Race Result

Racer:	Anne Pastorkovich
Race:	Losing to Live 5K
Date:	Saturday, June 21, 2008
Location:	Annandale, VA
Race Type:	Run - 5 km
Age Group:	Female 40 - 44
Time:	0:33:01
Age Group Place:	7 / 26
Comment:	HILLS!!! =:-o

Race Report:

Wow, when another runner told me this course had some difficult hills, I thought she was kidding me. She wasn't. It was not an easy run. However, if you like hills, and many of us do like a good hill now and again, this is a good course for you. Friendly volunteers, too. Really enthusiastic.

Incredible, healthy brunch followed. It was prepared by actual chefs. This is no typical bagel and banana affair. Indeed, they had chicken caesar salad and about a zillion tasty vegetables and fruits prepared in different, colorful ways. Good stuff. Also, inspiring in the culinary department because most of the prettier concoctions were things you could make at home. Part of the idea is that you learn something about healthy cooking and eating. (Apparently, this race is how the sponsoring church, Capital Baptist, celebrates its fitness program graduates. And their graduates have lost a total of 2 tons of unneccessary body weight, too, which is rather amazing to me.)

The race has a relatively late start - 9:00 a.m. - and I admit it is always hard for me to decide whether or not it is better to sleep in and run a later a.m. race like this or just run much earlier on the trail when it's not quite so warm. This is a course I wouldn't normally get to run and a post run feed of epic proportions, so I'd recommend sleeping a little later and running this race, even if you don't get a stellar finish time and you finish up feeling kinda soggy. Part of the course was through a park and that was nice and shady, although a fair amount was on neighborhood streets and there were a few stretches that didn't have all that much shade and got kinda hot. The course has a fair number of turns, which I tend to like, because I get bored running in a straight line.

I'd say this is a well managed race with a small and surprisingly fast field. There were people out in front who were booking. Because it is not an out and back course and does not double back on itself, it is shocking to see when one is kind toddling along in slow poke hill mode (like I am wont to do) just how many people are already chilling out at the finish line already.

I'd say give this race a try next year, if you haven't tried it yet. It was fun and it didn't disappoint in the least. I'd definitely say this is one that I'd plan on running again. You can check hill run off your training list for the week, too.