Saturday, February 13, 2010

Race Report - Freeze Your Bunz 5K

Normally I would not run a race called "Freeze Your Bunz" because intentionally misspelled words are one of my biggest pet peeves. But this is a "local" race (within half an hour) and I had some friends run/walking it, so I figured I better show up.

The race is an out and back on a flat, paved bike trail. Of course, in the middle of February, paved bike trail means snowmobile trail, which means um, snow. I wore my yak trax, which was a good choice. The entire course was pretty deep snow and not as packed down as I thought it would be. It sort of felt like running in sand. Only with a lot more clothes on.

(That's me - note the lovely snow!)
I started near the front because it looked like a lot of people were planning on walking and I didn't want to have to try to dodge a bunch of walkers on a narrow trail. This worked out well - I didn't have to dodge anyone, and I didn't get passed by very many people. I spent most of my time trying to find the most hard packed snow. About a quarter mile from the turn around, the snow was very fluffy and difficult to run through. I felt my energy draining and just focused on making it to the orange cones.

After the turn I had to slog back through a quarter mile of yuckiness, but then started seeing my friends who were still on the way out. That kept me moving! Once I got closer to the finish, I felt like I had a little in me to kick and then got bogged down in the snow again. I felt like I was barely moving. I knew I was one of the first few women, so I was super bummed when another girl passed me within a tenth of a mile to the finish. But I just kept pushing and crossed the line in 26:06. Good enough for fifth place woman overall and second in my age group. Gotta love small races!

I was really happy with my time given the snowy conditions. And, after a week of minimal running, it felt great to get out and run hard. I'm spending the rest of the day relaxing (okay, cleaning and doing laundry) to get ready for my big ski race tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back with a positive race report from that adventure. I am definitely nervous. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

18 comments:

Julie said...

Hi Heather,
Congrats on your awesome race!! You actually had a pretty darn good time considering the crappy snow and the fact that you ran in Yaktraxs!! Running in them always adds a little time to a race...so I bet if it was a normal run you would of come in at least 24 minutes or less!! Good job Heather:) Congrats on placing for your age group!! I love the small town races too!!

Sarah said...

Love the pic! Sounds like an interesting and run race! I don't have yak Trax yet, but am thinking about getting them. We get a lot of snow here too.

Anne said...

Great job!! That's a beautiful picture and congrats on a really good time :)

Kristin said...

What a beautiful scene! Your time was GREAT under those conditions! Good luck and have fun with the ski race.

Anonymous said...

Congrats, great race!! Wow that's a lot of snow to run in!!

MCM Mama said...

Your time was pretty darn fast, considering the conditions! Great job!

EricaH said...

Love the pics since I don't get to see snow here I love seeing all the snowy pics I don't know if i would have the nerve to run in it. Congrats on a great race.

DRog said...

I'm impressed by your running! I just looked at your last year list...I have Chisago as my target first Tri also...

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

"Slog" love it! Congrats on your 5th place performance, I too love little races :)

Oh the snow, in Seattle we have not seen a flake and that makes me happy.

Anonymous said...

As far as I am concerned - when I look at the picture, you are winning! great job.

heather said...

I'm impressed by your time under those conditions. I couldn't do that in good weather.

Anonymous said...

Great time considering the snow!! Way to go and great pics!

joyRuN said...

Dang, Heather! Awesome time, especially given the snow!! Whew...

Katie A. said...

Wow, just amazing - that time is kick-a$$ for all that snow!
And an AG place to boot!
What a great weekend - I live for ones like that!
Happy Monday!!

Jeri said...

Top 5 ladies, girl powah! Haha. Seriously I can't imagine running that fast in fluff. Blech. Can't wait to see what your 5k time is going to be in non-pooptastic weather. :D

M2Marathon said...

Snow running, good for the calves. Or so I tell myself. Eh, who am I kidding, I DNS races that involve snow....

Marlene said...

Congrats on another 5K! That is a GREAT time, especially working your way through the snow.

Felice Devine said...

Great job on the 5k! I'm with you on intentionally misspelled words. Why do that?