Race Recap: 2019 Midsummer Night 5k Series June 6/13/19
Race Day: The weather forecast showed a thunderstorm mark popping back up and down again. I was hoping for a race with clear and cool weather as I wanted to go sub 18 minutes. When I got to South Ardmore Park which was the location of the race, the weather seemed fine. It was cloudy a little bit, but it didn't seem like there was going to be a huge thunderstorm.
I soon went to the middle of the park to get my shirt and then head back to the car. There were a few runners claiming their bibs so I decided to wait in the car for a little bit before running the course. I had ran this race last year in 21:12, so I was familiar with it. There are 2 hills which aren't extreme, but a little tough on the legs. More people started to come towards the park soon after my run was done. I then preceded to do dynamics and stretches.
The race directors started to announce the kids race after a few minutes and more runners started to come into the middle of the park to see. Just when the kids race started, it started to rain. It wasn't terrible as it was just a slight drizzle. All the runners were under trees which was helpful, but the rain started to get worse and worse. When the directors started to announce us to come to the start line, it was pouring so hard. As the siren went off, I wasn't expecting much in this weather.
Mile 1:
I was in a chase group behind the first pack as I headed up Sussex Rd. There was a tent with the neighborhood kids cheering us on as I turned left onto East Spring Ave. Every corner I turned, the rainwater flowing next to the sidewalk got deeper and deeper. I tried to stick with my pack which included 3 runners. I was right behind someone so I had water splash onto my face multiple time. It was kind enough for the volunteers who told us to turn left onto Knox Rd as it was hard to see. The curve between East Spring and Knox had muddy rainwater flowing which we had to splash through. It was a slight uphill, but my legs felt fine as it was a slight downhill after that. I turned left again to Greythorne Rd, in which the flow of water was worse. The rain started hitting harder and it started to become a storm. I turned left another time onto Athens Ave in which I saw South Ardmore Park. I was close to the 1 mile mark. As I ran next to the park, heading for the start line, I looked a my watch. I noticed that I forgot to turn my watch on and I didn't know what my first mile time was. As I hit the start line, I turned my watch on.
Mile 2:
As this race was a loop 3 times, I had to repeat the same thing 2 more times. My legs felt tired, but I knew I still had something left. Rainwater covered the street where the kids were, and I splashed myself through it. As I ran the straightaway of East Spring Ave, runners who I had lapped were still running their 1st mile. I had to run between them as they were running and walking while spread out along the road. Knox Rd soon became a muddy river as I ran my way through it. More runners that I lapped were spotted and too, I had to run past them as they weren't in a single file. As I was running on Greythorne Rd, headed for Athens, I felt something wrong with my foot. I soon realized that because my shoes were drenched, my insoles were started to come off and stick to my socks. My whole entire left foot was positioned the wrong way compared to my shoe. As I went past the start line, I looked at my watch and saw that I had ran 5:50.
Mile 3: Runners who had tried to stick with me and the chase group started to pass me. The pack I was with was already gone and I was by myself. I knew that I had to speed up in order to run under 18 minutes, but the rain got worse and worse. At Athens Ave, I started to push and was able to pass at least 2 runners, and put a big gap between us. One other runner was about 20 meters in front of me and I knew that I needed to catch up. I turned left past the start line and entered the park. I looked at the clock as I rushed towards the finish. It read 17:59 as I was about 15 meters away. I tried everything I could and saw the clock again before I passed it. This time it said 18:05 and I hit the finish line a second later.
Post-Race: Runners who ran with me or were right behind me greeted me saying "good race." I went under the park bathroom which was where all the other runners who finished were. I grabbed a water bottle and just stared at the other runners coming in. I was soaked and freezing, and just felt so tired. I had to go through puddles and mud in order to throw away my bottle. I went back to the car where my dad turned on the heater and I put on a running t shirt to keep myself warm. I took off my running hat which was 2 times the weight before the race. About 10 minutes later, I grabbed an umbrella from the trunk and headed for the park bathroom where more runners were piling in. A few minutes after my arrival, they announced the winners and age-group awards. I was the 1st place male in the 16-19 age-group, and I received a pair of Brooks BMRC socks.
Overall: Although I was disappointed for not running a sub 18 5k and not pacing myself correctly, I was happy with a new personal best. It's still the start of cross country summer training, and I hope to train hard in order to run sub 17 by the end of the season. I couldn't be so disappointed as the weather affected everyone's race.
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