Big Woods Run - Race Recap

My first race recap!  How exciting!

As is my wont prior to new events, I didn't sleep particularly well last night.   Actually, I slept just fine until some guys decided to park outside my apartment and talk VERY LOUDLY at 3:30 in the morning.    I'm not certain why they thought having one of them hold on the truck bumper and get pulled sounded like a good idea, but I have a sneaking suspicion alcohol was involved.   Anyhow, once that woke me up I pretty much kept waking up every half hour or so until I gave up and got out of bed around 6 AM.

I checked the weather and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't raining.   In fact, the forecast looked more or less clear for the duration of the race.   I elected to go with knickers and a long sleeve top over a t-shirt, though, just in case.    I grabbed a light breakfast, a good luck kiss from Larry and headed out the door.  

By the time I had reached the church, it had started misting.   It was just enough to make the grass, and therefore my socks, wet.   I picked up my race packet from the tent, including a real life timing chip.   The lady at registration made my day when she told me that she assumed that I had run before and was surprised when I said no.  Must have been all the spandex I was wearing.  

The 5k didn't start at the church, but rather inside the state park.  So, we bundled into a bunch of school buses and took the shuttle to the starting line.   I employed my amazing conversational skills by engaging a few of the other women in idle banter while we waited for the start of the race.    We were herded over to the starting line, where we realized that we were going to have a mass start of over a hundred people on a trail about six feet wide.   Needless to say, it was a bit chaotic.  

I sorted myself out towards the middle-back of the pack, figuring I didn't want to be in the faster people's way.   Unfortunately, that wasn't a feeling shared by everyone, so once they finally let us go, I found myself passing a large number of walkers and even some slower runners (!).   Eventually the group sorted itself, and we settled into our respective paces.   I hadn't really warmed up as much as I should have, and my body was letting me know in a myriad of little ways.   Mostly, my left ankle was pretty stiff, but I had faith that it would loosen up as we went along.

The trail was wide and mostly flat, with the biggest danger being from the many large tree roots crisscrossing it.   The mist had dissipated and the air was crisp and smelled of crushed leaves and rain.   I settled into my rhythm and called to mind the mantra I had finally settled upon.   "Breath.  Strength.  Joy."   Not quite as catchy as "Don't fall over", but it served to remind me of what I had decided was the key to my success.   Breath - I needed to keep my breathing even and in the right rhythm to avoid cramping.   Strength - A reminder that I have the strength to push through the hard spots.   Joy - A reminder of why I was there, and to smile.   Together, I figured it was a good way to keep my head in the right space while out on the trail.

The last mile + of the run was on pavement, which honestly was something of a disappointment.   Also, my shoes, which are amazing on the trail, sort of feel like running on suction cups on pavement.   As a final insult, the rain that had held off thus far started falling in earnest, driven by the rather strong southern wind.   Still, the nice thing about running to a church is that the steeple makes for a rather well defined visual target on which to focus.   So, I buckled down, started chanting my mantra and kept on moving.  

I turned into the final stretch with the hope that I was at least going to finish in under 45 minutes.   As the clock came into view, the numbers I saw were 37:15.   Seriously?  I kicked it into to gear to try and get through the line before it rolled over to 38:00 and made it!   Woo hoo!  I had finished my first 5k without walking, and had even done it in under 40 minutes.  

The final "official" time was even better, at 36:04.   That meant, in essence, that not only had I run my first 5k successfully, but that I had done it at a better average pace than I have ever managed, either on trail or road. All in all, a pretty successful outing, and I got a cool t-shirt besides.   Next up...Thanksgiving 5k!