My goal for the last 2+ years has been to run a 5k in under 25 minutes.  Three of the last 4 5ks I have done in the last 6 weeks have had basically the same end result: 26:0X, but yet totally different ways of getting there, which is really getting frustrating. Results show the sub 25 happened today, but Garmin tells a different story, although the damn thing won’t download . Whatever, this was one of the strangest and most productive race experiences I have had.

I thought today seemed like a decent day to do a race since I would get an extra hour of sleep. I found a race Monday about a half hour away. Best part, it was flat. As in no hills, not “relatively flat” like most around here. Or “fast”, which last weekend translated to running downhill for 1 mile is fast, needing to run uphill the next mile, not so much.

I woke up this morning to the windows rattling in the wind. There was a gale warning and the race was probably a mile from a river and maybe 2 or 3 from the bay. Wonderful. I drive up to the race, hitting some nasty cross winds on the highway. My car said it was 46 degrees, it felt way colder, but I am also a cold weather wimp. I had on a long sleeve zippered mock neck, tights, ear warmers and gloves. I never got warm during the race; usually I would at least unzip the top. I did a quick warm up, almost losing my bib in the process to the wind. So I made the decision to go on effort, since I knew any time I was running into the wind or had a cross wind, it was going to suck and would take some effort to not get thrown off balance.

We go to line up and no one wants to get in the front.  This strikes me as very odd; there is prize money on the line here!  I’m in the front, but not by choice, I stood a few feet back from the cones, in what would be the second or third row and no one goes in front of me. Ok. Fine. Not really sure what is going on here, where are the barely dressed speedsters?  A few quick words about the course and the horn sounds. Within the first ½ mile, I am in a totally unexpected spot. 2^nd female. I figure there HAS to be someone behind me who is going to go by any minute now. I quickly make up my mind that I don’t really care what my time is, I want to stay in the top 3 money spots, but in the back of my mind think there is no way this is gonna happen.  Mile 1 was 8:32.

In the second mile, there was the first out and back, which gave me a good opportunity to see where the next female was. The 3^rd place female is pretty far back. I’m still trying to process this, where are the fast runners?  Someone is going to come flying by me any minute, I am positive of it. The wind was pretty brutal this mile. Lots of cross wind. At the second out and back, I note that I still have a sizable gap. And the 1^st place female is plenty ahead of me. GPS had 8:22.

Mile 3 (or according to GPS 2.94) was an 8:26 pace. I notice the first place runner in the distance is slowing. But she is well ahead of me and I am running into the wind. I just keep pushing, any minute expecting someone to go by me. It never happens. The last mile was rough. It basically went headwind for 1/3, tailwind for next 1/3 and headwind for final 1/3. Clock is at 24:4X when I come up on the finish.  I stop my Garmin and it says 2.94 miles. Oh well, the PR can wait for another day.

I walk down to my car and really want to look at the race listing, maybe I read it wrong and the money is top 3 OA regardless of gender?  Before I can do that, the OA female winner sees me and says what I am thinking—there’s prize money, right? I tell her yea, pretty sure. She was just as surprised as I was.  She was thinking the same thing I was, when was she going to get passed & where were the faster runners. She was just over a minute ahead of me, so there was never any danger in me catching her. 3^rd place was 2 minutes behind me.

So my total time showed under 25 minutes. Garmin says I ran 2.94 miles and has refused to upload multiple times due to an internal server error , so right now can’t see if it did anything really wonky on the map. I guess I am now a professional runner; I won $100 for 2^nd place.  I also easily got the most swag I have ever gotten—everyone got a Clarisonic Mia, a sample of the cleanser to go with it, a bag, lots of perfume & shampoo samples, t-shirt and some other small things. Guess the make-up distribution center that was hosting the event did some housecleaning.

While I really wanted at minimum a PR (under 25:37) today, I’m happy with the outcome and frankly still pretty surprised. I never would expect to be competitive for prize money in any race; usually the same few females win the prize money.  It was a very strange feeling knowing that I was racing for a meaningful placement (ok, money) and caring more about where the next competitor was as opposed to exactly what time was on the clock. I would really like to run this course on a wind-free day; I think it would be a PR course when there isn't a gale warning.

I also easily got the most swag I have ever gotten—everyone got a Clarisonic Mia...

So yeah I had to google that.  Not sure if I should be mad at you or me.  lol

You are in special company what with having won real money, that is something many of us have never pulled off.  It sucks that the whole thing came up short but maybe that is why the "speedsters" were not there, I know that is a pet peeve of mine.

Congrats on the booty! Any special plans for it?

Wow,  $100 is awesome. I've never won money before.  I've looked at the map for a 5k that measured short only to see that it cut the corners on some of the turns - might not have really been short.  Anyway, Congrats!

I have $75 to spend. The race benefited cancer programs at the local hospital, they had a donation bucket there, I felt like it was the right thing to put $25 in. This gives me the perfect reason to pay retail price for an Under Armour long sleeve. I like the weight of my Baltimore Running Festival one, it's perfect for 45-50 degrees with no wind, but I don't like UA prices.

I'm not 100% positive it was short, but seems that way.There were no mile markers, or if they had them, they would have blown over or away. Heck, even the inflatable start/finish line blew over right before the start.

There was a local-ish 10k with 18,000 people this morning. I think it sold out over a year ago--pretty sure it was the first time since 9/11 that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge would be closed to traffic so foot traffic could cross Not sure if there was prize money there, but guessing that's where lots of people were. Sounds like a great time--gale force winds, 185 feet above water and fairly open railings.

That is very cool HK. A Clarisonic Mia, wow! I meant prize money, of course. I had to look up what a Mia was, like LRB, I had no clue.

Nicely done!  I've been chasing that sub-25 all year myself, of course I have only actually run two 5Ks this year, maybe that's my problem.  Anyway, congrats on your second place finish, that's awesome!

Sorry about the short course, but you still ran a helluva race, congratulations!   $100 for second place and lots of swag...nice!

Congrats on 2nd place and the $100 - especially considering the weather! I was also at a race once where no one wanted to be in the front. Everyone kept lining up behind me even though I was more than a few feet from the starting line. Great job on keeping your lead!