TC Summit Challenge - Races Review

Races Included: This race series was for

• Valentines Day 5K at Lake Harriet
• Hot Dash 10 Mile in Northeast Minneapolis
• Red White and Boom Half Marathon in North Minneapolis and Downtown
• TC 10 Miler also known as "The Shortcut to the Capitol" 

Registration: Like all TCM race series, there is online registration.  One transaction takes care of all 4 races.  One of the reasons I suspect the race series have been popular for TCM is the guaranteed entry into the 10 Mile.  It's quite a draw for me at least.

Training Volume: I think I kept my training volume a bit too high, especially in early summer getting ready for RW&B, and then didn't really have an adequate down time before training started for the 10 Mile.  By the end of September I was done with everything and that was not a fun feeling.
 I originally signed up for this because I liked the idea of having a few key races throughout the year, more of a "year round running" thing than just having 3 races in one weekend like the past two years with Loony Challenge.  Having tried it both ways, I learned that my strong preference is for one weekend with a whole bunch of racing.

My Plan for Next Year: (at this moment in my mind)
MNy? I considered the Summit MNy for next year, 3 5Ks and then a 10-miler.  But the 5K course for Hot Dash is the same as Red White and Boom.  And I hate big crowded 5Ks anyway.
Loony?  I think I'll probably do Loony again.  I loved having all that stuff going on for race weekend.  It's also a bit easier to build up in training since all the training is building towards one particular weekend.
Flying Pig 3 Way?  There's also a discussion of returning to the Flying Pig.  If I go back, I believe it would be for the 3 Way.  Bonus is that I may have a running buddy or two for the 5K so that would be amazing.

Both: I could do both Flying Pig 3 Way and Loony.  There's enough time to build to each, and enough time to rest in between.

TC 10 Mile - Race Review

Registration: Online.  My registration for TC 10 Mile was included by registering for the TC Summit Challenge that probably deserves it's own post.  For those not participating in a race series, the entry is by lottery.

Packet Pick Up: There is a huge race expo for the TC Race Weekend.  Races include TC 5K, TC 10K, TC 10 Mile and the Marathon, as well as a bunch of kids/family races I don't pretend to understand.  Race expo is at the Xcel Energy Center and it's always a big deal.  This year I met Olive for some big shopping.  I found good deals on running belts because all of mine seem to have broken right at the end of my training session.  Olive found her dream pillows at the expo.  We both had a good time.

Weather and Wardrobe: Start temps for the 10 mile were 35* and 90% humidity.  I wish I was joking.  I take a city bus from my house to the start line, so I was outside from 5:30am on.  Race starts at 7am for the Pro Women and my corral took off around 7:20am.

• Throw away layers: Sweat pants, a fleece top I didn't want, fleece headband, and mismatched socks used as gloves
• Shirt: I work my 'ugly Christmas sweater' running shirt and it was totally the right decision, technical short sleeve shirt underneath as well
• Bottom: Saucony full length tights
• Socks: Smart wool socks
• Shoes: Brooks Green Silence
• Head: Visor.  I did not wear sunglasses.  I thought they would've fogged instantly in all the humidity.

Start Line: Race starts in downtown Minneapolis near the Viking Ship.  (I refuse to learn the real name of the Vikings stadium).  10 Mile and Marathon have different start lines, though they are within a block or two of each other. 

• Weather: Runners were not allowed inside the Viking Ship which was a bummer because it was really cold outside.  Apparently this will be different in future years.
• Amenities: There seemed to be plenty of potties.  I walked a block or two off the starting line to use the 'Marathon' potties which had basically no line.  That's fairly amazing given the number of people there. 
• Corrals: So, my Corral seemed to have the most people.  From the train station, Corral C is the easiest to get to.  The other two corrals seemed to involve some walking, and knowing which way to go.  It didn't bother me.  I couldn't tell if the fasties I saw in my corral meant to be there, or just got to the race late and didn't really know where else to go.

Course: I finally got to test out the 'real' course.  The past two years I ran on a modified course.  West River Road had been closed due to a mud slide and ensuing reconstruction of a hill side and some other stuff.

• Downtown: The course starts in downtown and runs by the Guthrie and a few other landmarks.
• The River: Everyone remarked on how amazing this part of the course was.  There were ice chunks floating around and steam rising off the river, with the some coming up over it.  It was early in the course and fairly down hill, which also probably helped everyone's enjoyment.
• Up the hill to Franklin Bridge: Let the climbing begin.  Don't try to win the race on this hill.
• Over Franklin Bridge: There were lots of spectators here
• Up East River Road for a while: The 10 mile and marathon courses are the same on this side of the river, so I'd see marathon mile markers and I knew then I had 0.2 to go to get to the 10 mile marker.  There are a few hills, but this is the last reprieve before more climbing
• Up the hill to Cretin: Big hill.  Don't try to win the race on this hill.
• Along Summit Ave, more hills: Summit Ave is climbing to "the Summit" which means it's still a lot of up, though nothing as steep as the climb to Franking nor that damn hill before Cretin. The spectators are out in full force here and there's parties every block or two.  My favorites for this part were the sign that said "Summit Ave is your B!tch" and the people that hand out beer.
• Look for the Cathedral: Nothing like being on Summit, rounding the corner and seeing that Cathedral come out of nowhere.  Now it's really downhill to the finish. 

Finish: The finish line with the cathedral on the left and the Capital way off in the distance is fairly amazing.  Even if it didn't have the emotional piece that goes with the finish line, this part of the course would be amazing. The finish area is well done.  Bag check was easy.  There is a changing tent which I used.  Lots and lots of good food including hot broth for recovery.  And then there's the beer garden. 

Race Recommended For:

• New to going far: If you want to go longer than a 5K or 10K, this is a good step up in distance before trying the half marathon.
• Experienced: This is a great course and a well done race.  Go enjoy yourself.
• Climbers and mountain goats: Any trail person that wants to try a road race, this is the one for you.  For a road race, there is a lot of up.
• Anybody: This is a really well known and well done race.  Just try it.

My Race: I was happy with my race but disappointed with my time.  I thought I could've done a little faster given my training this year.  But when I think about how I was feeling, I was digging pretty deep.  I did go hard, and I did negative split the race. Intellectually I know I should be happy with this, but I can't help feeling a bit bummed too.

Lessons Learned: I need to have a better mental game on race day. 
The best race I had all year was Red White and Boom.  I think a big part of that was having such a strong mental game going into the race. I knew what paces I wanted to hit starting out, I knew my plan for the hill, and then I knew what I was going to do in the middle and end of the race.
This race, I knew to not start out like a nut, and not to try to win the race on any of the hills.  I had no mental game for the back half of the race other than "I wonder if I can hit this pace".
In the first part of the race, I hit paces okay.  I'm not sure if I could've gone faster in the first mile or two, but I really wasn't feeling it at the time.
I did maintain my senses on the hills and let people go by me.
Everything after the Franklin Bridge is where I had the most room for improvement. I just kind of turned off my watch and tried to go by feel.  I should've had a "try for this pace, if not, then use this pace as plan B" strategy.  I didn't have enough confidence in myself that I could hit my A paces, especially while climbing up Summit, and I didn't have a back up plan.

TC 10 Mile - 2 Weeks to Go and 1 Week to Go

Two weeks to go 
Two weeks to go started with a bad run and the panic attack from hell. Which caused me to do only heart rate based work outs and abandon all else.  Plus, I feel much better for surviving the panic attack.  And when I get done with this damn race training, I want to do all the fun things including all the classes I haven't been to in forever.  ::Phew::


Sunday
Plan: Long Run
Actual: Run 10.15 miles and I don't want to talk about it.  Walk/run 3.3 miles with a friend.  Foam roll and stretch.

Monday
Plan: Run 1 mile, elliptical the rest
Actual: 4.15 miles run outside on my favorite route.  Pity party from yesterday is over.  Today helped me remember that I like to run, and running should only be used to make myself feel good.

Tuesday
Plan: Low heart rate run, elliptical.  Lift weights?  We'll see if I've recovered from Sunday
Actual: 2.3 miles on the treadmill, Avg HR 129 (this was a good run), and then 60 mins on the elliptical.  For many reasons I opted to skip weight lifting.  The one I'll share on here is that the TRX frame is now caught in a construction zone at the gym, and it would've annoyed now.

Wednesday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run, very early in the morning.  Very early.

Thursday
Plan: 1 mile run, elliptical the rest this can be switched with Saturday if I want
Actual: 5.75 miles run, Avg HR 136.  Bonus spin class for 20 mins or so. 

Friday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles.  Avg HR 126.  For such a low heart rate this was a very fast run.  Mildly encouraged.

Saturday
Plan: Low heart rate run, no more speed.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 4.15 miles run and some walking and taking pictures around Lake Hiawatha.  No Zumba.

One week to go
Sunday
Plan: Long Run at Ft Snelling
Actual: No long run.  I woke up not feeling it and thought to myself, "why would I do this when I feel like crap?  Rest will be better"   Instead I ran 2.55 miles to get Ice Cream and then walked 1.5 miles home.

Monday
Plan: 1 mile run, elliptical the rest
Actual: 5 mile run.  It's a gorgeous day and I was not going inside to an elliptical.  I did feel mildly guilty for not doing yesterday's last long run.

Tuesday
Plan: Low heart rate run or 1 mile run and elliptical
Actual: 1.20 miles run, low heart rate.  No elliptical. 

Wednesday
Plan: 1-4 miles run, or 1 mile run and elliptical
Actual: 4.2 miles run with a friend. 

Thursday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run

Friday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run, stretching

Saturday
Plan: 1 mile run, cheer for friends in the 5K
Actual: 1.2 miles run, stretching, yoga.  Cheering for all of my friends.  Then I spent the rest of the day watching IM Kona.

TC 10 Mile - 3 Weeks to Go

Sunday
Planned: Long Run
Actual: 12.65 miles.  This was a rough run.  I kept the heart rate in check mostly but it was slower than I wanted.  Perhaps I couldn't made better decisions last night regarding nutrition and fluid intake?

Monday
Planned: Hills or trails
Actual: 3.02 miles, little neighborhood hill route.  Apparently the bad decisions regarding nutrition and fluid continue.  I meant to do a longer

Tuesday
Planned: Low heart rate run, lift weights
Actual: 3.73 miles, Avg HR 138.  15 mins elliptical.  TRX/Kettlebell class. I got started a bit late because work was trying to win today, so I didn't spend as much time on the elliptical as normal.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.22 miles.

Thursday
Planned: 6-10 miles.  (I used to make this 8-10 miles and that seemed to be setting myself up for failure.)
Actual: Laid in bed instead of running.  Eventually did 1.23 miles.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles run, 3.5 miles walk with a friend.

Saturday
Planned: Constant speed 20 mins, 5 recover; 15 mins, 4 recover; 10 mins
Actual: 20 mins at 10:37 pace (this was a mistake); 15 mins at 11:12 pace; 10 mins at 11:25 pace including that massive hill at the end.  I ran the first 20 mins by feel.  Mistake because I took it out way too fast, and it made it hard to hold the pace at the end.  All valuable lessons for race day.

TC 10 Mile - 4 Weeks to Go

This is a Step Back Week.  It was perfectly timed to coincide with my parents visit.  I am so glad I didn't have to fit in a long run while they were here.

Sunday
Planned: Low mileage, low HR
Actual: 4.15 miles, Avg HR 133 (though honestly the HR was all over the place).  Bonus walk around Lake Harriet with the parents.

Monday
Planned: Low mileage, low HR
Actual: 4.15 miles with a friend.  This was a speedier run than I had planned, but I loved the company.  Zumba in the evening with Mom.

Tuesday
Planned: Low HR run, lift weights
Actual: 1.21 miles running, Avg HR 134.  60 mins elliptical.  TRX/Kettlebell class.  Foam roll. The trainer introduced the rowing machine today.  It was much harder the way she does it than the way I'd been doing it.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles, Avg HR 132.  I just ran a 12:45 mile with a heart rate below 140! 

Thursday
Planned: 6+ miles
Actual: 4.12 miles.  So many excuses in my head for doing a short run.  But really, it was a good run and I'm okay with it.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run.  Bonus walk at Palmer Lake with a friend. We saw a turtle and called it our spirit animal.

Saturday
Planned: Constant speed 3x10 Mins, 4 mins recovery
Actual: Completed.  Laps were at 10:56, 10:59 and 10:52.  I found myself liking this workout a lot.  Bonus walk at Lake Calhoun with a friend.  Today we saw an Eagle and said that was our spirit animal.

TC 10 Mile - 5 Weeks to Go

Sunday
Planned: Long Run
Actual: 10.91 mile run, Celebrating Franklin Ave Bridge and W River Parkway finally being done with construction.  20 mins kettle bells.  10 mins stretching.  I wanted a run just a bit longer than this route.  Since mileage was a little less, I went a bit harder with the weights.

Monday
Planned: Hills or trails
Actual: 6.61 miles, 50th/Lyndale route.  There were a lot of people out today, biking with kids and walking dogs.  I was glad for the parts of this route that were nowhere near the creek and therefore way less crowded.

Tuesday
Planned: Low heart rate run, lift weights  (am now realizing this has to happen in the morning because I have family coming into town in the evening)
Actual: 2.35 miles treadmill run.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 5.11 miles low heart rate run, Avg HR 138.  28 mins body weight finisher.  Tuesday and Wednesday got flip flopped this week.  I couldn't go to the gym this morning (where the actual weights are), so I did something else.
4X 15 push ups, 15 calf raises each leg, 25 squats, 25 single leg dead lifts each leg; then walking leg raises, walking bicycles, and that twisty motion that I don't have a name for.  The 4 sets of the first stuff was awful.  Never again do I want to do 25 single leg dead lifts per leg 4 times through.  That was forever long.
Update from days later: 4x25 single led dead lifts/leg is too high volume, even without weights.  My ham strings were shot for several days. 

Thursday
Planned: 8-10 miles
Actual: 5.75 miles (or so, GPS had an issue).  This was a hot, and not purposefully high heart rate run.  I was glad when it was over.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.24 miles in the cool morning weather.  Excellent.

Saturday
Planned: Pick speed work or do an easy run
Actual: 4.15 miles easy. It was cool enough I wanted to run, but I was exhausted and didn't feel like speed work.

TC 10 Mile - 6 Weeks to go

This is what training while not having good mental health looks like.

Sunday
Planned: Long Run Hill Run
Actual: 5.25 miles of my creek/48/46/44th hill run route.  At 4:48am.  I swapped long run and hill run days this week, so that I could cram in the State Fair on Sunday.

Monday
Planned: Hill Run Long Run
Actual: 11.32 miles, interval run.  No one is more surprised this actually happened than me.

Tuesday
Planned: Low HR run, lift weights
Actual: 1.20 miles.  I felt like crap.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 5.2 miles.  15 mins kettle bells.  This doesn't totally make up for yesterday, but it is a step  in the right direction.  PS - I've accepted what kind of person I am and set my alarm for a late wake up call. That 8-10 miles is happening in the afternoon tomorrow.

Thursday
Planned: 8-10 miles
Actual: 4.1 miles at the end of the day, and it was a miracle that I got that far.  Go ahead, ask me how I'm doing.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.23 miles.  Bonus walk around Palmer Lake with a friend.

Saturday
Planned: W/u; Constant speed 20mins, 5 mins recover; 15 mins, 4 mins recover; 10 mins; c/d
Actual:

• 20 mins at 11:09 pace 
• 15 mins at 11:07 pace
• 10 mins at 11:56 pace. 

I was happy with the first two efforts and exhausted by the last effort which involved a fairly big hill.  I did the run much more by effort than by pace.  I was glad I didn't go out too hard, but also having second thoughts about my goal race pace.

Red White and Boom 2016

It was my first time ever running Red White and Boom.  Things went surprisingly well.

Registration: Online.  I was registered for this race as part of the TC Summit Challenge registration.

Packet Pick Up: I did early pick up at the TCM office conveniently located near my home office location.  There was same day pick up available.  Same day packet pick up and bag drop were 1/2 mile from the start line.  I did use bag drop.  The distance was not ideal, but I knew about it ahead of time because I was told at packet pick up.

Weather and Wardrobe: Start temperatures were predicted to be in the 60s with humidity 60-70%.  Temps were predicted to raise into the high 60s or low 70s by finish.  So, sunny and humid.  I wore shorts and a tank, race belt and a scarf on my head to keep my hair out of my face.

Start Line: The start line for the Half Marathon is on the downtown side of Stone Arch bridge.  I lined up with the 12:13/2:40 pacer.  We were far back and there were no speakers.  I couldn't hear the Star Spangled Banner, nor any race announcements. Otherwise, the start line was pretty orderly.  The pacers and pace signs seemed to help people know where to line up.

Course:
Miles 0-3: Starts along the river and then goes to Plymouth Ave.  There is some rolling but generally very pleasant.  Plus I had a cheering crew at mile 3 and that was awesome.
Miles 4-6: Hills.  A friend of mine called this Cardiac Hill.  I chose not to listen to her before the race.
Miles 7-9: Victory Memorial Parkway - fabulous
Miles 9 -11: Running in the industrial park - everyone told me this was the new part of the course.  2nd Ave north was partially opened to traffic but there was nothing coming, and plenty of room for the spectators that did come.
Miles 11 - finish: Back along the river, some down hill but not all.  Mile 12 was my pity party.

Race:
Pacing done right: I started out with the 2:40/12:13 mile pacer.  My goal for the race was to not start too fast and this seemed the best solution.  He said he'd take breaks every mile and I figured I'd pull away.  He caught me a time or two, with the last time being on Cardiac Hill.  After that, I really did pull away. 
Pacer Problems: In an odd twist, I started catching up on the 2:30/11:27 pacer.  I should not have been catching this guy up.  At mile 5, he shouldn't have been anywhere near the 2:40 pacer.  But he was.  So I let myself slowly reel him in.  And then pass him.  Slowly.  I never saw him again.
Not having problems pacing myself which is new: After two really poorly paced out races, my goal for this one was even pacing and trusting my Garmin.   Which I did.  And it was a pleasure.  I ran an 11:51 for the first half and 11:52 for the back half of the course.  I was aiming for 12:00/mile.  Side note - I'm very glad I wasn't aiming for a 2:30 finish because I would've been ticked at that pacer.
Endurance: I hit a wall around mile 12 and had a bit of a pity party.  I turned off the screen on my watch (it was still tracking), and ran based on feel.  I was somewhat rejuvenated for the last mile, which I knew was downhill and then flat.

Finish: I loved finishing on Stone Arch Bridge.  That said, they should've had the fan barricades sticking out further onto the bridge.  Finishers walking back across the bridge were impeding the course from time to time.  I did like the fans on the bridge cheering for me, but seriously, move out the way. 

Lessons learned from training: 
Endurance: Run Long.  After the fiasco that was Lola's, I focused on having runs that were over 13 miles, usually around 14.  I wanted to get used to being on my feet that long.  It was a good move.
Hills: Practice. Recently I've made a concerted effort to incorporate hills into training.  It gave me confidence going up the big one.  It also taught me common sense.  The race will not be won on that hill but it can easily be lost there.
Pacing: Trust the watch.  Reel in slowly. I learned from the last two races not to start out like a bone head.  I did a very small amount of speed work in this training cycle, but did manage to learn the quirks of my Garmin, including how to trust the pace, and when not to. 

Race Recommended For:
New to Half Marathon -  this race is well organized, well supported, and has tons of pace teams.
Road Runners who like the scenery - I really loved racing on Victory Memorial Parkway.  I'd never done that before.
Experienced runners - because again, this race is well organized and well supported and has tons of pace teams. 
Early risers - start time is 6:30am.  It needed to be that early too.  
Well, um... There seems to be a small contingent of dudes who run this race in underwear.  So if that is your thing, or if that scenery would be your thing, go forth.

Hot Dash 10 Mile - the one where I make all of the mistakes...

Race number 2 in the TCM Summit Challenge is the Hot Dash 10 Mile.

Registration - online, one registration for the entire series of races.  Also, apparently yes I will have the same number for these races, or it has been the same so far. This was a question I'd had from the previous race.

Weather and Wardrobe - This morning I went outside, and saw a full inch of snow.  Oh fuck.  Air temps 28*, winds around 10mph in my face for the first 4 miles.
Top: Smart wool base layer and wind breaker
Bottom: Lined fleece tights
Socks: Compression socks with smart wool socks over top
Shoes: Altra Lone Peaks (I've run both road races this year in my trail shoes because of snow)
Also: gloves came off around mile 1, hat come off around mile 8 and I instantly regretted that decision

Packet Pick Up - I did a light rail/bus combination to get myself to the start line today.  When I arrived, I stopped by the Big Book of Numbers to find my race number, then grabbed my packet.  I estimate it took about 3 minutes and the volunteers were nice.  Bag check was a bit busy because everyone had to wait in line for the stapler to attach their number to their bag, but I used a spare pin so I avoided that line.

Start line - the start line is where things really began to fall apart for me.  The website said they'd have pacers for 11:00/mile, 12:00/mile and 12:30/mile.  I wanted to stay with 12:00/mile, because I knew I could hold it and move up if I wanted.  One was way too fast and one was too slow.  Except the 12:00/mile pacer was nowhere to be seen.  Ever.  The roads before the race were crazy icy and some people from the 'burbs couldn't make it in so I'm wondering if that's what happened.

Course - this course blows.  Even if I'd been having a good day I would've hated this course hard.
Partial Road Closures - Mile 2 -7 were largely on Marshall Ave which was partially open to traffic.  Normally this wouldn't bother me.  I mention it becuase..
Two Way Running Traffic on a partially open road - This course starts with a long out and back section.  Somewhere before mile 3 the leaders started coming "back".  The course got really narrow and very confused with cop cars and lead out bikes telling us to move one way and volunteers telling us to move back because there were cars allowed on part of that street
Industrial NE Minneapolis is boring - The volunteers cheered for us and tried to be interesting.  But we were literally running by seven miles of factories.
Cobblestones at the finish - Whose idea was this?!?

Race - I didn't have a back up plan when the pacer was a no show.  I thought I'd be in a group and just let everyone drag me through this.  I hadn't thought at all about what kind of pace I thought I could hold on my own, or what kind of race I wanted to have (other than "please don't make my ankle worse").   Since I was alone, I wasn't mentally prepared for this race at all and that was the real mistake of the day.  Sigh.  I went out a bit too hard and paid for it near the end of the race.

Finish - I hate cobbles.  Also, there wasn't a big "FINISH LINE" with a sign and balloons that I could see from far off.  Once I turned onto the cobbles I had difficulty telling how much farther I had to run.  Am I there yet?!? 

Race Recommended For - Um, well... I wouldn't run this race again unless it's part of a race series.  The course is not fun.  And the pre-race logistics (ie parking in NE Minneapolis) make it a pain in the ass.  This hurts me to say because the race is well organized and well supported, both things I've come to expect from TCM.  But the scheduling and the course felt like "we needed a spring race and these are the roads the Minneapolis police would let us close so let's see what we can throw together". 

Goals/Outcomes - Before the race I was thinking I'd stay with the 12:00/mile pacer and then if I was feeling good late in the race I'd pull on ahead.  Instead, there was no pacer and I went out way too damn fast.  In the end, I beat my time from October. Barely.  Given the week of not really running, that surprised me.  I wish I'd believed in myself that I had that fitness level in me.  I think I could've paced better and squeezed out a bit more at the end. 

Valentines Day TC 5K

This year instead of Loony, I signed up for the TC Summit Challenge, which is a year-round race series.  First race was today, the Valentines Day TC 5K.  I hate 5Ks. 

Registration: Registration is online and simple.  It's one registration for the series.  About a week before hand, I had an email with my bib number for this race.  (I assume it will change in each race.)  There's also an online bib number lookup.

Pre-Race Communication: We had a couple emails and web page updates from the race organizers.  Race day packet pick up was shortened by 1/2 hour to save the volunteers, pre race packet pick up was encouraged, and one email confirming the race would take place as planned despite the temperatures. I appreciated the extra communication and found the messages on point. 

Packet Pick Up: This is a 2,200 person race.  There is no expo.  I did race day packet pick up.  I had a surprise when I knew the volunteer who handed me my big.  I was very happy to see a friendly face.

Weather and Wardrobe: It was freezing ass cold today.  Air temps were -5* for the race, winds around 3mph.
Base layers: Polypro long johns, polypro socks, smart wool shirt
Top: Ativa cold weather shirt, purple hoodie with zipper
Bottoms: Brooks cold weather sweat pants
Other: Two pairs gloves, gaiter (which I took off for the race), ear band (which I took off for the race), smart wool hat.
Shoes: Altra Lone Peaks.  This is a road race, but there was enough ice and snow to justify trail shoes.

Start line: The start didn't have official corrals, but did have pace signs so people could line up in order.  The pace signs stopped at 10+ minute mile.  They should've had signs for 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and even 13:00 miles, especially given that the average finishing time was 35:00.  It would've helped the back end of the race quite a bit.

Race/course: This is run on the road (not the path) around Lake Harriet. The road is generally crazy narrow, one lane and sometimes parking.   Things were badly crowded for the first two miles.  I was thinking that being able to see the finish line for the entire race would drive me nuts, but it really turned out not to matter.  I was spending so much concentration on dodging runners, ice and pot holes that I didn't really look for the finish until I knew it was fairly close.  And yes, there are hills on this course.  They are short but steep.

Finish: I got a medal quite quickly.  The line for food and water was crazy long and not moving.  I chose to forgo my post race banana (though I really lamented the bottle of water I missed) because I needed to get to another event to support a friend.  Seriously, this line was not moving. I'd parked about a mile away in the neighborhood, so I ran/walked/cooled down on the way back to my car.

Race Recommended For: Most importantly, people who like the 5K distance. This is a fun supportive race for first timers.  It's got good SWAG and a fun atmosphere.  For the crazy fast people, it's also a good race because it is chip timed and well supported.  As a middle of the pack runner, it was frustrating because it was so crowded.  I wouldn't have done this race if it hadn't been part of the series.

Goals and outcomes: Before the race, I'd been thinking about goal times and strategies.  My most recent 5K was the TC 5K in October.  My pace was 11:19 and that race has a wicked hill in the beginning.  Thinking about this race I first thought "11:00/mile would be a good goal".  Then I thought about the cold and how crowded the race would be, and other factors that could influence things, and I had no idea how to plan.
Ultimately, I stuck with my usual race strategy which is to go hard and go by feel.  I just let myself find a rythym that felt good but hard and went with it.  An added strategy was to push the pace on the hills, something I almost never do.  I wound up 33:46 or a 10:52/mile. I was shocked and pleased.
I had to smile when I looked at my heart rate data.  I've never hit 181 before.  No wonder I hurt so bad.