2016 Frostbite 5 Miler Race Recap

Race season has officially started!!!  I used to think race season started in May but more and more races are being planned in the late winter/early spring time frame.  Today was the Frostbite 5 Miler.  Had I trained for an 8k?  Nope!  Did I have any expectations?  Nope!

I woke early and laid in bed to determine if it was still raining...yes raining.  I heard nothing...and crossed my fingers as I looked outside. YAY!!!  I would not be running in a cold rain...only cloud and +7 degrees Celsius or 44 Fahrenheit for my American friends.

I had personal training clients until 10:30 and then jumped in the car and drove to the race.  I met my #FITFAM and #TTPFAM there, put my chip timer on my ankle and bibed (yup...a new verb) myself.

My FITFAM

My TTPFAM

It was damp...you know that bone chillin' damp that happens in February so deciding what to wear was challenging.   I settled on tights, 2 long sleeve shirts, a head buff, and gloves. I also decided to put my hair back out of my face....I feel I'm trying to be younger than I am when I do French braids!

I did get some compliments on it.

The race started right on time with a little over 200 runners.  I ran this race 2 years ago and somehow completely forgot how hilly it is.  There is a large hill right at the beginning and then little hills until the 5km point where there is a long 1.5km incline.  It seems to suck the breath out of me.  The race director of Run Our Shore, Steve, caught up to me at the 5km point and kept me going those final 3km.    Final chip time was 43.19...approximately a 1.5minute PB over a race in 2014. 

Official Garmin Time

With my splits looking like this:  5.30, 5.15, 5.26, 5.31, 5.23, 5.44, 5.27, and 5.01...giving me negative splits...YAY!  This year, the race director decided to give out a mug instead of a medal....totally loving this idea!

The one thing that I did notice that was lacking were the kilometer marking signs...cause I usually play this game as to how close my garmin is to the actual signage.  LOL  Overall, a well organized race with fantastic volunteers and after run perks!!

Today I also crossed before a gal that ALWAYS beats me at races...I did a mental fist pump over that one.  Our running community is relatively small and you start to see the same faces at races...so I can usually pick someone to pace me.  Do any of you have someone that you secretly want to beat?

So that's it....race season has officially started and lining up at the start line today reminded me of one of the reasons I love to run/race...the pre-race jitters and energy!  If you are ever lacking motivation....find a finish line and watch people cross....inspiring!