This was my 4th 5 mile race.

My Delmar Dash times:

2014 – 48:14
2013 – 47:39
2011 – 47:08 PR

The Delmar Dash which is next Sunday is the only 5 miler that I have run. As you can see my times have gotten slower. I’d like to turn that around.

I was hoping that the weather would be a little more springlike and I could wear my new green skirt.  But it was not.  It was COLD, even colder than last week.  So I just wore tights under my skirt and the usual layers.

Not knowing anything about the course (though it claims to be fast and flat) and Delmar is absolutely flat, I was hoping to finish under 50 minutes and maybe beat last year’s 5 mile time (48:14).

I also wanted to have enough energy to run 5 more miles afterward since I did not do my long runs the last 2 weekends.

The race was about an hour drive from my house and again I left early not knowing exactly where I was going.

Well, when I left it was around 20 degrees.  The winds were 25 mph and it was predicted to get up 40 mph wind gusts.  Did not sound like fun to me.

Yesterday, it was nice out.  All day long, I felt like doing my 10 mile long run and DNSing this race. So I went into this race with a crappy attitude.

My attitude changed as soon as I arrived. Although the parking lot was full, I found a spot on a nearby street. Everyone hung out in the gym waiting for the race to start.

cold short sleeved tees shirt (that I will send to my running buddy)

I chatted with a runner about the Schroon Lake Half Marathon.  She noticed my jacket.

I though I was going to wear my Schroon Lake Half jacket

Then I bumped into Laurie from my Turkey Trot training group.  We talked for a while being entertained by bag pipes.

With a late start (11 am), I was already hungry for lunch by the time the race began so I took a GU.

Soon, we headed for the start.  We waited until the last minute so we didn’t have to stand outside long in the cold.

I changed my mind several times about what to wear. Eventually I settled on a fleece vest under my 2 shirts instead of the windbreaker. I was hoping that the sun would keep me warm.

Well, this supposedly fast flat course was not flat for the first 2 miles.

And as usual, I went out too fast thinking I was Super Woman.

over the highway bridge

By the first water stop around mile 1.75, I was pooped.  The wind, the hills and my fast pace had killed me so I walked for a bit.

Then I slowed it down until we got the downhill portion. Mile 3’s downhills gave me a boost but again at the second water stop around mile 4, my speed caught up to me.  This time I walked for even longer.

The bad thing about wearing a watch is that I knew my pace was faster than last week and fast enough to PR.  So I felt comfortable walking instead of pushing myself to do even better.

the course went down main roads as well as old neighborhoods

Finally, I saw the finish line and tried to sprint but I didn’t have much left.

iI wish someone had mentioned that my skirt was tucked into my belt

I crossed at 46:29.  A PR! This made me very happy!!

other runners heading to the finish line

happy to be done..ignore my skirt that is scrunched up into my belt

I went inside and I must say the refreshments left a lot to be desired…bananas and some stale cookies.

So I went back into the gym and waited for Laurie to finish and the results to be posted.

When I looked at the results, I noticed that my name was not listed!!! I was pissed…my fastest 5 miler and a probable age group award!!

So I talked to the director when they were reading the men’s awards and she remembered me and asked for my name and my time.

I hoped my Garmin was correct and it turned out to be.

Yup, I got third.  Some of the fast women did not run this race…YAY!

And I got a beer glass.

out of 338

Splits:

mile 1- 8:55
mile 2- 9:31 (walk #1)
mile 3- 8:58
mile 4- 9:35 (walk #2)
mile 5- 9:19
.04 – 8:17

I enjoyed the race (I enjoy them all) and was happy about how I did considering the wind and my walking.  I’m not sure if it was worth the hour ride so I may not do this one again especially if I am training for a spring half marathon.

I get another shot at a 5 miler next Sunday – the Delmar Dash!!

Though I was tired and cold, I drove back and stopped along the way to run some more miles.

First I stopped at Colonie Town Park but the bike path in both directions was snow/ice covered so I drove the Nisky Bike Path.

It was clear.

clear for 2.25 miles

But it seemed to have gotten colder and the wind gusts were incredible. I almost quit several times.

out of luck…can’t get to Blatnik Hill

I really struggled to get 5 more miles done. I walked a lot. In fact, it took me over one hour!! (That’s over a 12 minute pace.)

Oh well, at least I got my 10 mile long run done.  It just had a 2 hour break in the middle.

When I got home, my friend called and wanted to know if I wanted to go get soft ice cream.

how could I say “no”…another mint cone..yum!!

 Happy Running! How was your weekend? Any running or racing?