Cupid's Chase 5K = Epic Fail

This morning was not fun.

It didn't start out that bad.  I got up, ate a good breakfast and walked over to Riverside Park where the race was going to take place.

Then I got to the registration area...  Let me just say this 5K was not nearly as well organized as the Gridiron Classic race last week.  I finally found where I needed to pick up my bib, and then headed over to pick up my t-shirt.  Gotta say I love this aspect of races.  Gotta love "free" stuff!  I mean, I know I essentially paid for it by registering, but still I love it.  When I got there the woman asked if I was single or taken.  After being slightly taken aback, I remembered that this was a Valentine's run, so I told her I was single.  After asking my size, she then hands me a white long sleeve t-shirt.  (The other choice was red, which was what I actually wanted.)  As I'm getting situated before I race I look at the back of my shirt and in big capital letters it says "UNAVAILABLE."

WTF?

Um, I know that there was like a .00001% chance of anyone paying attention to this, let alone using it as a means to strike up a conversation, but really?  Ugh...

So, the run began and I realized almost immediately that I hated the course.  I had never run in Riverside Park before and after today I don't know if I will again for a long time.  This was the most monotonous and tedious course I've ever run.  It was almost all flat (which for me is actually a negative) and we did a loop and a half.  I crossed the finish line twice before the final time.  That seriously messes with your head!!    You also see the people who are zooming through consistently throughout the course.  So, if you are anything like me, you are beating yourself up because you are so slow...

I swear this was the longest 5K I've ever run.  It seemed never ending and a lot longer than a mere 3 miles.  At about the 1.5 mile mark I literally started saying to myself, "I hate this.  I hate running.  I want this to be over."  I  have NEVER said that to myself when I've run before (well, not since I started running for real.  I said it all the time in gym class).  I most certainly didn't like it.  By the end I was just pissed off.  Nothing seemed to get my  mind back to running this 5K.  I mean, even my music couldn't motivate me.  I ended up flipping through songs the entire time.

I walked about 1/3 of the race because I just gave up.  When I started I wanted to be sure to beat my pace from the 4 miler, but by the end I couldn't have cared less.  My unofficial time was around 45 minutes which means I was pretty close to the same pace as last week, but considering this was a completely flat course I should have been going faster.

Oh, and don't let me forget the ice.  Ice was everywhere on this course.  I'm sorry, but if you are in charge of a race in the middle of winter?  Why don't you take an hour and walk the course and, oh I don't know... SALT IT!?!  It was seriously ridiculous.  There were a few times I had to stop and take my steps very carefully.

Speaking of ridiculous, I also had a guy who was walking his dog in the park decide to completely walk out in front of me and I had to literally JUMP over his dog.  I yelled some not so nice words at him.  I mean, seriously people...

I mean, I guess to look at the bright side I did get outside and run/walk a 5K this morning.  But for me?  It was far from successful.

After last week's race and the Do Life unofficial 5K the week before, I walked away with such a high.  I felt great and like I could accomplish anything.  I walked away from this one with a feeling of complete failure.

Ugh...  Oh well.  I guess I just gotta shake it off and look towards my next run.