Saturdays are always busy this time of year and any time of the year for that matter - especially with 3 young boys. My youngest son had a soccer game at 9:00 and I was coaching my other two sons' flag football team at 11:00. Since the Komen race started at 9:00 and was very close to the Hickory YMCA I decided I could run the 5K, try to catch the second half of the soccer game, get back in time for awards, and make it to the Conover YMCA for the football game. No problem, right?
The Komen event always draws a large crowd and on Saturday there were about 400 runners out supporting breast cancer awareness in the 5K race in addition to several hundred walkers that hit the streets at 8:00. One thing you can always count on is a lot of pink -- I mean a lot of pink! Pink shirts, pink socks, pink bandanas, pink hair, pink dog costumes, pink cars.........it's just a sea of pink which is actually pretty cool.
As with every local race I saw several people I knew and a few familiar runners but a lot the guys I generally count on to set the pace were noticeably absent. I hadn't been particularly pleased with my prior two 5K's so I really wanted to run something in the low 18's just to feel good about my conditioning going into the final 'hard' weeks of marathon training. I took my usual place up front behind several 10 year olds that were determined to start out at record setting pace and they did not disappoint.
The 5K starts at 9:00 in what amounts to a 40 yard dash followed by a left turn down a steep hill and slightly uphill before a nice gradual downhill. Once you start that initial climb you can get a sense for how the lead packs are going to shake out. As we settled into the first mile there were a few younger guys up front that seemed to be working awfully hard to be less than a mile into it so I decided to go ahead and push past them and set the pace. I knew there were a few seasoned guys behind me that weren't going anywhere but I also knew if I didn't run a fast first mile getting close to 18 would be tough.
About 3/4 mile in starts the first notable hill which takes you between the Lenoir-Rhyne dorms and football parking lot before turning left on 4th street for a few rolling hills. Just past the 1 mile mark the course heads back towards the college passing the baseball field before looping around the quad. I caught a quick glimpse back at what seemed to be a pack of 3 runners running about 30 seconds back but they looked comfortable and I expected them to start chasing once the course flattened out. At this point I was just trying to run my race and maintain my pace around the college and towards the science center.
After mile two the course is remains relatively flat or slightly downhill before finishing with a steep uphill which is always fun (note sarcasm). That steep downhill I alluded to near the start is not nearly as fun coming back up at the finish. I really try not to look back when I race because I think it's a clear sign you're running out of gas but I couldn't resist a peak to see if anybody was chasing me as I approached the hill near the hill. When I realized nobody was in sight it was just me against the clock.
I was fortunate enough to clock the winning time of 18:21 followed by fellow masters runner Craig Langston and 15 year old Carter Powell in 3rd. Full race results are below.
Foothills Race for the Cure Results
After the race I jogged down to the Y to find my little soccer man with a commanding halftime lead of 3-0 with a goal and an assist. Once the game was safely in hand at 5-0 I made my way back to the awards with my 8 year old. Quickly realizing there was no way were going to make it through the awards and be in Conover for kickoff I buried my head and let the race director know that I had a game to coach and simply couldn't stay. I really hate missing awards because I think it's important to support all of the runners for their accomplishment but today it just wasn't happening...
I pulled into the Conover Y about 5 minutes before game time and our guys went on to play a nearly perfect game winning 39-6 with every kid getting in on the action and my sons racking up two interceptions, a touchdown catch, and a touchdown pass. Watching the boys walk off the field grinning from ear to ear filled with excitement and pride is a feeling that never gets old and something I'll never take for granted.
With the Richmond Marathon coming up in 4 weeks I still needed to get in some miles so I decided to go ahead with my easy 10 miler as planned. The Night Crawl 5K was that evening and the boys really enjoyed it last year so we decided to make an appearance this year. Knowing I would be tempted to race again I figured running 10 in the afternoon would nix that silly notion - especially with the plantar fasciitis that I'm sure you're tired of hearing about! Trust me, when it's gone you'll be among the first to know...
The Night Crawl is a great race, especially if you're a fan of evening races. It starts just after dark at 7:30pm and there's usually a good crowd - just over 250 people this year. Lots of bright colors, costumes, and plenty of glow sticks. The race starts in the same general vicinity of the popular Old Soldier's Reunion 5K in Newton but fortunately this race skips the uphill start and takes you straight down Main Street. For the most part it's a down and back circling past Newton-Conover High School with a few rolling hills. For the last couple years the Bandy's cross country team has left their mark on this race and did so again with Yates Goodson winning with a 17:36. Good friend and one of my three Blog readers William Adair won his age group and finished 5th overall at 20:07. Even though he crushed his time from last year I bet cutting those 0:07 seconds was the first thing that crossed his mind. I mean that is what runners do, right :) Full race results are below.
Night Crawl Results
We didn't run but we walked most of the course, checked out the decorated houses, and cheered on the runners. This was one of those days that I really didn't want to end. My afternoon 10 miler was slow, painful, and I have no doubt that it wasn't pretty but it provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on a perfect morning and to fully appreciate a wonderful life :)
Good luck to all of you running the Peak to Creek Marathon this weekend!
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