Cinco K Race Review

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About time I got this review up!

Two Sundays ago I ran the inaugural Cinco K 5k race. It benefitted the WIL Foundation, which helps local families who have children with developmental disabilities. It cost $30 to sign up for the run, and they also had a 1 mile fun walk/run option.

Packet Pickup

Packet pickup was available on three separate occasions, once on Friday at the Fleet Feet shop in Chesterfield, once on Saturday at the Fleet Feet in St. Charles, and then on race morning at the site. It gave you plenty of options for getting your t-shirt and bib.

One thing I noticed right away and really liked was the fact that the race director/organizer was the person handing things out and she really made me feel like I was appreciated as a runner. She seemed genuine and excited that I had signed up to do her event. I really liked this, because I’ve been to a few packet pick ups where it was more here’s your stuff, we don’t really care if you show up tomorrow or not. It was also a theme that carried through the entire event.

Race Day: Course

The race was held at Quail Ridge Park, which is a local park in Wentzville that has a very nice paved pathways and then also dirt trails to run on. The race took place on the paved pathways.

The area where you start and finish is great, with covered patios and real bathrooms, EXCEPT for the parking aspect. This is an issue in every race that I’ve done in the park. You park in the lot that is by the start/finish area, but then it can take a while to get out once you’re finished and ready to leave, because there can still be runner’s (or in this case, the 1 mile runner/walkers, a lot of whom were children) coming in to the area to finish. But again, here’s where it differed. The race director and volunteers actually took time to help direct traffic through the area instead of people trying to duke it out to get out of the lot.

The course in Quail Ridge is not a simple easy one by any means. There are a few steep hill areas, and some rollers as well. So it can be a challenging course for most folks, but not something that can’t be tackled by a novice runner or walker. Just prepare yourself for some hills, and you should be just fine.

The race didn’t start on time, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but we didn’t start on time because one of the sponsors was putting a little cheering demo to get everyone pumped up. This went over a little better than just simply not starting on time because of disorganization or just plain not paying attention.

There was once water station on the course, about halfway through, which was nice as well.

Post race there were some refreshments such as bananas, orange slices, coffee, hot chocolate, granola bars, and a food truck that served tacos and the like. I was able to chat a little bit with one of the organizers and she made a point to ask me about my time, and if I enjoyed the race, which made me feel very welcomed and again, it showed that they cared about the people participating in their event.

Overall

I think this was a great race for their first time. They did mention that it might not be in Quail Ridge again (I really think someone should check into having a race near/around the Meadows shopping plaza. They have tons of parking!), but they are planning next years run, so I highly suggest doing it. A few things to take away:

-If the course is again at QR, prep for hills.

-Bring water with you, if you need more than just one stop. The weather was almost perfect, but if it was warmer or sunnier then the one stop might not have been enough.

-Be prepared to wait a little bit to leave, and be very vigilant when you are leaving for runners & walkers still on the course.

I’m putting this race on my calendar for next year because it was such a fun experience. You got the chance to see some of the children you were helping with your race fee, the course was a good challenge, and the race staff really made you feel appreciated.

Well, that was that.

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So my exercise streak came to an end on Tuesday.

Monday’s workout turned into a 2 mile slogfest in which I spent most of the time walking. But at least I got in a little bit of exercise versus sitting on my butt at home. Tuesday night I had yoga on my schedule, but decided to skip it in favor of going to the grocery store. Work was unusually busy, so I didn’t have time to write out my grocery list. Then once I got home, my niece and nephews were out so we visited with them for a long time. Long story long, I didn’t make it to the grocery store.

Yesterday, I did make it to the grocery store, but didn’t make it out for my run I had on the schedule. I also had a dentist appointment that afternoon, since my tooth that I had (painfully) filled in November decided to break. I was surprised that they were able to fit me in so quickly, and they didn’t try to force anything not needed on me, like extra x-rays or anything like my old dentist. Plus, as it would turn out, my old dentist didn’t even get the filling done correctly, which is why the tooth broke in the first place. So I will be getting a crown put on. Not really looking forward to it, but it’s something that I suppose I have to do. I don’t know if I ever posted about my nightmare dental filling on here-let me know if you’re interested in the story!

Tonight, I have to go to the butcher shop to get the meat stuff I need, so no yoga again. Hopefully I can get my act together and get back to it this weekend. I also still need to do my race review for the Cinco K. So much to do, so little time it seems!

Cinco K (5k) Race Recap

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This past Sunday I ran the Inagurual Cinco K 5k race held in Quail Ridge Park.

This is my recap.

I actually went to bed fairly late for me, the night before. It was almost 11 p.m., but since the race started later in the day at 9 a.m., I wasn’t too worried about it. Also, it’s only 12 or so miles up the road from my house, in a park, so parking wasn’t an issue.

I didn’t eat before this race and I really need to remember to do that, because I’ve found that if I don’t eat before a race, I tend to have a headache the rest of the day, no matter how soon afterwords I get something to eat. So that is definitely something that I need to focus and work on.

I wore my newest shoes, the Brooks Adrenalene 13′s, my Nike pants, a lululemon tank top, and then a lululemon Swiftly long-sleeve over that. It was a little chilly at the start, but I warmed up quickly once we started running.

It was a super-small race, only 68 people and I remember thinking that I was probably going to come in last place. Since I’m trying to not discourage myself, and actually be a little nicer to myself, I changed my tune to, at least I’m out here and actually doing something versus sitting on the couch.

We lined up, and took off and it quickly thinned out. I’ve run a few 5k’s in the park before, so I know the course we generally take. The park course is actually a little challenging, because you run downhill for a bit, then circle around and start running uphill for what feels like forever. I’m pretty certain the whole park was contructed into the side of a hill. I started running and immediately thought that I was going out way too fast. So I choose to slow it down and found a couple pushing a jogging stroller to pace my first mile off of. I was running quite a bit faster than I usually do, at a 14:30 pace, so I was a little worried that I was pushing too hard. But I was actually feeling pretty good at that point, so I held on and kept telling myself to stick with them. Just after the first mile they passed me by and there went my pacers. I clocked the first mile in 14:35.

Mile two is always my worst mile of every race. I don’t know what it is, but that is when I start to struggle. Mile two of this race started with a fairly decent climb and just kept going up with only a few declines or flat spots. I remember walking twice during this mile and thinking that I was going to possibly die. It was also my slowest mile of the race, coming in at 16:34.

Then of course like magic, everything got better once I started in on the third mile. I was able to run nearly all of it. And I picked up my pace as well. There were three ladies in front of me who I was trying to catch, but every time I got close it felt like they picked up the pace and scooted away from me. I actually passed them when they paused to take a picture at the 3rd mile marker and then used nearly everything I had left to stay a head of them and finish the race. I completed mile three with a nice time of 15:32 (nice for me!).

I literally thought I was going to die when I realized I was going to break 50 minutes on this 5k. The last time I broke 50 was 2 years ago. I was running so hard to the finish line, saying “holy crap, holy crap, oh sh!t, holy crap”. I managed the last bit at a 11:41 pace.

Overall time 47:39! 52 seconds slower than my 5k PR. I was (and am) very proud of myself for pushing so hard and realizing that I have a lot more in me than I thought I had. Now I don’t have any excuses for not pushing harder during training, and I know that I’ve been playing it “safe” when it comes to running. I’m very excited to share this little recap with you guys, and I hope I have more positive news for you in the future! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my little blog, and for not running off when I whine and moan and fail to hold up to the promises and goals I make for myself.

Final Results

  • Gun/Chip Time- 47:45
  • Garmin Time- 47:39
  • Pace- 15:27/mile
  • Overall Place- 65/68
  • Gender Place- 47/50
  • Age Place (20-29)- 10/10

 

What Happened to the Sun?

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Honestly, it feels like every race that I have signed up for has had a forecast for cloudy skies and rain. And chilly weather. I hope this trend does not continue. Or come back in August and see if I still feel the same way ;)

So, let’s have a quick recap of my weekend, shall we? Friday night was, as always, margarita friday with my folks. Same stuff, different day. The only difference was the restaurant was fairly crowded, I supposed due to the fact that it was Cinco de Mayo weekend. Which is going to lead me to a mini-rant. I try not to judge people’s parenting. I know I have before, and I do always have thoughts when it appears that people aren’t even trying to parent their children. And if we are all honest with ourselves, we know we’ve seen it. The demon-spawn child who has no boundaries or rules and pretty much just walks all over their parents. But I remember going out to eat when I was a child and I ate what was served at that restaurant. My parents did not order food from another establishment and bring it in so we could eat what we wanted. And that is exactly what happened with the large party seated near us. I guess the parents wanted to have Mexican but their kids and the kid’s friends didn’t want/like/feel like eating that. So mom and dad ordered several PIZZAS and then had them delivered to the MEXICAN restaurant. I’m sorry, but really? That’s a little extreme. Especially when this restaurant offers plain kids fare, like chicken nuggets, hamburgers, french fries, etc. And what so wrong with a cheese quesodilla?

And moving on from that rant.

Saturday I got up and it wasn’t raining so I laced up and went out for my three miler that I had on schedule. I’m pretty proud to say that I stuck with my schedule and completed everything except for the strength training I had down for Saturday. I know for most people this isn’t a big deal, but if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I have commitment/willpower/get the eff over it issues.

So yay for me!

I also went to the Costco on Saturday and came home with some pretty decent finds. We love the Hebrew National hot dogs, and they had a really good deal on those, so we picked some up. We also got some roasted garlic polish sausages that actually have a decent ingredient list versus a mile long list with unpronounceable things in it. And they aren’t half bad. Not nearly as garliclicky as I thought they would be. We also got some breakfast wraps, muffins, and bagels. So good.

Sunday was race day (recap and review coming very soon!). Thankfully it didn’t rain, but it was a little windy and a bit on the chilly side. I had one of my best races in a long time. It was the fastest I’ve run since 2011. And it was on a fairly challenging course. Couple that with the fact that I got ALL THE DISHES WASHED and it was the perfect set up for a mini celebration. So after dinner with some friends and family (Mexican, of course) I finally convinced M to give the whole frozen yogurt thing a try and we hit up a newer place close to the house. Since he ate it all and didn’t die, I’m calling it a success! He thought it was going to be like the yogurt you get in containers at the grocery store. Not so much :)

So now I’m back at work, desperately wishing I could have found my compression sleeves because my calves are not very happy with me today. And they probably aren’t going to be very happy with me tonight, since I have a three-mile run schedule as well. I’m going to play it by calf, (hahaha lame joke!) and see how I feel as to whether or not I will complete the whole three miles, or if I will shorten it or take a rest day. I don’t want to ruin the momentum I’ve built up with having two really good weeks of exercise, but I also don’t want to hurt myself and put myself on the sideline and really jeopardize things.

The STL Color Run Review/Recap

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So I’m just going to lump my recap in with my review of The Color Run because The Color Run is not a timed event, so I don’t have a whole lot to write about. I went in with the mindset that this would be a fun run, and it was.

I’ll start things off with my recap.

I got up, and got dressed. I choose to wear a long sleeve lululemon Swiftly top under my white t-shirt because I was worried that it would be super chilly out. It wasn’t too bad, and I was actually pretty comfortable for most of the race. I drove to St. Louis and made pretty good time, which was a good thing because it took me forever to find somewhere to park. I’m not a huge fan of street parking, I prefer a lot or garage, but since I couldn’t get to any (or at least any that I could see) I finally parked about a block from the police station and about 12 blocks from the start/finish area. It took me nearly as long to find parking as it did to drive to the race.

Once I made my way to the starting area, I started texting my friends to meet up. Somehow, I managed to find them and we decided we were going to start and finish as a group. Which was probably a good thing because they really pushed my pace in between color stations and if I had been on my own (like I had figured on being) I probably would have taken over an hour to finish.

It took us a little while to cross the start line, but once we did we were running at pace nearly 3 minutes faster than my typical pace. Holy Moses! But once you hit the color station you slowed way down. And since those were just about every kilometer, our speed averaged out to roughly my general per mile pace. We covered the first mile in 16:12, mile 2 18:18 (we stopped after a couple of the stations to regroup), and mile 3 came in at 18:32 (I think everyone started to slow way down). The last little bit was .2 of a mile, which I’m not certain if the course was marked long or if it was all the weaving we did to get to the finish line, but we covered that at a 13:51 pace. So not bad. All in all it was a pretty good run (I knocked the 3 miles I had on my training plan off in a fun way) averaging a 17:27 minute per mile pace and finishing in 55:47.

Now for the review part.

I picked up my packet the night before the race, at the Sports Authority in Brentwood. It was pretty crowded in the parking lot (it didn’t help the some people (ahem Color Run car) double parked in the already crowded, small lot), but inside the store it wasn’t too bad. I was able to get my number and my packet fairly quick, and was on my way to finish my other errands in a matter of minutes. They had music playing, multiple areas to pick up your stuff, and plenty of people helping to control the chaos that it could have been.

Race day was a little hectic in the morning. Trying to find parking was a little nightmarish and no one was able to help you figure out where to go. One thing I wish they would have done is had several parking lots/garages marked on their map. It would have made finding parking much less stressful, because by the time I finally parked and hiked back to the starting area, I was in a pretty crappy mood. It didn’t help that I passed several lots and garages on my way to the starting line that I have no clue how anyone got to, since all the streets had been closed off. However, my parking spot worked out nicely, other than the rainy cold walk to and from it, since I didn’t have to pay and was able to hope back on the highway fairly easily.

They let group go in wave starts, which was nice because it helped keep congestion down on the course, but wasn’t advertised. Unfortunately as the race went on, each time you hit a color station you experienced major back up. I don’t know if this had to do with the fact that it was raining, so the squeeze bottles they were trying to use were getting clogged up, or if that’s just the nature of the race. I do wish they would have had a few more people in the center, so you could split off and run through a more tunnel-like area of color versus only getting color pretty much on one side of your body. Unless you pulled some fancy spinning move. Which for us slightly uncoordinated folks, could spell disaster.

The final color station I believe was the pink station. And I don’t know if by that time people were fed up with not getting enough color or what, but the runners themselves were reaching into the color drums and pulling out handfuls of color. Some were even opening unopened drums and just kind of flinging the lids to the side. Which in my opinion is a little tacky. You could have possibly ruined an entire container of color powder, because you just flipped the lid off and let it sit there in the rain.

My last big thing was the finish line. I do not understand why people can’t figure out that you aren’t supposed to stop at a finish line. I understand wanting a photo-op, but when you have 40 people clogging up the finish shoot because they’re trying to get a picture, open their color packet, be a douche in general, that can cause real problems. Especially if you stop short in front of someone who is running. I only issue a little bit of blame to the Color Run folks on that because there were several staff from the race trying to usher people through the finish. Maybe it needs to be even wider than it is? All I know is I was trucking along (for me) and I had to slam on the brakes and stop pretty quickly to avoid trampling anyone who was in front of me, because the congestion was spilling out a least a foot from the finish. One foot from the finish line and you are standing at a dead stop.

The only other thing that comes to mind is the water stop on course. They only had it on one side of the street. So if you wanted a drink, and I really could have used one after breathing in all the corn starch powder, you had to swerve across the entire street to get there. Not happening. Two sides folks. Every time.

All in all, it was a great fun run. Definitely fun to do in a group. Not for you if you’re going to be competitive AT ALL. Just a couple of words of advice.

-If you have really blonde hair, where a hat. Or don’t let them dump anything on your head. Because that stuff will take a while to wash out.

-Plan your parking a head of time and have back up available.

-Bring your own drink if you think you will want something on the course.

-Be prepared to stop on the course. We did several times to go into the color stations, after the color stations, and just before the finish.

-Bring towels or a change of clothes and maybe some wet wipes if you plan on going out at all after the race. I got some pretty strange looks from some folks.

I don’t know that I would do this race again, having done it once already. It was a ton of fun, I had a blast, but it is a novelty type race. But I do encourage anyone looking for something fun to do as a group or family to look into it!

Splendid…

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So, let’s catch up on workouts huh?

Saturday was the Color Run which actually went really nicely. I will have a post about that up soon-possibly tomorrow. Then Sunday I just spent the day around the house, cleaning up things here and there and accomplishing some laundry. So, in other words, nothing really exciting going on around this joint this past weekend.

Monday I had two miles on the schedule and managed to get out there and complete them. And it was hot! I was completely unprepared for the nearly 90 degree weather that seemingly came out of no where. I was dying by the time I was done! But I trucked along and kept my miles under 17 minutes a piece, so I was pretty happy with that.

Tuesday’s workout was Yogahour. I modified the half moon pose and had no pain in my right hip! It was great :) And it didn’t bother me today either. I was able to hold my own through the class and only had to take a few breaks.

Tonight’s run went a little better, as far as temperature goes. But as far as pace I was a little all over the place. I stopped several times on mile 2 to chat with a couple of people but, I got done and then took a little walk with my mother in law. Which was nice. We had lots of time to chat and catch up, since we haven’t had a chance to do that in a while.

So far I’m sticking to my little training plan I’ve made up for myself, but it has only been three days into it. But we will just have to wait and see!