My 5K A Month Project - Part 2
In 2010 I think I ran about three 5Ks. I’ve already run more than three times that amount this year. I have more racing t-shirts than I have room in my dresser, and I’m not done collecting. I wrote about my first five races; here are the hot, the hurricaned and the kilted recaps of my last four races.
June’s Parkway 5K
Easy, enjoyable and uneventful. This race was at the local parkway and was a simple out-and-back style run. There were some hills, and a downed tree that shifted the course a bit, but otherwise a nice, non-exciting race.
July’s Barely Safe Sauna
Hot friggin’ tamales! The week leading up to this race temps were in (or flirting with) the 100’s. This was one of those races where I wondered what kinda crazy this 5K a month project had made me. At the 8:30am race start, it was already in the mid to high 80’s and humiddd. The course organizers set up extra water stations and the fire department along the route turned on a fire hydrant for us to run through. I normally don’t drink anything during a 5K, and I didn’t in this one either. I did take water at every station though—to throw over my head. We finished at a neighborhood pool and were invited to jump in afterward.
August’s October Run
This was supposed to be a 5K at the near-by zoo (who knew we had a near-by zoo?). It was supposed to be fun (although I heard last minute, it was also supposed to be hilly). I can’t vouch for any of these ‘supposed to's’ because the zoo 5K never happened. Hurricane Irene happened instead. So B and I spent the day inside, running shoes tucked away, watching the freak-storm dump buckets on our little city.
Not like I was going to close this year without running all 12 races, though. On an early October surprise trip to Grand Rapids, we ran a teeny tiny trail 5K as an August make-up race. The forecast for my Grand Rapids trip showed a sunny 50-60 degree weekend, so I packed my running shorts and tank. At the 9am start, the temp was barely above freezing. Runners lined up on the trail in earmuffs and gloves while I bounced in place to keep warm in my thin tech gear. Oops.
September’s Men In Skirts
Our September race was part of the strangely popular Celtic Festival in town. Runners were encouraged to race in kilts if they had them. Lemme tell ya, running skirts are one thing, plaid cotton kilts are another. It was overcast and very humid and I ended up sweating more than I knew I was capable of.
The run was through town, so both B and I knew the streets well. Course familiarity is a nice perk; I like the distraction of the unfamiliar, but man was it nice to know exactly where the hills and finish line were. Speaking of hills, this course was definitely not without. It’s tough to run a mile in the downtown area without a decent incline, but this route hit a few of the big killers in town. Some of these hills I struggle to walk up with my short legs- running up them was tough. This was one of our slower times, but still ever challenging.
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| The T-shirt collection so far. |
June’s Parkway 5K
Easy, enjoyable and uneventful. This race was at the local parkway and was a simple out-and-back style run. There were some hills, and a downed tree that shifted the course a bit, but otherwise a nice, non-exciting race.
July’s Barely Safe Sauna
Hot friggin’ tamales! The week leading up to this race temps were in (or flirting with) the 100’s. This was one of those races where I wondered what kinda crazy this 5K a month project had made me. At the 8:30am race start, it was already in the mid to high 80’s and humiddd. The course organizers set up extra water stations and the fire department along the route turned on a fire hydrant for us to run through. I normally don’t drink anything during a 5K, and I didn’t in this one either. I did take water at every station though—to throw over my head. We finished at a neighborhood pool and were invited to jump in afterward.
August’s October Run
This was supposed to be a 5K at the near-by zoo (who knew we had a near-by zoo?). It was supposed to be fun (although I heard last minute, it was also supposed to be hilly). I can’t vouch for any of these ‘supposed to's’ because the zoo 5K never happened. Hurricane Irene happened instead. So B and I spent the day inside, running shoes tucked away, watching the freak-storm dump buckets on our little city.
Not like I was going to close this year without running all 12 races, though. On an early October surprise trip to Grand Rapids, we ran a teeny tiny trail 5K as an August make-up race. The forecast for my Grand Rapids trip showed a sunny 50-60 degree weekend, so I packed my running shorts and tank. At the 9am start, the temp was barely above freezing. Runners lined up on the trail in earmuffs and gloves while I bounced in place to keep warm in my thin tech gear. Oops.
September’s Men In Skirts
Our September race was part of the strangely popular Celtic Festival in town. Runners were encouraged to race in kilts if they had them. Lemme tell ya, running skirts are one thing, plaid cotton kilts are another. It was overcast and very humid and I ended up sweating more than I knew I was capable of.
The run was through town, so both B and I knew the streets well. Course familiarity is a nice perk; I like the distraction of the unfamiliar, but man was it nice to know exactly where the hills and finish line were. Speaking of hills, this course was definitely not without. It’s tough to run a mile in the downtown area without a decent incline, but this route hit a few of the big killers in town. Some of these hills I struggle to walk up with my short legs- running up them was tough. This was one of our slower times, but still ever challenging.