Climbergirl Runs!
On Saturday, I attended the Federal 5K Race in Denver. It was my second ever 5K race; I was determined to improve my outlook on running races since the last disastrous running event seven years ago. It was a very hot May day in Vegas, and it was held on a rubber coated dragstrip. I was almost certain of achieving my goal, under 24 minutes and no dry heaving from heat exaustion the next day.
The Goods: When we got there, I was delighted. The organizers had fresh oranges, bananas, watermellon, water & coffee, a funny emcee, good music, and the temps were lovely.
The Crux: Dennis & I milled about trying to find some folks from my office. There was a posse of 12 or so of us there, some runners & some walkers. We very quickly found Don, Mark, and Greg (the fabulous trio-hot off the Boston Marathon). I was to be the token female in our “coed” team, so they were happy to see me.
Results: I ended up getting 8th place overall in Women, 3rd place for my age bracket, and 51st overall. I’d say there were probably 200 or so competitors running. My time was 23:37, although they recorded it at 23:39. I guess it took them a couple seconds to grab my tab, and look at the clock. It was great to be under 24 (my goal!).
Highlights: The best part about the day was starting off with Dennis. That was exciting to be among a crowd of runners, with another person who is not really a “runner”. It felt good to start off the day with a race, on such a beauty of a day!, and to be among such happy competitors. It’s a very friendly group of people, and as a “non-runner”, I could start to see the appeal of the race.
Humble Pie: At mile 1, I got passed by an amazing 12 year old boy with brown curly long hair. He ended up running the race in 21 minutes and change. NOT BAD!!! Also, in the last 200 yards, I got passed by a 25 year old in pigtails, named Elizabeth, who was at an all out sprint, in good form. She ended up being the 2nd place contender in my age group, beating me by 7 seconds!
Awestruck: The 2nd place overall woman passed me at mile 2. She was beautiful runner, like a gazelle. I’m not even sure her feet were touching the ground. The 1st place girl must have been in front the whole time, as I never saw her 8^)