Race Report – Suds & Soles 5K

This weekend, I did the Suds & Soles 5K.  Kristin recommended it to me, then she got sick, so it was my job to check out the race and see how it went.  Liz joined me too, but more about that later.

I had a crazy weekend thanks to work (my Sunday was pretty much taken up, not to mention today and tomorrow), so I had already adjusted my training plans.  Friday’s 4 miles became 8 (taking Sunday’s long run).  Saturday, I did a 2:20 training ride.  So there was still a lingering 4 miler to be completed.  Hey, a 3.1 mile race is almost a 4 mile training run, right?

First off, after you have ridden your bike for 2 hours and 20 minutes, then gone home, soaked in an epsom salt bath, and put your legs up, the last thing you will want to do is go run an evening 5K.  Just so you know.

This race was super well organized, and I was really pleased for that.  It was also very hilly.  I was less pleased for that.

I don’t run a lot of 5K races, but I’m always trying to get my 5K pace under 40 minutes.  I’ve done it a few times, but tend to be right around the 40+ minute mark.  I’m just not a fast runner.  But I figured I would do what I could.

Mile 1 went pretty well.  I’m pleased with how my walk pace has picked up with all my training.  That’s the key to Galloway running for me – make sure that I keep the walk pace up.  My run will only get so fast thanks to my heart rate, but that walk has a lot of room to grow.  12:29 split.

Mile 2 was mostly downhill.  So fast!  12:04 split

Mile 3 paid the price for mile 2.  But I still kept a 12:45 split.  I knew generally what I needed to finish in under 40 minutes, so I kept pushing.

Official time: 38:45.  My fastest 5K since 2013 (when I ran a 38:23), and my second fastest since I had to slow down after my heart rate issues were diagnosed.  (Oh, to be back in the days when I thought a 32 minute 5K was slow.)

So I was SUPER pleased.  I finished, got my beer mug and my tasting mug and set out to have some beer.  Yes, this race came with free beer.  And good beer at that!  And a beer mug.  Definitely useful swag.  I got in a beer line and watched the finish line to look for Liz.  I knew she couldn’t be terribly far behind me, but she had spent the day in the sun, so I thought she might be taking it easy.  Got my beer, watched the final finisher cross, still no Liz.  So I figured I lost her in the beer area and went and got in another beer line, watching to see if I could see her and figuring she’d text when she got her phone from bag check.

Turns out she fell within the first mile and sprained her ankle.  So we finished the evening with a trip to urgent care and dinner at Roy Rogers.  But she should be healed in a week or so.  So while the race wasn’t what we wanted, I think I’m going to insist Liz go back next year to get revenge on that course.

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