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Monday, January 24, 2022

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, DeborahLisaLaura and Jenn for the Runners' Roundup


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31 comments:

  1. Ok, we've talked before about not needing medals for 5k's but when the medal has a bison on it...oh yes we need that. The race course sounds a lot like my Turkey Trot 5k which is a back road between a high school and a grade school with a few parking lot loops.

    I bailed on spring 5k once because it was in the 40's and raining, but that was then and this is now. It would have to be really extreme weather to keep me away.

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    1. Right? I was (secretly) rolling my eyes at the hubby and daughter for bailing. But, I was planning on running it "solo" anyways since they'd both be walking. No harm; no foul.

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  2. That Loud Foot Striker! And that Exhaling Woman! Hilarious, Kim! I've never had that at a race - or at least not yet. :-)

    You did really well, especially with the cold weather, an iffy hip and all the twists and turns. I love that you're spontaneously signing up for races - it's excellent training and a great experience.
    That age grouping makes no sense at all! That female age group (46-54) only covers 9 years. The one for the men 55-65 covers 11 years... oh well. At least the medal is very cool!

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    1. Yeah, when I saw the printout of the age groups, I was like, What The WHAT?! But, I wouldn't have placed anyways, so it's a mute point. But the Exhaling Woman was far worse that Loud Foot Striker, LOL I wonder how many other runners she scared and promptly got out of her way?

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  3. Sounds like you enjoyed the race, even with the annoying runners and the family bailing, Kim. We do have our supported "races" here in the Winter, and the odd Winter race (sometimes featuring snowshoes), but otherwise, yeah, Winter is not racing season here.

    I was wondering about that race title; thanks for clueing us in!

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    1. The race title had me stumped until I saw the bison statue...after the race.

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  4. Great job throwing down a speedy time in a fast field Kim! Was the age group 40+?? I don't like when they do that. Not fair.

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    1. My particular AG was 46-54, so I was on the "older" side of the spectrum. Yeah, not really fair (from my perspective), but oh well. I wouldn't have placed anyways, LOL.

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  5. I would have done that race. You know me. Florida is hit or miss with winter weather. Fingers crossed that I get nice weather on FEb 13 for my half.

    Considering everything, your time was fantastic. But speed is relative. I'm slowing down big time these days.

    The foot striker makes me laugh because I was running behind a guy on Sunday who was farting... yes, loud farting!!

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    1. Ironically, our first two weeks here it was unseasonably warm (highs in the 80's) and I was worried I wouldn't have enough "warm weather" clothing with me. That all changed this week, ha!

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  6. Okay, I was wondering where the buffalo came into this, and now I know! I actually really like that finishers medal... it's unique. Sounds like a less-than-ideal race situation, but it also sounds memorable! I've never seen that AG before (so weird!) but yes... we have some "speedy old gals" down here.
    I'm glad you can corroborate my story of it being cold down here... I feel like people don't believe me when I say it's cold in Florida! I was specifically thinking of you when I wrote today's post, apologizing for the chilly weather!

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    1. Well, as I told Darlene, it was really hot the first part of our stay here...now, it's gotten really cold (by Florida standards...still feels reasonable to me, LOL).

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  7. Oh man, the foot striker and the breathing lady would have driven me INSANE. I've done a race that kind of goes around school grounds in a tiny town. It was quite fun! I'm glad you were there to rep your family and you ran a good race! Hope your hip is feeling better and it was simply because you didn't get a long enough warm up!

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    1. The hip thing comes and goes. When we get back to Iowa, I'll give it a little more rest. I'm just trying to capitalize on the warmer weather for a few more days...

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  8. The finisher medal is beautiful and the finish time very good.
    You made the right thing participating in that race despite the weather. When I was far from home for work or tourism if I found a race around I ran!
    Never seen bisons here but dogs, bulls and crazy drivers!!!!

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    1. Okay, I'd freak out of I saw a bull! Crazy drivers are very common, LOL

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  9. Well done for representing the family so well! As always you looked awesome doing it :-) An alternative title for this post could have been "The Loud Foot Striker and the Obnoxious Breather"! LOL!

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    1. HA ha ha ha ha!!!! Yeah, those two particular runners made the race...shall we say, interesting, LOL

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  10. I've done a couple races around here that started and ended at schools. I bet that weather turned alot of Florida runners away! Great job!

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    1. I agree! Many Floridians aren't used to the "Iowa" race day conditions, LOL

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  11. Congrats on another race! I love that your hubby was like "I'll stay in the car and you rep the family", LOL.

    Ugh, that heavy foot striker would have annoyed me too! I hate when I'm running next to one on the treadmill at OTF - it totally throws me off.

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    1. Honestly, I respect we all have our own unique nuances with our running form, etc., but I wonder how jarring it is to his body to run like that? His feet were hitting the pavement so loudly...the impact had to have been felt (?).

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  13. Great job on your race! I didn't realize you were in Florida for 5 weeks. I've seen/heard those heavy foot strikers. I either speed up to move away from them or slow down so they could speed up.

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    1. Try as I might, I could not get around the loud foot striker. He was faster than me, so apparently his cumbersome (?) shoes work for him ;-)

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  14. I was wondering where the name for that race came from! How odd to be right next to the same woman from the other race. It is always fun to run a race somewhere new. Nice job!

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    1. Yes, it was odd to see this woman again. Actually, I heard her before I recognized who she was, LOL.

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  15. Congrats on your race! That's interesting how they divided the age groups like that, I wonder why!

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  16. I've run quite a few races like that. They aren't my favorite. I wouldn't have bailed for that weather. I would love some cold weather races. I love that buffalo! What a fun name for a race.

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