5 mile race report

After much debated & indecision, I finally bit the bullet and decided to do the 5 mile race downtown last night. It started at 7 pm so you would think it would have cooled off enough, but unfortunately that was not the case. It was extremely muggy and probably in the mid to upper 80s. I am not used to running in this warmer weather either.

I really bombed on my time. I ran the first 2 miles pretty fast (well, fast for me anyway). I think the first mile was 9:18 and the second was 9:25. I stopped for water at mile 2 and it was all down hill after that. I would run for a little while but then I'd have to stop & walk. This was pretty much the was it was for the last 3 miles of the race. Everyone around me was doing the same thing. The heat & humidity was just unbearable. I am still happy with my time given how much of the course I walked. But obviously I did not have a good PR and my training run last Sunday was a full 4 minutes faster!

All I can say is this is the first time I have EVER walked any part of a race!! Including the half marathon. So you know it was pretty brutal if I gave in and started walking. I was a little frustrated during the race, but it helped to see everyone around me in the same boat.

Moral to the story: I need to condition myself for running in this weather before I attempt another race. Having said that, it was really nice to be in another race, and despite everything, I enjoyed the event. One I'll never forget, that's for sure. It does get me excited about signing up for something else though.