Sooooo last Sunday was my first race of 2012. It wasn't anything major, just a 5k, but I'm excited about it nonetheless. Sunday's run was the first race in the Memphis Road Race series. The Road Race Series is one of the best things ever. For $75 you run 10 races between now and November 18. The series starts with two 5ks and ends with two half-marathons. The $75 also includes a CHIP so all your races are timed. This is a pretty big deal to me as I've paid $75+ for one race and at least $30 for races that didn't have chip timing at all.
The races take place at Audubon Park in Memphis. There's nothing super scenic or special about the location BUT there is lots of parking which is a plus. The race started at 7am so I set my alarm at 5am. I normally like to have time to stretch, eat a banana and a sugar free redbull (don't judge me y'all) and get to the race about an hour advance. I get super anxiety about parking and having to ask people for directions to the race so I like to give myself a lot of time. Unfortunately, I ignored my alarm clock several times and didn't get out of bed until 5:55 am (side bar: ignoring my alarm clock seems to be my thing nowadays even when I get to bed early. Maybe I should get that checked out?). I managed to get dressed quickly and got to the race site at around 6:20 am. My nerves were calmed when I saw a bunch of people with bibs parking in a Chili's parking lot and walking to the race.
I parked and walked over to the race. One of my friends and co-workers was doing the race with me so I texted her so we could meet up. There was a HUGE crowd. When I went to pick up my bib and chip the day before, the guy told me that 1400 people had signed up for the series. I'm not sure there were 1400 people there but I did think there were a lot of people up on a Sunday morning for a 5k. The weather was gloomy which I welcomed with open arms given the HADES that has been Memphis recently (it was still HOT but not as bad as it would have been if the sun was out). I haven't run an organized 5k since October of November of last year so I wasn't sure what my time should be. I run 3 miles + on a regular basis but I run at a comfortable (ahem: lazy pace). I decided that going into the race I wanted to run close to a 9:00 pace. I know that's not fast for some people, but I am not a sprinter or a fast runner. I'm better at keeping a decent pace for a long period of time. My longer runs are done at about a 10:00 pace.
Since I hadn't run a race in a while AND I didn't wear my Garmin watch, it was hard for me to pace myself. I tried to guess and find people that I thought I could follow and keep up with. I finished the first mile in 9:07 seconds and felt fine. Eventually I found a woman to pace myself with and followed her for the second mile. My second mile was 9:07 too. The third mile is when things got a little tougher for some reason. I wasn't super tired but my body just felt really hot and it was harder to move my legs. The 3rd mile was in 9:30 seconds which given my goal was disappointing. Because the first two miles didn't feel super exhausting, I was hoping to make up the :14 in the last mile. When I ran a 4 miler a year ago, my final mile and a half was at an 8:30 pace so I know it's possible. I didn't get exactly what I wanted but I'm still happy with my performance. It's not horrible [for me] and it gives me a very reachable goal to keep in my mind.
After the race, there was water and fruit. I really have no complaints from the first 5k of the series. People were friendly, it was a nice crowd, and given the cheap cost, the water and fruit provided was great. I think there may have been some stands set up prior to the race but I didn't look around. I'll have to check next time.
Lastly, I did notice a few brown faces in the crowd. Out of crowd of many, I didn't see more than 20 but I'm always encouraged when I see Black runners making it happen.
The next 5k is on July 22 but you'll hear from me before then because there is much to talk about (see: the 26.2 miles I signed up to run in Chicago).
- Nash
