LRPS 5K Race Recap

This past weekend, I raced my first 5K in years at the LRPS run in Lethbridge. The last 5K race I can remember running (not including Color Me Rad since that's a fun run, and not including any obstacle course races), was in Vancouver for the Children's Hospital, and I was NOT in good shape then. I cannot recall my time, but I'm pretty sure it was around the 40 minute mark. I do remember what a struggle it was for me to do that run though.

But I digress. On Friday afternoon, Becky and her son Liam stopped at our house for lunch and then we all continued on to Lethbridge. Jim couldn't take the day off of work, so the plan was for him to meet us at our hotel later that evening. There was a large group of us running the race together and a carb-loading dinner had been planned for Friday night. Melissa was kind enough to host and had us all over, plus our rambunctious children, to her beautiful home. I'm pretty sure she will never want to have children now, ha!

 

My original plan had been to race the 10K for the LRPS annual run. Unfortunately, the air quality in Calgary, Lethbridge and other areas of southern Alberta was poor due to the smoke from the fires down in Washington. And by poor I mean, you couldn't see anything beyond the tops of houses outside my windows, you could smell the smoke inside the house and it was strongly advised to not exercise outdoors. We all hoped the smoke would clear in time for the race, but come Friday afternoon, it wasn't looking good, so we all made the decision to drop down to the 5k distance.

While carb-loading for a 5K is definitely not needed, any excuse to eat with friends is good with me! It was so nice to get together with my blogging friends and catch up away from our computer screens, even if Sully was in meltdown central mode. Sigh, toddlers. Luckily, in between meltdowns, he managed to have a bit of fun running around with the other kids there.

That night in the hotel room, we had the worst sleep ever. After falling asleep around 9pm, Sully woke up around midnight and wouldn't go back to sleep in the playpen. We brought him into bed with us and he immediately passed out, only to sit up straight every hour, point at first Jim, then me, saying "dada", "mama". He would also try and rip my sleeping mask off. Then he would lay down and fall back asleep. After the third or fourth time of this, Jim finally said he thought perhaps Sully was confused because we were sleeping on the opposite side of the bed than Sully is used to. At 3:30 in the morning, I was willing to accept any theory, so we switched sides, and lo and behold, Sully passed out until we had to wake him up at 7am.

I'm telling you this long-winded story because the night before my last big race, the Calgary Marathon 10K, Sully also kept us up most of the night! I'm sensing a pattern here…I'll let you know what happens after my next race!

Anyway! I woke up Saturday morning at 645 a.m., showered quickly, got dressed and then woke up and dressed Sully. We wanted to grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before meeting up with all the other runners. I felt like a zombie at this point and had no desire to even walk the 5K, let alone run it. I was grateful at that point that I wasn't still signed up for the 10K.

After a quick bite, we walked over to the start line and took our obligatory before picture. I still wasn't sure what my game plan was at this point: run/walk, just walk, run and try. I knew I wouldn't know until I actually started moving my legs.

{Jen, Becky, Ange, Kaella, Melissa, June, Danielle, Me, Leighann}

Becky and I ran the first bit together until we got to the first big downhill. I was told beforehand that a large portion of the race was downhill, but I really had no idea just how downhill that meant. Becky had me eating dust on each downhill portion, and then I would catch up to her when the course flattened out. We basically kept passing each other most of the race.

 

{Becky flying by me}

I felt really good this run. The scenery in Lethbridge and during this race was beautiful and unlike anything I'm used to running in. Most of the race is ran through the trail system, which is a nice change from running on main roads. My breathing was good and I didn't get a stitch in my side like I usually do. I didn't pay attention to my time until I saw the 4km marker. That's when I tried to push myself to run just that much faster since I wanted to finish strong with no regrets. I always feel like that last km is the longest one ever, and this one was no exception. It felt like an eternity before the finish line was in site. As I got closer, I saw (and heard!) Kaella, Leighann, Ange, Jim and Sully cheering for me and it was the greatest feeling ever! I could not keep the smile off my face and I was so glad my family was there.

I finished the race in 31:17 which is a new PR for me! To say I am happy with that time is an understatement. I was pretty sure I would come in around the 35 minute mark, so this accomplishment makes me ecstatic! Of course, I would by lying if I didn't say I wish I had pushed myself just a little bit harder to hit a 30 minute 5k. BUT, now I know 30 minutes is definitely attainable in my near future!

After the race, we let the kids play on the bouncy castle and enjoyed some of the free chocolate milk, coffee and snacks they were handing out. Then we caught the shuttle back to the hotel and headed out to brunch for a post-race celebration.

If you've read this far, congrats! I didn't think I'd have this much to say about a 5K race, but I also didn't think I'd PR after such a crappy sleep! Maybe Sully's on to something here…

All in all, it was a great weekend with good friends and a great race to have in my books. I'll be back next year, Lethbridge!