Downtown Sanford 5K - Run5k


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Sanford, North Carolina
United States
RMS
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 41m 37s
Overall Rank = 71/86
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

This is the first time this race has been held. After it finished, they had a bike criterium along the same course.

I arrived over an hour before the race. Got the FIRST parking space, right next to the start/finish line. Woohoo! Also, I got to use the Port-a-Potties while they were still nice and clean. :)
Event warmup:

Drank some water. Walked around. Drank more water. Re-tied shoes. Drank water. Used the Port-a-Potties again. Decided to not drink anymore, as the Port-a-Potties were starting to look a tad "used." :O

Since I had abandoned the water bottle, I talked to the guy who arrived just after me, and parked in the second space. (He eventually took 2nd place overall.) He also had a bike with him, but wasn't sure if he wanted to ride.

Then, I re-tied my shoes, picked up the water bottle ---- and saw the line by the Port-a-Potties. So I put the bottle back down.

Just before the race started, the RD announced they needed to move back the starting line to get the proper distance in. He walked down a hill, and we all followed him.

I, of course, felt the need to point out to everyone around me that since we were going DOWNHILL now, we'd need to go UPHILL later. :)
Run
  • 41m 37s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 13m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

When the race started, everyone RAN UP THE HILL. I almost ran after them, but fortunately, some neuron in my brain told me that would be *very stupid.* So I walked up the hill. A group of four was just behind me. They decided to call themselves "The Caboose." So that tells you MY ranking at this point --> One ahead of the Caboose. :O

HILLS! Who knew there were so many hills around here?

I figured that as long as I stayed ahead of the "The Caboose," I wouldn't be DFL. :)

My plan had been to jog on the flats, but there weren't many. It seemed like we were mostly going uphill or downhill.

There were police at all the road closings along the course. I asked one, "Where did these hills come from?" He replied, "We imported them just for this event." :)

After awhile, some of those who had RUN up the starting hill started to look a little tired. I was able to pass some of them. But not too many.

Just before the finish line, we had to go up the big hill again. I managed to pass two women. They'd run up it the first time, but now they were walking. I, on the other hand, was managing a nice shuffling walk/jog. (Yay for the one neuron in my brain which had common sense at the beginning of the race.)

Someone took my picture at the finish line. I thought about tasering him, since this means there is now evidence of my existence. (I think you need to be a regular in the BT Challenge forum to understand that. Let's just say that they frequently comment on the fact they've never seen a photo of me. :) )
What would you do differently?:

Find some hills to practice on. Or maybe not. :)
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around. Drank water. Discovered that the Port-a-Potties were "not so fresh" anymore, and stopped drinking water.

Congratulated the winner and 2nd place finishers. The 2nd place finisher told me it had been a tough course. "Lots of hills," he said. "Usually, the courses around here are much flatter...." He had decided to race in the bike criterium, so I wished him luck.

Went to check my time and rank, and found out the results were all messed up. They had the correct chip number and time, but the names were incorrect. The RD already knew this, of course, but couldn't figure out who the podium finishers were. Fortunately, I knew the 2nd place finisher, at least. :) I tracked him down, so they could record his name.

Walked some more, and watched the first bike race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing really. I was happy with how I did. And my knee and ankles seem to be OK. Yay!

Lots of pollen in the air. I took an antihistamine and Flonase. But I should have used my inhaler. (I got a little wheezy on the hills.)

Event comments:

They had two water stations along the route, and one at the finish. There were kids at all of them. In their enthusiasm, they were standing all over the road -- Which meant they got in the way because they REALLY, REALLY, REALLY really wanted you to take a cup of water. There was also a kid with a water pistol, whose mother was screaming at her. (I didn't see her spray anyone.)

Considering this was the first time the event was held, it went OK. They had some computer issues at check-in, which delayed the start a bit. Then they moved the starting line down the hill, which made it an uphill start. And, of course, having the incorrect names is going to give someone a major headache. (But not me, because when I helped the RD track down the 2nd place finisher, he gave me my time and ranking.) :)

I had fun. I'll do it again next year. Hills and all. :)

Edited to add: One week after the event, the official results are still not posted. I think they may never have been able to figure out what names went with which chip/race numbers. (Hopefully, the winners received their prize money!)




Last updated: 2009-04-19 12:00 AM
Running
00:41:37 | 03.11 miles | 13m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 71/86
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4