Race Report- Medved 5k to Cure ALS

For the fourth year in a row Dad and I spent the morning of Father's Day running in the Medved 5k to Cure ALS. Check out the report from last year! Here are some photos from each year, please ignore the change in waistband size, ha.

2011

2012

2013

2014

This is the first 4-peat race we will do this year and while we were running, we tried to figure out which other races will be potential 4-peats too. The next one is on July 4th so stay tuned for that race recap in a couple weeks. Since we waited until the last minute to do packet pick-up with our last race, and had some t-shirt issues because of it, I decided I would get there bright and early Saturday morning. For the second year they offered a tech shirt option which is a great option, but makes it really hard to choose the right size, especially when the tech shirts are gender specific. Apparently most running woman aren't well endowed in the chest region!! The people at packet pick-up were super friendly and they did have the correct size shirts for us this time around. Unfortunately the tech shirts are white and mine doesn't fit. I know you've heard me gripe about white race shirts in the past, why doesn't anyone listen to me!!! ;)

The race started at 8:30 so Dad & Mom picked up Rob and me and we were on our way to Frontier Field around 7:30. It was cool and cloudy and so I opted for long sleeves and capris. When I saw everyone in shorts, short-sleeved shirts or going shirtless I got nervous that I overdressed. We did our usual pre-race ritual and saw some familiar faces and before we knew it we were kissing Mom and Rob goodbye and lining up at the start. We noticed from the beginning that the field felt smaller than usual and sure enough there were about one hundred less participants than last year according to the timing results. As soon as the horn blew and we started moving, my legs felt heavy like they were working really hard. We kept moving along chatting, dodging pot holes and manhole covers and before we knew it we were at the one mile mark, way quicker than my usual speed lately. Holy cow, no wonder my legs were fighting me!! I don't think I looked at my Garmin that entire first mile. One disappointing factor about this race is that they usually run out of water at the first water stop by the time I get there. I'm not sure if they were more prepared, or if it was the cooler temps or less people, but they had plenty of water and I was really grateful as the sun was starting to come out at this point. 

This course is great because it is flat and there are lots of twists and turns and if you are facing the sun and heating up, there probably will be a turn as soon as you start to get uncomfortable. A stretch in the middle is nicely shaded by the city buildings and usually there is a bit of a breeze. We thanked the police and volunteers and wished Happy Father's Day to everyone. There are not a lot of spectators on the course, they are typically concentrated to the area around the baseball stadium but with Dad and I simultaneously talking and gasping for air, the time passes quickly. At one point we were even distracted by a nice train hauling lots of sugar tanks! I told Dad I was going to take a walk break at the train bridge and he quickly responded that the 2 mile sign was just a bit after the bridge, so I sucked it up and we walked from the sign to the next water stop. Once again there was a table full of water and encouraging volunteers.

The best part about this race is the finish, as it takes you into the outfield of Frontier Field and you finish on home plate. This year they were broadcasting the finish on the jumbo screen in the stadium, that was a fun addition I don't remember from the past races! As we approached the outfield we noticed an older gentleman who was commenting on the baseball signage along the way, he started talking to my Dad about baseball players and they slowed their pace a bit. I continued and as we rounded the end of the stands I kept moving and kept my eye on the finish line. I heard my Dad say behind me "ok, I can't let my daughter beat me, bye" or something along those lines! I saw him appear out of the corner of my eye and brush past me right before the finish. I do think we finished at the same time, but for this race they listed him ahead of me in the official results. I'll get him next next!

Race Report- ALS 5k

In 2011 when I started running, we started a new family tradition on Father's Day. Every year my Dad and I run the Medved ALS 5k. We have run quite a few races together and because I ran Cleveland this year and missed the Lilac 5k, Sunday was our first three-peat race ever!

Ready to start my 41st race.

The ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) 5k is put on by the local running store Medved. It is always held on Father's Day and finishes at Frontier Field on home plate. The course is really flat and has lots of zig zags so there are lots of opportunities for spectating. Another new perk this year was offering tech shirts for the first 600 registrants, Unfortunately, the tech shirts were running (haha) really small. Sometimes I would just be happier with a cotton shirt. 

At the last minute Molly decided to sign up too, and since she is our new neighbor I swung by and picked her up at 7:30am. We each grabbed a bagel from the Dunkin' drive-thru and complained about how we were sore from moving her into her new place the day before. Once we parked we met up with my parents and took some photos before the race. We wound up bumping into fellow runner Cheryl who was running alone and we chatted for a while about lots of running related topics. 

We all headed over to the starting line together and Mom got herself positioned for picture taking, cheering and cowbell ringing! The race isn't too large but isn't small enough where us slow pokes have to worry about them tearing down the finish line before we get to it. It also has kind of a family feel because of it being Father's Day and because lots families/groups/friends fundraise together for ALS and run in memory of someone.  

On our way!

It took about 20 seconds to get to the start line since that was the difference between the race clock and my Garmin. Dad shot ahead and stayed a steady distance in front of us. Cheryl, Molly and I started out together for the first half and talked and gasped for breath simultaneously. Molly and I shared our marathon war stories with Cheryl and it was nice to have great company and conversation to keep our minds off of what we were actually doing. At the first mile they have a volunteer yelling out the splits, we were just above 12 minutes and I felt like we were going faster then that. I told the girls that I was going to walk through the upcoming water stop, but before the stop would be by mom at her second cheering station. When we got to the water stop they had run out of water by the time we got there. I vaguely remember that happening the year before too. Kinda disappointing, even though I wasn't too dehydrated it was a little humid and some water would have been nice. Since I didn't really need to walk and there was no water I just continued to plug ahead with Cheryl, and Molly followed closely behind. 

We continued running and chatting and I told Cheryl that at the 2 mile marker I was going to take a short walking break and that she could continue to go on. Molly was having some hip pain and general soreness, but she was still closely behind. When we got to the sign I wished Cheryl well and thanked her for the company. I watched her press on and catch up to my Dad. I decided to walk from the sign to the second water stop and saw my Dad up ahead passing his hat to my Mom at her third cheering spot. I grabbed some water from a little guy and thanked all the volunteers for being there. During my walking break Molly caught up with me and I told her that my plan was to continue running all the way to the end. 

After a couple more turns I saw my Dad start to slow and walk, so I cheered for him trying to encourage him, but it turned out he was just waiting for me so we could finish together. After a couple more turns we got ready for what is, in my opinion, the best race finish in Rochester. As we entered the back of Frontier Field there was one more timing clock that read 37 minutes and change. Running through the outfield is such a cool experience. You never get to have that vantage point while at the ballpark so it is really cool! Dad and I ran into the finish together with Mom cheering from the stands and Cheryl waiting and cheering in the finishing chute. After congratulating each other we turned to cheer Molly in. 

Great start to the day.