Running With The Herd 5K race recap

This race was quite a unique experience.

What can I say? This was another (somewhat) spontaneous race that found me. Being a runner, it's always fun to run a race in a new place...am I right?

Last weekend, I ran the Running With The Herd 5K. Let's just say it was a race like none other I'd ever done before...

First, let me set the scene: the weather was not ideal.

Although it was January in the tropical state of Florida, it was very reminiscent of April in Iowa. We're talking chilly temps, damp and misty air, as well as the threat of rain. Oh, and let's not forget the wind!  

Our oldest daughter had come for a weekend visit, and had (previously) been interested in walking the race with her father. When she saw the weather forecast, though, she did not waste any time in declaring a DNS. Oh well. 

The hubs and I arrived on the scene just past 7:30, cutting things close for an 8:00 start time. We had to wait in a long line, for a long time, to get our race bibs. Since we'd registered late, there weren't any extra event shirts for us (not a big loss). 

Did I mention it was a cold morning? After getting our race bibs, the hubby decided to head back to the car to get a jacket while I did a few dynamic warm-up stretches (since I didn't have enough time for a short warm-up run). Since he was planning on walking, he told me he was iffy on returning to the start line. Turns out, he opted to stay in the warm car and let me "rep the family" on the race course. Well, alrighty then, LOL.

This was the fifth year of this event, but the crowd didn't look too big. I'm guessing that was due to the unusually cold morning (by Florida standards). For myself, the weather conditions weren't anything I hadn't seen before. I was thankful I had some experience with layering for less-than-ideal temps, such as these, on race day. That's just one perk of being #IowaTough.

I edged myself towards the front of the "herd" as we were lining up. The National Anthem was played, the airhorn sounded, and we were off!  

Shortly after the start line, I found myself on the heels of a rather loud foot-striker. Seriously, it sounded like he was running in heavy-duty work boots. Try as I might to get around him (and hopefully out of audio range), he was keeping a decent pace so my efforts were rather futile.

As for the race course, it involved running in and around the Villages High School campus grounds and parking lots. Yeah. There were constant turns, and out-and-backs, as we explored the sights and sounds of the campus.

Meanwhile, I think it was somewhere near the halfway point when I realized Loud Foot Striker had pulled far enough ahead of me that I could no longer hear his clod-hopping. Only, it was then that I recognized a lady from the other 5K I'd run a couple weeks ago.

This gal was easy to recognize due to her (obnoxious) breathing pattern. I'd been behind her, also, at the Running of the Squares 5K, and I remember wondering if she was exhaling loudly or repeatedly shouting "GO!" to the runners in front of her. Needless to say, the task of getting around her gave me a nice distraction from the numerous twists and turns of the race course.      

Since I hadn't had the opportunity to properly warm up, the funky hip wasn't feeling great. There wasn't any pain, but just some (awkward) limited range-of-motion. Of course, the constant left and right turns only added to the discomfort because I never really had any substantially long stretches of "straightaways" to allow things to loosen up better.  At least with the constant change of directions, I didn't have a constant headwind. Glass half full.

Eventually, I spotted the early part of the race course, so I knew the finish line was close by. After a few more corner turns, I made it across the finish line. Whew! I was really thankful to be done!

...and the course ran short, LOL

So, how did I fare?

official finish time: 26:22

*7th of 26 (age group)

*21st of 143 (females)

*55th of 242 overall

Since I hadn't done a substantial warm-up, I wanted to at least do a reasonable cool-down (besides, the hubby was relaxing in a warm car, LOL). The school's track was right by the field where the start and finish lines were, so I decided to head over and run an easy-paced mile.

It was then that I realized where the name of the race had come from. The buffalo was the school's mascot, hence "running with the herd." Spotting the mascot's statue, on the track's infield, was an optimal photo opp.

Another never-before-seen feature was the non-traditional age groups. Seriously?

Had my age group been the traditional 50-54 range, though, I still wouldn't have placed. There were some speedy "old gals" that showed up on Saturday morning, LOL. That said, while my finish time was respectable, this race was a bit of a struggle for me. The hip felt weird (though it did loosen up towards the final mile), and the wind (and damp air) were a buzzkill. The constant directional changes made me feel like I was constantly slowing down to make the turns. Excuses aplenty.

The amenities? All finishers received finish medals, and they had trophies for AG awards. Those who registered much earlier than myself also got event shirts (which were white, so not really show-stoppers). We also were given "snack boxes," which came complete with a granola bar and a bottle of water inside of them (and a couple of wet-naps).

So, although the swag was at the minimum, I'm really alright with that. This was a small race which benefited the Villages Charter School's Buffalo Scholarship Program. I'd much rather my registration money go to a good cause than extra (unnecessary) take-home items. Consequently, I heard this event raised more than $10,000 for the aforementioned scholarship program; not a bad haul! 

Anyways, that's what went down on a chilly and windy January morning on the grounds of a Florida school. I don't run very many races this time of year in Iowa, after all. Even with some quirks, this still was an opportunity to run a live race that benefitted a worthwhile cause.

Your thoughts?  Ever run a race that encompassed a limited space, on school grounds? Would you have bailed on the race, given the weather? Ever seen bison at (or near) a finish line?

 I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

I'm also linking with Debbie, Deborah, Lisa, Laura and Jenn for the Runners' Roundup

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