12-4-2010 - 5k Race!

Today I ran my first 5k. Yay! It was the Jingle Bell run, which is a charity run to raise money for arthritis. Now, I do agree that arthritis is a debilitating disease, and we (as in humanity) do need to do research on it. But I was not doing this race to benefit arthritis; I was doing it to benefit me. Although I did make a donation over and above the entry fee, just so I didn't seem like a prick.

I was not sure what to expect, so I got there plenty early, knowing that parking was going to be a hassle. I already stopped by the day before to register and pick up my race packet, so I didn't have to worry about that. The race packet contained a long sleeve cotton T-shirt; I considered wearing it, to show my pride, but I've never run nor worked out in cotton before, so I opted not to because I did not want to be uncomfortable. (Race day is not the day to try new things - that is what training time is for.) I was relieved to see that not everyone was wearing the shirt; some were, some weren't.

The temperature was 32 and snowing, with a slight breeze, so prior experience told me to wear a polyester running cap, polyester ear warmer, long sleeve polyester shirt, running jacket, running gloves, running shorts, and polyester pants. The only variable was the snow; I've never run in snow, so I opted for cotton socks to keep a bit more warmth. I also brought a change of pants, socks, and shoes in my duffel bag.

Charter Fitness was there offering deals on memberships. I'm already a member at another gym, so I didn't sign up. But one of their people led a static stretching routine for running. I've recently switched to a dynamic routine, so I opted not to follow along. But I was wondering how I was going to do the dynamic routine with all these people here.

One of my wife's co-workers, Melissa, was there. She has been running far longer than I have, and even did some triathlons here and there. We found her and chatted with her for a bit. I was also looking for my personal trainer, Tim, but discovered later that he was out with a sinus infection. (Ick)! I'm glad my wife was there, because I probably would have felt somewhat lonely with all those people.

At 8:55 am they called for the children's race to start, and the place cleared out somewhat. I changed into my running shoes and pinned on my race bib (number 842). I also tied the requisite jingle bells to my left shoe. Then at 9:15, they called for the runners to proceed to the start line. The place began to clear out enough for me to do my dynamic stretching routine. I strapped on my Fuel Belt (one bottle of Accelerade), then we (my wife and I) joined the march to the starting line. I made one last pit stop, then as soon as we got out the door, my wife gave me a kiss and said "goodbye". She does not like to be cold.

We crossed the foot bridge over the Root River and made our way through Island Park to the start line, which was at the East branch of the Root River right where Kinzie Avenue turns into Liberty Street. Runners to the right, walkers to the left. I went to the right. I went towards the back of the pack, thinking that I was one of the slower ones. That turned out to be a mistake. When the gun went off, I ended up standing there for about 45 seconds before I even moved; then, for the first 1/4 mile, I was running quite slowly just waiting for the pack to open up. Someone next to me said "next time I'm starting closer to the front". I turned and nodded, and several others did too. At least I'm not the only newbie in the group.

We ran South down Kinzie Avenue over the Root River Bridge and turned left down Horlick Drive, underneath West Sixth Street. Part way down Horlick Drive we made a U-Turn and came back the other way. Back to Kinzie Ave, we passed up the intersection and headed for the foot path back over the Root River. As we were going North on the foot path along the river, we were cheered on by Santa and Mrs. Clause, and one of his reindeer.

It was at this point that I cannot help but notice that there were a lot of people that just don't know how to pace themselves. Several people were running fast for 50 yards, then walking 50 yards, and so on, and mumbling that they aren't doing well or that they are so slow. I wonder how many people are just strapping on a pair of department store running shoes saying to themselves "I'm gonna run a 5k next week". Even though this was my first official race, it made me feel good that I was more prepared than probably half the new people in the field.

Continuing on towards Spring Street, the lead runner was already coming back the other way, and missed the turn headed to the finish line. The race officials yelled for him to come back. He did turn around and went the right way, but yikes - bad mistake, and probably cost him a few seconds. Under the Spring Street bridge we went, single file (the lead runners were coming the other way) and we emerged on the other side at Brose Park and turned left. It was at this point where I noted that my right ankle was starting to complain a bit, and I considered taking a walk break; but I decided to push forward. I could see a large portion of the course in front of me - Oh my gosh we have to run UP Lincoln Hill! (More on that later). We then crossed yet another foot path over the Root River. The race official was yelling "Single File! Runners Coming! Stay to the right!" So I did. Fortunately the line was running at a comfortable speed.

Once over the river and into Lincoln Park, we turned right on Dominik drive, and I started to pass runners. We made a U-turn, then saw the hill that everyone was talking about - Lincoln Hill. I knew there was a hill, but Lincoln Hill? I guess I was better off not knowing ahead of time. Oh well. I did hear that a lot of people like to walk up the hill, and so they did. I did not. I ran up the whole length, passing a whole lot of people that I never saw again. Once at the top, I checked my heart rate monitor; 191 bpm. That's a bit fast. I figured I'd better walk before I fall over or my heart explodes. We turned right down Prospect Street, I walked for about a minute, and when my heart rate was below 170, I started again. After a couple of blocks we made a U-turn, and I saw a LOT of people huffing and puffing just coming off the hill. Seemed like none of them wanted to take a walk break. My friend Ben, while he was training for his 50 mile Ultramarathon, gave me an insight into his strategy: If you have to walk, fine... just do it before your body forces you to walk.

On I went, and headed back towards Lincoln Hill - to go down.

You might think that going down hill is a no-brainer - run like crazy to pick up time. Think again. Downhill running can cause the nastiest shin splints you can think of. So I picked up speed until I could feel the onset of shin splints, then backed off just a bit and held that pace. Meanwhile, two runners zoomed by me. When I caught up to them at the bottom, they were walking, painfully, holding their shins. They should have consulted me before following that strategy. I would have explained to them the roll of the Anterior Tibialis muscle in stabilizing the foot, and the eccentric loading placed on that muscle during downhill running. But I digress.

Back to the footbridge, over the river, through Brose Park - I was really feeling good during that stretch. I conquered the hill, my heart did NOT explode, I exercised restraint going downhill and staved off shin splints, and I was still passing runners - albeit not as many. Going underneath Spring Street, I wanted to pick it up a notch, but the path was too narrow and the walkers were coming against me. So I had to wait until we were back on the other side.

We made the turn towards the field on the North side of Lutheran High - the one where the lead runner went the wrong way - and I saw the 3 mile marker. Someone was yelling "one tenth to go!" People were cheering us in. I felt good and really picked it up. Suddenly, I saw someone passing me. I made up my mind at the start that I wouldn't care about people passing me - I was here to survive, and that's it. But for some reason, at this particular moment in time, I started to care. Don't know why - I just did. Actually, I do know why. But I can't explain it. I simply made up my mind that I did not want this person to pass me. Then I saw that this person was less than 5 feet tall, probably 12 years old, and wearing a pink running jacket with a pony tail flopping behind. Now I REALLY did not want this person to pass!

I started sprinting. She was hanging with me. I went faster and faster, all the while she was with me. The crowd was cheering us... well, probably her... on. We ended up crossing the finish line together, although someone told me that she edged me out by a stride. I can't say I didn't care. For some reason I did care. I checked my watch and my time was 34:14.

Back inside, I found Julie, grabbed my protein shake, and did some static stretching. We went into the cafeteria and snacked on bananas, bagels, and chicken soup. I changed into a dry pair of socks and shoes, and we headed for home.

Overall, my first 5k was a great experience. There is definitely a certain energy you get from running in a pack that you don't get by yourself. I felt very prepared going into the race, with the exception of the snow, the traffic, and Lincoln Hill. But even Lincoln Hill was not that bad. I knew what my heart rate should be, and when it went way above that, I took a walk break. And going back down caused me no issues because I had a strategy. So now that I have an idea what it's like to run on snow and in traffic, I will be even more prepared next time.

I felt no muscle soreness after the run, but I did feel some ankle soreness on the right side (inflammation) the next day. A little Naproxen Sodium took care of it.

Time: 3.1 miles in 34:14 - average 11:03 per mile. A bit slow due to footing and traffic. Weather: 32 and snowing. Clothing: see above. Pre race: Water. and a carb breakfast. Post Race: Standard protein shake (my personal recipe), half a banana, half a bagel, cup of chicken soup. Zero soreness. Some joint pain in the right ankle and a tight achilles tendon. Ice and Naproxen Sodium.