Sacred Heart 5k Race Review

I took Friday off to give my toes a break.  This morning I ran a 5k.  My schedule called for an 8k or a 10k, but there were none in the area to be found.  The local girls' Catholic high school was having a 5k to "Christen" their brand spanking new track.  I woke up at 7, iced my toes, popped an Advil, and ran out the door.  The school is a little over two and a half miles from the house.

Pretty track

It was a gorgeous autumn morning, sunny and barely 60 degrees.  I arrived at the school at around 8:10.  I registered and then chit chatted with a local mom from town and a woman with whom I went to high school.  Her oldest daughter and her husband, Brian were running the race.  The race started at 9.  Nooo, I didn't think it started at 8:30!  That would be sooo uncharacteristic of me.  I just showed up a half hour early because an extra thirty minutes of sleep is truly overrated.  Yup.

I lined up next to Brian at the start.  I jokingly asked him if he was going to win the race.  He humbly shook his head, "You?"  No way.  There was a good crowd and it looked like the entire high school cross country team was competing.  The announcer told the 5 and 6 minute milers to line up at the front and then the 7 and 8 minute milers.  I turned to say goodbye to Brian, but he was walking up right next to me.  I was embarrassed that I assumed I was faster than him, especially since he took off at the start never to be seen again.

The course was routed through the residential streets of Hempstead and Garden City.  It was flat and scenic.  I hit the 1 Mile sign at 6:42.  Wow!  That was my fastest first mile in any race.  A tall blonde girl and I were neck and neck for over two miles.  I hit Mile 2 just under 14 minutes.  Right around two and a half miles, the blonde girl stopped.  I thought maybe she was down for the count until a few minutes later she zipped by me out of nowhere .  She had a nice second wind.  I waited for mine, but it never came.  The route brought us back to the school where we did the last 200 meters on the bouncy, new track.  I finished in 21:33, a PR by a minute and a half.  I also got 3rd place for overall women!  That was a nice surprise!  Makes me wonder about their girls' cross country team...

The track looks pretty empty, eh?  Well, I forgot to take pictures during the actual race.  I drove back later when everyone had already left.  What's a race report without pictures, right?