Patrick's Point 5K and 2013 Awards

Better known as: How to sign up for a 10K and finish a 5K.

Step 1: Leading up to the race:
1. Don't sleep well the weeks leading up to the race because you're hardcore fighting allergies.
2. Race morning, you find out ants have eaten your magical Lucky Charms right out of the box.
3. Opt for cinnamon rolls instead.
4. Arrive at the race with just enough time to register and then find a suitable tree to squat behind.
5. Don't warm up properly.

Step 2: What to do when the gun goes off:
1. Downhill start feels wobbly and weird.
2. Chat with race buddy, tell him you'll try to shadow him for the day.
3. He thinks this to mean I've challenged him to a duel. He dashes off, never to be seen again.
4. If I had skipped Step #1, the pace would have been fine, just a few seconds faster than my half marathon pace, but fatigue mounts quickly and I slow without even trying.
5. Gag, hack, and nearly choke as you're trying to spit out phlegm as thick as molasses.

Step 3: How to Pull the Safety Chute:
1. The course goes up and down frequently as it snakes through the trees, that rhythm that usually comes is never found.
2. Each step is labored, fumble dizzily. Will body to finish with promises of ice cream, nap, and finishing the 5K whether permitted to or not.
3. Reach the halfway point, where the 5K finishes. It comes sooner than expected. Oh there is a God!
4. Fix your eyes on the race director and use your saddest, most desperate voice, begging for a switch to the 5K.
5. He agrees, it was probably the puppy dog eyes and pouty face that does it.
6. Both timers aren't paying attention and 30 seconds later, they ask me what my Garmin time was. Mumble something that isn't even right.

Yeah. Kind of a disaster all around.

22:48
420 ft. gain
and my Garmin said 2.95 mi.

That afternoon was the club's award banquet. Lured by the promise of free pizza and beer, most of the 300 club members squeezed themselves into the veterans hall in town.

 

Certificates were awarded to each person that finished six races in the circuit and engraved wine glasses are given to each division winner. For the second year in a row, I became the winner of the F25-29 age group:

For the second year in a row, Matt was 2nd in his. When we have fancy dinners at home, I use my wine glass. I poke fun at Matt for only being second, even though the guy that beat him does so by about ten seconds each race, toying with him. I tell him if he'd only run faster, he could win one too. I'm careful not to poke too frequently at this sore spot but it has become a joke within our circle of friends as well. At the end of the party, Paul presented him with a second place prize. It was pretty awesome:

"Cirkit 2nd place, Matthew" it reads.

At the end of the party, they raffled off the leftover pizzas. Matt's name was called. I think he was most excited about this award than anything else:

To 2014!!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos are: Y. Kim, SRRC photo credit.