ISU Homecoming Town and Gown 5k Race Report

On Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 6am to rise and shine for a day of ISU Homecoming festivities. I felt like crap...sore throat, headache, runny nose, etc, but I decided that I would get up and head to the 5k, because hey, it's always a good time.

I checked the weather and was debating on what to wear and ended up in capris, a long sleeve drifit, and a red pullover. I also remembered to grab some gloves and ear warmer since my ears were hurting as well. I thought about running over to ISU, but decided I would just drive because I was pretty sure I wouldn't want to run or walk home. When I arrived, the lines were out the door. I got my number and headed into a super hot lecture hall to drop off my stuff. I ran into several people I know and was actually glad to be doing a local event because its been awhile since I've seen alot of people I know at races. Finally, it was time to head to the start.

On my way to the start, I bumped into my friend Chad's wife (I cannot remember her name and it's been bugging me since Saturday) and we talked a bit. I was planning on running with her, but when the gun went off, 600 or so people took off and away we went and I lost her.

Because I haven't been running much lately...like the last time I ran was a marathon and the time before that was a race in July...I really didn't have any expectations for the race, but I did want to finish around 33 minutes or at least under 35 minutes. I started running and was pleased to hear my time was 10:40 at the first mile. I was happy about that. I started to get hot and took off my gloves and ear warmer and then started on my second loop. Mile 2 was right at 21:40 so I knew I was probably going to finish under 33 minutes. I picked up the pace and ended up finishing around 32:20 or something like that. I was pleased, didn't feel any sicker than I had before the race, and was ready to go home.

I headed inside, grabbed a piece of bagel and a bottle of water, bumped into my students (Nice job Betsy and James!), grabbed my stuff and headed back to my car and then drove home. It was definitely a fun race and a much more pleasant experience than the St. George Marathon. I actually felt more motivated to run than I have in a REALLY long time.