Race Recap: 2016 FootChase 5K

Well knock on wood but 2016 is off to a much better start than 2015!  Today is almost to the day the one year anniversary of the beginning of the worst stretch of running in the history of Jason.  That, of course, excludes the first 19 years of my sedentary life.  But here I am, version 42.6 and back at it.

Tobacco Road was a great experience and I was fairly happy with the results but when it was over it was over and I was left that 'what's next' void.  I guess I have the Bear to look forward to which I have to assume is similar to looking forward to a vasectomy.  I mean I've never had a vasectomy but that can't be much worse.  I'm also going to be checking the AJC Peachtree 10K off the bucket list on July 4th but I'm not all that interested in running in circles time and time and time again to get faster at the moment.  Although I did just run hill repeats and I think that was even worse.

I started perusing for local races and there was certainly no shortage this time of year.  I had heard great things about the FootChase race but I was a little nervous about racing two weeks after the half.  I know several guys that race week after week but I'm still skittish after my rash of overuse injuries last year.  About a week ago there was a brief sighting of my legs one afternoon so I decided to see if there were any spots available.  The race wasn't full but it did happen to land on my wife's birthday.  Plus I still didn't have a car since Bambi's mammoth sized mama decided dance on my hood.  So do I steal her car, slip out of the house early, and leave her stranded on what's supposed to be her day?  Yup. 

I checked the participant list and it was full of people I knew.  I had also really been looking forward to running a RunTimeRaces event but the scheduling just hasn't worked out.  Since I was completely out of excuses I formally decided that I would be one of those last minute entrants that misses every discount along the way and gets the no shirt guarantee.  I guess when you sign up that late you get what you deserve.  Signing up was quick and easy and I really like the run sign up design.  The race menu gives you a quick look at the event information and the find a participant lookup gives you a chance to see who's signed up.  That's sort of a blessing and a curse but it's nice to know who's running and roughly how many people to expect.

My last two races were the kind where you wake up at 4:00 or 5:00 am to catch a shuttle to somewhere with no parking then sit around and wait forever to run.  And that's just as much fun as it sounds.  Running locally is great because I'm actually able to sleep in later than I do when I have a long run planned.  Taking full advantage of this I was up just before 7:00 and out the door 15 minutes later -- and I was still early!  I was a little worried about parking because there were 400 or so people signed up to participate but just as advertised there was plenty of parking.

The weather was perfect but it was a little windy at times especially to be so early.  Within minutes of arriving I was met by a trio of RTR's finest -- Kelly Stewart, Chris Fulbright, and William Adair.  These guys along with the rest of their ambassadors are genuinely appreciative of everyone that attends their events and it shows.  There was pre-race music, packet pickup was quick and easy, and the Conover Park really makes for a great pre and post race setup.  

I knew the inevitable pre-race bathroom visit was fast approaching so I decided to be slick and enjoy the comforts of the CVS bathroom down the street.  For future reference, it's not located on a runner friendly street and most importantly, CVS doesn't open until 8:00 am on Saturday.  Having my heart set on something other than a porta-potty I decided I had time to make it to the YMCA (farther down the street) and back with a few minutes to spare.  Just to clarify, the number of porta-pots was more than adequate - I'm just an idiot with a one track mind sometimes. 

I haven't run this particular course before but I've run parts of it in different races.  I knew it was fairly flat but I wasn't sure how my legs would respond to a spur of the moment 5K after a couple weeks of moderate running.  My goal was to run as close to a 6:00 pace as possible and not hate myself for doing it.  I found Donald Keller up front and figured if I could stay in his general vicinity I would be fine.

The gun went off and about 18 of us started out at a 5:02 pace.  True story, because I just checked my Garmin and I watched the video.  That pace lasted about 0.2 of a mile although the two kids that placed 1st and 2nd (Chatham Ellwanger and Ethan Deffke) might have that in their future while I, most certainly do not.  For me every 5K starts the same with my body giving me a reaction as if to say WTF?!  and I never have a good answer.  That could be my body telling me I'm an idiot for even momentarily running a 5 pace or it could be that my warm up runs are spent looking for offsite restrooms as opposed to actually warming up.  Eventually I settled in and knew, or at least hoped it would be over soon.

The first mile was smooth and comfortable at 5:57 with Donald and I running step for step.  I knew the leaders were both younger and faster plus they looked very comfortable so I just wanted to keep them in sight to avoid missing a turn.  In a lot of these local races it's not uncommon to see a lot of separation up front which can get tricky on a course that's not well marked.  Losing the leader is no big deal.  Losing the pace car can be a problem if there's nobody to follow.  That wasn't an issue here as there were cones practically lining the entire 5K route so you'd really have to give your best effort to mess this up.

I found a pretty good rhythm and managed 5:53 for the second mile and felt good about hitting that 6:00 race pace.  Of course that's about the time I made the turn that put us running directly into the wind.  It wasn't a gale force wind or anything but it was enough to make the subtle incline of the last mile feel a little less subtle.  Once we made it across the tracks through main street the course flatted out and turned away from the wind.  The final turn towards the finish starts with a short speed bump of a hill before the longer stretch of a downhill finish.  I managed 6:07 for the 3rd mile and a time of 18:50 with a 5:58 pace good for 3rd place.  Donald finished a few seconds behind but it's worth noting that he was in the middle of a 70 mile week and would bang out 20 miles at a 7:11 clip the next day.  William Adair was never far behind finishing 6th and was the 1st overall master's winner.

After the race there was plenty of fruit, bottled water, and PDQ was there with apple slices and their caramel / chocolate chunk dip.  All participants also received a ticket for free chicken tender meal from PDQ.  Real-time results were available electronically with laptops setup that allowed you to enter your bib and print your time and placement.  In the following days 700+ pictures were posted online and available for free.  There is also a finish line video available just in case the still shots aren't unflattering enough.  The overall and age group medals are a great look and resemble an officer's badge.  The top 3 overall and overall master's winners also received a nice Nathan water bottle and a bag full of stuff from GNC.     

Overall it was a great day.  It was nice to catch up with a lot of friends that I haven't seen much of lately and it feels good to be running with familiar faces again.  Plus GNC awarded me with a supplement for stress and anxiety, a weight loss supplement, and a supplement that I expect to increase my strength by 147% in addition to some other good stuff.  So don't be surprised if the next time you see me I'm laid back and stress free because I've lost weight and gained muscle.  Seriously.  Just wait...(but don't hold your breath on the muscle part)