The Jingle Bell 5K was the only race in the Second Empire series that I had run before. Last fall I decided to get back into running races after a very long hiatus and this was the second race I ran. I wasn't feeling really great that morning and it was chilly and raining. Also I hadn't really been running much since the weekend after the marathon since I was still having knee issues for which I was going to physical therapy. But I was committed to do 6 races in the Second Empire series since they take your 6 fastest races for the overall scoring and I had already skipped two of the races. So I grabbed my Santa hat and headed into Raleigh. My husband's parents were in town and we had plans for a Canes game that same afternoon, so I knew I needed to run the race and get back home pretty quickly.
I picked up my t-shirt, number, chip and jingle bells for my shoes. I saw a few familiar faces in the crowd and Santa himself was there cheering on those running the 1 mile fun run which took place before the 5K. Lining up for the 5K was a challenge because they filled the chute backwards so people weren't moving back enough for everyone in front to be behind all the timing mats. It was pretty chaotic and I was expecting there to be more moving back but apparently not and right at 10:30 the race started, ready or not. I was in mid sentence conversing with someone when it started so there was no time to ponder the disorganized start any longer. I just ran. I felt I was starting too fast but couldn't really help myself. I did gradually slow down but I was still able to maintain a decent pace for the first mile at 6:42.
During the second mile I began to really feel the effects of either not running enough or having a bit of a chest cold (not stuff nose or head but just my chest had been feeling heavy) or both. I felt like I really wanted to drop out but kept going since I needed to finish for the race to count in the series. I also began to feel a bit nauseous, which I haven't felt in race in a while. I ran the second mile in 6:49, so I was definitely slowing down.
In the third mile the race headed towards and turned back around at the capitol building in Raleigh. My 12 yr old friend Winston passed me around this time point (sometimes I pass him, sometimes he passes me, but the last few races he's passed me) and said "fast course huh!" and I said "yup" or something while trying not to look like I was dying and trying not to throw up! You can see him in the picture above, gaining on me.
I couldn't wait for this race to be over. I just kept waiting for the turn back onto St. Mary's Street which I knew meant that the finish was near. It felt like it took forever but finally came and I was able to muster up some energy to sprint to the finish. My race pictures near the finish line (which I did not include here!) are horrible, but they at least they look like I gave it my all in the end despite a rough 2nd and 3rd mile. The 3rd mile was 6:56.
The last what was supposed to be 0.1 mile, which was actually 0.32 miles, was 6:57 pace. It really felt faster but I guess that was because I probably was going slow until the turn onto St. Mary's Street and then sped up. After I finished, I didn't even realize that my overall time was so off from what it should have been. It was 22:36 chip time but for some reason I was thinking 21:36 so didn't notice until someone later mentioned to me that the course was longer that it should have been. I was really feeling nauseous after the finish and was parked on the next street from the finish so I quickly headed right for the car to change and sit for a bit. I didn't feel much better after changing so decided to head back over to St. Mary's School for a bite to eat and to see if I could find out some results. The good (or bad, depending on how you are doing) thing about a race with a few turn arounds is that you can see who is in front of and behind you. I didn't recall seeing too many women my age ahead of me, so I figured I may have placed.
I chatted with a few running friends and felt a bit better after sitting down on the floor for a bit. But the results were slow to be posted and by the time they were (2nd place in my age group) I really needed to leave to make the Canes game, even before the award ceremony which I usually stay for. I headed out, feeling a bit better, but knowing it wasn't my best race. My time, even with the course error (which was since determined not to be a measurement error but to be that someone likely moved one of the turnaround markers the morning of the race), was still about 1 minute faster than the year before. Likely would have been 2 minutes faster if the course was accurate. I wasn't really upset that it wasn't a PR since I didn't really expect one after cutting back so much on the running. But I would have liked to have felt better after the race. Still I was glad I did the race and didn't quit. It was the second to last one in the series, with the final one being the Jolly Elf Trail run the next Saturday.
On the really up side, the Canes game was awesome! Very exciting, action packed game and my son Owen had a great time.
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