This morning, Seth and I headed out bright and early to take part in UMass's Revolution Run Homecoming 5K.
We had been looking forward to being back on campus and taking part in this race.
We arrived on campus at around 8:00 a.m. for the 9:00 a.m. race start. We had pre-registered but had to pick up our bib by the library. Registration was very well organized. We got a great swag bag that included a course map and t-shirt.
After registration, we had plenty of time to drop stuff off at the car and then walk around to warm up for the race.
At 8:50 a.m., the race organizers gathered everyone at the start line, right near Bartlett Hall, our old stomping grounds and the English Department building. After brief announcements, the race started at 9:00 a.m. sharp -- smart organization and planning. The race, unlike last weekend's, featured electronic timing, so my time didn't start until I crossed the line. I always appreciate this because I like to start at the back of the pack. This means that I don't get in anyone's way, plus I get to start by passing a lot of people -- a trend I continued through much of the race.
The race started by running towards Whitmore and down through the Southwest underpass. We then took the bike path and crossed the street where we continued behind the stadium. After running around the parameter of the stadium, we looped back to the bike path and Southwest underpass. We then climbed a small rise from around 400 meters to 200 meters away from the finish line. We concluded the race back where we started, between Bartlett and Memorial Hall. It was great fun to run through UMass and see campus again.
I felt strong running the race. It started with a slight downhill drop, which helped me gain momentum. I passed a lot of people throughout the race and kept a strong pace of around 9:30, which is a fairly fast speed for me. Overall, the race was mostly flat. However, it concluded with a slight hill; I was so focused on my goal of finishing in under thirty minutes that I did not let that slow me down.
I hit my goal, finishing the race in 29:31!
After walking around to cool down, I headed back towards the finish line to see Seth conclude the race.
He finished in 36:12, over a minute faster than his time last weekend -- amazing! We were both very excited at how we did during this race.
We walked around the pond area of central campus a little bit after the race, but left pretty quickly because it was cool and misty out. It was great to be back on campus, and the run was a lot of fun. It was well organized, had a good course, and, of course, was at UMass, which was part of the charm. We'll definitely want to do this run again next year!