couldn’t do anything about it because they were the great grandchildren of the person who the race was in honor of, hahaha! When the gun went off, I passed them by going around them and into the grass.
Glad you were able to get around them! I figure kids don’t know any better, and at least they usually start out really fast! (Before tiring out a 1/2 mile in)
Kids in front of me don’t bother me too much, but walkers drive me crazy–especially if it’s a longer race like a half marathon! I don’t get why you’d line up at the front if you know you’re going to walk from the very beginning!
I don’t understand that either! You would think they would want to have space to go at their own pace without being trampled.
Congrats on the great time and 1st in AG! Allergies don’t impact my performance, but I definitely feel them and want to sleep all day after a hard workout or race during allergy season.
I wasn’t sure if it was the allergies or the zyrtec I took for them, but I was SO wiped out after that race!
Kids don’t bother me because they’re excited and they normally sprint out. Walkers do because there’s so much out there about lining up to your pace. Kids don’t know any better.
That’s how I feel about it too! Especially when an announcer reminds people to line up based on if they are walking/running.
I love racing at the last minute, mainly because I don’t get too stressed… easy to go in with zero expectations. Allergies never affect me while I’m running, but after… holy cow. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe. I prefer when kids start a bit further back, mainly because if they burn out, they stop in the middle of the road and I get nervous I’m going to stumble into them! Great job in your race!! 5ks are the hardest distance in my opinion haha… Hope you have a great day!
I definitely felt less stressed by running this at the last minute! It was nice to not worry about a race for once!
Congratulations on a great first race of the year! I can’t wait to focus on speed and try to get a speedy 5k time soon.
Thank you! I think this is such a good time of year to run 5ks and work on speed.
Congrats on 1st especially after the time away from running! I have been hit by allergies a bit this season too, and I am taking most of my cardio time indoors right now.
Great race my friend, even with the hill start and congrats on first in your AG, that’s awesome!! Allergies are really tough this year, I know a lot of my friends are indoors more than usual because of them. Take good care of yourself!
Thanks! I do feel the allergies more than ever this year. Hoping they start to settle down soon!
Congratulations on placing first in your age group! It’s so nice when you can sign up for smaller races at the last minute and not have to pay way high registration fees. Less stress too!
Exactly! I would have saved $5 by signing up like a month early, but I didn’t mind paying the extra few bucks but having the option of opting out if I didnt feel up to it.
Congrats! Looks like you made the right decision 🙂 I’ve done a race last minute before and it’s nice because you don’t have any expectations. My allergies don’t bother me while running, but they bother me other times!
Thanks! It was so nice to not have expectations…and also no pressure because no one even knew I was running it!
Congrats on your finish, Lisa!! That’s actually really cool that you decided to do it last minute, because I know as runners, most of us a planners, and for you to do it, is pretty awesome! And it worked out well for you! 🙂 I’m so happy to see you back at it! My allergies don’t seem to affect my running itself, but if they affect me after a race, then they’re usually pretty bad. I’m on the fence about kids. They usually don’t affect my race that much because a lot of them don’t have a sense of pace, so I usually get around them pretty early on, but it can make just standing there kinda cramped, which I don’t like…kids or not haha. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that 🙂
Yes I am usually such a planner so this was very unlike me! I think with the kids, they do mean well…and they typically sprint at the beginning so at least it gives everyone time to spread out a bit:) But I also dont like feeling cramped at the start of a race!
Congrats on your race and age group finish! If railways told myself I should just show up to a 5k one day,but I have yet to do it. Maybe one weekend…there are so many small races around here.
I feel like last year I was always focusing on getting a long run done on the weekends, so it was really nice to have the flexibility to do a last minute 5k!
Yes, yes, and yes! I live in a super tiny town, but there are 5Ks a plenty every spring, so I’ve run a few of them on a whim. Walkers and kids (but especially walkers because kids just don’t know any better) at the front irritate me. And my allergies are kicking my ass this year! It’s my worst year since I was in elementary school!
The allergies really are terrible this year. I agree about the kids- they don’t really know better! Also, they have every intention of sprinting it out:)
Way to go Lisa that is awesome! This makes me want to run a race soon
Thanks Sara! I hope you end up doing a race soon:)
Nice work!! Awesome race and a great way to get back to it (and first in AG – woo hoo!!)- congrats!!
There is nothing worse than having to weave around a bunch of people during the start of a race. It should be mandatory that walkers go to the back…
Thank you!! At alot of 5ks I hear the announcers say for walkers to line up in the back, but it seems like alot of times they don’t listen.
Congrats on a great race! That’s such an awesome time – especially after coming back from injury! I bet with a few more weeks of summer running you could get a brand new PR this summer!
I am always signed up for a race ahead of time but I’m thinking about being a little more random sometimes. There’s a local 5k I want to do in June and I’ll probably decide the day of if I want to do it or not 😀
Thanks! It was kind of fun to be spontaneous. You should definitely give it a try if you can!
I did a 10k a couple of weeks ago, and had to get past two “runners” that were walking after a few hundred yards. I think races should be open to everyone, but I don’t know why people want to start at the front when they know they aren’t even able to get round the course without stopping…
I know what you mean…and maybe some people just don’t know where they are supposed to line up, but most of the time there will be announcements regarding this.