So driving to the race on Sunday morning was a tad rough. I was thinking that perhaps this was a bad idea, but I had already paid $50. The maximum wind gust, by day's end, was clocked at 48 mph. Sustained winds in the 20-mph range were common yesterday. It was a tad chilly.
We got there right on time and even found on-street parking, just over the (very icy) footbridge across I-94. Oh yeah, temps had been in the 30s and 40s for most of the past two months. New Year's Eve brought rain, heavy, wet snow, and then the temps dropped and everything froze. They had pre-treated the course with salt so it wasn't too snowy or icy. I started out with two pairs of pants, two shirts and a fleece jacket, my cute skull hat, and my wool buff and mitties. Wool buff was definitely too hot and I had to unzip my jacket shortly into the race as well.
The race took place on the East River Parkway, with the Mississippi River just to the west of the course. The 5k run was down to Cretin and then a turnaround. There were a few hills, but overall I really liked the course. The parkway is just a two-way street so we ran up one side and then back down the other. Everyone was pretty spaced out and I didn't have to slow down if I didn't want to. I hated running around Lake Harriet at the 2010 Reindeer Run. The trail was so small that there wasn't enough room and I felt like it slowed me down unnecessarily.
About 11:30 into the race I was around .8 into the course. That's when I started to see high school kids running back towards me. I didn't catch their bib numbers, but I think they were finishing up the 5k or in the front of the 10k and half-ers. There was also a 10k and a half that were joining us at some point. They seemed to be a much more serious crowd - you know, the people that actually look like they enjoy running and do it often. And who most likely didn't drink their weight in alcohol the night before...
I jogged for the first five minutes and then on all of the downhill areas. My goal was just to get under 49 minutes. I knew I could do it, but wasn't sure how my back or ankle would hold up. I came in at 46:57, but stopped to tie my shoes twice. Garmin said my total was 46:05, which I think is pretty good considering that I have been a bump on a log for most of 2011.
Josh crossed 10 minutes before me at 36:38. It was his first 5k and he was nervous, but did a terrific job! He was super proud of himself after the race. I knew he'd probably be able to get a time in the 30's. We both thought the swag was pretty fun too - the whole reason I picked the Polar Dash as my first race of 2012. Not only did you get a warm, well-made fleece sweatshirt with pockets, upon completion you also received a fun medal!
Aside from the swag, I really liked that this race had a bag drop. That's one thing I haven't figured out how to do - run with all my stuff, or at least with my car keys, wallet, and phone. I'm not to the fanny pack point yet like those cute tiny little runners. I've run with a cinch pack before, but that, too, is cumbersome. This race (and the Get Lucky) is coordinated by "Team Ortho" and they do a really good job. The packet pick-up was well-coordinated, before race day, and organized. Also, you could try on the fleece sweatshirts and exchange them if they didn't fit. How cool is that?! They had people dressed up as penguins at the pick-up and at the race. As I crossed the finish line, I high-five'd three penguins. The treats at the end were normal; your basic banana, water, chips but also string cheese and a mini candy bar.
The next race I'll run is the Valentine's Day TC 5k (2/11/12). They have candy at the halfway point and Valentine-themed treats at the end! In March we're going to go crazy and up it to a 7k at the Twin Cities Get Lucky (3/17/12). Again, I picked this one because of the fantastic sweatshirt that has thumb holes on the arms! It's worth running an extra mile for.
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