NOC Rollin' and Strollin' 5k

My team at work has shrunk by half for the time being, as three of the six of us are on maternity leave. The three of us who are left happen to all be on our own fitness journeys, and we've become accountability buddies, reminding each other to carve out time for the gym or get that planned run done after work.

We decided it would be fun to run a spring 5k together, and while we were searching for one, someone at work happened to share one he was hosting for NOC Society, a non-profit that provides free, inclusive programming for adults with disabilities. 

We signed up right away. I planned to make this 5k part of a longer run, since I'm training for a spring half (more on that in a later post), and both Danielle and Stacey had different goals for this race, so we agreed to meet at the start and run at our own paces.

The race started at 10:30am, so I started my long run at 9am with the goal to be done by 10am. Despite having been a rainy week, we got lucky with cold but dry weather. My first six miles were uneventful—I am so glad I've rediscovered UCAN because it really has done wonders for my energy, but I was feeling pretty uninspired and disassociated for most of the run.

I opted to run around the outer loop at Greenlake to keep myself mentally fresh for the 5k, which would be around the inner loop. I finished right on time. I went back to my car to change into my race shirt and ditch my running vest. Then I met the others at the tent.

This was truly a small, homegrown sort of race that was clearly about raising money for the cause more than the race experience. No bibs, no official timing. The start line was chalked on the path and there were maybe 20 participants, most of whom were walkers. All of this was expected and fine; it felt good to not feel pressured to perform!

My plan was to just do what felt good, considering this was part of a 9-mile run. I also knew it was going to be short—there was no marked course, we were just running a lap around Greenlake, which is 2.8 miles. Luckily I've run enough 5ks at Greenlake to know how they usually add some distance to reach 5k, so I planned to go ahead and do that.

The race organizer talked a bit about the money raised (surpassing their goal) and what it would go toward. Then, without much ado, we were off! I quickly caught sight of the lead runner, and I decided to follow her pace without pushing myself too hard.

That worked well for the first two miles. While she did end up quite ahead of me, the first 2/3 of the race flew by. I could tell I was going fairly fast, but I was freezing and I didn't feel I was pushing that hard, despite already having 6 miles on my legs.

At the 2.5 mile mark, I realized I could see the parking lot where we started and had a moment of surprise. How was I already at the finish?! Turns out running a 5k right after a 10k really plays with your sense of time and distance.

Anyway, I had a fleeting thought to skip my "additional mileage" plan, but I really wanted to get 9 miles done, so I veered off course and followed the path I've run a few times before.

I finished in 28:57 with a pace of 9:14, which is a fantastic race time on its own, and especially great as part of a 9-miler. I apparently finished 3rd overall.

I'm holding a Waterloo, not a 10am beer.

I waited for Danielle and Stacey to finish. We all had great days and were happy with our performances! This 5k will serve as a sort of baseline for both of them, as we plan to run an actual chipped (and full-distance) 5k in May or June.

This was a fun little race that motivated me to get my long run done early in the day, and it was for a great cause. I'm happy to have gotten out there.

Ali