So, the race went really well.
I have no idea how these things are organized or how busy it was gonna be, so I went pretty early. I got to the Midway Pavilion at Como Park at about 8:30. The 5K didn’t start until 10:00. I peed a few times. I normally have a cup of coffee, a Slim-Fast, and sometimes a banana before I run. I had all those plus a whole lotta water. I didn’t want to eat too much, but I didn’t want to get hungry, either.
The race route went (in no particular order, I don’t know the park that well) around Como Lake, past the Pavilion, past the falls, and hopped back and forth between the bike and foot path. There were volunteers along the route pointing the way and cheering us on. It was entertaining and very sweet, as the volunteers are all the people with disabilities that we are racing to support. One guy very loudly and repeatedly instructed us to veer to the right, as we followed the path to our left.
This wasn’t that big of a race, so we didn’t have the shoe chips or anything. And we didn’t start from the start/finish line, so I couldn’t see the clock at the beginning. But there weren’t that many people running, maybe about 50. So I was right near the front when the horn went off.
My goal was 30 minutes. As I neared the finish line, I could have sworn I was reading “35″ but as I got closer, I saw that the 3 was actually a 2. My official time: 27:18.
I’m so fucking proud of myself, you don’t even know. I have been grinning all morning.
I didn’t wear my watch, which I think was smart. I couldn’t fixate on how long it had been or how long I had to go. I spent a lot of time telling myself, “Quit doggin’ it!” and “Trust in your training.” The presence of other people and the adrenaline of the event definitely pushed me to go a little faster than usual. I didn’t think I went that much faster, though. I was certainly more tired than I’ve been at the end of most of my runs thus far. But I’m fine now. Just a little salty. I should probably shower.
There are photos, if you’re interested.
