This was a fun morning!
The Freaky 5k benefits the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, and John himself was the race director. John is a runner too so he promised a well-organized, on-time race and he certainly delivered.
As promised, the race started at exactly 8:30am. The course was through a neighborhood with lots of twisty roads (that is easy to get lost in) but it was obvious that care was taken to make a route with as many straight portions as possible. You can see it in my Garmin Connect activity.
There were water stops and mile-markers as you’d expect, but as an added bonus for Halloween, there was candy too.
Another pleasant surprise was the raffle. Sometimes at these races, the raffles can drag on as they draw numbers for numerous prizes and are often not matched well to the tastes of the winner.
Here is how John’s raffle worked: you put your ticket in a bag corresponding with the prize you want. The drawing is conducted during the race and you simply claim your prize afterward. If you win, you win the prize you wanted and you don’t have to stand around for half the morning outside on a cool, windy October day in your sweaty running clothes. So simple, it’s genius.
Since it was a Halloween-themed event, there were plenty of costumes. Check out the pictures. I didn’t wear a costume per se, but thanks to an UnderArmour Batman shirt and matching shorts, I was able get into the spirit while still being ready to perform.
There is a picture of me, but I’m warning you, it’s gross. When I run, my nose runs too. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even notice it anymore, but it makes for pretty a disgusting picture. Here’s the picture, you’ve been warned.
My appearance was the last thing I was thinking about there. I was simply beaming with joy having set a 5k personal record! Sure, for lots of people a 6:54 min/mile pace in a 5k isn’t anything to brag about, but I’ve come tantalizingly close to breaking that 7:00 barrier so many times that it was awesome to finally knock that goal down. After an injury earlier this year, this was the first 5k I really felt ready for.
This was my first time running this race, although I’ve registered for it before and had to back out for some reason or another. I’m glad I finally got to run it. It’s got a permanent place on my racing calendar now.
