Because I like running so much on vacation, I decided to sign up for the Fleet Feet New Year’s Day Dash in Middleton, Wisconsin while we were visiting my inlaws over the Christmas break. Why I thought a 5 mile (8.4k to those of us outside the US) run on New Year’s Day would be a good idea… I haven’t a clue! Chock it all up to desiring more and more running experiences!
The race was mid-morning so thankfully we didn’t have to worry about being there too early (normally I’d say hungover… but I was actually so tired I went to bed at 11pm the night before!), but MY GOD was it cold. The wind was whipping about us and even though it was only -6C, the windchill was certainly giving it some. I wasn’t really sure what to wear as I’d never done a race below 2 degrees Celsius, so I ended up whacking on a thin long sleeve racing shirt (not thermal) and a Lululemon jacket along with my Lululemon Wunderunders. Our race kits (which were AMAZING btw – best race kit I’ve had yet) came with some awesome hats so I popped that on as well.
The race was labelled as “extremely flat” and… it kind of is? I mean, there’s one beast slow incline that goes on forever roughly halfway through the race that I wasn’t impressed with, but overall it was decently flat. I wasn’t really sure how I was going to pace myself, or even what time to go for. Being a 5 mile race, it’s not exactly a common distance. I mean… 5 miles is 8.4 kilometers… almost a 10k, but not quite. And definitely not a distance I can put out a 5k race pace for. With that in mind, I basically went into this knowing that whatever speed I finished this race at, it would be a personal best!
I ended up running the whole at what felt like an exceptionally comfortable pace. I was never tired or out of breath – something that surprised me immensely given how much I’d eaten over the course of the last week (thank you holidays). I clocked in a finish time of 45:50, which gives me an average pace of 5:27 per kilometer according to the race web site. However… I really don’t think it was a full 5 mile run. Both my Garmin and my Nike+ tracking app clocked me with a distance of 8.03k which is almost 400 meters shy of the full distance. Had I had to run that additional 400 meters, I would’ve been a few minutes slower, which would’ve made a lot more sense. Given my current fitness level (not amazing), my weight (heavier than normal) and the distance calculated by both my Garmin and Nike+… I have to say my finish time truly doesn’t make sense, so I’m quite confident the race was indeed a bit short for the declared distance.
HOWEVER, despite all this, I was aiming for under 50 minutes, and even if I tacked on a few more minutes to my actual finish time, I still would’ve been under that marker, so for that I’m quite happy!
My husband and inlaws were waiting near the endzone (David got some of the shots above) and were trying to hand me Canadian flags they had brought out to cheer me on (so I could cross the finish line with them!). I was semi-oblivious to their intentions so I just started laughing because it was a cute and unexpected gesture!
Sidenote: Mid-race I tore my hat and gloves off, unzipped my jacket and rolled up my sleeves. I was soooo stinking hot!
I got an AWESOME medal at the end (seriously – it’s huge!) and I heard they had beer and wings at the ready, but we didn’t stick around for it. By that point everyone was getting pretty cold and we just wanted to head on home! Overall though – a well organized race with under a thousand people. The race kit was BOMB (pint glass, gorgeous hat and a hell of a medal AND the professional photos were free!) and I really enjoyed myself!
Race Summary
- Finish Time: 45:50
- Pace: 5:27 per kilometer
- Overall placement: 257/615
- Gender placement (F): 108/364
- Category placement (F30-39): 43/119
A New Year’s Day run, I’m impressed! I have always wanted to be a runner (so cheap, so readily available!) but can’t seem to get into a groove with it (unless a soccer ball is involved), but you make me want to try again. Maybe!
Hah – I so was not feeling it that morning, but I’m glad I ran it. And yes! Running is soooo cheap and yet one of the more effective things you can do for your health. I fall in and out of consistency with it though. Sometimes I’m super rigid about training regularly and sometimes I go weeks without a run.
Congratulations! What a great way to bring in the New Year (in terms of resolutions hehe.) I guess whoever calculated the distance wanted to cut everyone a bit of slack!
I looove race kits- I used to steal them from my Mum (mostly when they got Cliff Bars) and the hat you received is super cute 🙂
Lindsey Elyse recently posted…A Shoppers Beauty Boutique Surprise
Hah! That’s a good way of looking at it! It’s funny because the mile markers were bang on for the first 3 and then it just didn’t mesh up after that. So strange.
And yes! Usually they have tons of tasty treats inside them!
Okay so your time is unbelievable! (even with the shorter distance) Great job!
And wow the race kit seems so nice! That hat seems very substantial. I feel like race kits are getting way cheaper. I was thinking of doing Sporting Life this year for the first time, but I’m a bit disappointed about how much I feel like they downgraded the race kit. No more gift card as they’ve had in prior years I’ve heard.
All of your pics are super awesome too! They got some great shots of you! 🙂 Congrats again!
Melanie recently posted…Haul: What I Got for Christmas 2015
Thanks Mel!! I feel like the race kits generally freaking suck in Canada. They’re full of pamphlets (that I always throw out) and maybe a single Cliff bar. In all other countries not only are the race kits better, but they’re also cheaper! I think I only paid $25 for this race and I got a HUGE race kit alongside the experience. I’m looking at doing a half marathon in Iceland and do you know how much it costs there? Only $30! If you ran a half marathon in Canada it’ll cost you well over $100!!!