Last week I hit the mean streets of Crystal City for the second year in a row for the Twilighter 5K. And for the second year in a row one of my friends stood me up for the run. Luckily I had other friends in attendance. Also for the second year in a row it wasn't a very hot race. The high for the day was somewhere in the low 80s and a few rain storms had cooled the day down.
The race starts at 8:30 pm so our race pack included a glow stick, which Hannah had stuck on her head so I followed suit. They do race day packet pick up and it was super smooth so we had some time to sit back and people watch for a bit. Around 8:20 we got in the corral somewhere in the middle and waited for the race to start.
About 30 seconds before the horn went off it started to sprinkle a little. By the time we crossed the start line it was raining and at about a half mile in it was all out POURING. I started thinking about what I should do if it started hailing and if there was enough ditch space if a tornado came through. But everyone kept running and the rain started calming a bit. The rain kept the race super cool, but man those road markings are slippery when wet. Around mile two the rain stopped, but I had the joy of continuing to run in soppy shoes.
Thanks to our awesome glow headbands and neon shirts Hannah and I saw each other twice during the race. Looking for people I know is my favorite distraction in races.
I felt pretty good the entire race, but like all other night races I've participated in I got a side cramp midway through. Maybe Korean Tacos aren't the best pre-race fuel? At a about a quarter mile out I decided to try to pick off people in front of me. And.... that lasted for a tenth of a mile. I had to slow down a bit and then found strength for the final push.
I ended up with a time of 24:23, 18th in my age/sex group.
The after race "party" included a banana, granola bar, and a bud light. Oh and then a soggy ride home on the DC Metro.
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