This morning I kicked off my personal racing season for my fundraiser #miles4change at a local race in Goose Creek, South Carolina. It was the Crowfield Plantation 5K Run\Walk. This race was a trail run and marked my first time participating in a trail run. One of my coworkers told me about it last year, but that's when I was in excuse mode, not run mode. This year I jumped on the opportunity to participate in it and I'm glad I did.
My kick off tshirt for #miles4change
One thing I've noticed is after participating in the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, other races are not as intimidating. After you've gathered and runned with over 35,000 other people, smaller races are an easier adjustment. Since this was a community trail run/walk the cap off was at about 400 people. The race results show 244 registered participants crossed the finish line. I love crowd watching and seeing the diversity of people and running abilities present; this race was no different.
When I first arrived I saw tents set up in the park area with a crowd forming. At first glance, driving in twenty minutes before the event started, I thought parking spaces were limited, but when I turned in I saw empty spaces in various spots. That's always the most important thing for me, making sure my car is secured. As much as I want to run, I also want to get back home when I'm done. There was absolutely no issues with finding parking at this event.
As I parked I looked at the groups of people traveling to the event area and tried to guess if they were walkers, beginner runners, intermediate runners, or "serious"" runners. Those are my labels. It is amazing the labels we put on one another based on a glance. Of course the ones I saw jogging around I immediately labeled as the "serious" runners. The ones carrying extra "stuff" I labeled as walkers. As I walked toward the event area, I decided that I wanted to warm up by walking instead of stretching. So I started walking the trail to the starting point passing and greeting people along the way. Of course I was still guessing at what level they would be particpiting in the run. At first I was going to start jogging, in case someone was trying to figure me out, but I knew I didn't have that kind of energy to spare!
To make a long story short, the race began and I jogged my way for a little less than 2 miles before alternating my run\walk. That second mile felt like it took forever to reach! After hitting the third mile and finally crossing the finish line, they took the time strip and I continued to the area where the tents were set up with sponsors providing water and refreshments. This marked the end of my first 5K to kick off bringing awareness to the fight against human trafficking.
My unofficial time; goal of my next 5K is to decrease my pace.
I left before they called out prizes and top winners, hold up, I FINISHED, with a few minutes to spare before they started giving out prizes. That in itself is an accomplishment! I really enjoyed the atmosphere, but did learn that I have watched too many episodes of "CSI" and "Criminal Minds" to use any trail as a training area without a buddy runner. I believe my first mile was my fastest because I was chasing the pack screaming in my mind "Don't leave me!" Seriously, Crowfield is a very nice area to walk and run through. I even saw one of my former students and her mom on the trail while I was running. I will definitely return, with my neice and nephew, to tackle it again in the near future.
Now that the first one is done, I will be looking for other upcoming races to participate in and sponsors to help me raise funds to aid in helping survivors of human trafficking. Shout out to the organizers of the Crowfield Plantation 5K for providing a great experience for this first timer. I will definitely be participating again!
First 5K down; I love getting tshirts!
Official Time: 36:06 Pace per mile: 11:38
Place (overall): 120th (age group): 9th (Woot-Woot)
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