I wish I had more pictures of the run, but I can't stand bringing my phone with me. It was a little paved trail, a little road, and a lot of fall colors!
A few things I loved about this race:
- It started at 10 am, so it wasn't an excruciatingly early Saturday morning
- They had results scrolling on a TV screen as soon as you finished
- 5 miles is an awesome distance
- I couldn't have spent a million bucks to get a nicer fall day in Northeast Ohio (ok, so that one wasn't a function of the race itself)
My biggest dilemma was trying to figure out what to wear. In the sun it was warm, but the wind was pretty biting. I decided on cold gear spandex pants with a tech-tee longsleeve shirt, gloves and a fleece headband. I figured if I got too hot, I could take the headband and the gloves off. Actually, it was a bit colder than I expected at the start of the race, but once we got started, it warmed up fast. I was dressed appropriately.
I didn't know what I was in for as far as the course was concerned. We started on the roads, got onto a trail that was nothing to sneeze at and then meandered through some neighborhoods and then back onto a more paved trail. The first trail was a bit of a beast though, there was a good chunk of uphill during the second mile, but as soon as the trail ended it was pretty much smooth sailing downhill.
I was definitely feeling a bit parched though. I should have had more to drink before the race, for starters. There was a water station at mile 2.5 and then at about mile 4.2ish. Of course, that's all speculation because I haven't worn my garmin since my last marathon. Brandon and I were both getting that sticky phlegmy saliva by the end of the race, which resulted in Brandon chugging a cup of water at the last water station then promptly losing all that water at the end of the race. Poor guy :)
Overall, it just felt pretty good. It wasn't a PR (though...my PR is in the 41 minute range and I don't have high hopes for ever busting out a 5-miler that fast anymore) but I was happy to just enjoy the course and enjoy a run with Brandon.
Plus, a 9:14/mile average isn't half bad!
Races are so much fun.
