It's a good event, but I still don't like 5ks.

On December 6 I met up with friends at Monticello and ran their Holiday Classic 5k. I ran it two years ago, and that was my 5k PR. I don't run many 5ks though (other than the Montalto Challenge). That's because 5ks are hard. I'd much rather run long and slow than short and fast. Ouch.

Anyway, I got to the visitor center and picked up my bib, then took the shuttle up to The House. Two friends were also running, and another two were volunteering.

Twins! (Coincidentally. We took off our jackets to run though.)

It was chilly.

I jogged around on the mountaintop to try and get a warmup in. That's key (for me) for not dying during a 5k and actually having a decent chance of going fast.

Part of the course, right through TJ's garden.

A backward view from the course of TJ's vineyards and Montalto.

The race started at 8:45. I was going to attempt another PR, even though I haven't been doing any speed work lately. The course runs around Monticello, the gardens, down some roundabouts on the mountain, down part of the Saunders-Monticello Trail, and back up the trail to the parking lot of the visitor's center. The terrain included pavement, gravel, wood chips, and boardwalk. I managed to keep up a decent pace most of the way, but then came a dreaded side cramp. Around mile 2 I decided to take a walking break. That's pretty pathetic for a 5k, but I hoped it would make the cramp go away so I could continue running. Which sort of worked. I finished 8 seconds slower than my PR. Stupid cramp.

Happy finishers. They both won prizes.

In other running news, I registered for the Blue Ridge Marathon in April again. I've been running about three days a week, but as soon as Christmas is over I will start training for realz. (Though I haven't figured out a plan yet.) I'm not nearly as excited and obsessed with it like I was two years ago, but I think it will be good as long as my body holds up. Last Saturday I ran up Observatory Hill once for kicks, and it helped me get excited to work on hills and mountains again.