Mission City 5K: Kayley's first 5K!

I was flipping through a local newspaper while waiting for an offsite meeting, when I noticed an ad for the Mission City 5K, put on by Keypoint Credit Union at Great America. It sounded really low-key, with no-timing (just placement in the chute), free admission into the park, sounds like an awesome event for the whole family, and a nice first non-kids race for Kayley. For $35 per adult, and $15 per kid (Mason gets in free), it's waayyy cheaper than admission into Great America, so there's definite frugal appeal there for me. Great America and I have a history of running. Every time Kayley and Trish go (I think it's always been on a weekday), I have them pick me up so I can run into work. So this was actually going to be my first time at the Park. The race includes a 5K and a 1 mile. I convince Kayley to give the 5K a try, and Trish opts for the 1 mile walk.

Race morning starts really early for us. The alarm goes off at 5:30 but there were a couple of snooze button hits, and extended "But I'm tiirrrreed" protests. We grab breakfast and coffee at Starbucks, traffic is light, and we arrive in plenty of time. Parking is free for us, and we drive right into the VIP parking lot. Yeah!

We grab our bibs, but have to wait awhile for goodie bags and shirts. Trish and the stroller is like a rolling aid station, and we put our drop bags into the basket. I bump into my friend Eric, who was my regular running partner lifetimes ago. He convinced me to run my very first race, the Mercury Press Run 10k, way back in 2001, so it's good to see him there with his son Hagen.


Baldwyn, Mason and Kayley

Kayley, Mason and Trish

Hagen and Eric

We gather in front of the carousel at the start, somewhere mid-pack, and Miss Santa Clara 2009 sings the National Anthem. The airhorn blows at around 7:45, and we're off.



The way is crowded, but that's ok. Kayley dashes off when the way is clear, and I follow. Her pace is inconsistent, but she's having fun.



We weave our way through the park, which is pretty cool, and Kayley's doing awesome. But she starts getting tired, hoping that the end is near, when we reach the 1 mile mark. We start taking some walking breaks, and leave the park, to head out into the parking lot. Kayley starts asking how far we have to go quite frequently at this point. And is quite thirsty. There's no aid on this course, and I regret not bringing some water. The second half of the course is really uninspiring as it circumvents parking lots. Kayley tells me about her blisters, and her aching calves, and asks me to carry her but I tell her she'll finish just fine without it coming to that. I tell her it's ok to walk, just run the finish in case there are cameras.



She asks me what this distance is like after a 50 miler, and I do admit that my short run is longer than this race. But way back when I ran with Eric, my bread-and-butter run was 2.5 miles. I struggled with the concept of his mid-week long run of 8 miles.



The 3 mile mark is a big one, and we return to running for the finish which is just around the corner. I speed up to take photos of Kayley running, and she protests, she wants to cross the finish line first! We cross the line in something like 45 minutes. I'm very proud of Kayley guttin' through her first big race! She's a real trooper.

We're awarded with some nice copper medals, and grab some water and finish line food, and hang out until the park opens at 10am.

Mason gets to go on his first ride, which is that two level carousel from the start.




The excitement is too much

We end the day with another first. Kayley decides to go on her first upside roller coaster!



I ask Kayley if she wants to guest-blog about the race, and we decide just to do an interview. So without further ado:

How did you feel about the race before you ran it?
I felt very nervous.

Did you do anything special to get ready for the race?
No, I just woke up at 5:30.

What did you think about the distance, before you ran it?
It sounded pretty hard to me. But I thought I could do it.

What did you think about the course?
I kind of liked it. I've seen much nicer places where you can run, but it's Great America, so...

What was hard about the race?
The distance. It became hard after the first mile.

When you crossed the finish line, how did you feel?
Really really really tired. My toes were sore. I was proud.

What was your favourite part about racing today?
Spending time with my family.

Any future plans in running?
Pace myself more. I would like to do another race.