2014 Resolution Run

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the end of another year and the start of the new one!

On New Year’s Day, I joined a group of about 350 to run the Resolution Run 5k presented by our local running club, Empire Runners.

The morning was a typical Wine Country winter morning; cold but beautifully sunny. The crowd of runners gathered were an enthusiastic bunch and it was nice to see a mix of different types of people; folks who were obviously devoted runners,  folks who were running for the first time, and all others in between.The run was a laid-back event; strollers and runners with dogs were plentiful.

I pre-registered for the race, so picking up my bib was a breeze. There were two registration tables, one for morning of registration and one for those who had pre-registered. I waited in line only for about 2 minutes to pick up my bib. One of the local running shops was passing out free cotton gloves to help fight the morning cold. I passed because I had on my Brooks Vapor Dry II gloves.

The run was divided into two waves, starting 10 minutes apart. The first wave was for those who run at an average pace of 8 minutes/mile. The second wave for everyone else. Being a fairly slow runner, I ran in the second wave. There were no timing chips, though clocks were stationed at the start and finish lines.

The run began at a local high school and wound through residential neighborhood streets. The streets were wide and there was little to no car traffic, giving runners the opportunity to run across the entire width of the streets. Everyone was in good spirits, and there was only a very short section, over a pedestrian bride across a creek, that became congested and caused most people to slow their pace or completely walk. I didn’t get a chance to see what the route would be like prior to starting the race, but the route was fairly well marked with chalk arrows on the street so I was able to follow the arrows and the crowd through the course without making any wrong turns.

From the start line, I maintained about an 11 minute pace, but I was feeling pretty tired and my legs felt really heavy. I think that probably had a lot to do with all of the delicious craft beer I drank the night before!  Around mile 2, I started having some pain in my left shin and slowed to walk for a few minutes, hoping the pain would subside. The pain subsided a little bit so I resumed running around mile 2.5 . By the time I crossed the finish line, I had slowed down considerably though due to the shin pain and feeling tired from the previous night’s festivities. I finished in 37:40 at a pace of 12:09/mile. Though this wasn’t my best time, I  had a lot of fun running to usher in the New Year.

So, what did you do to ring in the New Year? Anyone run any races, go on any great hikes, or tool around scenic roads on two wheels?