Race Info: I ran the Hope for Haitians 5k in Geneva, IL on May 9. When I was looking for my next race, I found this one. All of the funds raised from this race go to help to build schools in Haiti. It was only $25 to sign up, with an optional opportunity to also raise additional funds.
Packet Pick-Up: There was no early packet pick-up for this race. Instead, it was all day-of packet pick-up at the location of the race. I got there at 7:50 am (with an 8:30 am) start, and I had no wait to pick up my race bib and race shirt.
The Swag: I got a Hope for the Haitians 5k t-shirt. At the end of the races, we were handed a goodie bag. This bag had some information from sponsors, 2 free tickets to a Kane County Cougars game this season,a toothbrush and floss, some Cliff Builder Bars, some Skinny Cow bars, a handcrafted greeting card made in Haiti, and some race literature.
The race course: The race started off at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva. It was a simple out-and-back course. We had one brief patch where we ran on grass, jumped onto a trail, ran across a bridge, and then we ran south on the east bank of the Fox River Trail. We ran to the Fabyan Villa Museum where we turned around and ran back. Out-and-back courses are not my favorite, but this one was alright.
We have had a bunch of rain and storms lately, and because of that, some of the bridges were a little slippery. Additionally, there were some puddles that were a lot deeper than they seemed to be. Running back north on the trail, the wind was very strong, and I got rather wet from the water blowing off of the leaves.
My Race: Once again, I went into this race not feeling comfortable about my training. I’m still working on increasing my endurance. Additionally, this past week has seen some of my hottest running of the year. I’ve also been struggling with some soreness so going into this race, I wasn’t expecting a PR. I was expecting around a 27:30 finish.
I decided to use my Fitness app on my iPod for this race. I knew that it was not properly calibrated, but I decided that it could still be helpful in case there weren’t any mile markers. So as I started off, I felt strong. As I was continuing on, I started feeling pretty comfortable with how I was running. When I got to the 1st mile marker (yes the course was properly marked!), I hit my iPod which told me that 8:17 had elapsed. I knew that this put me at a good place to get in under 27 minutes again.
Around this point, I went through a massive puddle, and I got my left leg pretty wet. But hey, I didn’t fall so ultimately it doesn’t matter.
After I got to the turn around point, I was quickly met with a strong wind from the south. As this was happening, all of the water still on the trees started falling, and even though it wasn’t actually raining, it was very similar. I’ll admit—I don’t run in the rain—ever. It wasn’t a big deal to me at first, but soon my glasses were covered pretty well, and it became difficult to see. I just hoped that I wouldn’t trip over some unseen hole.
Finally, I was back to the homestretch, and I kicked it up as much as I could. I couldn’t see the clock, and so I had no idea what my time was. Turns out that even if my glasses had been clear, it wouldn’t have mattered. They had taken the clock down. No idea why that was the case.
At the end, I actually kept running strongly for about 20 more yards. I wasn’t ready to be done yet. That’s a good sign for me increasing my endurance!
Post-Race: I was handed the goodie bag at the end of the race, and I ventured off to find water. I also found a quarter of a bagel, and I gladly ate it. (I had gotten hungry during the race.) I also noticed that they had a tent set up where you could check your time. I went to check my time, and shockingly, I actually PR’ed! Because of that and because my mom noticed that I was the 7th female to finish, I decided to stay for the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, at this point, the temperature dropped around 5 degrees. Seeing that I was wet and sweaty, my body temperature started to really drop. My mom went back to her car for me, and I spent the post-race wait time wrapped in a fleece blanket.
Awards Ceremony: I have come to learn that most races don’t know how to do an awards ceremony. This one wasn’t an exception. It started 20 minutes later than planned which I did not like because I was so cold. When it did start, the person announcing the awards announced all of the male winners first. In all of the other races I’ve gone to, they’ve always alternated so this was a little frustrating.
When they did get to my age group, I found out that I had won my age group! This is the 3rd straight race where I’ve won my age group. The medal that I won is actually a handcrafted piece of art made by a Haitian artist. That’s really cool.
Results:
Time: 26:20
Pace: 8:28 min/mile
Age Group: 1/6
Gender: 7/56
Overall: 23/95
What’s Next: Once again, I have no races that I’m signed up for, but there’s some that I’m considering. I want to do a larger race soon. In the meantime, I will keep running and working towards my 20 mile per week goal.
The start/finish line
This represents the weather pretty well
Post-award ceremony: Still wrapped in a blanket with the handcrafted medal that I won
Still Too Early to Quit 