It was very unusual to arrive on race day itself. It is not something I am used to doing for an out of town race. We got in town on Friday afternoon and picked up my race number and started the waiting game. I did not have anything else to do except wait. I came into the weekend with very unknown expectations. January had been as light of a training month as I have had in some time.
One thing I knew for certain is that it would be quite windy for the 5K. We had seen a tough breeze the whole trip down. The temperature was great but as I would warm up the wind was really tough. The flags were blowing stiff in the wind. One good thing about the course is much of it would be run between houses on small streets. This would help in blocking some of the wind. However, as I would warm up I would turn a corner and be brought to a halt by the stiff wind.
There would also be a lot of turns which is not ideal for most races when running a 5K. However, I had no real intention of running for a PR and secondly the course is really nice. It runs you through some nice areas on Tybee Island in my opinion.
My plan was to play this race by ear and see how I felt. My goal for the weekend was 3:10-3:15 for my overall time. (Just between you and me, yours truly would have been a little disappointed if I did not hit the 3:10). I knew for a 3:10 time I needed a 7:15 average pace for the weekend. I knew the 5k was a race that would give me a nice shot at putting some time in the bank. I set my goal at 21 minutes and would let me body dictate the pace.
The race would be in the dark which is always tricky for pace and especially with about 1,200 runners. In order to practice some patience I made sure to line up in the middle of the pack. That was a mistake. One funny detail prior to the race was watching the runners trying to stay warm. I thought they all seemed to feel like it was colder than it really was. Watching them reminded me of the Disney Marathon a few years ago with cold, snow, sleet and wind. Watching runners hide from the wind brought back tough memories! However it was hardly that cold! Try 30 degrees warmer! Come on runners! Toughen up.
As we took off, it felt like most runners thought it was a one mile race. There was hardly any patience to be found and I was surprised I did not see somebody take a spill in the dark. I would grade my first mile as a B+. I might have gone out a tad quick but the legs felt fantastic and it did not feel like I was pushing at all. I heard someone say to watch out for the speed bump. Since it was dark and I was in the crowd of runners I was praying not to do a facial! Thankfullynot. I finished mile one in 6:11.
Again, the course was fun but the toughest part was coming around a corner and having that wind almost knock you down. You can’t do anything about the wind so you can’t let that impact your pace. The great thing about the dark was I could not see my watch so I was running by feal only. I think this had a real positive impact on my performance.
We made turn after turn and knocked out mile #2. I think the turns had an impact on the time which was 6:22. As we started mile #3 I felt great and I wanted to cut it loose as I got closer. I was passing a good many runners which just fueled the fire.
I have run a few night races and the most challenging thing I have noticed is not as much the dark but the surprise lights. Your eyes adjust to the dark but each time you get light in the face you can’t see anything at the moment or for a while after that.
My finish was better than I expected. Since I could not see my watch I could only judge by effort and it just seemed like I was cruising. Fresh legs treated me well. Mile 3 was 6:07 and my overall time was 19:05. It was my second fastest 5K that I have run and I felt great. I knew I might feel a little bit of that in the morning but figured it would not be too bad.
Race number 1 was in the books. I managed to place in my age group but I was much more interested in food than sticking around to find out.
I was very pleased about my first race. The real positives were:
- 2 minutes ahead of my goal
- I ran on feal and felt solid
- I had fun. I love night racing. Your times generally are not as good but I just have more fun. Disney a few years ago was my first night race and I have loved it since then.
The reason I chose Tybee was because I have enjoyed it each time and I wanted a different challenge. I have to say that the race organizers do an amazing job with their races.
Race #1 is in the books. 5k at 19:05. 10k in 12 hours and counting. More to come.
Happy running….
