Race to Embrace 2014

June 29, 2014

Sixteenth 5k - Race to Embrace

Niles, IL

Time, pace, place: it sucked so bad I won't even write it down

The day prior to this race I ran 10 miles for half marathon training, got no rest, and went rig.ht out the door to the Joliet Speedway for Army Day at the Races. I woke up for this race totally exhausted. I checked in at a table next to a picnic grove in some forest preserve. I didn't see a finish line nor a start point. The crowd wasn't growing large and I was growing worried. I hate small races. 

The race was supposed to start at 9 am. Around 9:04, having not heard an announcement I asked someone if I had the wrong time. It took a few people to find an answer. Apparently the mic batteries were charging. Holy crap, let's get this show on the road. I had brunch with Sara in a few hours!

About 40 of us (that's right, 40) lined up on the grass on no particular line and with no pad thing to cross over. The guy making the announcement kept talking about this being cross country. Cross country? Doesn't that mean long distance? (Later I found out this is not true. Cross country is anything from 2-7 to 7.something miles on a variety of terrain but it's to trail running.) I was pissed. The last thing I wanted to do while training for a half marathon was to twist my ankle running on uneven grass!

This deal was so old school and low budget they had a machine that counted the runners old school style. Back in the day as runners crossed the start line they handed a counter person a ticket probably with their bib number on it. The bib number was then entered into this machine with the start time. Now we cross over pads at a start line that picks up the information on a chip that either embedded in a strip on the race bib or shoe. 

The race was a 2.75 times loop. I can't tell you how much I hate loops. I hate repetition and boredom in general. And I certainly hate running on grass. I hit like 29 walls along the way which is so silly when you think how I ran 10 miles the day before super successfully. I get so unmotivated my small races!

At one point we had to veer off to the right a little bit and stay to the right of a string of flags tied to shorts posts. I couldn't make myself veer to the right so I cut a straight path. The course marshall got so mad at me all three times I did this. Each time I yelled out "I know! I don't care!"

I think my time for this horrible event was worse than my very first 5k!