Oxy 5K Family Run & Walk Recap

On Saturday, October 29, I attended the Oxy 5K Family Run & Walk by myself. I think this is the first time that I have ever done a running event completely on my own. I didn't have anyone there to support me or run with me or take pictures of me (key thing here is me, of course). In skydiving, I would a owe a case of beer for this first, but since I'm not skydiving, then I don't have to at all.

The race started at 9 a.m., in Terry-Hershey Park, which is a park that I have ran at before, but not successfully. I had to be there by 8:30 a.m. to sign-in and stretch. I actually showed up right as they started yelling out the instructions.

A cold front swept the nation (even in the South) on Friday evening and consequently, I woke up to 40 degree temperatures for my run. I know that the people in the North are like...whoa, that's it? But for us down here, that's cold. I'm not used to running in these arctic conditions. I'm a tropical girl with a love/hate relationship with warm weather. The only thing I can say good about this drop in temperature so soon in the season is that it might just kill the mosquitos (yeah, it didn't get all of them).

Anyways, so I showed up in my long pants, thermal shirt that I got at the Race for the Cure, and my Oxy 5K race shirt that was provided for me. Normally, I don't wear the race shirt, but I was required to by my company. And since it was a pretty cool shirt, I wasn't upset about it. I had my ipod and running belt already attached ready to go. I got there early and had minimal layers (knowing that I would get hot later once I started running), so I was shaking from the cold. At 8:45, this lady got us together to warmup instead of stretching. We did high knee runs to the cone and back and then jumping jacks at the first cone, butt kick runs to the cone and back and then jumping jacks at the first cone, and side slides to the cone and back and jumping jacks at the first cone. It was a nice warmup and I just kept moving to stay...well, warm. Finally, it was time to head over to the start line.

Geting ready for our warmup.

Since I had no one there to take my pre-run picture, I grabbed someone. Sadly, this is the only picture I got.

Everyone is heading to the start.

While we were waiting, I found out that my ipod has a radio station app on it, which means it picks up the local radio stations. I was happy to find that out since I can turn it to 95.7, which is dance/club type music (great for runs).

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Finally, it was time to start running. I started close to the front with the fast runners since most of the people here were walking. But I had no allusions of grandeur since I'm not a fast runner like at all. I even saw Nathan around me and I know he runs fast. My pace was steady, but I was passing people.  My ipod was playing song after song that had a good fast beat, except for maybe two. The only issue was that it was hosted by Perez Hilton and I just don't like this guy.

The scenery was woodsy and beautiful and I got my bridge fix. In that moment, I actually missed the Toughest 10ks (only for a moment). I kept up with these three people; I would move in front of them and then they would move in front of me. It was a constant changing motion of leaders (which didn't happen like that in the end). Finally, I reached the turnaround point and just kept on going. By then, 95.7 was going through its long commercial break (the bad thing about having a radio station on during your run) and I was trying to change the channel. It was here that I lost the initial group of three. I had to slow down alot to look down to change it. I don't do well with running and taking the water let alone running to change the ipod. Before I knew it, they were gone.

So, now I was running with a new set of people around me. One was this little girl (ended up being a coworker of mine's daughter who took first place in the kids division and the dad got first place in the adult division) that I could just not catch even when she walked. I remembered a converstion on the shut and run blog about kids running in a half marathon. I was thinking to myself right then and there about why I don't like kids running in the same events that I am in, because they make us look bad just like those 3 year old skiers that stop right next to you putting snow all over you or ski over your skies. I call them punk kids, but she wasn't. She was just running. The other girl kept changing leadership positions with me, but when we crossed the bridge for the last time, I picked up the pace. I had the same urge to decimate like in the Toughest 10k. In fact, she never caught up to me. One other girl from out of nowhere did and that's when I was fiddling with the darn ipod again. I couldn't hit the right station and finally just went back to listening to my unknown album.

When I saw the finish line within reach, I put the rockets on my feet in to full blast. I blew through the line at 34 minutes, which is a personal best for me. I wanted closer to 30 minutes, but I will take it. I probably would have gotten it in 32-33 minutes had I not had 2-3 slow slow periods fiddling with my ipod. Oh and I have to mention that as soon as I stopped running, it got cold again. So, I stood in the sun to warm up. I did some stretches, got a banana and a granola bar, blew my nose, and waited to find out who won the prizes in the raffle. I did not. I left as soon as the raffle was done and went to see my dad's mom for a nice visit. She was so happy to have me there.

I can't wait until tomorrow's post to talk about my best run EVER.