Race #185
5k #58
2020 Race #5
Jingle Jingle 5k #6
Mom and I finished out our year with our relatively new tradition of running this Christmas Eve race. We did not register until a couple weeks prior, after reading about their Covid protocols and feeling assured that they would do this right.
Normally we pick up the bibs and shirts shortly before the race. This year, the pre-race emails stated that we had to pick up the packets prior to race day which would have no packet pick up available. So, Mom drove around 30 minutes off the island and into Bluffton to pick them up. The only disappointment came when we arrived at the race start and saw people picking up packets. Oh well.
This year the race organizers. had an entirely new start, course, and finish. Using the parking lot of a small town hospital during a pandemic would not. bea good idea. We didn’t even realize that they had changed the location until we started driving and Siri told us to make a U-turn. Thanks to Siri, we arrived at the location, a new nook in the island that previously we had seen only as the “glorious” parking lot we run through at the turn around point of the half marathon, the point that also. hassome mild train included.
We exited the car, masked up, and started walking towards the start, or what we thought was the start location, by following several other runners who had exited their vehicles around the same time.
I loved this little walk on the trail which we found out later would form part of the fact that as we walked everyone we saw wore a mask. Just take a look at the SCDHEC statistics. I live in the selfish part of the state.
The race had organized the start in waves of approximately 25 people according to bib numbers which they assigned alphabetically, not according to when you registered. That meant that I had an 8:06 start while Mom had an 8:24 start. Obviously, since we wanted to run together, this would not work. Mom had emailed ahead of time to ask if we could run together and had gotten the okay, as long as we let the race director know. Well, whoever responded to the email had not communicated to the volunteers because when Mom said something to the people at the packet pick up table, they just stared at her. Awkward. Another volunteer came up to the table shortly after that, one who had helped Mom the previous day at packet pick up and gave us casual permission, again, so we went with it.
Since the race director has a naturally loud voice, especially with the microphone, we did. not need to walk up near the start line until just after the 8:03 group had started. As we waited, Mom caught sight of a woman walking up, fully decked out with elf shoes and asked how she would run in those. I figured she wouldn’t. A few minutes into the run we passed them as she and another woman slowly strolled along the path.
Once we got up to the small start line area, both Mom and I got an immense amount of pleasure, almost too much probably, each time the announcer used his microphone to remind people to put on their mask. We had a struggle to contain ourselves.
Right at 8:06 we started, about 25 of us, taking off down the street. I could tell that Mom had a little bit of the race bug because our pace felt faster than we have run lately. I had no distinct goals for this race other than to just run and feel good while doing it. After a short stretch on the road, we took a turn onto the bike path, a section we run as part of the half marathon as well. Every time I run through that section I remember the first time I ran the half because that’s the spot where I slowed to a walk to eat my half of a power bar. Yeah. I had a lot to learn about running and fueling.
Thanks to the wave start, we had the opportunity to pass plenty of people. If we had started at Mom’s scheduled time, we would have had even more people to pass. Plus, we did not get passed by any later wave runners until right after the first mile.
Mile 1 – 8:44
Shortly after one guy passed us, a couple more passed but only those three through the first half of the race passed. I felt strong and I assume that Mom did too. We did not talk much throughout the race, a definite sign that we were running a little bit faster than our comfortable pace.
Most of this second mile took place on the bike trail near the exit of the cross island parkway. I don’t remember much of the second mile which I think usually happens to me in 5ks. I also started to pick up the pace when a fourth guy passed us. I had seen him at the start and knew he would have a fast time. After he passed, a little bit of competitive spirit picked up and I told myself to see how long we could keep him in sight.
Mile 2 – 8:36
My watch started ticking off the miles a little past the mile markers so mile 2 did not buzz until .03 or 04 past the marker. SInce Mom’s watch logged a perfect 3.10, I find “fault” with my own watch.
At this point, I still felt great and so did Mom. We pushed the pace a little bit but did not a ton. A fifth guy passed us shortly after the mile split.
Then, shortly before the half mile point, the first girl passed us, the 6th person at that point. While I outwardly just added her to my count, something inside kickstarted, that race bug woke up after laying dormant for so long. In my head, I knew that I had absolutely no chance of matching her pace or even trying to stay close. I still wanted that stride, that pace and push. Without realizing it, I started running faster, pulling just a little bit ahead of Mom.
At this point, we reached the parking lot near the finish line. I heard Mom say “Go Jen!” and decided to really push forward. I had half a mile to go and determined to push for every step remaining. We ran through the parking lot, onto the trail we had walked earlier and back onto the road for one final turn in to the finish. Mom finished just behind me.
Mile 3 – 8:18
.1 nub – 6:41 (pace)
Final – 25:54
Although this race was one of my slowest 5ks, it awakened a fire with that finish on a high. I will certainly enjoy the return to races once everyone, hopefully, starts acting rationally.