December 5k

all bundled up for a chilly hike

As I mentioned last week I was supposed to run a 5k the first Saturday of December, but wasn't feeling well enough to actually do it. So I registered for a 5k the following Saturday, thinking that I'd be feeling well enough to run that one. While I did feel better and did run the race, I wasn't feeling great and I was fairly conservative in my running so I wouldn't make myself sicker.

I was dragging all week with the crud, and actually felt worse on Friday, though we did manage to get out and run some errands and go for a short hike. After the hike I decided that if I wasn't feeling better on Monday it would be time to go to the doctor to make sure I don't have bronchitis or something.

We were supposed to get snow Friday afternoon, but it didn't actually start snowing until about 7 am Saturday. I woke up at 7 to see what the roads looked like and discovered there was barely a dusting of snow. I was feeling better than the day before, so I started getting ready. By the time I was done showering, dressing, and eating, the snow was starting to accumulate on the grass, but it was too wet to collect on the roads.

It snowed all morning, so I got to run the race in the snow, which I don't think has happened since high school. Though that was dry snow, and this was wet snow that kept getting on my glasses. Despite that, I do like running in the snow- I think it's peaceful.

This race is one I've run before (here, here, and here), and it's a good one because it raises funds for veterans groups and military families. They tried to play the national anthem before the start of the race, but there was some technical difficulties with the sound equipment. We all stood quietly facing the flag, and after a minute or two of glances over at the sound tent, a group of runners behind me started singing the national anthem. Everyone else quickly joined in. We weren't the most talented group of singers, but it was still a moving experience.

Because I was worried about making myself sicker (been there, done that, don't want to do it again), I dressed a little warmer than usual, ran slower than normal, and focused on not pushing myself too hard. It's very counterintuitive to not push myself in a race (there have been many occasions when I start out saying I'm going to take it easy, and then I don't), but in this instance I actually managed to follow through with my intention. While I didn't feel great after the race, I also didn't feel anywhere near as bad as I was afraid I would.

I ran 3.00 miles (the course is a bit short) in 37:36. Surprisingly, this isn't my slowest 5k. While this course is hilly, they're not super steep hills, so it wasn't the most challenging course I ran this year (that would be this one or this one). Running conservatively did slow me down a bit, but not as much as the steep hills in those races did.

1st mile: 11:26
2nd mile: 13:32
3rd mile: 12:39

Weekly Mileage
Friday- 1.02 miles hiked
Saturday- 3.28 miles run and walked
     total miles- 4.30 miles

47th hike towards #52hikechallenge
504.15 miles towards #365milechallenge (17.87 of that on the bike)