How I did at Harry’s Spring Run-Off

I ran Harry’s Spring Run-Off on Saturday, my first race of the season and only my fifth run this year. I had signed up for the 8K months ago, thinking it sounded like a nice distance for spring but not knowing I’d be off for three months.

A week before the race, I went for a run on a lovely sunny Saturday morning. The weather was perfect and I was hoping we’d get a repeat for the day of the race. But instead, we were faced with a cold, grey morning and 50 km/hour winds’not all that appealing, but not a big deal once you’re running, I figured.

I was right, on the one hand’the cold wasn’t too bad while running, and I made sure to have a headband covering my ears (essential for cold-weather running) and my jacket sleeves covering my hands (although gloves would have been better). But before and after the race was colder than I would have liked, so cold that by the time I got home to take a shower, I couldn’t feel the water temperature.

Lesson learned. Next time, dress warmer.

But how did the race itself go? Better than I thought it would. As I said above, it was only my fifth run of the year, as I’d been taking a break to let my hip flexors heal. My only official goal was to run the whole thing, and I did’even the nasty hill at the end (not that I was running up it very quickly). My secondary, "would be nice" goal was to run it in under 50 minutes’which isn’t far from my best 10K time’and I did it in 50:11, which is close enough for me.

I wasn’t running very fast, which isn’t surprising, since I hadn’t been training. But it was nice to know that my running base from last year, combined with the other exercise I’ve been getting this year, was enough to get me through a race with a decent finish. And it was fun! I find races really motivating, and I’m now psyched up to get ready for the Sporting Life 10K on May 3. (First good thing? It’s almost all downhill.)

Have you run any races this year? What are your running plans?

Related content:
‘ 5K running plan
‘ Running 101
‘ 5 tips for preventing running injuries

View all of Kat’s running posts on the Half-marathon diaries home page.

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