JOKR's Event Blog: Home Run 5k for ALS of Nevada 9/21/13

At the Midnight Cowboy race Sean and I did last weekend, we received some flyers with info on upcoming races. One of the races was scheduled for 9/21/13 - today! It was a baseball themed race called the Home Run 5k run/walk organized to raise money in support of patients with Lou Gehrig's disease/ALS and their caregivers.

Sean and I were both happy to help and happy to get out and run! I still don't consider myself a runner but I've definitely enjoyed the challenge and rewards of running races lately, the excuse to dress up (themed costumes ftw!), and having yet another activity I can share with Sean. :)

With our schedules varying as much as they do, we wound up staying awake until 12am and waking up around 5:20am to prepare for the race clear across town. The race location:

Police Memorial Park

3250 Metro Academy Way

Las Vegas, NV 89129

It was HARD getting out of bed but we finally wriggled out of the blankets and got dressed, Sean with his baseball bat and me with my Yankees cap, baseball, and mitt. They said to dress up! Sean made bologna sandwiches for breakfast. We were ready to leave the house just before 6am but we had to swing by 7 Eleven for a little gas first. Then we were on our way! The drive ahead:

We arrived just after 6:30am and paid our $30 per person race registration. They gave us packets with our race numbers, timing chip things, race-themed t-shirts, ALS support bracelets, water bottles, protein bars, granola bars, and ALS Nevada info packets. We got geared up..

..and then played a little baseball with each other to warm up! There were only two of us so we actually just took turns throwing the ball to each other, swinging, and running after or catching the ball. Got us warm though!

Our race didn't start til 8am so we still had a lot of time to kill by the time we were bored of batting. We jumped, jogged, and walked around a bit more til the opening ceremony started just before race time. Then it was 8 o'clock and time to run! As always, Sean started up front and I started towards the back. We could already tell by the other runners present that this was gonna be a much faster race than the ones we'd run the previous weekend. Still, we had every intention of giving it our all and having a good time while doing it.

The race route:

From the start, I was having issues with my race wear. My headphones kept falling out of my ears (I need new ones!), I had no pockets so my iPhone was in my sports bra so I'd have music while running, and my mitt was already making my hand sweat like crazy. I didn't mind though. It gave me something to help take my mind off how tired I was gonna be during the race! :p

Everyone seemed so fast this time around! I know I'm supposed to run my own race and pace myself but I also wanted to push myself and see how well I could do. By mile 1, I was at 8 mins 35 seconds, absolutely dead, and wondering whether I'd be able to finish the race without walking. Not sure why it seemed so hard (considering I'm capable of just under a 7 minute mile if only running 1 mile) but I slowed my pace just a bit to save me from walking. My second mile seemed impossible. I think it took me just over 9 more minutes to complete and my breathing sounded something like a speedcore remix of Darth Vader's breathing. I told myself to keep going though and only did because I knew how pissed at myself I'd be later if I didn't. From the end of mile 2 to the finish line was the biggest challenge and such a struggle for me. I was literally putting everything I had into it. I no longer cared what I mess I looked or sounded like. I just wanted to make it to the end without walking. Then came the hills and the off road section! The race went around a baseball field, down a paved hill, and up a dirt one towards the end. I passed several people on the downhill but wasn't sure I could make it up the uphill. I somehow did it anyway, though I lost a headphone along the way. :( I kept looking for that 3 mile marker but it took forever to show up. I'd planned to try and speed up just a bit at 3 miles and sprint the finish as I always do but by the time I got there I barely had the energy to jog. I forced out every drop til I saw the finish line. I couldn't quite sprint then but I ran as fast as I could til I was past the finish and practically falling over onto Sean who was there waiting for me. <3 I collapsed on the ground, drinking water and juice Sean brought me til I'd caught my breath enough to tell him about the race. Apparently, it'd been just as tough for him. It was definitely one of the faster, more competitive Vegas races we'd done if not the fastest. Sean said it was almost like a UK race! Still, when we looked at our results we'd both held up alright against the other runners there. I'd even gotten a new personal best: 27 minutes and 2 seconds! My time wasn't great but considering it was my 5th 5k race, my 3rd time running since June, and my best time by a minute (since my 28 minute 5k time last weekend), I was happy with it! Sean got 20 minutes 49 seconds and wasn't super happy with his time but everyone else - including me - was pretty impressed with it, especially since he'd done it while carrying a baseball bat! We'd both gotten 1st place in our age groups too!

Sean's results:

My results:

Sean and I were both thirsty and a bit hungry by then so we got some more water, juice, and even coffee (for me!) to drink and some bananas, fruit, and granola bars to munch on.

Soon after that was time for the awards ceremony! The race info had stated that every runner would get a finishers medal and that there would be additional awards for the top runners but I think only the age group winners got medals. Fortunately, that included Sean and me! (Vids of the awards ceremony, race, and more coming soon!)

Sean and me just after getting our 1st place age group medals: