Book It 5k Race Recap

cherry hill book it 5k

Last weekend, I ran my first 5k since June. Now that I’ve begun marathon training I won’t be tapering for many, if any, 5ks.  Since I haven’t been racing anything short, I had no idea what to expect.  Somewhere in the 20-21 minute range seemed about appropriate.  The course was short, and I ran roughly that pace.

I ran the Book It 5k much faster last year and enjoyed it because I got to see many of my friends and it is always a good time. Plus, I use the library frequently, so it seemed like a good idea.

I arrived to start around 7:45 am talked to a few friends, and then ran about 3 miles to warm up. I didn’t feel good, and my legs felt both stiff and sore. It felt like fatigue had caught up to me. I knew it wouldn’t be a miracle fast time, but I had to race with how I felt.

cherry hill book it 5k

We lined up along the grass, and I chatted with several friends.  By the time I knew it, we were off.  It starts on the grass.  Luckily there weren’t many geese in the way like last year.

As got off the grass I looked up to see I was about fifth or sixth place.  There was a young, 8-year-old female in front of me, as well as several friends.  Around the half mile, I settled into 3rd place, where I stayed the entire time (right behind a man pushing a stroller…who has also beat me pushing a double stroller).  I hit the first mile in 6:21 and all I could think was…how the heck am I going to keep this up?

The second mile happened without much of note.  It felt like it was barely moving. I wanted the race to be over.  I hit the second mile in 6:29.  I was shocked because it felt like I was crawling. My legs haven’t been that stiff while racing in a while, but I wasn’t surprised and thankful it wasn’t mile 2 of a half marathon or marathon.

cherry hill book it 5k

The last mile just hurt. I was sore, tired, and just wanted the race to be over. I felt as though the young girl was going to catch me.  Honestly, if she did it wouldn’t have bothered me either.  We ran back over the field, and I ran to the finish line.

I finished the race in 18:24 and I think it was somewhere around 2.5 short.  I’m guessing I would have run about 20 minutes or so.

cherry hill book it 5k

I feel good about that, and it’s about the same pace I stopped racing 5ks at. I didn’t feel great, and I know with a few more 5ks and speed under my belt, I’ll be able to hone in on some faster races.

I do plan to run several 5ks through marathon training. Racing frequently keeps me from feeling stale like I did before NYCM the first time.  Plus, it’s a great way to see friends. It’s hard to believe I ran multiple half marathons faster than this in the Spring, but it gives something to work towards.

Questions for you:

What is the sorest you’ve felt during a race?

What is your favorite book?

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2 Comments

  1. Every time I see BookIt, I immediately think of the program that was in place when I was in elementary school that you earned pizza for reading books. Boy did I get a lot of pizza when I was little!

  2. A library is definitely worth racing for! Here, they play golf for our library and that is just not going to happen!

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