Kerrymen Pub 5k Road Race (Read 668 times)

Today my 15-year-old-son, running partner, and I ran in this 5k race in Saco, Maine. I enjoy running with my son, because he actually has a chance of doing well, while I'm just trying to improve my glacier-like pace. I get to experience the race from two viewpoints! It was 35 degrees and snowing lightly when we arrived at the local high school for checking in. It felt very damp, and chillier than 35. The set-up was a little different - we signed in at the gym and then had to walk several blocks to get to the starting line. I warmed up by running a slow mile - a first for me before a race, because last year I was just trying to run the 3.1 miles non-stop, and I couldn't do any extra! My son said the starting horn was so weak that the runners didn't realize what it was at first! Of course, back in the "Under 34 minute" section, I couldn't hear it at all. When we started, I managed to avoid tripping over the dog in front of me (grr), and felt great - very light on my feet. My running partner fell behind, but then caught up to me after a quarter mile or so. She said she couldn't keep up with me, which is another first. Usually she takes off and leaves me in the dust. My Garmin said I was going faster than a 10-minute pace, and sure enough, when I got to the 1-mile marker, I was at 9:48. Since that's faster than I've ever timed myself at one mile, I was surprised! The course wound through the downtown of Saco, a mill town, and then took us through several neighborhoods. It was fairly flat. I slowed down after that, but managed to finish in 31:35 (by my Garmin), a PR for me by almost 3 minutes. I'm happy because running more miles every week (about 25 now) is paying off. I haven't even done any hill or speed work, which I plan to do when the weather improves. I had reminded my son not to start out too fast, but of course he didn't listen. He was horrified (his word) to find that he finished the first mile in 4:53, just 10 seconds slower than his mile PR time. He knew at that point that he just had to survive the race after "butchering" it at the start. His second-mile split was 5:37, and his third was 5:51. He finished in 16:56, which was a PR by 11 seconds for him. He came in 12th overall out of 737 runners, and 3rd in his age group (15-18). His time exceeded USATF Age-Group guidelines. So now his next goal is to finish sub-16! The food afterwards was pretty good, but it was outside in the snow, so kind of miserable. It's the first race I've finished that I felt as if I wanted to run some more! I'm looking forward to pushing myself more next time and trying to break 30 minutes.

Another "family racing event." That's gotta feel good! Nice job on both PRs!

Great job Teresa! I am so happy for you. You just keep knocking down the time and mileage PRs. You are rocking and keeping a sense of humor in an endless winter too. Nice racing for your son as well. How cool that you are sharing this with him. Time to line up at the under 30 minute sign! CNYrunner

Great run teresa!!! 3 minute PR is a huge jump!! All those miles are paying off! BTW, your son is some fast, too. Only a freshman, right? sub-16 doesn't sound too far away. Same for sub-30 for you, too. Keivn

Pictures 108-113 and Picture 12. I recommend using the "View Larger" option.

Pictures 108-113 and Picture 12. I recommend using the "View Larger" option.

Thanks for the links, Blaine! I like seeing how intense my son is when he's racing (picture 12) - for me, that's the differene between jogging and running. The "best" view of me is in photo 112 - I'm #457 - black pants and cap, with magenta fleece. I'm in 113, also, but I don't like that one! I thought I would be worn out today, but I felt great, so I did an easy 4.1 miles on the treadmill. Now I have to find another race! Thanks for the encouragement and congratulations, everyone. I know you're right, Simon! I have to learn how to push harder.

Thanks for the links, Blaine!

I used picture 12 in my race writeup: http://news.runtowin.com/2008/03/17/kerryman-pub-5k-road-race-2008.html

You managed to put a big smile on the face of my son when he saw that, Blaine!

I thought it might. I figured that since I wanted to use a picture anyway, that would be a good one to put up.