Full Moon Run Race Report
Friday the 13th is a good day to race – I set a new 5K personal record (PR) at the Zee Bee Run Squad Full Moon Run! My previous PR was 22:38, set way back in March of 2013. My new one is 50 seconds faster – 21:48!
Photo by Gibbie Buchholtz
On Friday, I wasn’t sure if I’d do the race. I had a stressful week, an especially crappy Friday, my stomach was having all sorts of odd cramps (like I’d already raced a 5K) and it was super windy. But I reminded myself that I got a massage on Wednesday specifically to be loose for this race, and that I had been training with it in mind for two months! My stomach stopped bugging me, and the wind died down to a barely noticeable 5 mph (phew), so (obviously), I went.
I laughed when I pulled in to the parking lot and saw a sliver of the moon – it made me wonder why it was called the Full Moon Run!
Cute shirts this year!
I registered on site and did a short .6 mile warm up, during which I found out my headlamp was too loose and that I should run with gloves. It was 39°F out, so warm enough for shorts and a tank, but my fingers felt a bit chilly (and I thought it would be nice to have somewhere to wipe my nose!).
There were only a few other people dressed similarly to me. Everyone else was bundled up*, and I got some funny looks and comments, wearing a tank, ha ha. This race isn’t chipped time, so I started in the front. At the “go” mark a bunch of kids surged ahead, and were a bit of a tripping hazard for the first tenth of a mile, but I pulled around them and was surprised to find myself as first woman!
Photo by Gibbie Buchholtz
I felt great for the first mile, and ran it in 6:45. I continued to feel good in the second mile, until about 1.8 miles in, when my stomach started to hurt – typical! The second mile was 7:02.
I tried to keep my pace up, because I saw that the second woman was right behind me, but of course, she passed me at about 2.25. When she passed me, I noticed she only had one shoe on! I’ve seen barefoot runners at races, but never with one shoe on, and one sock on the other foot!**
I kept pumping, trying to keep pace with her, thinking just maybe I could catch her, but nope! Third mile in 7:17, last tenth in 00:35. She finished 9 seconds ahead of me! Ha! I was second overall, and first in my age group. I definitely would have slowed down more if she wasn’t in front of me, so I was happy she gave me someone to chase in the last mile.
Photo by Gibbie Buchholtz. Ha ha, I was hoping for a good finish line photo since I was at the race by myself. NOPE – major derpitty face!
I congratulated her when I crossed the finish line, then walked for a bit. I got that metallic taste in my mouth during the race and was spitting a lot. I thought about doing a cool down run, but decided getting more clothing on was a better idea***.
I didn’t go the race with anyone, or have any friends there from Efit, but saw a few guys I knew and hung out with them during the raffle and awards ceremony. They were very excited about my PR. One of them mentioned that I have lost a lot of weight and that helps for 5Ks – yep – that was the idea!
At this race you get a raffle ticket and there are a ton of door prizes. I was planning on giving my raffle ticket to one of the kids around me, if my number was called, but then I saw a someone pick out a running book, and there was still a copy when my name was called, so I grabbed one! Schweet!
I’m happy I decided to do the race, and got a PR. I’ve done speedwork once a week for the entire year, and it’s nice to see that pay off!
*This seems to be one of the more popular events in the Zee Bee Run Squad Series, with 157 finishers. And I think they encouraged children and parents from two schools to be there. The proceeds from this race benefit Nicasa Behavioral Health Systems.
**Turns out her shoe fell off a mile in to the race! And they weren’t even her shoes – she borrowed them from a friend! She planned to go find the shoe after the awards ceremony.
***I had a pretty serious cough after the race and for most of the weekend – I think my system was in a bit of shock.
Themocracy
Holy wow! What an awesome PR!! 50 seconds is a huge chunk to take off a 5k!! You’re a BAMF taking 2nd overall and 1st AG! That’s nuts the First Woman kept going after her shoe fell off. And yeah- kids sprinting ahead in races only to be road furniture half a mile in is annoying. I LOVE that shirt!!! I need to actively seek out races with owl race shirts now 🙂 congrats on the awesome PR!!
Thanks! 🙂 I thought it was awesome that girl kept running with only one shoe on! She definitely ran a more even race than me (and was at least 13 years younger than me, ha!).
I had no idea there would be an owl on the shirt! Since I registered on site they didn’t have my size – so now Steven has an owl shirt to work out in 🙂
Amazing PR!!! And so weird about her missing a shoe, I think I would have stopped, lol!
Ahh, that race shirt is so cute! I had this race on my radar and mixed up the dates, I thought it was last week so I wrote it off because my husband was out of town. If I had realized it was this week I would have done it! Oops!
Thanks! Ha ha ha, I think I would have, too!
The last one in the series is on Wednesday in December – maybe you can make that one! It typically has a lot less runners than this one.
Holy cow, Kim, that’s an amazing time! Congrats on your PR! You’ve certainly earned it after all your hard work this year!
Thanks 🙂
My gosh, you are FAST!!! Big congrats on that race and PR – I love that your hard work (seriously, speed work for an entire YEAR??) paid off. Well done!!!
Thank you! 🙂 This is the first year I have done speedwork so religiously, and I think it really helps!
What a fantastic finish time! Congrats on the PR, Kim! PS–That is the ONLY reason I wear knit gloves.
Thanks! Ha ha – when it gets a bit colder out, I need something to wipe my nose on! 😉
Congrats on the massive PR! All of your training/speed work paid off in a big way. Did you stop immediately once you crossed the finish line? It looks like you are holding a yellow rope, but I guess it is an optical illusion! I ran with a tank in the Hot Chocolate and it was probably 40 degrees out. I think if I warm-up for a mile or two just before a race, my core gets pretty warm and typically don’t need more than a tank. Funny that the “Full Moon” run happened on a day when there wasn’t even a quarter moon! Also, the t-shirts mention stars on the back (and not to nit pick), but I don’t think the moon is a star! Ha, ha. 🙂 Yes, Friday the 13th was a good day to race… congrats again!
Thank you! I did stop right after I crossed the finish. I was happy to be DONE. Ha! It does look like that!
For one of their races last year, the back of the shirt said something about “sweat being your fat crying”… I didn’t really dig it. Not sure who comes up with what they say. Ha!
Kim that is fantastic!!I can’t even imagine being able to move that fast 🙂 You are looking very fit, please share any tips. I am always battling my middle buldge.
My run buddy lost about 20 lbs and it has made a hue difference in her pace. She gained about 40 seconds easily a mile w/o changing anything. I can hardly keep up with her now!
I would have been all about the tank and shorts, I am exact same way, just give gloves and I am good to go 🙂
Congratulations!!
Thank you!!! 🙂
Hmm, tips. Honestly, I just work out A LOT and don’t binge eat, and strength train 2-3x a week. I know you do all those things, too, right?! My pace has definitely dropped – that is cool that your running buddy has experienced that!!!
A PR yay!!!!! I love the race shirt. 2nd woman, damn girl I have some work to put in to keep you with you 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Are you racing any 5Ks this season or next year? Or focusing on halves?
Probably next year. I think ill do the St Patrick’s Day 5k again and try beat my time 😀
Cool!
Congratulations on your very speedy PR!!! And dude…that woman was seriously dedicated to run most of the race with only 1 shoe!!
Thanks!
She totally was! I can’t imagine – that must have felt so unbalanced! Good thing the ground wasn’t wet!
That is a HUGE PR! Congrats and way to stay focused throughout the year on speedwork. I also love how those races that we question often end up being such a positive experience.
Thank you!!! You know what’s funny is that the last time I PR’d at the 5K it was the SAME thing – I didn’t want to run it, regretted signing up, etc. LOL.
WOWSA that’s just awesome!!!! I can’t imagine running a sub 7 (or 8 lol) minute mile!!! Great job!!!
Thanks! 🙂
Congrats on the PR, that’s awesome!
I’ve also lost weight over the past 18 months and set PRs – I’m happy about the both the weight and the PRs, but it also makes me wonder how much of the new times are just being lighter versus my hard work – like, it makes me wonder if I got anything out of my training, or was it mostly just the weight!? (Not that losing weight isn’t hard, even if it’s just commitment to better habits, but it’s different than a payoff from hard running training, imo.)
Thanks!
For me, it’s mostly losing the weight – when I do, my pace drops with little effort. I know cause I’ve gone through the yo yo cycle so many times. Ha. But I definitely think the training has a part, too, and that training to run your race pace makes it less painful on race day! Congrats to you for getting healthier!
Congrats on that PR! Very impressive that the other runner ran with one shoe for that long of the race and still managed to be that speedy.
Thanks! It definitely is!!!!
Wow, what an amazing PR!! That’s enormous! I’m so glad to hear all your hard work paid off. And to win your age group and get second female, too – what a race!
Thank you!
Great job! That is an awesome PR!!
Thanks!
C’mon, kids, stop being tripping hazards, geez! Haha (but maybe seriously). I’m glad you were able to PR, congratulations!!
I was giggling imagining you looking the most hardcore in your tank-top, thinking that if it were 39º here, people would be wearing down parkas. But I guess you said other racers were bundled up, so you’re just hardcore in all climates, I suppose.
I’d be interested to know why that lady was running with only one shoe. Do you think she lost the other one? Or maybe she has one leg that’s a lot longer than the other? Or she has PF in only one foot? Now I want to know. Too bad you didn’t see her after the race to ask. (I bet you would have. That’s why we’re friends, among many things.)
Thanks!
It always makes me laugh when people are SUPER bundled up when it’s in the 30s. That isn’t even that cold (if it’s not super windy).
I talked to that lady quite a bit after the race. Her shoe came off because she didn’t tie it tightly enough, and probably, because it wasn’t her shoe because it didn’t fit her as well as it should. 🙂
Great race, congrats on the PR. I like that shirt too, that can totally be worn with non-running clothes lol
Thanks!
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, Kim!!! You are a speed demon!!! And I always say that the less clothing you see a runner wearing, the more hard-core they are. Look at all the Kenyans who wear next to nothing even when the temps are sub-zero!
I can’t believe that woman was only wearing one shoe! It blows my mind to think of racing like that. If it were me, you better believe I would have taken the extra 30 seconds to find that shoe and get it back on. She must have been really focused on her time goal!
Thanks! 🙂
Ha ha, I think I probably would have stopped to tie the shoe, too. I wish she would have, so I could have won overall. HA!
Congrats on the PR and I love the shirt!!