It's official. We've gone off the deep end. We ran our first 5 mile race. That wasn't what makes us crazy (though it starts inching us towards the cliff). It was that when we finished, we sort of wanted to do it again. Okay, after a short break, maybe. Not immediately. We had a great time though.
A few months ago we randomly stumbled upon the U Can Finish 5 Mile and decided we really wanted to do it. There was actually a 2 mile as well but we found ourselves saying things like, "It's only 2 miles." Not that 2 miles isn't a respectable distance... it's just less than what we normally run and we like to push our limits and try new things. Also, sometimes it's all about the bling. The race medals. The 2 mile didn't have one. 5 miles did. You could also run both back-to-back and earn the Distance Dare medal but that was outside our training realm at this point.
The 5 mile race course took you through the campus of UCF. For anyone that (somehow) hasn't realized yet, we are both alumni and proud alumni at that so it was quite cool to be told that we would get to run through the campus and we knew signing up was going to be necessary. So, we did. Then... we were hit with some difficulty training times. Steven and I both got colds. Steven had some shin issues and then some weird arm pain that we still haven't pinpointed the source of but it has, at least, gone away at this point. Then I strained my back. It all sort of derailed training but we still planned to do our best on the day of the race. One of the other reasons we chose to run this race was because we wanted to have an idea of what our 10k time might be like for the Star Wars 10k in April. This would give us an idea.
On race morning we set out early, though not as early as our last race, and made it to the campus with plenty of time to spare. We were all suited up and ready to go about 45 minutes before the start time. The 2 mile race left at 7:30 and the 5 mile started at 8. We headed out to the starting line by the stadium with all the other runners. Steven and I really appreciated the people that run before running. I know some people prefer to warm up like that and I'm sure 5 miles was nothing for a lot of these runners so it wasn't a big deal but we both have to conserve the energy we have so this is always an interesting sight for us. There were a few people (and one large group) that looked like they were going to do a couple of miles before the actual race. Interesting. Anyway, on the way to the start line, we actually ran into a couple of friends of mine. One person from my cohort at UCF when I was in grad school and one school psych that I worked with in OCPS for a while. Always nice to see familiar faces. Especially when you haven't seen them in a while.
We worked our way over to the stadium and found the bathrooms. A pre-race MUST. Especially any race over a 5k. Haha! I would be the person that would require a potty break in the middle of a half marathon if I ever ran one (which I seriously doubt I ever will.) Of course, my line was about 5 times longer than Stevens. By the time I came out, it was only about 2 minutes until the 2 mile race started. We heard the airhorn sending everyone on their way and started working our way to the start line for the 5 mile after everyone cleared out. By the time we got over there and got adjusted, some people were finishing the 2 mile. 10-11 minutes. Impressive. Those people were mostly heading over to the 5 mile start at that point so they could do the Distance Dare.
We lined up at the 10+ pace marker and waited. A couple members of the UCF Glee club sang the anthem, and then it was time! We were off! As usual, Steven left me behind. That's how we roll. I don't want to slow down his pace and I'm perfectly find running along by myself. Gives me time to think. Haha! Sometimes it's the only alone time I have in my day.
The start of the course was the worst part. As expected, it was crowded so we both had to weave in and out of people. Steven ran almost the entire first mile. I ran the entire first mile (but my pace is slower so I never caught him). Pretty proud of myself. It's the first time I have done that in a race scenario. I can run over a mile without stopping usually but something about a race makes it harder for me. I think I push too hard at the beginning. Both Steven and I pick a person that seems to be going around our pace and try to stick with them. Steven had a guy that he was hanging with and I had a girl that was doing run/walk intervals that I found shortly after I started walking after the first mile. Both of us stuck with our respective "pacers" (though neither of them know that is what they were to us) for most of the duration of the race. Miles 1 and 2 went fairly quickly but they seemed really, really far. They were along a main road towards the outside of campus so there wasn't much to look at and it was the longest straight away so it wasn't as dynamic, I guess. I think my favorite part was wondering how long the cars that were at a light were going to need to be held by the police officers manning the course because they can't stop the runners to let them go. I think they were people leaving the 2 mile and a few of them had obviously shut off their engines by the time I got to the intersection so they must have already been there a while. I would just like to know how long they had to sit. Most of the roads were closed which is why I figured it's people leaving the race and not students. Random thought... I did see one (obvious) student during my run. She seemed fairly confused as to what was going on. Apparently she missed any memo about a race going through campus on a random Sunday morning.
Steven and I both remarked that the craziest part of the course was when we came up next to the library for the first time (just past the 2 mile point in the route above where you see the two lines come together as if they were run on the same path... which they sort of were.) We could see people heading back the other way opposite us and both of us thought that must mean there was a quick turnaround ahead and we would be going back the other way soon.... but there wasn't. It was about a half mile or more between those points. So... those people were just that far ahead of us. Haha! Both of us ended up calculating our respective 5k times while we ran (you have some time on your hands for calculations). Steven did great. He figures he did the 5k distance in about 35 minutes. I did it in about 39 which is my average nowadays. I'm sort of surprised I did it. I felt slower but running that first mile helped out my overall pace. I also had to stop once to tie my shoe.
I think we both made it through the first 3 miles okay... then you realize you still have 2 more miles to go. Eek! Mile 4 (as in between hitting mile 3 and mile 4) was torturous. It's as if you knew you weren't to the end yet, but you were so close and just wondering how much farther you had. Okay, we both knew how much farther we had but a mile is really, really long when you are tired. Luckily, the last mile or so of the course was the best. Towards the very end of the course, everyone got to run into the baseball stadium and circle the warning track. The baseball team was in one dugout area cheering everyone on. I got a few high fives. The other dugout area had the softball team (a few more high fives) and the bullpen had the pitchers for the baseball team. I would have needed to have quite the vertical leap to get a high five there so I decided to sit that one out. Then, came the best part. The football stadium. We ran around the side of the stadium and entered where the team enters the field for every home game. Then we ran the length of the field and exited the other side. I managed to stop for a selfie really quickly as I entered. Steven (unfortunately) can't do that because he has his phone on his arm and it isn't as accessible.
The women's basketball team was in the stadium. I picked up a running hitchhiker in one of the players. She fell in line beside me as I ran and cheered me on. I asked her if she was getting bored just standing there to which she told me it was good to sweat some. She ran almost the entire length of the field with me and then broke off. Likely to return and do it again with someone else. That experience was pretty cool. It's isn't everyday you get to run the length of the football field that you have watched countless games take place on and in the stadium where you have cheered on your alma mater to wins (including a conference title) and been sad about losses with other fans.
Steven had a goal to finish in under 1:05. He crushed it. He finished in 1:02. Three minutes may seem like nothing but when you are shooting for a goal when running and you beat it by that much, it's a big deal. I just wish I was faster so I could be there to cheer him on as he finishes. Instead, it ends up being the other way around.
My goal was to finish in under 1:10. I did it in 1:09 so I am pretty excited with myself. Steven was there cheering me on with his medal already. It's such a great feeling to cross a finish line at one of these races and know you did it. Just finishing a 5 mile race isn't something we thought we could do a year ago. Heck, I don't know that we thought we could do it 6 months ago. And here we are. Meeting goals and taking names.
We hung around a while afterwards waiting on the results to be posted so we could see chip times and taking some pictures. There is definitely a runners' high after a race of any distance so everyone is super pumped up usually and it's fun to be in that atmosphere. Plus... free water and bananas. Kidding! But I was super thirsty and somewhat hungry so I was thankful for the water and banana. I'm glad we ended up doing this.
A few weeks ago, Steven was having some doubts after the pain in his legs but he pushed through it training and we went ahead with the race despite some setbacks.... and did great. I'm super proud of both of us.
Next up, a 5k on the clay trails in Clermont in November. Then, it's some time off before the IronGirl for my mom, sis-in-law, and myself in early April before the Star Wars 10k in late April. It's going to be a quiet winter of training and we are hoping to meet and exceed some goals in that 10k. We'll see how it goes!
Side notes: We did learn that Track Shack (that puts on this race) has a deal that gives you 6 race registrations for a discounted rate. They are about half done with the season right now but we are definitely going to look into it for next year. There is even a Valentine's one that has a "Soulmate Challenge". We wouldn't be the fastest pair but it might be fun to do. We shall see. Also, we found that this race (perhaps due to the distance) had far more serious runners in it than our last 5k. Not that it's an issue. Just something we noticed. The fastest male finished the 5 miles in 28 minutes. Fastest female was 30. Seriously. #goals. Haha! Kidding! I just want to finish. Steven found that the group he was closer to was a bit more serious and it was less "fun". My group was more fun. Maybe because we were slower to begin with. It was nice, however, to see people using race etiquette because that was lacking at the last race. Raising their hands when they planned to slow to a walk or warning you if they were passing on one side or the other. I appreciate that. Also, we both found that we must have been as far from running the tangents as possible because our miles were off. Both of us would hit the mile before we hit the course mile. I figure that's not uncommon. It's happened on every race we have done but when you know it's supposed to be 5 miles and you start to think you are going to end up running 5.25... well, it's a lot.
Oh, and because I have a thing with my "Flat Kristen" the night before a race. And it's always fun to hit your 10,000 step goal by 9am. I hit it at about mile 4 of the race as I rounded the alumni center and Steven hit it right before he entered the stadium. (Longer strides means I take more steps that he does in shorter distances.)
A few months ago we randomly stumbled upon the U Can Finish 5 Mile and decided we really wanted to do it. There was actually a 2 mile as well but we found ourselves saying things like, "It's only 2 miles." Not that 2 miles isn't a respectable distance... it's just less than what we normally run and we like to push our limits and try new things. Also, sometimes it's all about the bling. The race medals. The 2 mile didn't have one. 5 miles did. You could also run both back-to-back and earn the Distance Dare medal but that was outside our training realm at this point.
The 5 mile race course took you through the campus of UCF. For anyone that (somehow) hasn't realized yet, we are both alumni and proud alumni at that so it was quite cool to be told that we would get to run through the campus and we knew signing up was going to be necessary. So, we did. Then... we were hit with some difficulty training times. Steven and I both got colds. Steven had some shin issues and then some weird arm pain that we still haven't pinpointed the source of but it has, at least, gone away at this point. Then I strained my back. It all sort of derailed training but we still planned to do our best on the day of the race. One of the other reasons we chose to run this race was because we wanted to have an idea of what our 10k time might be like for the Star Wars 10k in April. This would give us an idea.
On race morning we set out early, though not as early as our last race, and made it to the campus with plenty of time to spare. We were all suited up and ready to go about 45 minutes before the start time. The 2 mile race left at 7:30 and the 5 mile started at 8. We headed out to the starting line by the stadium with all the other runners. Steven and I really appreciated the people that run before running. I know some people prefer to warm up like that and I'm sure 5 miles was nothing for a lot of these runners so it wasn't a big deal but we both have to conserve the energy we have so this is always an interesting sight for us. There were a few people (and one large group) that looked like they were going to do a couple of miles before the actual race. Interesting. Anyway, on the way to the start line, we actually ran into a couple of friends of mine. One person from my cohort at UCF when I was in grad school and one school psych that I worked with in OCPS for a while. Always nice to see familiar faces. Especially when you haven't seen them in a while.
We worked our way over to the stadium and found the bathrooms. A pre-race MUST. Especially any race over a 5k. Haha! I would be the person that would require a potty break in the middle of a half marathon if I ever ran one (which I seriously doubt I ever will.) Of course, my line was about 5 times longer than Stevens. By the time I came out, it was only about 2 minutes until the 2 mile race started. We heard the airhorn sending everyone on their way and started working our way to the start line for the 5 mile after everyone cleared out. By the time we got over there and got adjusted, some people were finishing the 2 mile. 10-11 minutes. Impressive. Those people were mostly heading over to the 5 mile start at that point so they could do the Distance Dare.
We lined up at the 10+ pace marker and waited. A couple members of the UCF Glee club sang the anthem, and then it was time! We were off! As usual, Steven left me behind. That's how we roll. I don't want to slow down his pace and I'm perfectly find running along by myself. Gives me time to think. Haha! Sometimes it's the only alone time I have in my day.
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| Steven's final route from Runkeeper (mine was the same but this is his specifically) |
Steven and I both remarked that the craziest part of the course was when we came up next to the library for the first time (just past the 2 mile point in the route above where you see the two lines come together as if they were run on the same path... which they sort of were.) We could see people heading back the other way opposite us and both of us thought that must mean there was a quick turnaround ahead and we would be going back the other way soon.... but there wasn't. It was about a half mile or more between those points. So... those people were just that far ahead of us. Haha! Both of us ended up calculating our respective 5k times while we ran (you have some time on your hands for calculations). Steven did great. He figures he did the 5k distance in about 35 minutes. I did it in about 39 which is my average nowadays. I'm sort of surprised I did it. I felt slower but running that first mile helped out my overall pace. I also had to stop once to tie my shoe.
I think we both made it through the first 3 miles okay... then you realize you still have 2 more miles to go. Eek! Mile 4 (as in between hitting mile 3 and mile 4) was torturous. It's as if you knew you weren't to the end yet, but you were so close and just wondering how much farther you had. Okay, we both knew how much farther we had but a mile is really, really long when you are tired. Luckily, the last mile or so of the course was the best. Towards the very end of the course, everyone got to run into the baseball stadium and circle the warning track. The baseball team was in one dugout area cheering everyone on. I got a few high fives. The other dugout area had the softball team (a few more high fives) and the bullpen had the pitchers for the baseball team. I would have needed to have quite the vertical leap to get a high five there so I decided to sit that one out. Then, came the best part. The football stadium. We ran around the side of the stadium and entered where the team enters the field for every home game. Then we ran the length of the field and exited the other side. I managed to stop for a selfie really quickly as I entered. Steven (unfortunately) can't do that because he has his phone on his arm and it isn't as accessible.
The women's basketball team was in the stadium. I picked up a running hitchhiker in one of the players. She fell in line beside me as I ran and cheered me on. I asked her if she was getting bored just standing there to which she told me it was good to sweat some. She ran almost the entire length of the field with me and then broke off. Likely to return and do it again with someone else. That experience was pretty cool. It's isn't everyday you get to run the length of the football field that you have watched countless games take place on and in the stadium where you have cheered on your alma mater to wins (including a conference title) and been sad about losses with other fans.
Steven had a goal to finish in under 1:05. He crushed it. He finished in 1:02. Three minutes may seem like nothing but when you are shooting for a goal when running and you beat it by that much, it's a big deal. I just wish I was faster so I could be there to cheer him on as he finishes. Instead, it ends up being the other way around.
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| Steven's splits |
My goal was to finish in under 1:10. I did it in 1:09 so I am pretty excited with myself. Steven was there cheering me on with his medal already. It's such a great feeling to cross a finish line at one of these races and know you did it. Just finishing a 5 mile race isn't something we thought we could do a year ago. Heck, I don't know that we thought we could do it 6 months ago. And here we are. Meeting goals and taking names.
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| My splits - not my best but I still hit my overall goal. Lowering those splits just gives me something to work towards. |
Next up, a 5k on the clay trails in Clermont in November. Then, it's some time off before the IronGirl for my mom, sis-in-law, and myself in early April before the Star Wars 10k in late April. It's going to be a quiet winter of training and we are hoping to meet and exceed some goals in that 10k. We'll see how it goes!
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| What race would be complete without our medal models?? They love our race bling as much as we do. (Also, sorry it's blurry. We've hit a stage when neither of them want to stay still for pictures... |
Oh, and because I have a thing with my "Flat Kristen" the night before a race. And it's always fun to hit your 10,000 step goal by 9am. I hit it at about mile 4 of the race as I rounded the alumni center and Steven hit it right before he entered the stadium. (Longer strides means I take more steps that he does in shorter distances.)
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