2014 Huntersville Holiday 5K

Well, I did that. I'm "a runner", and I had a great time. The running community vibe reminds me of kettlebell sport, with the individual challenge of the sport and the enthusiastic, universal support. I was amazed at the number of running clubs, even marathon clubs, local to this area. And I was proud of my neighbor and friend, Jesi, for finishing with her head up and her family and newborn baby at the line.

I have nursed a bruise on my foot since early December, not running even once for ten days before the event. I foam rolled, I massaged, I rubbed menthol cream. The morning of, I had a great warmup, and my feet were bouncy and fresh. I pushed myself and cut more than 3:00 off my previous best 5K time. I'm the bumblebee at the 17:33 mark below.




For the record, I passed the little boy in yellow a quarter mile back. 10 of the top 20, including both M and F overall winners, were ages 16 and under. Two of them were 9... 'sigh' I couldn't get up out of a chair that evening, and it still affected my KB lifting this morning. But, I didn't blister anything or make my bruise any worse. This was a good run.

I also finished 3rd in Men 45-49, with an official time of 25:23. I read later that 4th place finished 3.9 seconds back, just some anonymous timing chip in the crowd that I never chased or even saw. I wanted to walk that hill at 2mi so bad, but I was still breathing 3-in/3-out through my nose. I had no motivation to push but the knowledge that I wasn't yet pushing. It was only in hindsight that I learned how all my choices added up to that slim 3.9 seconds. I'd have never forgiven myself if I hadn't run my best race.