Cirque du Soliel 5K (Read 542 times)

Let me just say at the outset that I do not--repeat, do not--like 5K's. I know some of you do, and my hat's off to you. Somehow, they remind me of the 880 when I was in high school (yeah, I know they are now "800's"--just dates me a little, I suppose). The gun goes, and you just run really fast. Like this morning's 5K. Running marathons, I never train for 5K's, and they just hurt the entire way. Fact is, I only run them as speedwork for marathons/half-marathons. This one started slightly downhill, then longer uphill, then down, then flat, then up, then down, then up, then down, and finished up. I have no doubt there is a strategy to running 5K's, but I don't know what it is. But, it was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky, temperature at the start about 85. Many of the performers from the Cirque du Soliel show in LV were there in costume, bands were playing, plenty of food, Ben & Jerry's ice cream for every one--it was a happenin' place to be. I managed to finish 26th overall (out of 421), 3rd (of 18) in my age group (5054), with a time of 21:26. Not my fastest, but you take what the course gives you, and I was not unhappy with my performance. Thank heavens, though, that next year I will be in a different age group, where the competition isn't quite as strong.

Pron8r, I'm with you...5K's are torture. Again, no offense to those that enjoy running them. I just can't! As a matter of fact, the first 5K of every run I do, practice or race, is pure hell. Everything is still stiff & hurts, I can't find my rhythm, it is just all wrong. Once I run 5K, I feel great & the next 10K or more is beautiful! And while I may not be near your age group, we called them 880's in high school too. Even worse than an 880, in my opinion, was the dreaded 440. What is that race? A sprint for the S&M fans? But, congrats...for your dislike of 5K's, you did well! I'm limiting myself to only one 5K per year for a good cause. Good luck next year!

That sounds like a fun race! When I ran track in HS, I was a distance girl - mostly did the 3000 m. One year, my coach signed me up for the 800 as well - what a shocker that was - I start out at my easy distance pace, and everyone else was in a fullout sprint! Needless to say, I didn't enter that one again!