Thursday, December 10, 2015

Santa Hustle 5K

This past Saturday, My fiance and I ran in the Santa Hustle 5K.  For the race being on the lake front and on a December day, we had great weather.  The sun was shining and the temperature reached a high of 47 degrees- i think it only got to a high of 39 while we were running though.  

The morning of, we woke up at 6am to start getting ready so we could leave by 6:45.  My routine on a race morning is very simple- make coffee and get dressed. I always lay out my clothes for a race the night prior so I'm not scurrying around in a frenzy the morning of trying to find what i need.  By 6:45 we were out the door and driving down to the east side.  The race was held right off of Lake Michigan at Veteran's Park downtown Milwaukee. 

We arrived around 7:10am for (we had to stop and get me gum on the way- i cant run without a piece of gum). The race didn't start until 830 but we had to pick up our race bibs and packets, and we knew parking could get crazy so wanted to make sure we got a spot.  After picking up our packets and bibs, we went back to the car so we could stay warm.  At 8:15 we did a final bathroom stop and headed to the start line.

At the start line, we placed ourselves towards the front so we wouldn't have to battle through people while running.  Before the race started, UW-Badger alum and Heismann Trophy Winner, Ron Dayne spoke and gave a pep talk. 

 Then the count down began and we were off.  The start was very congested and i felt like I was tripping over people.  Once we spread out more, My fiance and I started to pass people and fall into our rhythm.  I think a lot of people placed themselves in the front when they shouldn't have.  

The course took us onto Lincoln Memorial drive to North Ave and then turned back to the finish line.  I enjoyed the course a lot, as its one that i have trained on consistently in the past.  The first mile, we found ourselves passing a lot of people and ran past the "Cookie Stop".  I hit mile 1 in 7:31



A mile 1 1/2 we passed the Water Stop and we nearing the turn around.  My legs felt a little dead, but overall i felt like i was doing pretty good. As we neared mile 2 i could feel that i had slowed a little but I thought i had been holding a decent pace.  (i didn't check my watch the entire race so until i finished didn't know what pace i was holding).  I hit mile 2 in 7:50.  



As we turned around and headed back to the finish, i could feel myself dying, but i wasn't giving up.  I thought i was on track to run faster then i was running and that kept me motivated. Entering back into Veterans Park, we passed the "Candy Stop".  Neither of us took anything from the stops, but they were cute to see.  Throughout the course, there were also funny motivational posters.  The one near the candy stop was of two snowballs and one saying to the other, the more i run the more weight i put on.  It took me a minute to figure it out (im a bit slow with jokes) but then i had a good laugh. 
  

After passing the candy stop, we were about a .5 from the finish and i could feel my legs dying and my pace dramatically slowing.  There was a girl in a penguin suit in front of me that I was trying to pass and I told myself to just let her go. I hit mile 3 in 8:19.

As we headed to the finish line, i had a little bit of juice left in me and began to pick up my speed.  We crossed the finish line in 24:58 and of course, as always, finished hand in hand.   
Headed to the Finish
I was disappointed with the time, but not with my performance.  I had really thought i was running so much faster.  My legs definitely were frozen from the cold, so i believe that had an affect on me feeling how i was running.  Just one week prior, i ran 2 1/2 minutes faster in a 5K.  I have noticed the last mile i tend to die and in my training have been trying to work on keep myself consistent in that last mile.  One day I want to run a 5K like i had 2 years ago. I know i wont be running a 15 minute 5K again, but i would like to get into the 18min range once more.  

Overall, Im very pleased with the way Saturday went.  My fiance and I had a lot of fun.  We even hung out for a bit afterwards to take some pictures and say hi to the Reindeer.  


I feel that i have a long way to go in my training, but the run did feel good and I'm proud of myself.  

The next race on my agenda is in February- on my 30th birthday.  We are traveling to Tampa Florida for a half marathon.  So, until then, i will be focusing on my training and gaining speed and logging longer miles with a more consistent pace.  


Until next time:


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