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Today was the day I had been working through this summer for: it was the United Way 5K.  It was part of the Baltimore Running Festival, and it was but a tiny part of the larger runs going on today–the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay.

It was my second 5K, and I have to admit I was dreading it.  For some reason, in the two weeks leading up to today, I thought I was going to do worse than I did when I ran the Shamrock 5K over a year ago.  Even this morning, I was talking myself into wanting to come in around the time I did during that race–a little over 30 minutes.  I was worried I was going to get to the halfway point and slow down or stop.

Something strange happened when I got to the starting line.  It is a bit difficult to describe, but I used to get the same feeling in my brief–infinitesimal, really–time playing football.  As I was there, waiting for the race to start, I actually started getting kind of pumped.  The feeling was the same, and the energy was there.  Once the race started, I felt the same way.  I was excited, and the adrenaline was coursing through me.  The burst of excitement for the race was not quite like getting on the field and exploding, and I would say it was much more of a slow build-up.  I never thought I would say this about running, but the feeling as I started was indescribable.  I was so pumped up to get going, as though all the tension, worry, and training I undertook to get here was the right thing.

I wound my way through the masses going north on Paca Street–and there was a large throng of humanity bobbing northward for the 5K.  I went at my own pace, but I wound my way through people.  Even better, I was able to listen to a playlist on my iPod I created–a rather eclectic mix of music that only a nerd like me could love.  My time as I reached the 1 Mile marker was just over 8.5 minutes–I do not recall the exact time.

As I turned around at the halfway point, I felt pretty good.  It was a clean shot south on Eutaw Street, all the way down to Camden Yards and the Ravens Walk between the two stadiums.  As I came down this stretch of the race, it was here that I ran into fellow Pigtowner, blogger, and friend Anger Hangover.  I did not think it was her at first, but as I got closer it was easy to make a positive ID.  I gave her a quick wave and a nod, then continued on my way downhill.*

I tried to pour it on a little at the end, but I continued at my pace for fear of the mass of humanity I would soon be meeting.  I certainly did not want to hurdle my sweaty body into that of another, potentially slighter runner.  It was pretty invigorating to hear random on-lookers cheering as I passed them on my way to the finish line.  As I crossed Lee Street, I felt pretty good.  The clock was off to my right as I crossed the finish line, and I took a quick glance at it.  I did not recall the exact time it had, but I thought it said about 30 minutes.

After I crossed the finish line and slowed my pace, I made a quick turn to the Runner’s Village.  I grabbed some water, a banana, and stretched out a little.  From there, I went and grabbed my free beer tickets and made my way to the other side of the village.  I picked up my bag from the bag check and milled about enjoying my beers, trading texts with friends who knew I was running.

As I finished my second beer, I headed over to the Results tent to see if they had my time.  They printed out my label, and I was surprised at the result.  28:57. The official results are also here.  (The results link is a little finicky, so it may take a couple of refreshes to actually see it.) Below is the fancy image they present.

All in all, I did better than I thought.  I am proud of myself, but I also realize that it pales in comparison to those who ran the Marathon and Half-Marathon.  I will stick to 5K races, but I am pretty proud that I bested my last race. The improvement was incremental, and I am going to strive to do better in my next one.

Strangely, I think I have grown fond of running 5Ks.  There is something I never thought I would see myself write or hear myself say.

* After passing AH near the end of the race, we exchanged post-race results via text.  I then read her post about what she has been through to get to this point, and I am pretty proud to have run with someone who has overcome much to get to this point.  AH, my hat’s off to you on one helluva job.  Let’s do another one in the Spring!