Monday, May 7, 2012

Wolf Pen 5K and 10K Recap!

Yesterday, Jeff and I ran the first annual (hopefully) Wolf Pen 5K and 10K - this race was held in the same park where Jenny and I like to run, so it was quite cool to actually race there.  The race benefited seven non-profits in the area, and I liked that when we signed up, we got to choose which organization we wanted our share of the fee to go toward (while all were very deserving, we picked the local animal shelter, former home of Paco, Kip and Henry).  This race had some minor issues, like no safety pins for the bibs (and there weren't even holes punched in them), and no one on the course directing the racers - just orange cones - but overall, for the first race done by a fairly young race director, Pam, it was a good one.  I have to give her big props for being open and willing to change, because when I saw the course she originally chose, I emailed her about it, as it looked dangerous to me - she had runners sharing a single lane with traffic on the access road, where vehicles travel around 60 MPH.  I was pleasantly surprised when, about a week later, she emailed me back saying she'd changed the route...wow!  I loved that she put runner's safety above her ego, and to me, that speaks volumes about her character.  So well done, Pam - I hope you do this race again next year!

Packet pickup was the morning of the race - I was surprised that we all received technical shirts as part of the package:
My lack of sleep before a race is pretty evident with the bags under my eyes, gah!
Twins!  Will and Jeff, ready to run!
Me and my original half homie, Julia - hard to believe that we started running together almost two years ago!
Dramatic pre-enactment of how we looked crossing the finish line (never mind that we were facing the wrong direction, lol!)

Before the race, they had a 100 yard "boot dash" for the kids, although only a couple kids actually wore their boots.  They were so cute!
Lined up, ready to run...
Run!  
The final finisher - she was adorable!

The little kids made it look so fun that some of the bigger kids wanted to have their own race:
The guy in the cowboy hat was wearing boots...
...which apparently aren't the easiest things to run in!
Jeff and I, pre-race.
Julia and I having fun, waiting for the start.

So I ran the race, and I have to tell you, this whole "running" thing is getting easier for me.  I didn't have the panic breathing problem at the beginning, and that first mile felt really good!  Although it was really warm (about 77 degrees), it was overcast and there was a slight breeze, so it didn't feel too bad.  Jeff wanted me to slow down a bit, but honestly, I was feeling so good that I didn't want to.  Which kinda came back to bite me toward the end of the race, but oh well.  It was fun!  My finish time was 37:43 - average pace was 12:38.  My first two miles were 12:14 and 12:27.  We shall not speak of that third mile, lol.  Nah, it was fine...13:01.  I'm happy with it, and quite pleased with how much I've improved in just two months of racing.

My new favorite post-race position:
 Ahhh!  If I only had a pit crew to lay out a blanket and a pillow, I'd be completely set!

We trailed Will the entire race, and after Jeff and I finished, he decided that he felt good enough to jump back on the course, catch up to Will, and run with him for the rest of his 10K.  I know Will appreciated it - it's dang hard to keep going on a 10K when most of the runners stop after 5K - and this course had you running it twice if you were doing the 10K, so he'd seen the finish line and had to keep going.  While Jeff was off running, I hobnobbed with the winner of the 10K, who had passed us as we were getting close to finishing the 5K - yes, he's quite fast!
Gustavo Roman, Jr. - pretty much, if you see him at a race, he'll be the winner.  And he's still in high school!  This young man has talent...I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the cover of Runner's World soon.  

Yesterday was also Lemonade Day, and after the race I bought the best tasting cup of lemonade I've ever had from these two cuties:
Luckily I had my emergency $5 in the pocket of my water bottle - I've been carrying it around since the fall of 2010.  My need for lemonade was definitely an emergency!  The bigger kid even made change for me; I was pretty impressed with the salesmanship and service they provided.

Here comes the 10K finishers:
Julia, beating the boys...nice job, peeps!
Our USAFit BCS gang - racing diehards.

Oh!  Remember how Julia kept winning a doorprize at every race we did last month?  Well, guess who was the winner yesterday?  ME!  I know!  I was pretty surprised too...and really, she probably only didn't win because it was a drawing, and Julia was still out running when they were taking the entries and announcing the winner.  So what did I win?
Four pint glasses and a tour for four at a local micro brewery!  Cool!!!  Now, I don't drink, mind you, but still - I'm just thrilled to win something!  I'll set up Jeff and three friends for the tour one of these days...I'm sure they'll enjoy it.  I've already had some iced tea using my new glass - how fun!

Unless there's a surprise race in town that I haven't heard about, this race will finish our racing season.  We've had a lot of fun with these 5K's and it's been so wonderful to be able to race again, and nice to actually race with Jeff - something I never imagined we'd be doing back in 2010, when I started doing 5K's.  I guess you never really know what's around the bend, right?  Anyway, thanks for putting up with race recap after race recap...next week, I'll be back to some more normal posts.

16 comments:

  1. That's the end of the season? Races are just getting started around here. Guess that is climate for you.

    Congrats on the race - it looks like a lot of fun! Especially your 'posed' crossing the finish line :D

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  2. Like Lori said, racing season has just started here. Most races here are from March to June and in September and October but you can basically run a race here the whole year, there's something to do every weekend. But then again, it's not as hot here of course as where you live.

    Congrats on winning the prize and on a great race. Great photo's as always.

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    1. @Lori and Fran - yep, combination of a hot climate and a college town makes our racing season short but sweet. :(

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  3. **squints**
    did my comment take?
    it's that kind of morning :-)

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  4. Congrats on winning the door prize!!
    Boo on not having anymore races this season! You guys should travel to one!

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  5. Once again, that is a great running post Shelley. I think I am going to try a couple of 5ks soon to see how they go. Don't worry, I really enjoy the running recaps. Nice glasses, it is always fun to win something.

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  6. I for one am going to miss your race reports!

    When you said you were hobnobbing with the winner, and then I saw his picture and then his name, for a minute I thought, "Somebody came from Europe to run a 10K in Shelley's hometown??

    Love the pic of the little boys selling lemonade.

    What a fun report. And how fun to hear YOU having fun racing!

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  7. I just love how much fun you guys seem to have at races. You really have a great group there. Also, once again I have to comment on the great stuff you guys get at your races... a technical shirt for a 5K? Unheard of around here.

    Jeff and his buddies will have a great time on that tour... his reward for sticking with you on runs, perhaps?

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  8. I love the way you may living healthy so much fun.

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  9. Love the recap and hooray for winning! I hardly win anything either.

    So happy you and Jeff have such a fun activity you can enjoy together!

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  10. You are my hero!!!! I have one next weekend and that should end the racing season for us until the Peachtree in July.

    You get the panic breathing too??? For some reason knowing that makes me feel better :)

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  11. Hi Shelley. Congrats on ANOTHER great race, you racin' rock star!!!!!!! A tour of a microbrewery?? OMG, what a great door prize. Well, for Jeff and the boys. I hope the NEXT prize you win is for you and all you!!!! Have a wonderful week.

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  12. About Mad Men: I've seen the first 2 episodes of season 1 now and so far I like it a lot. I love the setting of the 60's especially the dresses. I will definitely keep watching this and see how it continues.

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  13. So great that you didn't have your prerace anxiety issues! Too bad it's the last race of the season though - bad timing. You have been running a lot of races recently, you need to rest!

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  14. What a great finish to a great 5K season; I am probably more bummed than you are that it is over. I love, love, love your race recaps. :)

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