Chocolate Covered Running: Dolphin Dash 5k

Start of the Dolphin Dash 5k

6 days after the Tacoma City Marathon, I got a chance to run a hometown 5k. I actually considered running to the start as it is 4 miles away and that would have been a nice shake out, but my youngest daughter was signed up as well and doesn't have her driver's license. We had our packets picked up the day before so we had a leisurely morning before arriving about 8:15. I had a chance to do a short one mile warm-up and then made my way to the front of the crowd for the start. The sun was shining but was a bit chilly in just a tank.

Sharon, Nancy, Shawn and I were towards the front of the crowd and there was a woman next to me who had been out with a broken rib since last fall. This was her first race in 2012 and I could tell she's probably fast. She's in the picture above, to my left. You can see that I must outweigh her by at least 40 pounds. Well, maybe you can't see it but I did! Compare her twiggy arms to mine if you're not convinced.

The race was chip timed and started in the school parking lot. We took off and immediately I hit race mode, and quickly found my way onto Sidney Road. The woman, Alice, passed me within .25 of the first mile and I was fine with it. My energy level was good but only 6 days after marathon, I didn't have 100% give-it-your-all speed. We ran under the highway and up a moderate incline past the jr. high school. Around mile one, we passed a convalescent home and I was at 6:44. Funny story: WAY back in the early 1990s, I was driving along this road and as I approached the driveway to the nursing home, minding my own business, an old man in a wheelchair flew out of the driveway, crossing 2 lanes of traffic and into the dirt median, just before crossing into the baseball field parking lot. Crazy! After another car stopped and checked on him before I could, I ran in and told the nurses that one of their residents was in the street. You cannot make up this kind of stuff! They freaked, rightfully so.

Ok, so we continued on this stretch of road, up some more, but a moderate incline. Turned right and the only time I ran this before, we had continued down the dead end road before turning around and continuing around the block and back to the main road. Yada yada. They didn't have us do that and it would come back to bite them in the certified course.

Mile 2 was 6:41 and I tried to give it everything I had but honestly I didn't feel like I had much left in me. Which makes a marathoner kinda upset. It's just 2 stinking miles! But I digress. No other woman had passed me and I didn't hear any footsteps so I just needed to keep moving at a decent clip and I should be 2nd. As I got closer to the finish, I knew the course would come up short. I rounded the last corner and saw the clock ahead in BIG RED NUMBERS: 19:30. No. Way.

I finished in 19:44 but my distance was 2.92. The other GPS geeks also agreed with me and those who didn't know probably celebrated with a beer fest that night over their amazing personal record in the 5k. Woo-hoo!!

Jessica finished in just over 27 minutes and I am super proud of her for running this race! Running without a soccer ball at her feet is akin to breathing without oxygen. This race benefited the local PTA so many children and teachers participated and they had special awards for the fastest student and teacher. The age group awards were combined between men and women - WEIRD! They also only gave the overall winner an award. So that really fast woman a minute ahead of me? She didn't get an award. A man won her age group. Is that not one of the stupidest award rules ever?

Surprisingly, I won first in the 40-49 age group and Nancy won second! I couldn't believe that the 40 something year old men weren't' in front of me. Jessica won a random prize of Sounders pencils. "Cool! I am almost out of pencils!" Nancy's husband won a $50 gift certificate to Dick's sporting goods. I won a blue ribbon. Not sure how I'll spend it. I finished the day by a slow 12 miles in the sunshine.