When your college bestie suggests a 5K during the girl’s weekend vacation, the answer is YES. I had not planned to race so soon after the 50-mile race, but recovery from the ultra happened surprisingly fast and it was enough weeks out that I felt okay signing up for the Run the Vineyards Oktoberfest 5K in Millville, NJ. And I’m so glad I did. It was an absolute blast.
On the ride there, April, Lydia, and I sang our hearts out to Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen, my ultimate favorite pump-up song. There is video evidence, but I think I’ll leave that one for the private archives.
We talked about goals for the race. Lydia had a secret time goal. April wanted to run the whole thing without stopping. I decided last minute my primary goal was to run faster each mile. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I might be able to finish near the top of the field for such a small race. This was April’s first in-person race, so that made it extra special.
The course runs through a little vineyard on a crushed gravel trail (so pretty!), then on grass, before an out-and-back on the roads, then a finish back at the vineyard. The terrain was a combination of gentle rollers and flat.
The out and back course meant I got to high five @lydiology & @sohoskirt in the middle of the run. I actually found myself cheering for the other runners too. It gave me such joy, and I think distracted me from feeling the pace… because I was gong a bit faster than I anticipated.
My legs were like: ultra, what ultra? LET’S GO! My watch clocked mile one at 7:25, mile two at 7:14, and then mile three I just squeaked out a faster mile at 7:12. However, I’m learning my watch isn’t super accurate. My official time was 22:31.3 for a 7:15 pace. Not close to my PR, but way faster than I was expecting, and good enough for second place female! This was my first time with a podium finish, which is another one of those things I said I’d never do, and here we are.
After finishing, I got to dance and cheer for Lydia and April as they came in. I love spectating about as much as I love racing. They both crushed their goals, so we were feeling extra celebratory. April danced her way through the finish line, and the DJ/announcer said she should win for best finish, and I totally agree.
The Charlie’s Angels pose was another one of April’s race goals (and now I’m feeling very inspired to pick experiential goals for future races, because this is the kind of stuff you can control!).
I won a bottle of wine and a special medal for 2nd place. Lydia and I got to pet a seriously sweet floof of a dog. The only bummer of the day was that they ran out of pretzels and bananas, so not everyone got one. Booo to that, especially as a first race experience for April.
And one of my favorite things about East Coast races? The stop at Wawa afterwards! I got a turkey sausage Sizzli, an apple fritter, and a black coffee. Not my usual pizza, but don’t worry… we did that later in the day!
The details:
Run the Vineyards Oktoberfest 5K in Millville, NJ
October 24, 2021
Weather: Low 40s, gray and cold
Finish time: 22:31.3, 2nd place female
