EVEN WINNERS WALK (i.e., Race Recap: Easter Roller Coaster 5k)

A few weeks ago, my blogger buddy Alisyn talked me into running a 5k on Easter morning with her. The race was being put on by our running club, and the course was called the Easter Roller Coaster 5k.

Only "roller coaster" really couldn't have been more of an understatement.

The course is on the outskirts of the Presidio and is uphill after downhill after uphill after downhill -- and then a turnaround -- then uphill after downhill after uphill after downhill. Okay, okay, you get my point.

And this course doesn't have any little anthills either. All of the hills on the course are big take-your-breath-away steep-grade hills that force even the faster runners to a powerwalk. I will just ruin the surprise for you now and say that I got a Personal Worst time at this race!

And, in other words, this race was a perfect simulator of the Big Sur Marathon on a small scale, so I agreed to do it. Alisyn joked that we would take hits from a beer bong before the race, laugh at how stupid we were to attempt this, and enjoy the morning between all the puking that was about to happen.

(Sidenote: Next weekend will be interesting.)

Mile 1 (8:10)

Alisyn & me in twin poses before the bloodbath

Alisyn and I started off running together. After the first uphill, it became very clear that neither of us were anywhere close to laughing. I powered up the first hill to get in some practice for Big Sur, pulled over to the side while Alisyn caught up, and then we took off down the first hill together. Alisyn doesn't run hills very often and was having a hard time catching her breath (makes sense -- there's no time to catch your breath on this course).

I still wanted to get more practice on the hills, so I charged up the second hill as much as my stumpy legs would let me, slowed down on the downhill and caught Alisyn at the turnaround point. I asked if I should wait for her (poor race etiquette on my behalf; sorry we didn't establish this beforehand, Alisyn!). She told me to take off.

If by "take off" she meant "stop to walk," that's exactly what I did.

Mile 2 (9:08; yes, friends, this happened during a 5k)

Immediately after the turnaround, we had 100-foot incline that happened in the span of .05 of a mile and I chose to walk it. All the guys around me stopped to walk it, too (my guess is because they didn't want to be chicked and took the break when they saw me taking the break). Once I started running again, so did they.

On the first downhill on the way back, I noticed a kid running the race. Granted, there's the "regular" kid who kicks my ass at every single DSE race, but this time there was a new kid kicking my ass, looking like he was trying to catch up to the regular kid. I had to get to the bottom of this.

"Who talked you into running this race?" I said as I caught up to him, trying to distract him from his stellar performance.
"I did. I wanted to run this race." he responded.
"Wow, quite the course to pick to run for fun. You're doing well!"
"Thanks, I placed 2nd at Stinston Beach."
"Good Lord. [Oops, maybe I shouldn't say that on Easter.]"
(Kid shoots off like an arrow.)

I then proceeded to get schooled by ANOTHER KID UNDER THE AGE OF 10. What's with kids these days anyway?

Mile 3 (7:54)

Nothing to say here. I did my best up the last uphill and down the final downhill to make up lost time, but I missed a good amount of time at the first half of the race and felt pretty defeated.

Nope, realllllly defeated.

Mile .1 (:42, a 6:43 pace)

That was a good pace -- too bad I couldn't have done more of it. I didn't even gag at the end, so maybe I had more in me. Too late now.

I collected my finisher's ribbon, kept my eyes peeled for Alisyn, and headed over to the area where the race director was announcing the top 5 finishers.

Who was the race director, did you just ask? None other than ENDORPHIN DUDE! When the marathon caped crusader isn't busy running back-to-back marathons and ultra marathons (he did a 50k on Saturday, PRing by 2 hours), he makes appearances at DSE races!

Tony and I have run in some of the same DSE races, only we've never bumped into each other. I was excited that today could be the day I'd meet the superhero!

Race director Tony, aka Endorphin Dude, announcing the winners

Right as Alisyn and I made our way to announcements, Endorphin Dude said MY NAME?!?! Apparently I finished in the top 5 women??!

I was seriously shocked when he said my name as the #4 female finisher... So shocked the whites of my eyes turned black and I became evil.

Me, Endorphin Dude, and Alisyn

Woot.

And that's the end of that. I stopped to walk and didn't give everything I had -- and I was a winner. Pretty sure there's a lesson to be learned in here somewhere.

Oh well.

Finishing Time: 25:55 -- a new Personal Worst!

Average Pace: 8:21 min/mile (7.2 mph)

Overall Place: 26 out of 116

Gender Place: 4 out of 36

Air Temp: 55F, misty/rainy

3.1-mile splits: 8:10, 9:08, 7:54, :42