K5K Race Recap

Got up not-too-terribly bright and early for the K5K on Saturday. The race didn’t start until 9:00, but Josh and I left our house at 7:30 so we would be sure to get the race in time to get our shirts. (We hadn’t signed up early enough to get a guaranteed shirt.)

The race was held at Spring Valley Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Local races are great!

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but it was decent sized for a local race.  Packet pickup was the same morning and the setup and start line were pretty simple. But let’s be honest you don’t need a lot.

The course was two small loops and then one larger loop.  Both were in the woods and around lakes so it was a very pretty run.

Josh was struck a pose for his first 5K.

The sun was bright, but it was kind of chilly out.  We started out running strong and ran the first full mile without stops, which was one of Josh’s big goals.

After that first mile we went to run/walk intervals.  Somewhere about mile 2 I may have told Josh that there was beer at the finish to keep him going. I may have even told him it was nice beer.  The course was relatively flat—maybe two inclines, but they weren’t really that steep at all. We ran it in strong and it was so NICE to be running. And it was nice to not be up at 5:00 AM running for 5 hours…there’s something to be said for a nice, quick 5K.

The K5K had some yummy snacks too..a yogurt and fruit bar and mini-muffins!  Super delicious! There was a good crowd cheering people in and hanging out afterwards for the awards ceremony.  I also loved that there were people of all ages—first time 5Kers, kids, grandparents, fast people, the president and vice president of Kalamazoo Area Runners, slow people: it’s great to see that running is for everyone.

Do you like local races? What’s the best post-race food you’ve ever had?