The United Way 5k Race Recap

13th Annual United Way 5k run/ 2 mile walk
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Start Time:  9:00 am

I ended up getting off work around 8:15am and arrived at the race around 8:25ish…  The sun was shining and it was 50 something degrees so it was beautiful!!  I went into the building to pick up my packet and took it back to my car so I could prepare to run.  I put my bib on and got my ipod set up. This was the first local race that was chip timed so I put the little chip on my shoe with a zip tie, and started doing a little warm up jog and stretching.

The race director was counting down over the loud speaker, until the race started and reminding everyone to put their chips on their shoes because if you didn’t have one or if it fell off, you wouldn’t get timed.  Once the director said there was 10 minutes left until the start, I went to the starting area.  I finally spotted my parents and I hadn’t been sure they were going to get there on time or not so I didn’t give them my camera.  Too bad because they ended up seeing me 4 times on the course!! (next year they’ll have my camera for sure!!)

**All the race pictures were taken by the people who put the race on, I just snagged them from facebook**
No clue what that lady is doing or what’s up with that dude’s beard but had to post this picture! lol 

I headed over to chat with them before the start of the race and as soon as I told them “im gonna go line up on the inside” I hear a horn and everyone started running!!  Oh my goodness!! Seriously?!  The last announcement was at 10 minutes before the start of the race!!  They didn’t even have any announcements before the race like the usual run through of the route or telling you where the water stop is or to have fun or anything like that… I was very surprised!  Good thing the race is chip timed! ;)

Well, I finally got to the “start” flag and realized that there was no “mat” to start my timing… great!  my time had started while I was towards the back of the crowd and the chip is only used to record our time at the finish! ugh!!  If I would have known that, I would’ve started as far in front as I could get away with! Especially since I’m trying to go sub 25!!  (next year i will start towards the front!!)

The first part of the race we had to run around the horse track (the race was at the local fairgrounds) 1 1/2 times.  I tried to stay on the inside as much as possible, but ended up passing people on the outside most of the time. Then we ran up a little hill and around part of the fair ground path.  I saw my parents right after mile 1 and shouted “If I want it, I gotta keep this pace!”  “It” being sub 25.  I had run the first mile in 8:01 according to the guy who was shouting out times as everyone ran by.  I’m so glad that my parents were where they were, because they had stationed themselves right in front of the big hill leading out of the fairgrounds and onto the road.

My parents are GREAT at spectating races… especially this being their first year to do so ;)  I destroyed that hill!  I was passing people going up and down that hill and I was feeling great! After the hill came a really long straight stretch and I kept looking for a mile 2 marker, but I never saw one… I was getting thirsty and hadn’t brought along my handheld.  Since there were no announcements at the beginning of the race, I had no clue if there was a water station or not. But I picked out a girl in front of me and focused on passing her…and I did!

A couple minutes later and I found out there was!!  Thank goodness!! I grabbed a cup and thanked the volunteers.  I didn’t look before I tried to drink some, but the cups were filled to the top with water and somehow I choked on the water causing me to swallow my gum causing me to throw up in my mouth, which in turned caused me to pull over and stop on the side of the road to let it all out… talk about disgusting!  Also, disappointing because I had no clue how much further I had to run but that little incident kind of zapped the remainder of my energy!  Also, that girl I passed had passed me back big time!

I started running again as soon as possible and focused on running strong and catching back up to the girl I had picked out.  We were rounding around a couple of side streets and now me and the girl were running side by side.  as we came to the road that would eventually take us to the finish line, the girl and a guy that was running with a dog pulled ahead of me.  I started thinking thoughts like “I might as well give up, I’ll never get sub 25 now”  and “I really haven’t run much at all the past couple weeks, why am I kind of expecting to run good today?”  I shook my head and pressed on telling myself I only had a little ways left. 

I could finally see the finish line a little ways in the distance.  Stay strong Zaneta!!  Just finish strong!!  Well, that girl and guy were only a little ways ahead of me now and I told myself I had to gain some ground.  Except I wasn’t so sure I could.  That is when I spotted one of the guys that runs all of the local 5ks (and he is mr speedster).  He had run back to stand across the street of the finish line.  He was cheering and then he saw me and started cheering for me and the one thing he said that pushed me to run as hard as I could was “Girl, you’ve got this!  You have to pass them!  You’re almost there!”

Bill, if by some chance you happen upon my little blog… thank you so much!!  You really pushed me and were the reason I crossed that finish line strong!  For some reason I just felt like I didn’t have it in me, but you helped push me along!!  I ended up passing the girl AND the guy with the dog to come in to the finish chute with a time of 25:16.  Not my best, not my worst BUT not a sub 25 either.  So yes, I was a tad disappointed.

I found my parents, grabbed a bagel and orange and some gatorade and told my story to my parents… IF I would have started in the front and IF I would have not had to stop somewhere right after mile 2 and IF I would have run more the past couple of weeks I SO could have gone sub 25! 

I ended up getting first in my age group which I was surprised by… I’m always surprised when I place in my age group… but especially 1st place…. Instead of a medal I got a blue ribbon and $10! lol… I joked with my parents that I’m a pro now because I got paid to run! ;)

All-in-all, this was a great race, great course, great volunteers, great shirt… my only complaint is that there was no warning that we were starting the race and that I was led to believe that “chip” timing meant that the chip would start timing once we crossed the start, and stop once we crossed the finish.  Instead, we had a gun time with fast web results.  It was fun, and I’ll definitely do this race again next year!

 

Stats

Time:  25:16
Pace: 8:07/mile
Overall Place: 105/343
AG Place: 1/9

Upcoming Races

11/25/10 – B.P.K. Scholarship Run/Fun Walk
11/27/10 – 4th Annual Turkey Trot 5k Run/Walk