Maplewood 5K Race

I enjoyed reading the July 4 race recaps of my blogroll, so I figured I'd do one too!! :)

For July 4th this year, we ran a 5k! My dad and I had done one on Thanksgiving, and I badgered talked him into another!  Princess Charming's mom was visiting from Missouri, so she joined us as well (and pretty much dragged my mom through the course...see shout out to them in the Maplewood paper!!)

Pre-Race!!

This was a pretty tiny race - a last minute replacement for the 5 miler we had planned further south (which was deemed too far away for various reasons) - but I am in love with the community. There was a kids bike parade and a petting zoo and what looked like it would be a fabulous day of festivities to the evening fireworks. Definitely a town we can aspire to afford to live in when we move to NJ :)

I did my first mile in about 8:24 - awesome, right on the pace I wanted (I dream of a 24 min 5k...but am still seeking a 26 minute one!) - but that turned out too fast. Part of me will blame it on the heat wave we've begun again - it was at least 80 by 9 am Sunday - but I also know I am just a little thick and not well trained right now! Anyway, just past the first mile was a water stop....in the middle of a big hill. I stop for water - and wasn't about to skip it in the heat! - so it kind of broke up my pace, but the hill didn't help! My second mile was around 9:30, counting a short walk at 1.5 mile - I just puttered out atop that hill.

The third mile was about half downhill, so I rode that just under a 9 min pace. As I approached the park, I lost mental steam and stopped on the corner, thinking I had about 1/4 mile left, wanting to walk 30 seconds then sprint it in. Andddd then I turned the corner to see the finish 100 yards away. Oops. So I lost a few there. I finished in 27:17, pretty well under a 9 min pace. OK I guess, and at my goal of under 9 minutes/mile, but I need to improve!

I finished 1st in my age group! Of two. I don't think that counts.

Then I walked out until I met my dad - I picked him up about 1/2 mile from the finish and jogged back with him. My Garmin says we did a 13:20 pace together, so he gets props for consistency - he finished in 41:45, a 13:26 pace!  That's also over 30 sec/mile faster than our Thanksgiving 5k, in 35 more degrees, so I think that's an awesome improvement! In fact, for a guy who had a triple bypass in March 2009 and hadn't exercised in 35 years prior to that, I think he's doing pretty awesome!!

just before the finishers chute!