Race Recap: ATC Hearts and Soles 5K

177539247Race: ATC Hearts and Soles 5K
Date: February 8, 2014
Start Time: 8 a.m.
Weather: 37˚, overcast/mostly cloudy skies, chance of rain forecasted
Elevation: Start/Finish – 761 ft; Max – 817 ft. (Net 47 ft. gain)

  • This race sealed it: No more winter races! Okay, it wasn’t as cold as it was where that girl in the picture was running, Still, it was too cold for me this year; it hurt to breathe.
  • Emily told me that she knew it was going to be bad when the lady exiting the porta-potty told her to “be careful in there.” Nice. I knew it was going to be bad when the 97-year-old man shuffled past us before mile 1.
  • Arrived at 7:20. Immediately noticed that the crowd seemed nearly double the number of participants in 2013 and 2011. (I didn’t run in 2012.)
  • The course is relatively easy with only one hill—an out-and-back course with one water station.
  • Volunteers at this race are the best! They are helpful and encouraging and funny. They were cheering so well, they actually made me feel like I was a contender—as I walked by.
  • I did not train for this race at all—because this winter has seemed colder than years’ past. This tells you that I’m a wimp. I didn’t go into the race expecting anything more than having fun with Emily!
  • A nickname for this race came to me about midway through: Dodge-the-Spit 5K. Good Ness. I don’t recall so many loogies dotting the road in any of the other races I’ve participated in. It was sickening at times. This phenomenon of the spit may have been a bi-product of there being so many people—and me being behind most of them.
  • Sadly, all of the raisin cinnamon bagels were gone by the time I crossed the finish. And I definitely appreciated the Powerade to replenish the 10 or so electrolytes I lost due to “running.”
  • Overall, I’d give the Hearts and Soles 5K an A. It’s a fun, easy, no-frills race. And you can’t beat the entry price of $10 (or free if you’re an ATC member).

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