Run to Remember 5K Race Recap

At the half marathon in April my boyfriend became so inspired to run a race, we had to stop at the mall to get him running gear on the way home. Since then, he has been training for his first 5K which was this past Saturday....

So on a cold and rainy morning in late May, we set out along with his younger brother and my running buddy to participate in the Run to Remember. This was the boys’ first race, my friend Kimmy’s first race since her marathon last year, and my first 5K in a year. What a bummer that it had to be a cold and wet day!

After packet pick-up we camped out in the car until the start time neared, shed our layers, then reluctantly walked up to the start. This was a small race in its first year and it had attracted less than 100 people. The start was congested and confusing, and we ran as couples for the first ¼ mile or so. It really did not feel like a race at first, as the boys stayed with us, and it just felt like a silly jaunt in the rain.

However, as soon as there was space, the boys took off and maintained a steady ¼ to ½ mile ahead for the rest of the time. Kimmy and I quickly passed quite a few people before setting into a comfortable pace around 8:15. It was fun to be running together again, and the rain spurred us on toward the finish as quickly as possible.

As this was an amateur race, there was no signage other than mile markers, so we were clueless on our timing. About halfway through, Kimmy had to take a break to work through some cramps and urged me to go on. Because I fare best in the cold & wet, I picked up the pace in an attempt to make up for “lost time” as I saw it.

As I turned the corner and faced a gradual hill, it hit me how silly it was for me to be running alone…especially at this point in time. This was our first race running together in awhile, I had no clue about my speed, and I wanted to finish with my friend. I spotted her just a little ways back so started running in slow-mo to entertain myself until she caught up.

Once together again, we settled into our earlier pace and headed toward the finish. At this point I had finally lost sight of the boys and knew there was no hope to catch up (darn!). The course was a little confusing and as we turned the corner a little short of .1 miles left, the clock read 25:50. I yelled to Kimmy “26:00!!” and we started sprinting.

I LOVE running races with my running partner, we always have the energy to sprint the finish and race the clock. The funny thing is…..it makes for a good show for the spectators because they always think we are racing each other.

We came in at 26:02, not bad for the first 5K of the year. My goal was to beat our Hot Chocolate Run time from December 2011 (the last 5K we ran together) which was 26:28. My secret goal is to get a 25:00 5K, which stands mine & Kimmy's PR….from May 2010! Yikes!

The boys had a good time as well and Tim is ridiculously excited to run again. He left his brother behind after the uphill and finished around 23:00. The both of them are around 6 feet tall, so it’s a given that they will finish faster than us, despite their lack of training. Stupid men.

Next event: Westfield Wave Triathlon – my first Sprint!