5K Race Details

I ran my first 5K race today! It was an awesome experience. My time was slower than I had expected (30:25), but it was very cold out. It was about 42 degrees, but weather.com reported that it felt like 34 degrees. So considering I had never run this course and that I don't have any experience running outside in cold weather, I was very pleased with my performance.

I had my iphone on an arm band with an awesome musical playlist on it (mostly Evanescence). The Body Glove ear buds were problematic, though. The right one fell out shortly after the start of the race and never did go back in. The left ear bud did better, but I did have to put it back in my ear like 5 times during the race. So, there were some equipment problems during the race. But, at least I got to have my music, so it was definitely better than not having it.

My clothing was perfect. I had an inner layer of a body tight short sleeved shirt and tights, and then an outer layer of sweat pants and a fleece pullover. The pullover was awesome because it had a pouch in the front with a zipper, and it was red, which made me easy to spot. I also wore gloves, which was very good. I took them off towards the end of the race, though, and put them in my zipper pouch.

Overall, the running experience was awesome. The start was difficult because I wasn't used to breathing in the cold air. But, my body adjusted, and I got into a decent rythym. I began to fall behind a lot of the front runners. There seemed to be quite a few really experienced runners in the race. I think many of the newbies were probably intimidated by the cold weather. But, not me!

I had a cheering section of my husband and friend, who came and cheered me on at the 1/2 way mark and then at the end. They got some awesome pics and video of me. I wound up taking about 4 walk breaks after the first half of the race. I suppose I need to learn more about pacing. By the end of the race, I was running very low on energy, but when I turned the final corner, I heard cheering, so I was able to pick up the pace and run pretty fast towards the finish line.

Calculating my average speed for the race (30:25), it turned out to be 6.12 mph. So, not bad overall. It's under 10 minutes per mile. On the treadmill, I've run much faster, but considering the outside conditions, I'm happy. Regarding comparing my performance to the other racers, I wound up in the middle of the pack, probably closer to the slower end. But, I definitely turned in a solid run for my first 5K race. The fastest person's time was around 20 minutes, and the slowest time was around 40 minutes. So, I was smack dab in the middle of that. Not too shabby for a novice!

After the race, I had my IsoPure Shake to refuel. Then, they did the medals and raffles. To my surprise, I won the very first raffle - a 60 day supply of multi-vitamins! So, that is something that I'll put to use and will save me some money. I also got my t-shirt for running in the race.

Then, my husband, friend, and I went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, where I had a huge salad, some chicken noodle soup, and some fruit. It was an awesome morning. I highly recommend doing a 5K race to anyone who enjoys running. It's really cool that I was able to do this with less than a week's notice. I look forward to improving my time in my next 5K race, perhaps one in the Spring of 2009.

I'll be posting some pics from the race, and possibly my post-race interview. So, stay tuned.