Lift Your Leg 5K Race Report

Well, my second ever 5k is in the books. Unfortunately, it wasn't my best showing. In fact, I ran faster 3 years ago. I'm not sure how this happened but let's review. I told you about the race benefiting a local animal shelter in this post. The dogs were out in full force at the race! The DJ, of course, blared Who Let The Dogs Out? The only time that song is appropriate.

Puppy Pow-wow

John and I had registered past the deadline so we got there early to ensure we'd get a shirt and we did. The medium I selected is gigantic but that's okay. Then, we had an hour to kill before the race started. There were lots of pet-related vendors and many dogs there to adopt. We found a Sadie twin named Bopper but did not come home with him. Eventually after making the rounds, we sat on a curb and watched all the dogs come in with their owners.

Bevy of Bostons - moving too quickly for a better shot

Dogs of all sizes and breed! It was really fun. This guy is my favorite! His name is Sebastian and he is the fattest French Bulldog I've ever seen in my life. He was hot though, trying to catch some shade under a table. And I certainly didn't see him running.

Sebastian did not want his picture taken

I was hoping to not have to use the porta-potty but I decided I'd better go so I wouldn't be uncomfortable during the race. This next sentence is probably one you've never heard. I was pleasantly surprised by the porta-potty. Maybe it was because it hadn't gotten much use yet but it didn't smell and it wasn't the foul experience it normally is. Yea!

Almost time!

John and I lined up and tried to pump ourselves up. At 9:30 am the gun went off and so did the runners. I was able to stick with John for about 30 seconds. One minute in and I could no longer see him. That's okay. I expected that. What I didn't expect were the hills and the heat. The course was around a park and residential area, a variable I had not taken into account. I got passed. A lot. But I hung in there and had fun seeing the dogs running. One poor Airedale I passed gave up and his owner was carrying him. I did see them running again later on. Because the race didn't start until 9:30, the day had a chance to warm up and the sun was shining. Pretty weather but not ideal for racing. Oh well.

I tried to keep track of my splits but after the first mile, I knew there was no way I would make my sub-27:00 goal. Talk about a defeatist attitude. My first mile was 9:30ish. At that point, I was already tired and just prayed for a sub-30:00 finish. Well, SPOILER ALERT, that didn't happen either. :( I walked a lot more than I meant to, which was not at all. My walk breaks were typically less than 30 seconds but they were plentiful. Each half mile was marked with good signage. I don't know if it was good or bad that I knew just how much longer I needed to struggle. I kicked it into high gear at the end but it wasn't enough. I finished in 32:09. Really disappointing.

Things working against me this race:

1) Heat - definitely wish it had started earlier in the morning
2) Unknown course - not knowing when the miles were coming up was a tough mental game
3) HILLS
4) Slightly dehydrated - my kidneys were hurting. I definitely needed more water pre-race
5) Outside - Duh, right? Unfortunately, I do 90% of my running on a treadmill which is VERY different than running outside. See Nos. 1-5.

So, next time will be better, right? There's always room for improvement. By the way, John killed it! He finished in 24:46 and took third in his age group and 20th overall. I was 91st overall and 13th in my age group. There were 268 runners. Unfortunately, I've really been letting that finishing time get me down. It totally psyched my out of a good run on Tuesday. I need to grow some shake-it-off attitude.

This is me pre-race. That's why I'm smiling and unsweaty.

Excited and Unsuspecting

Now that I've had a rough race, it's time to run a good one. There are many coming up the summer that look good so I guess I just need to go for it.

P.S. Are you a single lady looking for love? You need to find an event like this near you as soon as possible! If you are not a runner, there's a good chance there will be a walk or something benefiting animals you cold attend. You have no idea the amount of single, sporty, dog-loving guys were running with their pups. I, of course, am taken so I wasn't looking for me. Just sayin'......ripe for the picking!