Love A Stray 5k Recap

Sunday morning, 12 hours after Yeti Set Go! 10k, I made my way up towards the lake and ran a 5k for some pretty adorable pups. I ran this race last year and loved it, but what made it such a great race was that proceeds were going to a local animal shelter, one that I volunteered at throughout high school. Love a Stray is a local non-kill pet shelter that takes in dogs and cats. In high school I adopted my favorite cat Carter from there, who sadly passed away last year. A few years ago I adopted the adorable and mischievous Ralphie, who makes many cameos on my Instagram feed. If you can adopt, do it! All of these animals need loving homes.

Who wouldn’t want to adopt this fun little creature, aka house destroyer

The course was a little different this year, starting at the high school instead of The Landings, but it still went through the same wooded park. The weather was chilly and was perfect for another trial of my Flying Pig race day outfit. Yes I did wear the same outfit for two back to back races, not ashamed. It was also sprinkling a little bit, but held off until after the race was over. I was feeling pretty good and my legs weren’t too tight. The starting line was full of 400+ runners, and their dogs, so it was a little crowded, but not too bad. Just as soon as we lined up, we were off.

I wasn’t looking for a time with this race, I just wanted to run and give back to the shelter. I settled into a comfortable pace at about 8:30. We headed into the woods and it was still a bit crowded, but the further we got, the more it thinned out. The path was paved and relatively smooth. I hit my first mile right around the 8:30 mark. I decided to slow down a bit, knowing that I didn’t have it in me to PR. My legs were a little sore, so I just wanted to loosen them up. I fell into the groove and made my way through the course.

The course was pretty much the same the entire way, black top through the woods. There was one water stop in between parks at the corner of a housing development, but I didn’t stop. It was a little boring, but if I was running with a dog it would have been a great course. It was well protected and didn’t interfere with traffic or any neighborhoods. I hit mile 2 at 8:54 and mile 3 at 8:49. I finished at 26:46, no PR but a solid, well paced run just 12 hours after some crazy trail running.

After the results were posted online I felt better about my run. I didn’t place in my age group, but I did well overall. If you’re looking for a race to run with your dog, I definitely recommend this one.

Also, the shirts are designed by local kids, which is great. I pre-registered, but they only had large left. My shirt, along with my Yeti Set Go shirt will both be arriving in the mail in two weeks. I’ll be sure to add those to each recap.

*Updated Picture

Official Results

Time: 26:46

Overall: 125/433

Female: 54/287

Age Group 25-29: 8/39

Miles for Madison 5k Recap

The longer I live away from the big city, the more I love running in the country. There’s just something special about running with the rollings hills of road in front of  you and not another person around. Add 600 or so other runners and the fresh smell of cows and you’ve got the setting for Saturday’s 5k. Miles for Madison 5k was in Creston, a small town in the middle of no where Ohio. I picked up my packet on Friday night, which had my shirt and free candle donated by Root Candles. I had also won free train tickets to Lodi Station, so I was able to give these back for a family with children who would really appreciate the ride.

I scoped out some of the course and noticed it was really flat, but had a bit of wind. Seemed to be a pretty easy course to run on the next day. I was really excited for the race, not only would I be hitting these country roads with speed, but this entire race was for one little girl. Madison was diagnosed with SJS last year. She’s in recovery, but it was a great way for others to learn about this rare skin disease and help raise money to a great fund. The event was put on by Medina County Road Runners and the family expected maybe 200 people to show up. They were blown away when 600+ people were there on race day. Even more awesome, many of Madison’s classmates came out to run as well. Cue the tears.

Saturday morning came and I was ready to go. I was feeling pretty good and was hoping to get close to my PR. It was a little windy, but I didn’t think it would be a big issue. After a warm up, I made it to the start line and took my place between the 8-9 mile markers. We started the race and I tried to find a pace I was comfortable with. I knew to ignore Garmin for a while so I could focus on what my legs wanted. A half mile in and I was pushing 7:50. I had no business being anywhere near that number so I quickly tried to slow myself down. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I hit the first mile in 8:15.

Shortly before the mile marker we turned a corner and were heading straight into the wind. I’m not sure what happened, but I slowed way down, almost to a point that I felt I was running backwards. I had a sudden change of heart, I didn’t want to run any longer, and I wanted to just sit down and stop. My legs felt heavy and it was as though I had already run 10 miles, not one. With so many 5ks under my belt, I knew that sometimes you get good races, and sometimes you get bad races. I kept going, knowing that since the race was flat, it shouldn’t be a total struggle to make it to the finish. I hit mile two somewhere around 17:xx.

With one mile to go, I focused on finishing. We rounded another turn and I could see a few rolling hills up in the distance. I didn’t expect these and wasn’t sure I’d have the energy to muster up the final half mile. All I could think about was how does someone plan to have hills in the last half mile? Obviously I still don’t love hills. I could hear my college coaches voice in my head, charge the hill, charge that hill in front of you. I told myself this over and over as I passed people and made it to the top. Half mile to go and I was at 22:xx.

There was a slight downhill that lead us to the school and around the back to the track. I started to pick up my speed and gave it all I had left in me. I crossed the line at 26:14.

I think this look explains it all

It wasn’t my best race, but I’ve done a lot worse. I was surprised with how close my time was to last week. Ok, 45 seconds may not be close, but I was pretty sure I’d finish between 27-28 minutes. It was a mentally rough day, between the brutal wind and my legs and the last few hills near the finish, but I completed the race.

Afterword I stood in line for my 5 minute massage and had my hamstrings stretched out. The woman working on me proceeded to tell me that my back was a mess and so were my hips. Thank you for reassuring me with something I already know. She gave me a few stretches and hopefully I can work these out in the future. Maybe this is what’s holding me back from running a quicker pace.

By 10:30 the awards started, I didn’t expect to win anything, but wanted to stick around and find out the fastest times. Little Madison was also handing out the awards, so I felt it was only right to stay for a while. When they got to the 20-24 age group, they called my name in third place. Completely shocked I went up to grab my award, a brick from one of the old local schools. How awesome.

3rd Place Female 20-24

I didn’t realize until I was on my way home, but it would be the last time I ran a 5k in the 20-24 age group. A bittersweet moment that will allow me to jump up to 25-29 and probably never place. But hopefully, it will push me to be a faster runner.

The race was such a great event that was put on in honor of one little girl. MCRR did such a fantastic job, and I hope that this race continues each year. I was impressed with the goodies from our grab bag too. They included a shirt, water bottle, a candle and some coupons for ice cream. Along with the grab bag, the treats after the race were all donated by local companies. They had quite the spread of chocolate milk, cookies, subway sandwiches and I think some ice cream. Seriously a community effort on this event.

Lots of goodies!

Official Results

Time: 26:14

Overall Place: 131/616

Female Overall: 39/382

AG 20-24: 3/20

Sole to Soul 5k Recap

This race couldn’t have come at a better time. I was fresh off the let down of a bad 5k and I needed some kind of redemption race. I also had one of the busiest and craziest weeks in a while, and I couldn’t wait to leave it all behind me and zone out for three quick miles. The 5k was in my hometown so I knew it would be flat, and hopefully fast. I spent the previous night at my parent’s house so I wouldn’t have to drive 45 minutes in the morning. A 5 minute drive on the morning of race day seemed much more enjoyable. The race didn’t start until 9:00, but I was wide awake at 6:30 and I was able to catch this beautiful sunrise. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, but it never gets old.

I was a little concerned because my legs were pretty tight still from Yoga, so I made sure to do some extra stretches. After a random granola bar and some water, I was ready to go. I got to the park and wondered if I’d see anyone I knew. The first person I saw was one of my high school coaches. She didn’t recognize me or acknowledge me, but it wasn’t too surprising. If you weren’t number one on the team, you just didn’t matter.

That aside, I picked up my bib and shirt, ate a few Sport Beans, ran a bit of a warm up and was ready to go. We lined up, got ready and suddenly we were off. A lot of people sprinted, and I was passed by a ton of runners. I kept reminding myself not to go out too quick, I didn’t want another race like last weeks. 7:50, 8:05, 8:15, I was forcing myself to slow down but at some point, I just couldn’t get past 8:20. A half mile in I decided to forget about my watch and just let my legs lead me. I wasn’t running a half marathon, if I forced myself to go at a 9:00 pace, I’d never get any faster. And I certainly wouldn’t be happy about my time. So through the wooded street and into a familiar development, I hit my first mile at 8:16.

I was feeling good, picking people off, one by one. I could tell who went out too quickly and hoped I wouldn’t be joining in their pain. We ran through a newer housing development, and I could remember doing mile repeats and pre-race shenanigan filled runs. I was excited to be on my home turf, and more excited to show my once high school coach that I could still run. I was able to stick with a pretty decent pace and kept my attention on a women ahead of me. We headed to the turn around point and as I passed the half way mark I was at 12:47. I started to run the numbers and forced the thought quickly from my mind. I wanted to use time as a check point, not let it control my race.

The second half of the course would be what we just ran, easy, flat, and hopefully no issues. I was still feeling good, no pain at all, but could tell my breathing was a little loud. My legs were a little tight, but I figured it was because they weren’t used to going this fast. I made it out of the development, and knew I’d have a short distance on a side street, following the main road before turning into the park for the finish. Unfortunately I became a little distracted when a much older gentleman decided to drive down the middle of the street behind the runners, tailing each one. It was clear he was too close to everyone for their safety. I got out of the way and kept my eye on him until he turned off. This slowed me down a bit, but the last thing you need on the course is an accident.

I turned on the main road and knew I had less than a half mile to go. I could see the three mile mark up ahead as my legs started to extend. My pace opened up and I could taste the finish. 24:48 at the three mile mark. I wouldn’t break 25:00, but I knew I could definitely break 26:00. I rounded into the park and pushed it as I crossed the line. 25:37 for a new adult PR. A whole 2:05 off of last week’s horrible 5k. I was thrilled! Even with my less than perfect training all week, I was able to zone out on everything and really focus on my running.

I did a short jog back and forth to the car to keep my legs loose. Once all of the runners were in, they announced the winners of the race. I was shocked to hear my name called under 2nd place in my age group. I didn’t expect it, and was grateful that I had done better than I thought.

Fun shirt and medal

I truly enjoyed this race. Hermes always does such a great job managing races that it makes for a fun time running. I hope that I’ll be able to run this race again to improve on my time and hopefully see the race grow. If you need a flat, fast 5k in March, definitely keep this one on your radar for next year.

Loving this medal

Official Results:

Garmin Time: 25:37

Age Group 20-29: 2/12

Female Overall: 15/61

Overall: 50/130

Irish Jig & Jog 5k Recap

Being about the only person who didn’t run St. Malachi, I opted for a flat 5k on Sunday morning. Over the past couple weeks I had thrown the idea around for a St. Patrick’s Day race, either the Lakewood Irish Jig & Jog 5k or the Shamrock 5k in Woodridge. Knowing that the Shamrock 5k would be all hills and I haven’t had a chance to tackle some in a while, I decided to keep it easy. Lucky for me, I spent the weekend up in Avon, so I wouldn’t need to drive far on race morning. The race was put on by Peace Racing, and it was the second year they’ve held the event. I had never run a race by them, but I was excited to see how it would go.

My pre race ritual wasn’t my along my normal plan. I spent Saturday night at a concert with my sister, had sloppy joes for dinner, and managed about 6 hours of sleep when I woke up Sunday morning. To follow that up, I had a gross protein bar the morning of, and still hadn’t decided if I was fully committed to running, or crawling back in bed. But knowing I had miles to get in, I figured it’d be easier with a couple hundred other people than just myself braving the cold.

Because I was on the fence all week about racing, I registered day of. This meant I wouldn’t be getting the long sleeve shirts, and unfortunately, the woman working my line didn’t let us know we needed timing chips. I found this out at the start of the race, with less than a minute to go an announcement was made to make sure your timing chip was on your shoe. I looked around, and luckily I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t told, about a third of the runners around me didn’t have a chip. I also learned that some day of registrants got shirts. I was obviously in the wrong sign up line.

We started the race and like always I went out way too quick. I was right around 8:15 pace and tried to slow myself down, but people kept passing me. For the next half mile I battled with slowing down and being pulled ahead with everyone else. I finally got my pace down and completed my first mile in 8:43, still too fast. The course was really flat, and a little boring. It started at Madison Park and went into two neighborhoods on either side. My office is right down the street, so I knew the area wouldn’t have any hills, and hopefully this meant I could go fast the entire time. The first mile was a loop around one neighborhood and then we passed Madison Park again to an out and back.

As we started the out and back, the first couple of runners were coming by and they were quick! I normally hate running an out and back, but it helped to boost my spirit and I started to pick up my pace. I hit the hairpin turn at the halfway point and I was  around 13:xx, knew I was on pace to an awesome finish. On the way back I noticed that the cold and slight wind were starting to catch up with me, my breathing was getting heavier and at some points my legs felt like they were moving backwards. I kept with it, and hit the two mile mark at 17:xx.

Curious to where the last mile would lead, I began the loop that we ran for the first mile. By this time my body was slowing down and questioning why I went out so quick in the first mile. My pace dropped drastically and I struggled some to finish the last half mile. I also started getting a cramp right near my heart and I began to panic. This instantly made me slow down and I became over cautious as I was finishing the race. I did see Bill from Second Sole cheering me on at the finish, so I tried to sprint as much as I could to the line. It was nice to have one familiar face in the crowd. I crossed the line at 27:42 on a course that was at 3.02.

I had a mix of feelings after finishing the race. I was upset that I went out way too quick and ruined my pace for the rest of the race. I was also upset that the course was short by so much! I was glad I was done, but I didn’t feel that I got everything out of it that I paid for. However, I couldn’t be that upset with myself, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the race and my Saturday night didn’t help either. I was glad I got the miles in, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite race.

Frosty 5k Recap

Sunday morning I had the pleasure of running my first race in my new city! The rec center held it’s annual Frosty 5k and I figured this would be the perfect way to kick off a new year of running. I took a lot of time off after 3M and had just started getting into a normal routine within the past week. I wasn’t expecting much and just wanted to use this race as a way to get some miles in. Plus, a race in Medina only happens once a month, if that, so any race that I don’t have to drive at least 30 minutes to get to is a big bonus these days.

I started the morning with my regular Clif bar and arrived at the rec center around 8:30. I picked up my bib, did some stretches and waited inside until we were ready to start. They should have changed the name to Freezing 5k, because it was down right cold, right around 20 degrees. The race was hosted by the rec center, so it was only open to rec members, bringing the field to about 70 people. Not bad for a cold Sunday in February.

Once we all lined up, the race directer yelled the old fashioned, On  your mark, get set, Go! And just like that about 30 people sprinted ahead and I found myself being pulled with them. I checked the Garmin and we were at a 7:40 pace. There was no way I’d be able to keep this up for the whole race, or even the first half mile. I slowly started to ease myself into a better pace and settled right around 9:00. I was feeling good and had already passed one person. Then again around a mile in, I passed my second person.

The course was set throughout housing developments, so it was pretty much the same scene over and over. Lucky for me, these neighborhoods were new to me, so I kept checking out the houses and daydreaming of my own dream home. Then I suddenly realized that this was the longest mile ever. Where was the mile marker? I checked my watch and we were already at 1.25 miles. No mile markers, but not to worry, I’ll just go with it. (Apparently there were kilometer markers, but I missed those completely)  The next 2 miles were pretty much the same, nice neighborhoods, a decent pace and just a few spots of black ice. The only difference was the hidden gradual inclines. They weren’t really that bad, probably the “flattest” area in all of Medina. Remember this for future runs.

The last half mile was fun. I really hadn’t checked my time at all during the race, instead just focused on  my pace. I was feeling good and was able to pass my third person. I never pass people, so this was exciting. And then I had my biggest challenge…an 11 year old boy. I think I surprised him when I starting running next to him, so he quickly sped up. But the finish is uphill, so he couldn’t really get away from me. We went back and forth and I couldn’t help but smile, I was fighting a child for the finish. My final surge of energy came when a little 4 year old held out his hand right before the finish. I gave him a high 5 and crossed the line. As for the boy I was racing, we tied.

Overall I thought it was a great race. Besides being completely freezing half of the time, we had great weather even with a little bit of black ice to watch out for. I never felt like I was over pushing myself and I kept a pretty decent pace most of the time. It’s also great running without pain, something I hope to keep going for a long time this year.

After the race, everyone hung out inside waiting for the results to be posted. Because I signed up after January 31st, I didn’t get a shirt, but no problem, I managed to score one when I got second place in my age group! Complete shock, but awesome because I got a long sleeve shirt, a $5 certificate to go towards a class of my choice and two free guest passes to the rec center. Road trip to Medina anyone?

This was a great way to kick off the new year and the last of my “off season”.  This week I’ll be starting a 12 week training cycle for the Flying Pig Half Marathon, which will include a new way of training. I look forward to sharing more of this with you all!

Course Elevation:

This is “flat” Medina

Garmin Time: 27:51

Age Group 20-29: 2/11

Gender Place: 7/39

Overall Place: 27/72

Second Place Winnings

 

Did you race this weekend? Have you ever raced a kid to the finish line?

Turkey Burner 5k Recap

I’m thankful for hills. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I ran the Turkey Burner 5k in Hinckley over Thanksgiving. This post is a little delayed, but I think we’re all moving slow this week. Thanksgiving plans weren’t confirmed until about Wednesday night, so I hadn’t pre registered for any race. Luckily Hinckley had a 5k that was close and relatively inexpensive. I tried to get there early so I could register, get a good parking spot and find out where I was even running.

I got there around 8:20 and went right away to register. Unfortunately they didn’t have any shirts left, and had run out days ago. Bummer,  it was a pretty nice long sleeve shirt and I was looking forward to adding another to my growing collection. It was freezing and I regretted not bringing a headband, so I spent most of the time before the race in my car. The race was set to start at 9:00, but at 8:55 they let everyone know they were going to start at 9:10. It ended up being 9:15 by the time we started, and there was no send off. I looked up and saw people running and started on my way.

I was still freezing and was hoping to use the first mile to warm up, get my pace and use the last mile to speed things up. I was wrong. A quarter mile in a hill started, and it kept going and winding up, and up until we reached the first mile. A tough start to the race and many were dropping behind or walking already. I powered through, but my pace was not impressive, I came in at the first mile around a 10:00 pace. But with an incline, comes a decline and we were heading down hill to the water stop. I passed and just kept going. We then had two smaller hills, not as bad, but they were still hills. Around mile 2 was the last hill. It was a steep one, and I struggled with this one, but I knew we were almost done and hopefully the rest would be easy. Everything after that was a slight down hill followed by a quick turn into the finish. I crossed the line at 27:40, not bad for 4 hills.

Four hills, why not?

Overall, it wasn’t a bad race. There weren’t any mile markers, so I was glad to have  my Garmin, but my pace was all over the place. I averaged a 9:03 pace, but was up to 10:00 going up hills and down to 7:40 running down hill. Unfortunately I can’t find results, and don’t think they’ll be posted. It was a beautiful course around Hinckley Reservation, probably the most scenic 5k I’ve done. I wish I had my phone so I could have taken pictures along the way. I’m hoping to get back out there sometime and really do some damage on those hills. If anything it was a good course to get my run in for the day, with a few hundred other people.

 

**Official results posted***

Overall -152/502

AG -4/15

Hy-5k Recap

To kick off race weekend I signed up for the Hyland 5k to run a little shake out before the Cleveland Experience. I had this race in mind for a while, but as the weekend got closer, I started to second guess running in the heat two days in a row. I told myself I wouldn’t “race” this one, just take it easy and get ready for the half.

It was already pretty humid by the time I got there, so I did a short warm up and then tried to hide inside until the start. There were tons of people there, a lot more than I expected with the 5k downtown at the same time. Right before the start, I headed outside and stood in the shade, avoiding the sun as much as I possibly could. About a minute before we started, I saw Heather and Jay. We were off, and the heat quickly set in, this would be tough. The first mile was around 9:00 and I knew I couldn’t keep this pace up with the heat. I started to slow, but kept a pretty good pace. Most of the course was in the sun, so finding shade was pretty hard.

At mile two I saw Kimi and Stef, it was a nice bit of motivation to finish the final mile. All I could think of though was how would I run 10 more miles in this heat the following day. Luckily right at the three mile marker Heather and Jay came up and helped me to the finish. We came in one after another. I was so glad to see them, and so glad to be done. That heat was rough.

We loaded up on water and fruit and went our separate ways. At this point, I was pretty concerned on how the half was going to go. I am not a warm weather runner, so I knew Sunday would be an interesting race….

Hy-5k Results:

Official time: 27:22

AG: 10/29

Overall: 243/650

Awesome bag from Hyland

LAS 5k Fur Fun Run Recap

Instead of joining everyone in the fun Saturday for the Hermes 10 Miler, I gave my legs a rest after two weeks of major races and settled on a local 5k. This 5k actually meant a lot more to me than others. Love-A-Stray, the main sponsor of the race, is a local non-profit, volunteer run, no-kill pet shelter.  They have two divisions, one focused on dogs, and the other focused on cats. I used to volunteer at the cat location back in high school. This resulted in many years of kitten kisses and coming home with my first LAS buddy, Carter.

Once I moved out of my parent’s house and didn’t want to disrupt the old man (the cat, not my dad) I immediately went back to LAS and found my wild little monster, Ralphie.

If you’re looking for a furry friend, you can probably find one here

Now on to the race recap! I headed to The Landings in Avon Lake and picked up my packet. The first thing I noticed, there were a ton of dogs, pretty sure I was the only one without a dog. We lined up for the race and headed out of the parking lot and through the landings. Things were going fast and I quickly found my pace. We headed into Kopf Family Reservation, and I finally checked my watch. I was cruising at a sub 8:30 pace and feeling pretty good.

And then my pet peeve runner showed up. For the next half mile or so a fellow runner kept speeding up, passing me, and slowing way down right in front of me. I nearly tripped over him a few times. At this point we were at the half way point, and I knew I had to make my move or else this guy would ruin my entire race. He already dropped my pace to 9:20. I opened my stride and let my legs do the work. I instantly felt like I was dropping seconds from my pace, and at the 2 mile mark, I was down to an 8:30 pace. One mile to go and I just kept moving, I skipped the water stop and tried picking off runners one by one. About 600 meters to go, and I got the anxious, nervous, omgimgoingsofastimgoingtopukebutimsocloseihavetofinish feeling. I get this feeling at every race now, and I love it. I kicked it in for the last 100 feet, and saw 25 on the clock, crossing the line at what I thought was 25:57. Two seconds off PR.

But I wasn’t upset, I was content with my race, my legs felt great, and I wanted more. I felt like maybe I knew how to run 5k’s again. So to enjoy the great run, I scanned the vendors and found myself on Rescue Row, full of puppies for adoption! Nothing says a great race by trying to take a puppy home!

Puppies and runners!

Overall it was a great race for a great cause. Race results were even better. I ended up getting third in my age group and received a $10 Active Runner gift card, awesome!

Official results:

Time-25:55 (PR Tie)

AG-3/11

Overall-66/250

After four weekends of races, I’m putting my legs on hold and just packing in the miles until Cleveland Half Marathon. My hope is to let my body fully recover and get ready for some major training plans coming up!

Go the Distance 5k Recap

This past weekend we spent the Easter holiday down in Marion. Darren spent Saturday morning golfing, so to fill up my morning, I wanted to find a local race. Luckily there was a 5k just down the road, so I quickly jumped in on this action.

The Go the Distance 5k was put on by the Marion Boys and Girls Club, all proceeds going directly to them. They had a huge carnival set up for kids and a fun run for the little ones. I picked up my shirt and bib, did a short warm up jog and I was ready to go. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know the course at all, and I knew absolutely no one that was there.

We started and I quickly took off to find the perfect pace. I got into my groove and checked my watch, 8:15 pace. Way too fast, but I didn’t feel like I was going that quick, so I kept with it. First mile and I was still at 8:15, not bad, but I knew I had to slow down. I never remember my second mile time, but I slowed the pace at one point to about 8:45. Second mile is always the worst. I had one mile left, and I was feeling pretty good. I followed the girl in front of me until about a half mile left. This is where my memories of cross came back, and I was excited to sprint into the finish. We came down a small hill, and I rounded the turn right at 25:55. New “adult” 5k PR!

I was pretty pumped with my time, and even more excited that my knee pain was pretty minimal. I felt great and I was surprised that I was able to get my time down without doing any sprint workouts this year. First a RP in the 5 miler and now in the 5k, makes me wonder if I can get a PR in the half this year! Next up on my year of races is the half…..

Newest shirt and bib added to the collection

Welcome back old friend

It’s that time of year again for the Classic at Mastick, probably my favorite race. I’ve run this so many times in high school and college, it was a great way to see how I would start off the season. But it’s always been a love/hate race. And as long as I live in the Cleveland area, I will always try to run this race. This year the race surprised me and came up a little sooner than I expected. I am in no way ready for 5k’s. With the brutal heat and schedule, I haven’t been focusing on speed, just trying to get runs in when I can. But once this weather breaks, I’m hoping to get more workouts in on the track. If you get a chance, try to sign up next year. I’m not going for a PR, just going out for fun. Here’s my thoughts on the race before going in:
Pros:

• The race takes place in Rocky River Reservation (Mastick)
• Scholarship money is given to students for a college fund, great way to help students out
• The race is at night, my favorite time to run
• The goodie bags are fabulous, I’ve never not liked what they’ve given out
• It’s a great race for high school students to do a little test run….but watch out, they’re fast and can put times to shame
• Same course every year, so you know exactly where to run, which includes lots of shade

Hesitations

• Those high school students are fast, many are teams that go to state. You can’t feel bad when they beat you by 6 minutes or so…
• Because it’s a night race, its usually really hot and humid, so hydration is key all day long
• Parking is tough, get there as soon as you can, even if you’re rushing out the door after work you may need to park a distance away
• The course is a bit long, and for some reason I’ve always run it slow, so I try to keep that in mind when checking out my times at each mile

All in all I love this race. I enjoy running it even if I know I’m going to have a slower time like always. But with cooler weather in the forecast, there could be a change in how this race ends up. Hopefully I’ll have a good race report later in the week.