I ran The Big Game 5K in downtown Las Vegas this morning. My husband and I had been given the race entries from a friend and her husband who were no longer able to run the race. It started near the Container Park on Fremont Street. I had several friends from Run Grrrls Run that were running this race so we all meet up at the front of the Container Park for a group picture.
After the picture, we made our way to the start line. The 10K started at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K started at 8:05 a.m. We cheered on our friends as they started the 10K and then lined up for our start. I stood by my husband, gave him a quick kiss and told him to race well. The course was going to be very flat and the possibility for PR's were high so I knew we weren't going to be running together. When the gun went off, so did we.
I ran with my Garmin but it's strap is broken so it was tucked into my top so I was unable to see it. I could hear it buzz at each mile but I decided to run by feel and not look at the watch until the race was over. I was running on tired legs because I had a hard workout yesterday so I was not sure what my results would be but I pushed it as much as I could. There were 285 people running the 5K so I didn't feel too crowded. I had started towards the front and didn't have too many people pass me so I knew that I was holding a pretty good pace. Whenever I would feel myself slowing down, I'd tell myself to "run like I stole it" or "run like I'm on fire". Those seemed to work because I would pick the pace back up.
The 5K course was shaped like a "W" so I was able to see many of my friends. It is always nice to hear my name called out and to see a wave from a smiling face. It gives me a little extra boost. By the first half mile, I began to catch up to some of the 10K runners. We ran along the same course for most of the race. They did a U-turn where we made our last right turn. After I made the final left-hand turn, I could see the finish line about 200 yards ahead. I knew my husband had finished before me so I started looking for him. He was about halfway down that road and saw me at about the same time. He yelled out to me as I passed him,"Run, Sarah, Run! Start your sprint!" When I was about 100 yards from the finish line, I started my final push. I crossed the finish line, received my medal, got a cup of water, and stopped the Garmin. I knew right away that my time was good and that I possibly had a PR. I walked over to the timing screen and saw that my official time was 27:16! I ended up placing 45/285 overall, 17/182 female, and 3/33 in my age group (35-39). I am really pleased with my time and effort. The t-shirts were pretty nice but the medals seemed a little cheap. Today offered the perfect conditions for a perfect race!
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