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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVzcQrdMxkLNLizM8gKPcPsY0T3QXbuSaHbq6tvbZmpADSTVDs04yWv0pTZfXdQ6zh6ZkbgjEt6Xz6ePtjbbPt0lgv7mPvG-g976cCi7_YWaj0T1sEo3446C3AUu48lGslAtl/s1600/IMG_0372.JPG) |
Twins! (Coincidentally. We took off our jackets to run though.) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIZEGZ8_PgTlE9Nb8gegqZgGZ-4ZDqjgn3vpKGRXrbwiCP9usMWcVnAYQ5Ng0QUSofkBI6EhZ4nU9kt_Ei75wr18zvvdTlw0r2Q-zzd69fU2aDF04E1f9BBp1Vi90I_LqSJ1k/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG) |
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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZRUB2kWhC2DLuXFusbmJLkN3oZ0rruymp32pMR2ZuWjy8GIt95B9qOaJWM-mFqq1lbL1Lk8wz3mWoMDc6GhgnzpdE38qgzFzTNopLmrrVzNdn-p1lH0rkSYQKCoNgFNilB_W/s1600/IMG_0363.JPG) |
Part of the course, right through TJ's garden. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZHslMScFD0ulX2QMydwIoQe9gKItgWp7TXroBWtxhLC4RqAoYs6GYXb38GMmHUZyVcp08qTSKmdGOYvjOzmeGNPhUeDs5D_G_OsLaYsTLmYhguqi6z-AYEwGF5RROjYqyDEX/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG) |
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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbYphfGQ1I_WVzxj8M5rl0p7GmJOIDNJ5TVYOBuMCvdkwJrYCraB8Kc4_E-zus4b2bDJz_BrRol0Y6_ut6_NHRCbfypvsVFDpUYoJC2GTZ-jqrmWLWvje7j-ojSbs-8quWgsx/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG) |
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.