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I bought a house in Saratoga Springs 1 year ago, so it seemed fitting that I join in on an annual tradition - running a 5k on New Year's Eve with 1000 of my closest neighbors!<br><br>
Not to mention, all the fastest local high school and winter break college students that were out to show us oldies up. So there were really two races: the obviously super fast talent at the front, and the rest of us having fun in the back!<br><br>
I enjoy running in the dark, so I was looking forward to this race. But...I've been sidelined with shin splints and hadn't run more than 1/2 mile at a time since a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't want to take it <b>too</b> easy - I have somewhat of a competitive streak, despite being slow as molasses - but I knew I wasn't going to be geting any PRs.<br><br>
So I came with my Garmin nonetheless, so I could do my own tracking of splits.<br><br>
The first mile was 10:09 by my watch, 10:59 by the guy shouting times at the side of the road. I wasn't checking the watch during the race, but considering the crowds and the occasional slowdowns, I was happy with that for the first mile. It had some hills, but nothing too challenging. So far, so good.<br><br>
At the first mile marker, we turned slightly into a long hill. Damn them! I put my head down, focused on using my arms and keeping my pace consistent and made it to the top without having slowed down too much. From there, the rest of mile two was comfortably downhill or flat. We even got to see bits of a fireworks show going on downtown!<br><br>
By watch, mile two was 9:23, the shout-out time was 20:30 (aka, 9:30). So about right, and it felt good to know I had made up some time and was still feeling strong. Cause, I knew what was coming - a long half-mile uphill.<br><br>
Now, you have to know - I usually only run this street, North Broadway, heading downhill. Because the biggest, fanciest, beautiful-est houses in town line this street, and I'm always too busy checking them out to be able to focus on getting up a hill. So it was handy to be running in the dark, so I could keep my head down and not be distracted while I was trying to make it up that hill.<br><br>
My breathing is starting to get difficult here - I'd love to know what my heart rate was, but every 30 seconds or so I'd have to take a big loud breath in. (I'm still wheezing this morning from the run!) We reach the top of the hill and we're almost there!<br><br>
I knew it wasn't my fastest race, but I felt the whole time that I was strong, that I was able to stay focused and not let myself slow down or give up. Exactly what I have felt when I have run my best times. So, having that in my head, I had a strong finish, with a clock time of 32:01.<br><br>
Garmin says it was a 3.2 distance with a time of 31:31. (They didn't have a mat at the front of the course, so I started my watch when we crossed the starting line, which took a while) They posted results and I was about 650 or so out of 979.<br><br>
Not my best time by a long shot, but considering that I haven't run for a month, I'm happy. I really enjoyed this race. And I'm sore enough today to prove it!<br><br>
And the fast kids at the front? The first male was 15:15, the first female was 17:52. Impressive, indeed!
Not to mention, all the fastest local high school and winter break college students that were out to show us oldies up. So there were really two races: the obviously super fast talent at the front, and the rest of us having fun in the back!<br><br>
I enjoy running in the dark, so I was looking forward to this race. But...I've been sidelined with shin splints and hadn't run more than 1/2 mile at a time since a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't want to take it <b>too</b> easy - I have somewhat of a competitive streak, despite being slow as molasses - but I knew I wasn't going to be geting any PRs.<br><br>
So I came with my Garmin nonetheless, so I could do my own tracking of splits.<br><br>
The first mile was 10:09 by my watch, 10:59 by the guy shouting times at the side of the road. I wasn't checking the watch during the race, but considering the crowds and the occasional slowdowns, I was happy with that for the first mile. It had some hills, but nothing too challenging. So far, so good.<br><br>
At the first mile marker, we turned slightly into a long hill. Damn them! I put my head down, focused on using my arms and keeping my pace consistent and made it to the top without having slowed down too much. From there, the rest of mile two was comfortably downhill or flat. We even got to see bits of a fireworks show going on downtown!<br><br>
By watch, mile two was 9:23, the shout-out time was 20:30 (aka, 9:30). So about right, and it felt good to know I had made up some time and was still feeling strong. Cause, I knew what was coming - a long half-mile uphill.<br><br>
Now, you have to know - I usually only run this street, North Broadway, heading downhill. Because the biggest, fanciest, beautiful-est houses in town line this street, and I'm always too busy checking them out to be able to focus on getting up a hill. So it was handy to be running in the dark, so I could keep my head down and not be distracted while I was trying to make it up that hill.<br><br>
My breathing is starting to get difficult here - I'd love to know what my heart rate was, but every 30 seconds or so I'd have to take a big loud breath in. (I'm still wheezing this morning from the run!) We reach the top of the hill and we're almost there!<br><br>
I knew it wasn't my fastest race, but I felt the whole time that I was strong, that I was able to stay focused and not let myself slow down or give up. Exactly what I have felt when I have run my best times. So, having that in my head, I had a strong finish, with a clock time of 32:01.<br><br>
Garmin says it was a 3.2 distance with a time of 31:31. (They didn't have a mat at the front of the course, so I started my watch when we crossed the starting line, which took a while) They posted results and I was about 650 or so out of 979.<br><br>
Not my best time by a long shot, but considering that I haven't run for a month, I'm happy. I really enjoyed this race. And I'm sore enough today to prove it!<br><br>
And the fast kids at the front? The first male was 15:15, the first female was 17:52. Impressive, indeed!
