High Lawn Farm has the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted…

Last year was the first year that they offered this race and of course, it was on my radar.

DESCRIPTION

The High Lawn Farm Keep Moo’ving 5K is a 3.1 mile walk or run that is open to all abilities and levels of fitness. 100% of the proceeds from this event benefit Berkshire Bounty. Berkshire Bounty is a food rescue organization dedicated to collecting, purchasing and delivering nutritious food to emergency food distribution programs countywide.

The course is beautiful, starting runners at the farm, then passing along Laurel Lake before returning to the farm to celebrate at the food truck where runners enjoy a well-earned High Lawn Farm ice cream. Visit the historic century worth of memorabilia in the High Lawn Farm Museum, open specifically for the runners following the race!

But it’s a long drive and I was marathon training…

Some racing friends did go and they said that it was awesome.

So I mentioned it to my running friends Heidi and Sherry.

and they agreed with me.. Let’s do it!

Pre-Race Activities and Preparations:

Again I am training for a marathon.

I ran my long run of 9 miles the day before…

And then the hubby and I spent the rest of the day on the lake where I enjoyed a beer and a good book.

I was on the fence whether or not, I would just walk the whole thing or run/walk it.  Racing it was out of the question in my mind.

Race Day:

The race started at 8:30 am.

I got up at 5:15 am and had my usual race breakfast of coffee and oatmeal.

I left at 6:15 in order to get to Heidi’s house since she offered to drive.

It took us 45 minutes but we got there early enough to get parking and pick up my shirt/bib.

There were almost 300 runners at this race. I even bumped into quite a few familiar faces.  This is one of things I enjoy most about racing…its social element.

The weather was warm … around 70 at the start and sunny. We just hung around and chatted while deciding on our race strategy.

Soon it was time to line up.

We decided to run together… that meant using Heidi’s intervals (2min:30 sec) since she was the slowest of the three.

It sounded like fun to me.

Mile 1:

It was pretty crowded but we tried to stay together.  The race started on a dirt path with holes and rocks.  It would have been hard to run on.

Then it was a long downhill (Of course since it was an out and back, you would be running up that long hill!!)

After that hill, it was just rolling and shady with a view of a lake on the right.

Mile 2:

By the second mile, it was getting increasingly hard to stay together.  It was crowded and when Heidi got behind us, it was hard to hear the beeps to know when we were walking and when we were supposed to run.

I also like to walk on the uphills and run on the downhills which didn’t always coordinate with the intervals.

So we got separated..

Sherry was close behind me and I often slowed for her to catch up… since we said that we would run the race together.

Somewhere after the turn around there was a water stop.

The course repeated itself so youknew what was coming…

Mile 3-3.1:

By mile 3, I was wanting to be done… so I did my usual run some, walk some.

I actually felt pretty energetic and could have run this race…

But there was no reason to chance a injury.

And then there was that LONG annoying hill! I was glad that I actually wasn’t racing.

I crossed at 42:09. (41:57 – Garmin time)

A PW 5k but faster than the ones I walked.

No regrets!!

Post Race Activities:

Sherry finished right after new and we waited for Heidi to cross.

They gave you a coupon for free ice cream and there was also free chocolate milk…

We got on line for our free ice cream

and chatted with the other runners while we waited.

They posted the results pretty quickly and I saw that I came in 5th in my age group.

The winners got to name a new calf (very cool). The age group winners just got a big prize ribbon.

And of course, the ice cream was worth the drive!!

Additional Race Reflections:

Yes, it was an early morning and a long drive.

But I don’t regret participating in this 5k. Though it was a PW, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday morning (especially if you can convince friends to come along).

Next year when I will not be training for a marathon, I may even race it!!

Positives:

• Well organized race
• Well marked scenic course
• Some familiar faces
• Friends to share the experience
• Nice gender-specific tech shirt
• Free chocolate milk
• Free (homemade) ice cream
• Immediate results

Negatives:

• Hilly
• Long drive

Would I recommend this race?

All in all, this was a fun race. The hills were a challenge but I’ve seen and experienced worse.

I plan run it again even though it is not nearby.

Final Stats:

Next Up:

a 10k.

Then 13.1:

Happy Running! Did you race this weekend? Do you have a big races coming up? Do you run short races even when you are training for a big long race? Please share.

 

 

 

 

 

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Since today is Tuesday, I’m linking up with Zenaida (The Running Teacher) and Jenn (Runs with Pugs).

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and tomorrow:

I’m also linking up with: co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs