Race Recap: Feel the Love 5k 2/10/19 (New pb)
This was my second ever 5k race aside from cross country. I had already ran my first 5k road race last year but didn't review about it. The directors told us that this year was the first year with a new course. I was kind of worried as my first 5k didn't go very well. They had told us that it was an out-and-back course and that there was an uphill the last 1.5 miles.
Before Race:
I had arrived there at 10:00 and had an hour to warm since the race started at 11. My dad and I went to the tent outside to get my bib and shirt. After that, I waited in the car with the heater on to get my body warm. After about 25 minutes, I got my gloves and went out for a 3 minute warm up run. A few stretches preceded after the run, and I saw more participants pouring into the race tent. It was a very sunny day with clear skies and perfect weather. My only concern was that there was some slight wind.
:Perfect weather for racing
:People started warming up 30 minutes after I arrived
Race Start:
Mile 1: The siren went off and I had placed myself near the front. I didn't want to make a mistake like the first 5k and go all out. I went out steady and tried to pace myself with who I felt like had the same speed as me. There were 2 other runners who I started to run with, and I decided to go along with them. I was going really smoothly as the first part was a slight downhill towards a river. One of the volunteers screamed at us telling us the mile mark. I looked at my watch and was impressed with the time: 5:45. "Good job! Your'e doing great." I told myself as I paced next to the runner. There was an aid station which told us that we now needed to head back by taking a curve.
Mile 2: This time, I had to head back up the way I came. I still wasn't out of breath and felt okay. I kept repeating to myself that it was almost over and I was doing a great job. I had paced with 2 people in the 1st mile, but 1 of them had fallen off. I passed by runners on the other side who still hadn't made it to the mile mark. I could see the tunnel, which would be the first uphill. As I looked down while running, I saw the something written in chalk on the road. As I ran over it, it had said Mile 2. I checked my watch and I passed the 2nd mile in 11:30.
Mile 3: I kept repeating to myself to stay with this man until the finish line. In the distance ahead, I saw the 1st or 2nd female runner heading for the tunnel. I stayed with the man, and went towards the tunnel, but he began to pull away from me. As I went up the hill, I passed the female runner. Then, I started going up the second hill towards the straightway. I went past the police car and headed for the finish line. The man I was pacing myself with was already long gone. I knew I was in no man's land and that no one would catch up to me. Soon, the 2nd man who had pulled off in the 2nd mile started sprinting past me. I noticed and started a sprinting battle the last 30 meters or so. He just crossed the finish line 1 second ahead of me! When I crossed, I looked up at the time, and was proud. I had just gotten a new best time of 18:35. This was only my second year ever running distance, and I knew training with my teammates had paid off!
Post Race:
I was really happy with the time and couldn't be more proud of myself. My dad was still looking at the runners running towards the finish line and hadn't noticed that I finished. I was also very proud with my time, and I went to get a cup of water from the tent. The awards ceremony started about 35 minutes later, and I didn't know if there would be an age group award. Unfortunately, there were no individual awards, as awards went to couples/paired runners. But, I was still very happy with my time as it was a minute and 46 seconds faster than my previous pr!
What a nice day to race!
Overall:
I thought this was a great race to run and it wasn't super challenging. If I did more hill training, I would've been fine with the 2 hills as they weren't super steep. My team mates told me that I did a great job and by senior year, I might be able to run a sub 17 minute 5k. Overall, I would recommend this race to anyone who is looking for a 5k race which allows couples and groups to run together. The course was also very fast so I would also recommend it to anyone who is trying to get a quick 5k pr on the road.
Results: I was happy with my time and my place in the race. I had gotten 2nd in my age group, and placed 13th out of 201 runners.
Before Race:
I had arrived there at 10:00 and had an hour to warm since the race started at 11. My dad and I went to the tent outside to get my bib and shirt. After that, I waited in the car with the heater on to get my body warm. After about 25 minutes, I got my gloves and went out for a 3 minute warm up run. A few stretches preceded after the run, and I saw more participants pouring into the race tent. It was a very sunny day with clear skies and perfect weather. My only concern was that there was some slight wind.
:Perfect weather for racing
Race Start:
Mile 1: The siren went off and I had placed myself near the front. I didn't want to make a mistake like the first 5k and go all out. I went out steady and tried to pace myself with who I felt like had the same speed as me. There were 2 other runners who I started to run with, and I decided to go along with them. I was going really smoothly as the first part was a slight downhill towards a river. One of the volunteers screamed at us telling us the mile mark. I looked at my watch and was impressed with the time: 5:45. "Good job! Your'e doing great." I told myself as I paced next to the runner. There was an aid station which told us that we now needed to head back by taking a curve.
Mile 2: This time, I had to head back up the way I came. I still wasn't out of breath and felt okay. I kept repeating to myself that it was almost over and I was doing a great job. I had paced with 2 people in the 1st mile, but 1 of them had fallen off. I passed by runners on the other side who still hadn't made it to the mile mark. I could see the tunnel, which would be the first uphill. As I looked down while running, I saw the something written in chalk on the road. As I ran over it, it had said Mile 2. I checked my watch and I passed the 2nd mile in 11:30.
Mile 3: I kept repeating to myself to stay with this man until the finish line. In the distance ahead, I saw the 1st or 2nd female runner heading for the tunnel. I stayed with the man, and went towards the tunnel, but he began to pull away from me. As I went up the hill, I passed the female runner. Then, I started going up the second hill towards the straightway. I went past the police car and headed for the finish line. The man I was pacing myself with was already long gone. I knew I was in no man's land and that no one would catch up to me. Soon, the 2nd man who had pulled off in the 2nd mile started sprinting past me. I noticed and started a sprinting battle the last 30 meters or so. He just crossed the finish line 1 second ahead of me! When I crossed, I looked up at the time, and was proud. I had just gotten a new best time of 18:35. This was only my second year ever running distance, and I knew training with my teammates had paid off!
I was really happy with the time and couldn't be more proud of myself. My dad was still looking at the runners running towards the finish line and hadn't noticed that I finished. I was also very proud with my time, and I went to get a cup of water from the tent. The awards ceremony started about 35 minutes later, and I didn't know if there would be an age group award. Unfortunately, there were no individual awards, as awards went to couples/paired runners. But, I was still very happy with my time as it was a minute and 46 seconds faster than my previous pr!
What a nice day to race!I thought this was a great race to run and it wasn't super challenging. If I did more hill training, I would've been fine with the 2 hills as they weren't super steep. My team mates told me that I did a great job and by senior year, I might be able to run a sub 17 minute 5k. Overall, I would recommend this race to anyone who is looking for a 5k race which allows couples and groups to run together. The course was also very fast so I would also recommend it to anyone who is trying to get a quick 5k pr on the road.
Received a cool Pac-Man themed t-shirt
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