Race Report - Full Moon 5k

Everyone in my house is cranky lately. And it's making ME cranky.

So I was SO STOKED to get the hell out last night to run a small local inaugural 5k. The Full Moon 5k in Zion, IL, just a 10 minute drive from my house. YAY! I was starting at 8pm so I left my house at 6:40. Yup. I'd rather stand around and chat up strangers than listen to my kids argue for ONE MORE SECOND.

It was a really gorgeous night. The moon was shining bright on my way there, and it was in the 50's and just a bit windy. I got there just before 7 (by the time I figured out exactly where to park) and I went inside to pick up my packet and pin on my bib. The start was in front of their fitness center, which meant indoor bathrooms. I met a couple of really nice people so the time went by quickly. There was a guy doing video interviews and taking pictures, and that was fun too. I chatted up a 4 year old in full princess costume (so cute!) and found out her Dad ran Chicago, so we traded stories for a bit.

We moved outside and 7:45 or so to find it had clouded over. Boo! I was bummed we wouldn't be seeing the moon on the run. It was really dark out at this point, and we were all wearing glow necklaces that came in our packets. Everyone started to line up at the start, and listened to the announcements from the race director. Just as she finished, I felt the first raindrops. *sigh* I was wearing the same outfit I wore for my 20 miler (black capris and red "EZ does it" tech tee) which will now be known as my "it WILL rain" outfit.

There were probably around 200 people running and walking (I signed up yesterday and my bib number was 199) which I thought was a really nice sized race. As we got moving, it was clear that the darkness could be an issue - it was REALLY dark, and now raining, and the wet pavement with the glare of the cop car lights around the course made it tough to judge your footing. For the first mile or so, it was just lightly raining, and I was thinking to myself, "this isn't bad at all!"

But as my luck would have it, it started raining much harder. And then we turned into the wind. Lovely. If there was an upside, it was making me run faster! I wanted to be done now.

It sounds horrible, but it really wasn't. The hard rain didn't last much more than a few minutes, and the course turned enough to keep you focused on your feet and not the weather. I had some great tunes playing (Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye, Beastie Boys - Paul Revere, Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up, and Paramore - Misery Business (best song ever)) and I was going at damn near maximum sustainable effort for me. I stopped twice to walk - just quick breaks to catch my breath - but I was maintaining a good pace. I am NOT a fast runner, so these 10 minute miles were tough. My goal for this race was not just a PR, but I wanted to maintain while uncomfortable. Does that make sense? I tend to wimp out as soon as I struggle a little, and I wanted to push myself past that.

I really did! I know my time will never win any awards, but this was personal for me. It was more than the number at the end, it was trying to keep going even when it hurt. I know I am so often capable of more than I give. I wanted to see how much mental toughness I could muster.

I finished in 31 and change (official results aren't up yet, but the last time I remember looking at the clock - I was hauling ass at this point - was 31:04. my Nike+ said 31:28, but I forgot to stop it right away. so somewhere in there) which is more than a 2 minute PR for me. YAY! Now I am curious to see what I could do in daylight and no rain. The course did measure a smidge short. My Nike+ had it at 3.08 and Mark's Garmin said 3.07, but that is what it is.

I hung out and won a raffle prize and watched the awards ceremony (wishful thinking, but with a small race, you never know). This was really well run, and the volunteers were fantastic. I'd definitely do another of their races (they have a "Festival of Lights 5k in December).

I'm happy that post-marathon I am running still successfully. I was worried during the summer that I'd be wasted forever (especially after how the Rock-n-Roll half treated me) so honestly, I'm beyond thrilled with my progress.