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A couple of days have passed and I have my first race of 2014 behind me, the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K! It was a really great day and I can happily say that I did Run With No Regrets!
Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K Race Recap! #runchat #bibchat Click To Tweet
Wake up time was around 7 am. I went to bed early in anticipation of the race, but I was still dragging my feet to get out of bed! Brandon, my fellow teammate told me parking would be tough, so we planned to get there by 8 am for the 9 am start.
Getting to Haddonfield High School was very easy. Haddonfield is such a cute little town with beautiful homes! As we found our location, Bret stopped at a nearby Acme to pick up a coffee and a parfait. I only had an apple to eat in the morning…not much of an appetite due to nerves!
The sky was gray and while the temperature was around the 40’s, it felt much chillier, which I was not expecting. It even rained for a few minutes while we waited! I joked that if it rained during the race, I would definitely PR!I liked that the 5K isn’t too large, with less than 1000 runners in total. There was a greater mix of people than I expected, too. The Black Girls Run were in FULL force, always standing out in their pink tutu’s. And I saw lots of high school track kids, so I knew that there would be a lot of speedy people.
But I wasn’t worried about that. I lined up with my team after a few moments of warming up and trying to shake off the nerves. This was actually Bret’s first 5K! He is more of a long distance guy, so I was interested to see how he’d do. I told him not to run with me…I knew that I’d be on my own as my fellow teammates had goals between 24 and 26 minutes.
Team I Drink, Therefore I Run!
Before I knew it, the gun went off and we were moving! I lost my team immediately and never saw them again during the race. But that didn’t matter because I wanted to focus on ME.
The first mile was hell. It was! I started off with a decent pace, somewhere around 9 minutes, which is quite a feat considering that I am much more comfortable in the 11-minute club these days.
I cursed myself for doing this race as each step felt forced and my breathing was out of control. As we ran past “downtown”, we took a left and ran down the longest block ever…I needed some music, some spectators, some encouraging signs! The only entertainment I had was a group of ladies snarking at the runners ahead of them, sigh…
After mile 1, I’m really thinking this was a dumb idea. How did Brandon dupe me into signing up for this thing?! Why are there all of these hills?? I could see that I was going beyond my comfort zone, but I just tried to keep moving. The asphalt was hard on my feet, and at times I felt like I was in last place, but it’s okay. Focus on the scenery. It’s almost over. Sort of.
After about 1.5 miles in I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. A nice older gentleman let me know my shoe was untied, and after I took care of that I got my life together. I start moving faster again and my Nike+ watch winked to let me know there’s not much left to go. The closer I get to the end, the greater the focus.
I’m about 0.25 miles away from the finish line! I know my whole team is done and well-rested by now. Maybe they’re watching on the sidelines? I see Bret! “BRET!” Did he wave? I don’t remember…I start sprinting at this point. I want to finish in under 31 minutes. I’m going faster and faster…and I’m done! Yay!! According to my watch, 30:59:57. According to the chip time, 30:57. I couldn’t be more proud of my performance, with everything I’ve been through these past 12 months!
It took a LONG time to recover from that final sprint. I always like the final sprint because it shows that I have more in me than I realize. I got my medal, a bottle of water and a banana for my trouble.
The most surprising thing was that despite it all, I actually felt pretty good! My left knee was a little sore, which I think was due to the final sprint, but my muscles felt great.
The 5K medal is pretty awesome. There is a bottle opener towards the top of the medal, and the strap reads “We finally found a purpose for North Jersey”…too funny!
Post-race smiles all around!
My teammates all did an awesome job! Brandon was the veteran of the race and had a goal of 24 minutes based on his time last year. This year he finished in 23:35! And I am SO proud of Bret: In his first 5K, he finished in 23:19!
When all was said and done, we went to the Irish Mile for a few beers and LOTS of food. We were the first ones there at 11 am, and we were able to request 90’s R&B to listen to. It was a blast! I drank an Ommegang Hennepin Saison and a White Ale that were pretty good.
As I reflect, I’m extremely happy with the way things turned out. When I run a race, so many things always go through my mind, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been in that mode. It really feels great to go through all the emotions again.
I definitely know for sure that I need a new pair of running shoes. My Brooks Ghost 5’s and I just are not a match…especially on pavement. Time to go shopping!
Last, I really need to get my music situation together. I don’t know why I didn’t bring my earphones so that I could listen to Pandora or Amazon music while I ran; I needed the distraction! Ever since my iPod was stolen, I’ve struggled with the lack of music during runs.
It was so important to have the right attitude. There were times during the race that I wanted to quit, but I didn’t! I really wanted to put my best foot forward, physically and mentally. I can’t wait for more races in the next few months!
Monday 3/10: The usual hip and glute strengthening exercises, followed by a 3 mile run, 5 times up and down the Art Museum steps, and 40 pushups: 25 regular, and 3 sets of 5 variations. My pace was all over the place, but I was happy to have a run on a nice spring-like day. Took a nice long time foam rolling and icing my knees and ankles!
Tuesday 3/11: I did a Yoga for Runners video recommended by Clarinda at Enjoying the Course just to try to stretch things out. I was super stiff, but I’m glad I did it.
Wednesday 3/12: I missed Core and More, but I still made it to the gym and did hips and glute exercises, 3 miles of speed intervals on the treadmill.
Thursday 3/13: I didn’t do much, just a little hip work.
Friday 3/14: Intended on going running but it didn’t happen.
Saturday 3/15: The Haddonfield 5K!
Did you have a St. Patty’s Day themed race this weekend? How did it go? What’s your favorite kind of beer?
