Race Report: Blue Points 5K (2009)

Blue Points is a health insurance wellness initiative, and was a great excuse to get out to the Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, for a run. While I ran a race in 2008, my exercise regimen has slipped significantly in the past year and I thought I'd be lucky to wheeze across the finish line. By my count it had been over 400 days since my last run.

A friend of mine was kind enough to invite me to run with him and his buddies, a group that gets together for runs from time to time and had a little (lot?) more experience than I did with running a race. I had trained a little, but nothing dramatic.

The stadium made for a nice atmosphere, and the venue really brought out the participants. I'm not sure if it was as large as the Right Moves for Youth run over a year before – perhaps if I ran a little more often I would remember!

The group I ran with was terrifically supportive, and certainly faster than me.  Unlike the first run, I realized that Charlotte, for all of it's lovely beauty, was actually a pretty hilly place to run. At mile 2 I was feeling pretty strong, and kept waiting to make the final kick. I had been reading about finishing strong at a faster pace, and I was determined to do that. Since it was new to me, I thought I would start at mile 3.

By the time I was up to speed, I was at the finish line. It was probably a bit comical to the onlookers to see someone 35 minutes into a 5K race sprinting across the finish line. I even caught myself getting a little frustrated with those “slow” runners that were 10-15 feet in front of me going the same, steady pace. Didn't they know about “the kick???”

Speaking of kicks, I was kicking myself at the end of my glorious sprint. My heart was pounding, the blood rushing to my head made it hard to see and focus, and I was heaving to catch my breath. I thought of some stories I've read where runners die during races, often near the finish line. This was new for me, and quite uncomfortable.

After about five minutes I was breathing normally again, my heart had slowed, and my vision returned. It was quite a scare, but I don't remember sharing that episode with any of the other runners, nor with my family.

The thing is, I had an awesome time. Part of it was the terrific group of guys I had the opportunity to run with. They are a supportive group, and I understand why they're such close friends. It was a pleasure to run with them that day.

===   RACE DAY   ===

Race: Blue Points 5K
Location:  Charlotte, NC
Shoe:  New Balance 440

Date: 8/8/2009

Distance: 5K

Time: 36:24

Pace: 12:00/mile

Overall: 728/817 (89.1%)

Gender: 349/412 (84.7%)

Group: 59/74 (79.7%)