Race Recap: Veteran's Day 5k

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On Sunday, 10 November, 2013, I ran the Veteran's Day 5k at Fairfax Corner, VA. The race was put on by Potomac River Running and proceeds went to Team Red White Blue, which I have recently started getting to know. I signed up for it the Friday before race day and ran the Nearly Naked Mile the day before the race.

Preparation: No preparation for this race. I had Panera for dinner the day before, but I didn't have any breakfast food for the race day. Running on no race day fuel. Maybe a little water (?).

Pre-race: I picked up my packet on race day (quick and easy). After getting everything situated (putting on my race bib and storing my race t-shirt and pin), I met up with Team Red White Blue for some pre-race photo and conversation. I was happy to see Melissa and Victor again (met them both at the Reston 10 Miler). With about 25 minutes before the race, I left for a warm-up. It was quite chilly that morning, so I ran about 2.5 miles in my sweats/gloves/headband. The course I took was a little longer than I expected, but I got a good view of the course. Luckily, I made it to the start with 6 minutes to spare. I made it to the start for the National Anthem.

Race: Having decided I was going to aim for under 20 minutes (my previous time was 19:29 on this course, last October), I positioned myself near the front. I forgot my watch, so I was going to run by feel. The first mile has a huge downhill at the beginning. That part goes quickly (beginning of the race + downhill). The course is mostly gentle rolling hills, looping around Fairfax Corner. There was a water stop at the halfway point, but I didn't need any water. The final mile has one long-ish uphill before dipping back into the parking lot and into the shopping center (where the start was). The final .125 miles is flat and fast.

I made an early break for the front, putting myself as the third female, and I stayed there throughout the race. Looking at the race results, there was one girl not too far behind me (either she had a lot of juice left and was running hard to catch me or she was just there the entire time and I never noticed). I recognized the first two women--Peggy and Anna. Anna had also run the mile the day before, so we chatted a little about that and about the Fairfax 5k course (she says to add about 30 seconds, as it seems like a slow 5k course). I thoroughly enjoyed the 5k--no pressure, lots of friendly faces, a good race course, and an easy location (taking the "long way" to avoid tolls was fine because there was very little traffic in the morning, and I loved the amount of parking available at Fairfax Corner).

Post-race: I turned around and did a cool-down jog while cheering on runners for the final mile. I know some people like to be cheered on, but some people do not like seeing a runner who finished before them cheer them on. I just try to be cheerful. After a cool-down jog, I grabbed some of the usual food offered at the end of the race (water, banana, fruit snacks, Pop Chips) and talked with people from Team RWB. Melissa got a great time and a new pace PR! She placed in her age group too! After our team stayed through the awards ceremony, we went to Potomac River Running Store (which Rory kindly kept open for us) to spend our gift certificates. I bought a new pair of running capris, a Bonk Breaker, a Stinger cookie thing, and a sports bra. Yay for new running clothes!

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