race report: freezer 5

this was my 25th road race but somehow only my first 5-miler. i was excited about this one for a few reasons. 1) it's put on by a local running club (not NYRR), 2) it's not in central park, and 3) i planned to go with a few teammates which is always more fun than going alone.

i picked up my running buddies at van cortlandt park, then we headed up to FDR park in yorktown. i had somehow never been there before even though it's in sean's hometown.

true to the race's name, it was FAH-REEZING out that morning, with a wicked wind to boot. we met a bunch more teammates at the park so VCTC was definitely representing. we all grabbed our bibs then waited as long as possible before ditching our extra layers and heading to the start.

did i mention it was COLD??

you have to love smaller races with no corrals and no delay before you cross the start! we were off, on a hilly but pretty course through the park.

saw a few walkers and dog walkers, and a small group of deer that must've gotten spooked by something. we did about a mile out and back along a lake, then 2 repeats of a 2 mile loop around the park with a brutal hill (ugh). was not looking forward to that the second time around. despite some ice on the course in a couple of spots, there were no major problems. totally uncrowded, no weaving to get around or getting stuck behind people. lovely! saw my teammate maryann ahead of me and almost caught her before she took off.

in the end, she finished 3rd in our AG and i was right behind her! other teammates took 3rd overall, 1st and 2nd females and a whole slew of AG awards. power to the purple!

i finished in 40:46 with a pace of 8:09 -- faster than my pace for my 10k PR so i happy about that. not bad for my first 5-miler! i like the distance, long enough to settle in but not long enough to wipe myself out.

after the awards ceremony, we celebrated a teammate's birthday with some cake then headed to the peekskill brewery to warm up!