Thursday afternoon it started to get pretty dark outside and the weather channel had said the area was going to get hit with a pretty rough thunderstorm. It did pour pretty hard while I was at work, but it started to clear off by the time I got out of work. The race director had sent an e-mail earlier in the day stating that the race would go on if it were raining, and be canceled if it were thundering and lightening, but that the "post-race party" would still go on because they had a lot of food and drink and would not be able to reschedule the event.
After I got out of work I ran over to Red Robin to meet some friends for a quick dinner. Alex's Lemonade Stand was doing a fundraiser and I didn't want to miss it. I wasn't sure how a cheeseburger and fries were going to treat me during the 5K, but I guess I would soon find out. I pulled in just before 5, and Nita and Matt were already there waiting for me. Just inside the door there was a small lemonade stand set up with free samples of Red Robin's Freckled Lemonade. There was also a small jar for donations and rubber ALSF bracelets.
We were quickly seated and ordering. I decided on a Red's Tavern Double and Sweet Potato friends. Sadly, I had to inhale my food and run (literally) to get to my race on time since I still had to drive to Canandaigua, which is about a 40 minute commute, and I wasn't certain what traffic would be like. Traffic ended up being okay, and luckily, the friends I was running all arrived around the same time and were parked within the same row.
(Pre-race selfie with Linda, Court and Sara)
It was still drizzling a little bit, but we headed through the swampy mess the storm had left, over to the race tent to show the volunteers our ID's so we could get our over 21 bracelets. Then we made our way to the start. It wasn't long before we started, and thankfully the rain had cleared completely. I had forgotten my headphones, so I was running without music but I wasn't disappointed. Sonnenberg Gardens is beautiful and there was enough to keep me distracted for 3.1 miles. The race course took us around the Mansions gardens and the old VA Hospital. The course then took us through some of the neighborhoods in Canandaigua past some very large and beautiful homes.
(I couldn't find a course map, so here's the map from my watch)
I stuck to my intervals and was cruising along, glancing at my watch every now and then to see how I was doing on time. Throughout the race I wondered when that cheeseburger and fries was going to come back and haunt me, but it never did. Before I knew it I was about 400 meters from the finish. Since I didn't have my headphones, I heard people talking about a rainbow, so I glanced up, and they were right. It was beautiful, but it wasn't even raining and hadn't been. I made it to the entrance to the gardens and started to pick up my pace and made my way past the finish line. I stopped my watch and heard my friends yelling to me. I went over to where they were sitting and I told them I thought I had broken through my 11:00/mile barrier. I went back into my watch history and clicked on Thursday's date. Here's what I saw:
(Yes, I saved this from my SnapChat)
I had done it, my average pace was 10:45/mile and I had finished (according to my watch) in 33:33 (pretty funny)! I eventually went to the race website to look up my chip time, and they clocked me a 33:31, I'll take it, 2 seconds faster! And yes, I'm well aware that 33:33 is not a fast 5K time by any stretch of the imagination, however, considering my first 5K time ever was like 45 minutes, and my average time for a 5K prior to my surgery was roughly 36:00-37:00, I'd say I'm doing well!
We decided to stroll over to the food tent and grab ourselves a little post race grub and an adult beverage to refuel. They had a pretty good spread, pizza, hot dogs, coleslaw, fruit, cupcakes, cookies, etc. They also offered beer and wine. After we ate we walked over to where they were hanging the results, and as it turned out, Linda placed second in her age group, and Sara and Courtney placed second and third, respectively, in their age groups! We hung around for the awards, but for some odd reason they skipped over Sara and Courtney's age category when handing out the medals, so we decided to head out. Hopefully the medals get mailed to them.
Pros:
Time: I love that this race is an evening race. Personally, I run better in the evenings because I've had a chance to hydrate throughout the day.
Price: I waited a little too long to register, so my race fee was $30.00 plus a processing fee, and I registered as a team with my friends. Individual fee was $35.00 during the last price increase.
Post Race Party: I do not know any other race that I run that throws a party like this one that is actually included in your race registration. There was a lot of free food and drinks (alcohol included)!
Cons:
Water Stops: Again, the only water stop I noticed on the course was about .5 miles from the finish of the 5K. Whether this was the only water stop for the 10K or not like it was last year, I don't know, but I would be happier with one more stop should it be needed.
QOTD: When do you feel you run better? Are you a morning runner or an evening runner?
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