I was very tempted to sign up for 10K instead of the 5k.  They were both the same price and I needed to run 8 miles before my half marathon next weekend.

Then I remembered the hills of the second half of the 10K and that the 5k was an out and back and would be mostly flat.

So I kept my decision to run the 5k and then planned to run 5 miles after.

I ran this race last year and loved it. They had great food – the usual food but also chili and homemade muffins & cookies (including gluten free ones).

And there was chocolate milk, fresh from the dairy.

Plus, I won a homemade apple pie as first in my age group.

The race started at 10 am which was good since it would be an hour minute drive from my house.

Again the weather was tricky. What to wear? It was cool in the morning (low 40s) but cloudy and very very windy.  I opted for a long sleeve shirt, skirt & compression socks. I brought a jacket, just in case. I am so tired of wearing tights and layers that I’d rather be cold.

I got to the race early and found a parking spot in a field next to the church.  The race started at the church  in the town of Bacon Hill, a small farming town with awesome scenery. (It reminded me of Vermont.)

It was more chilly than I thought.  It was in the 30s with the windchill and the gusts were at least 40 mph.

I decided to keep my jacket on and I was still cold.  I wished that I had worn tights and gloves.

I didn’t think I would know anyone at this run since last year, I hung out with Holly who was in the Turkey Trot training group and now the FRW training group but she had to work this year and couldn’t race.

But I did bump into someone that I recognized probably from another race.  Some also recognized me because she used to read my blog.  How cool is that.  She is also a SkirtSports ambassador.  We chatted about that and local races.

Soon it was time for the race to start. The pastor read a prayer, the church bells rang and we were off.

The 5k was an out and back.  The 10k veered to the right and supposed had hills and breath taking views.

I decided to go out fast.  I always have positive splits so why try not to.  It isn’t as flat as the map shows.  The hills are rolling throughout but not that bad. Even I could run up them.

I loved all the signs along the route.

This one as my favorite:

The wind was a killer.  I was freezing and the gusts made it worse. There were volunteers on the course calling out times. I occasionally glanced down at my Garmin to make sure I was running in the low 9’s. Eventually we turned around and headed back… I was hoping that the wind would be at my back.  But no, it was still blowing and making me miserable.

I stopped for water and walked for a while.  Not because I was thirsty but because I was was out of breath.  I never seemed to get into my groove. I guess I need to do more speed drills.

I thought I had gotten a second wind but then again, I was winded and stopped to walk again during the last mile.

I knew at this point, there would be no PR.  That was fine because I wasn’t expecting one.

As I approached the finish line, I realized that I could still finish under 28 minutes, Unfortunately I had no gas left and I barely made it.  My Gamin said: 27:57!!  So I was pleased.

I immediately made a bee line for the chocolate milk.  Boy was it good.  I had at least 2 cups.

They had the same great food (chili, muffins, cookies, fruit) as last year plus a vegetarian dish and pizza.. I sampled it all! YUM!

They also were selling chicken dinners for $6.  So tempting.

Eventually they posted the results…Mine was 28:01.  That’s ok.  I knew that I really crossed under 28 minutes.

Even though I added a heavier jacket, I was still freezing.

And they gave out the men’s awards first. Finally they called the women’s awards.

And I won a pie again!!! (Love my age group!)

I put the pie in my car and planned on running 5 more miles.  But I was so chilled, I couldn’t bear to hit the wind again even though this area is so nice to run in.  Tomorrow is another day.  Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative.

All in all, I loved this race.  I will definitely do it again…maybe even the 10K.

Goals:

Goal A: PR (under 27:11)
Goal B: Course PR (under 28:56)
Goal C: Under 30 minutes.

B & C.

and my other goals:

Keep Calm

and

• Stay healthy.
• Have fun.
• Run 5 more miles after the race.
• Win an Age Group award.
• Run a course PR
• Keep all miles under 10 minute pace.

All except running 5 more miles after.

Splits:

mile 1- 8:50
mile 2 – 9:17 (long walk)
mile 3 –  9:01 (short walk)
.1 – 7:55

Happy Running! Are you running or racing this weekend?