Race Recap: Rocktoberfest 5 Miler, aka Racing Sick
Well. At least I finished this race and at least I got to go back to Charlotte and spend an amazing weekend with friends because this race? Not my best. I was initially planning to run the half marathon but after spending the entire week clutching my bag of cough drops and doing shots of NyQuil in hopes that I'd not snot and hack my way through the night and that the pounding in my head would at least reduce to a dull, quiet ache, I decided to drop back and just do the five mile option instead. And thank goodness I was smart for once in my life. I can't even imagine what would have happened if I had attempted the half (really, I think it would have been just that: an attempt, not a finish).
So let's talk about the race/course itself. It's Charlotte. There are hills. And some of them were big. We've discussed this before (and before that). But really, the hills were fine. And despite my concern that I'd struggle with them since moving to flatter, coastal land, I really didn't have issues with them at all. My pace was steady and my effort felt even despite some steep (and long) inclines.
Sadly though, I knew within the first quarter mile when my legs felt like I was dragging 50 pound weights and all I wanted to do was curl up on the side of the road and take a nap that this wasn't going to be a fun race for me. That said, I sucked it up, enjoyed the absolutely perfect running weather (no humidity, cool morning), and decided to make the best of it because after all, I wasn't running the half (yay!). It was only five miles, and five miles goes by fast.
Despite the burning in my lungs and the awful phlegm in my throat (yum!), this wasn't a terrible race for me. It wasn't good, but it could have gone much worse. I know I'm capable of doing better, though. Technically, this was the first five miler I've raced, but I did do the Elizabeth 8K back in the spring, which is 4.98 miles, with better results. And had I been healthy here, I'm fairly certain I would have come in somewhere around the 38 minute mark.
So, should I have really run this race? No, most definitely not. But overall, the weekend was wonderful, I saw a ton of my Charlotte friends, got a cool race t-shirt (I love it when that happens), and walked away with one more racing experience under my belt. But I definitely think I'm going to have to find another five miler to do back in Charlotte soon so I can redeem myself and, of course, have another fun weekend with friends.
Results: 41:20 (8:16), 16th overall female, 6th in age group
Weather: 65 degrees, low humidity, clear, partly sunny
Health: Killer cold (and while I didn't know it at the time, I was 5 weeks pregnant)
So let's talk about the race/course itself. It's Charlotte. There are hills. And some of them were big. We've discussed this before (and before that). But really, the hills were fine. And despite my concern that I'd struggle with them since moving to flatter, coastal land, I really didn't have issues with them at all. My pace was steady and my effort felt even despite some steep (and long) inclines.
Sadly though, I knew within the first quarter mile when my legs felt like I was dragging 50 pound weights and all I wanted to do was curl up on the side of the road and take a nap that this wasn't going to be a fun race for me. That said, I sucked it up, enjoyed the absolutely perfect running weather (no humidity, cool morning), and decided to make the best of it because after all, I wasn't running the half (yay!). It was only five miles, and five miles goes by fast.
Despite the burning in my lungs and the awful phlegm in my throat (yum!), this wasn't a terrible race for me. It wasn't good, but it could have gone much worse. I know I'm capable of doing better, though. Technically, this was the first five miler I've raced, but I did do the Elizabeth 8K back in the spring, which is 4.98 miles, with better results. And had I been healthy here, I'm fairly certain I would have come in somewhere around the 38 minute mark.
So, should I have really run this race? No, most definitely not. But overall, the weekend was wonderful, I saw a ton of my Charlotte friends, got a cool race t-shirt (I love it when that happens), and walked away with one more racing experience under my belt. But I definitely think I'm going to have to find another five miler to do back in Charlotte soon so I can redeem myself and, of course, have another fun weekend with friends.
Results: 41:20 (8:16), 16th overall female, 6th in age group
Weather: 65 degrees, low humidity, clear, partly sunny
Health: Killer cold (and while I didn't know it at the time, I was 5 weeks pregnant)