Run AWAY 5K Race Recap!
On Sunday I ran a 5K trail race to benefit the Solid Waste Authority- an odd little race that turned out to be perfect for me right now. One of the reasons I chose it is I figured a trail race would be kinder to my ego- after two years of dealing with my foot issues (and doing no speed work) I knew I would be running slowly. Everyone runs slower on a trail, right? The race was about 45 minutes north of us, at the Renewable Energy Facility. I actually had no idea what this was or that it existed at all, but it turns out we have “the most advanced and cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in North America.” Who knew? Since the race started at 7:30 and we had to pick up our packets, we got up nice and early- 5:20 am- and got ourselves ready to go. My husband had agreed to run it with me, but after he registered he found out he would be working Saturday night, and he didn’t get home until 11:30 pm. There was a teensy bit of grumbling at the early wakeup time, but overall he was an excellent sport. I drank a big glass of water and then sipped on a cup of black tea on our way to the race. Once we were there and had gotten our packets and bib numbers, I ate a banana, ran a mile to warm up, and was ready to race. It turned out this was a perfect course for someone who can’t run very fast, because if ever a race discouraged fast running, it was this one. The trail portions were nothing too treacherous- some rocks and tree roots, you had to watch your step- but the true challenges lay in the non-trail sections. There were some paved stretches that were very uneven- ironically, I rolled my ankle on one of the paved parts (nothing serious.) Not only was the pavement broken, but there were some twists and turns that made it precarious. Then in the middle of the race we encountered the worst running surface imaginable. It was kind of like a concrete lattice, with holes in the center of each grid. It was literally impossible for me to step down without stepping partially into a hole. Oh, and this was the only part of the course that was downhill. It was only one or two tenths of a mile, but still- it was slow going. Then, there were a couple stretches where we ran on a boardwalk over a marshy area. There was a sign that said “Caution! Boardwalk is slippery when wet” and you could see puddles ALL OVER IT. Some people in front of me walked across the boardwalk- I kept running, but I did slow down. My overall pace for this race was 9:04/mile, which is astonishing considering I practically felt like I was running an obstacle race. As a matter of fact, I’m suspicious that the course was a little short- but I don’t know for sure because my Garmin chose this week to bite the dust. Hey- I’ll take 9:04 if you want to give it to me. And I came second in my age group! One of the most exciting things about the race though was that my husband was third in his age group, and it’s the first time he’s ever placed in his age group. He was really happy! We got some pretty cool AG awards… In all honesty, this quirky little race obviously didn’t attract fast runners. But that’s okay- I’ll take an AG award any day! It always makes it more fun when you win something. My foot held up well- it didn’t hurt during the race. I was too distracted to notice it much. It got uncomfortable standing during the award ceremony though- when you’re in my age group, you have to wait a while for your category. On the way home my husband said that regardless of how he placed, he was just happy that he’s still able to be out there running. I thought the same thing during the race- how lucky I was to out there, running on a trail, when a lot of people can’t run at all. So I’m grateful for that. HOWEVER… I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet- the point where I say “I’m old and slow, but at least I can make it through a 5K without keeling over!” I’d like to think I still have some competitive days ahead of me, where I can train seriously for a race and have a time goal. So while I did have fun, it just reminded my that I NEED to get this foot situation fixed, so I can run the way I want to again. Overall, we really enjoyed this event. When I signed us up we were making jokes about running a race for garbage. But I loved the focus on renewable energy and recycling. The trail was beautiful, and even the questionable running surfaces added to the unique quality of this race. We plan to do it again next year! Do you ever run trail races? What’s the oddest race you’ve ever run?