The Crystal City Friday 5K is an evening race series held in Crystal City, Virginia (surprise surprise hehe). There are four races and runners can register a la carte for $20/race or register for all four for $60 and receive a free tech tee.
This race series was not originally part of my race schedule. I was reminded of the series when Abby mentioned she was participating in something similar in Charleston. A few week ago Courtney sent a tweet asking if a few of us from DC/VA were running. I thought it would be a good way to get in some speedier runs during the week, but I was still a maybe. The thought of heading over to Virginia after work on a Friday evening was the main reason I was not a yes right away. Crystal City is pretty close.. but something about crossing that river haha. I realized I was a bit irrational and signed up.
Race Series Goals
I will be out of town for one of the races, so I only have three race goals:
- Race #1: Get a feel for the course, finish 32:00-33:00
- Race #2: Better my time from Race #1
- Race #3: Better my time from Race #2
If a PR comes out of this, it would be amazing. If not, a course PR by Race #3 would be ideal.
Crystal City 5K – Race #1
Runners could pick up their bibs at Pacers Pentagon Row ahead of Friday or pick it up that evening. Again, I did not want to metro over to Crystal City before the race, so I opted for the latter. I drove over (parked at the wrong garage and had to pay…booo…apparently there was a free one) and was in line around 5:45PM. I gave the volunteer my name and she handed me the bib I would use for all the races.
It moved pretty quickly and I am glad I got there when I did….because the line wrapped around outside around 6:00-6:15PM. There was gear check, but I opted out because I stowed my belongings in my car.
The starting area was full of runners, a DJ and a Shoe Lab where people could test out shoes. Does the starting area look familiar? The MCM and MCM10K courses take runners through this section of Crystal City.
Ready for the start! There were no corrals or signage to self sort by time. It was crowded at the start, but I’ve encountered worse.
The race was suppose to start at 6:30PM, but it was delayed a bit…no biggie.
The course took us south on Crystal Drive then north on the same road. We made a turnaround at Long Branch Drive (water stop included) and made our way back to Crystal Drive for the finish. There were no steeps hills, but there were a few long climbs.
This race I wanted to get a feel for the course and try to finish between 32:00-33:00.
- Mile 1: 9:45 (made an effort to slow down in the beginning, calves were tight)
- Mile 2: 10:14 (feeling good…feeling good…ouch side stitches)
- Mile 3: 11:34 (ugh side stitches…need to walk)
I finished with a time of 33:49 or 10:53min/mile. This was my fourth race in which I encountered side stitches and this time it was pretty bad (I had to walk a fair amount for mile 3 so I was not bummed about my time). I looked up some articles online (here and here) and I think it was a combination of breathing pattern (my trainer also gave me some suggestions that were mentioned in the article), fueling (the last time I ate was lunch), and lack of a warm-up.
I’ll make some adjustments for this Friday’s 5K and I am pretty confident I can best my time from last week. Stay tuned next week for Race #2
Have you ever participated in a race series?
Have you ever run in an evening race?
Coco (@Got2Run4Me)
April 8, 2015I would like to try these 5Ks but the after-work time is so hard for me. Looking forward to hearing about the next one!
Coco (@Got2Run4Me) recently posted…Curried Chickpea Stew
Run Jenny Run
April 8, 2015Thanks Coco! It was def a process to get there after work (go straight from the office via Metro, drive, etc). I was surprised the drive did not take too long.
Jill
April 8, 2015Aww sorry you got side stitches :(. They are the worst. I get them sometimes during 5ks too Bc I’m not used to running that fast on a daily basis. My breathing def gets all screwy. But you pushed through and finished! Wahooo!!!
Jill recently posted…Fight Through the Headwind, Savor the Tailwind
Run Jenny Run
April 8, 2015Thanks Jill! That is exactly what my trainer said – my breathing changed!
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running
April 8, 2015Sorry to hear about the side stitches. Hopefully the tips from the articles help and you’re able to improve your time at this Friday’s race.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…2015 Florida Vacation Recap – Part 1
Run Jenny Run
April 8, 2015Thanks Kathryn! Will be interested to see how my body adapts!
Chaitali
April 8, 2015Oh, that’s cool that it’s a race series and you’ll have a couple opportunities to try the same course. Good luck with Friday’s race and hopefully the changes prevent the side stitches. I’ve done a couple evening races and really enjoy them, but it does require a different fueling strategy.
Chaitali recently posted…Weekly review
Run Jenny Run
April 8, 2015Thanks Chaitali. It is a fun challenge and nice to get out there and run shorter distances (despite the stitch). Montgomery County has quite a few evening races – I never got to run them when I lived there. It just slipped my mind to properly fuel before the 5K.
Tara @ Running 'N' Reading
April 8, 2015This is so awesome, Jenny! I love that you and Courtney are doing this!! Of course, you already know that I run in a local racing series; it’s so fun to see how you can improve. I know you’ll DEFINITELY do better this week; 5Ks seem to be a lot of trial and error for me, and it’s a tough distance. It’s wild that y’all use the same bib for all the races; I’d have to remember to take care of it – ha! Thanks so much for sharing this; can’t wait to hear more!
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Garlic Shrimp with White Beans &Tomatoes
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Haha I know! I kept my bib in the visor section of my car..otherwise it would be bent or lost! 5Ks are tough… for me there can be so much time swing.
Mindy @ Road Runner Girl
April 8, 2015Oh that sounds like a fun race series! I wish we had something like that here! Congrats on a great race! Hope you get the side stitches under control. I had one my past two races but I know it’s from pushing hard to PR.
Mindy @ Road Runner Girl recently posted…Crescent City Classic 10K Recap!
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Thanks Mindy – that makes sense… getting uncomfortable b/c I am pushing myself 🙂
Pam and Christine
April 8, 2015A race series would be a really fun challenge to try to improve each time. Sorry you had side stitches….I actually had one on my long run last weekend. It had been forever since I had one, DC certainly has plenty of great races to choose from.
Pam and Christine recently posted…Boston marathon countdown and taper
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Very luck to have so many races in the area. Sorry to hear you had stitches during your long run – they can be so uncomfortable, hope they were not there too long.
Ashley @ Heart Rate Rising
April 8, 2015The Crystal City 5Ks are so much fun! I actually work right smack across the street, so I normally do two of them every year. Unfortunately this year I’m busy every Friday night, but it’s a great course. Glad you signed up for it!
Ashley @ Heart Rate Rising recently posted…Running Playlist: February 2015
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Ahh too bad. Hope to see you at the meetup this weekend!
Karen @ Fit in France
April 8, 2015We have the same sneakers. LOL. I love them !
Karen @ Fit in France recently posted…Prepping for my first half marathon : clothes
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Nice! I love them too 🙂
Meranda@Fairytalesandfitness
April 8, 2015I have ran the disney TOT and the Las Vegas half which were both at night and come to think of it the 5k was at night too. I really enjoy night races!
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015I forgot Las Vegas is at night! Night races are nice to beat the heat.
Stephanie
April 8, 2015Bummer about the side stitches, but at least you have two more races to make up for it! If my coworkers and I run in one of the 5Ks, it’ll probably be the week you’re skipping. Not sure we want to pay $20 to run though.
Stephanie recently posted…Dairy Causing My Adult Acne? – Update
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Exactly! Glad this happened during race #1. I will be missing week 3. Oh I tried to find your email address, but couldn’t find it. I was going to send you the response from my Spam capture service.
Jennifer @ Running on Lentils
April 8, 2015I think an evening race would be really tough from a fueling perspective. Glad that you found some good strategies to deal with side stitches. I’m sure you’ll beat your time during the next race!
Jennifer @ Running on Lentils recently posted…Keepin’ It Real: I’m Tired and Hungry
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Thanks Jenn! Going through my work motions and completely forgot/ignored fueling before the race .
Debbie @ Deb Runs
April 8, 2015So fun! Courtney told us about this race series when we saw her on Saturday. Even with your stitch and having to walk, you still almost met your goal! Can’t wait to see how the other go.
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Learning To Love Solitude
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Thanks Deb! Hope you are having a good week.
Sherry
April 9, 2015Sorry to hear about the side stitches. I haven’t done an evening race or series race yet. That’s seems to be a great deal for four 5ks!
Sherry recently posted…Last Week’s Half Marathon Training Workouts (3/30-4/5) and Weekend Update
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015It was a pretty good deal 🙂 Thanks Sherry!
Nathasha
April 9, 2015I heard about this series — love the concept! I think it’s a fun way to get your runs in. I LOLed about the part of venturing into VA after work — I would feel the same way. Haha. I haven’t done any evening races, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Enjoy the rest of the series!
Nathasha recently posted…8/50 – Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Love Run
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Hahah..don’t you love when you get a real LOL in. Have you run the Rockville Twilight 8K? I think it was an 8K.
Lindsay T.
April 9, 2015Nooo side stitches!!! I’m about to go read those articles, I live in FEAR of them
Lindsay T. recently posted…Wednesday Workout: Spring Training
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015I know! I haven’t had them in so long, so I was surprised to get them.
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets
April 9, 2015DC area seems to have all of these cool races! I’ve never ran a race in the evening – looks like fun! Ugh, side stiches are the worst…I’ve gotten them a couple of times, mainly because of fueling issues or if I start out too fast.
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Goals for the Cherry Blossom Run
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Haha I say that about other cities too. Very luck to have so many races to choose from (a few competing race organizations).
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero
April 9, 2015I love doing my summer series because it is so fun to compete against yourself and try to beat your own times. It is really a good push for me to try and run a bit faster each time. I hope you find you really enjoy this series. So sorry about the side stitches on this first one.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted…5 Ways to Tailor Sponsored Posts to Your Audience
Run Jenny Run
April 10, 2015Thanks Abby! It is fun competing against myself – looking forward to reading about yours when you begin.
Sharon
April 10, 2015So nice to have the races series to run! I don’t think there is anything like that in my area and such a great deal! Sorry to hear about your side stitches. Hope you get them under control.
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Ali @ Hit the Ground Running
April 10, 2015I like race series. It’s a great way to stay motivated over a few months and saves money!
Ali @ Hit the Ground Running recently posted…Attitude Change