Race Recap

Critter Run 5K Dothan, Al

Great Tank Top Shirt

This was an out-of-town race for me.  It was suggested by one of my Dailymile friends, Carolyn Houston.  It's nice to get out of the comfort zone sometimes and do a race in a different area.  I was not disappointed.  This was a great race.  Well organized, great tank top shirt, great awards, and a great after-party.

Carolyn told me a few times that this was a tough race.  To begin with, it is a 6 PM start time.  So needless to say, it's hot.  To make matters worse, it had been raining on and off all day, so it was humid as hell.  Oh, and there are some good hills with a nice steep hill right at the finish.  Carolyn was not wrong, it was a tough race.

The race started out on a slight uphill for about 200 yards.  It flattened out for a bit and then went into an up and down pattern for the rest of the race.  There were a few decent hills.  One at the 1 mile point, one at the 1.5 mile point, and one at the 2.6 mile point that finished with a sharp uphill just before the chute.

How did I do?  Well, I still don't feel like I did before my injury.  I know it's summer now and hot, but it does have me worried a bit.  Maybe my body just doesn't have it anymore.  I don't know.  I ended up stopping a couple of times after the 2 mile point.  It was a pretty steady uphill for the last 1.7 miles and my legs felt heavy.  I finished strong with a time of 26.51.  Although that is way slower then my last 2 5Ks, considering the conditions, it wasn't too bad.

Unfortunately, Carolyn was unable to run due to personal reasons, however, Mike and their son, Michael Jr did.  They both did great.  Mike Jr took 3rd in his AG with an awesome time.  There were a number of runners from my area here in Pace and Pensacola and many of them were winners.  Way to represent guys!

I want to thank Carolyn and Mike Houston for showing us a good time.  We went over to their house aferwards and the kids got to swim.  I also meet a new DMer, Martha Spencer.

I will definitely do this race again next year.  I'll be sure to get some hill training in before though.  Til the next time runners, remember, 'real athletes run.  all the others just play games!'.