Buttonwoods 5K Recap

When I signed up for the Buttonwoods 5K, it seemed like good idea at the time.

The race was scheduled for 10 am on New Years Day. We have a party the night before, which is always a good time and this year did not disappoint.  In fact, I wasn't in bed till after two. I had three glasses of champagne at midnight. My alarm was set for 7:30.

Happy New Year from me and Mr. RWM!

I woke up in a fog.  I got dressed and headed down for coffee.  Food, ugh, I just did not want to eat.

I decided to take breakfast with me and headed out to meet BRF#1 who was, thankfully, doing the driving.

Getting to Warwick City Park was easy. We parked, grabbed our numbers and shirts and went back to the warm car for awhile.

I love this shirt. It is a short sleeved T-shirt and so very comfy cozy.

BRF#1 wanted to do two warm-up miles. I wanted to go back to bed.

I sucked it up and ran one mile with her. At that point, I felt like I could eat and once I did, the shakes went away.

There were 101 runners. I do love a nice, small race.  I had no idea what the course was like and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was all on a bike path.  It was a loop and well marked, with rolling hills.

I had no real goal for this race. Basically, I felt horrible and thought finish upright would be a big accomplishment.  That became my A and only goal.

We lined up, got a few instructions and the horn went off.

My first thought was take it easy and just get comfortable.  I also thought, that should always be how I start a race.

I was surprised when it didn't take long to feel comfortable and when I looked at my watch, I was running a 9:45 pace.  I finished the mile in 9:39.

The second mile was the toughest part of the course. This was where most of the rolling hills were. We just kept going up and down.  I surprised myself again when I passed two people on two different hills. I may have smiled when I did that.  Mile two, 10:01.

Mile three is where I started to confuse myself with math. Could I sub 30 this race? What does this mile need to be?  I was sure it had to be under 10:00, duh, so that is what I aimed for.  I ran that third mile in 9:27.

Smiling and two thumbs up! Who would have guessed!

With just point one mile to go, I took off and passed a man who I basically followed the whole race. I saw BRF#1 cheering me on and then Mike who said something along the lines of you will sub 30.  I saw the clock read 29:56 and crossed the line.  My official time was 29:57 and I could not be happier.  It's not a PR but it is one of my best 5k's of all time.

BRF#1 ran a cool down mile and I decided to just walk and check out the snacks.  I placed 6/9 in my AG and BRF#1 placed third with a time of 25:21.  Our friend Mike place 4/12 with a time of 21:41. I say it was a good day for everyone!

Me and of course, BRF#1

And my buddy Mike!

Overall, I loved the course. It was run well and I would do it again. I will have to give it some careful consideration as our yearly New Years Eve party gets bigger, however, this may have to be a new tradition.

How I went from waking up feeling like crap to having a pretty decent race, is a mystery to me.  Too much champagne and not enough sleep should have done me in.  Hmmm... Maybe I need more champagne in my life?

Hope your new year is off to a great start!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole