On the Run 5K Race Report

By , September 9, 2013 12:30 pm

You guys all know how much I love the Frosty Footrace 5K, in my Illinois hometown*. The race is small with great organization and wonderful volunteers, the proceeds benefit the community**, they have awesome post-race treats (ha ha), and… I usually place in my age group. The only bad part is that the course has tiny little hills on it. 

Well, the Frosty Footrace 5K is in February, but the park district puts on a 5K with the same course in September. I have never been able to run it though! I was signed up a few years ago, but couldn’t participate due to a stress fracture***. And in years since I have been out of town or doing a different race. 

But! Yesterday, the stars aligned. Um, after I remembered the race even existed, on my drive home from the Lung Run on Saturday. Ha ha. 

Of course, I had to rope in my PIC****, Bobbi. We had been talking about running together, anyway. Why not throw a (cheap!) 5K in there?

Bobbi and I met before the race to get a few miles in. And realized… holy cow, it was super humid! At the beginning of our warm-up run was talk of fast goal miles and at the end, it was, yeah, “I am not sure how this race is gonna go…” Ha ha ha. 

Spoiler though – we both had mostly successful races. There is no chip timing, so I made sure to start near the front to have the most accurate timing as possible, then tried to run all the tangents. Hey! In a race this small (maybe over 100 participants?) with no crowding, you can easily run the tangents.  

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Speaking of it being a small race… I ran a lot of it with no one by my side. I passed one lady in the beginning, two men passed me at 1.5 and right at the end, and that was it! Which is good – no one had to hear my crazy breathing.

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I could see the first place and second place women (a mother-daughter team) almost every step of the way, unless there was a turn. You know in the first mile I had grand illusions of passing them and taking the lead. Buah ha ha. I let go of that idea half way through the race.  I had totally positive splits – 7:41, 7:58, 8:59 (?!?!). What can I say? Those tiny hills in the last mile always get me! 

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I still had an overall time of 25:55 – third woman overall, and 1st in my age group. Yay!

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And that silver medal?! Bobbi was second in her age group! Woo hoo! And someone from our running club WON the race. What a fun day! 

Since I stayed around for awards, I had time to chat with a lot of the runners, and geesh, there are just so many friendly, nice, runners out there! I had some WANT ALL THE FRIENDS!!! feelings creeping up, fo sho. Especially since most runners are local and I know friendships are feasible. Kim. Just. Stop. 

Okay. Stopped. 

I am really happy I was able to fit this in to my run, and it’s always fun to get an age group placement!

Speaking of age group placements, Gina and I were talking about them last week (she just placed third in her division at a race!!!), and about how much they depend on the race and who comes out that day to run. I mean, obviously, that is how it works, right? Ha ha. 

But, the topic it’s just fresh on my mind, and it got me thinking. I am not too speedy so age group placements happen for me at races with low amounts of participants*****. And even then… low participants does not = slower than YOU participants. Ha ha. 

So, age group placements are super cool and make me feel good and all that, but it’s just a snapshot in time of that specific race, and my performance on that day. I know it doesn’t mean I’m speedy, in the grand scheme of things. It makes me feel good. It makes me excited. Okay, it even makes me feel a bit special. But does it make me feel talented? Nah. I don’t put that much effort in to my running! 

And this all sounds like I am trying to diminish the placement. I am not. I am jazzed about it. I think people should be when they get one (or when they run at all or do whatever sort of exercise they like). A placement is a placement. It doesn’t need to be followed with, “I was the only one on my age group,” “not many people showed up,” (*cough* guilty *cough*) “I tripped someone then took their spot.” People should be proud of their accomplishments!

But! I am also a realist, and have just been thinking about how a placement does not equate to running skillz for me. Middle of the pack, for eva!!! Ha ha. 

(Also, when I place, and it’s not a PR, I am always thinking, “Well, I know I could do better than that at some point!” Again – snapshot of THAT day. I am not in PR shape!)

A placement DOES mean that I have one more medal to put on this bad boy! It’ll be awhile before the rack on the left looks like the one on the right!

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Oh! Before I forget! Three other thoughts:

1. Love the race shirt!

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2. During the second mile I had to use my mantras “push” and “pump,” as in, pump your arms. Pumping my arms usually helps me pick the speed back up in my legs. Usually. Do you have any tricks or mantras that help you pick if up in a race or workout?

3. Super awesome that they had a photographer there and that they put the pics up on Facebook today!

*Well, the race is technically in Round Lake Beach. I live in Round Lake. Literally close enough.
**This race benefits the Special Olympics.
***I wore that race shirt to bed Saturday night for good luck. Buah ha ha.  
****Partner in crime
****Or if there is no one else in my age group, ha ha. 

24 Responses to “On the Run 5K Race Report”

  1. Heather says:

    Congratulations!!!

    And I think with any accomplishment there are ways to downplay it or make it seem not as nice, but I think that’s not a very nice way to treat ourselves. You did AWESOME and you won a medal. And that’s great! I don’t care about the details, just how awesome you did.

    …that sounded corny, but it was genuine. Don’t downplay yourself, you’re still my running idol! 😀

    • kilax says:

      Thanks! And… I am not trying to downplay it! Just pointing out that I am not an egotistical person who thinks it means something other than how I performed that day and who I raced against!

      LOL, you are too nice!

  2. Amy says:

    Congrats on placing and how unfair for a 5K to have hills (even if they are tiny) at the end! Awesome race shirt.

  3. Jen says:

    Nice job winning your age group! I tend to diminish my age group placements as well especially since I managed to snag twice in my age group twice despite having my two worst times ever. *shruggs* But, we should be proud when we place!

    Nice medal rack, btw! Gotta get me one of those!

    • kilax says:

      That is awesome you have placed! And me saying I realize placing does not mean I am a speedy runner is not me trying to diminish it! I am just trying to say that I know placing doesn’t mean anything about speed, or overall how competitive I might be, especially in Chicagoland! It just says something about that race and my performance that day! I am proud when I place!

      Have you checked out Allied Medal Displays? https://www.medalhangers.com/ I love their stuff!

  4. Kandi says:

    Awesome job on the race! I placed third overall in a small 5k once and it was really exciting, even if I only ran a 25:xx like you (which wasn’t even a PR at the time). I grew up running in only small races where I could often place in my age group, which I agree is a lot of fun. I also realize that age group placements don’t magically make me a faster runner but I’m ok with that. BUT I appreciate a small race and the potential to place in my age group because when I run almost any race in the DC area there is just no way I’d place!

    • kilax says:

      LOL – I wouldn’t put “only” in front of that time! It’s speedy, even if we have both run faster!

      DC sounds similar to Chicago – really talented speedy runners! A lot of those big races have top placers with times under 20:00! That would be a dream! 🙂

  5. Michele says:

    That’s awesome!! Congrats on the 1st place!!

    I’m totally like, I WANT ALL THE FRIENDS!!!! But I get over it…I really don’t. LOL

    Hey, and I’m totally a “Middle of the pac foreva” type of girl too!

  6. Rachel says:

    Nice rack!

    hah. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

    I totally get what you are saying about the AG medals. It’s fun when I get one, but it doesn’t mean I’m a great runner. I have a couple where I was the only person in my AG. Oh well!

    I do tend to enjoy them more if I got a PR though. Or if there were a good amount of people in my AG. Or if I beat someone who I was trying to catch/has beat me at previous races…

  7. Congrats on a great race. This sounds like a fun one! I’m very excited about an inaugural 5k in my little town as one of my first post-pregnancy races. I’m trying to convince the hubs to come up with the baby for spectating if it isn’t too cold. 🙂

  8. Way to go Kim! Yay for more medals for your display! This race sounds like fun…I’ll have to remember this for next year- I would totally do it..help me remember! 🙂 And PS- you are looking good lady! Buff stuff!

  9. Emily says:

    WOO HOO!!!! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on placing and the fabulous new medals! What a great way to get a new medal holder going! Your medal collection is FABULOUS. Love the orange race shirt, too! You look positively FIERCE in those photos. And I absolutely love local hometown races – they’ve got so much character!!!

  10. Losinglindy says:

    awesome job! I actually signed V up for a 5k where there are kids runs, in hopes he places in his age group

  11. bobbi says:

    I had so much fun with you that morning! Thank you 🙂

    My last mile split was just like yours. Another hill?!? What the what?!? I wish I could’ve stayed for the awards tho…the best thing about little races is the post race fun!

  12. Marcia says:

    Woot for the AG win! Yeah I know it’s just a snapshot but it’s a tickle all the same. Hee hee!

  13. Heather says:

    Sounds like a successful race all around!
    GREAT JOB!

  14. Erin says:

    Dear Round Lake Beach, please run that race in reverse so that the hills are at the beginning. Thanks.

    There’s a woman in my running club who only runs small races like this so she can get age group medals. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it sort of bothers me. I mean, she’s fast for her age group so why not try and actually compete instead of just blowing people out of the water? It’s almost as if she’s running the smaller races so she can brag about winning her age group. I mean, if I happen to run a smaller race and win an age group medal of course I’m excited! But I know it’s because it was a smaller race and I’m okay with that. But I also know that I’m always going to be a middle of the pack person in a larger race and I’m cool with that, too!

    Anyway, congrats on running the 5K and having fun 🙂 And beating the other people in your age group who came out 🙂

    • kilax says:

      But Erin! The start is an out and back! 🙁 Please redesign the course, RLB! Ha ha.

      Yes. I remember you telling me about her! She came to Frosty one year, right? Ha ha. Why go ALL over just to place in your AG? It would be one thing if it was your community or a town you happened to be in, like this!

      Thanks 😉 (there were 6 of us total, lol!)

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