worse 5K time ever

Today was the Lehigh Carbon Community College 5k & Zumba event. I adjunct there, so I get the emails and I thought it was a fun spin on a tried and true fundraiser. It was part of a broader fall festival on the college campus. It was a soggy, windy mess. Everything was moved inside but the race. My time 1:09. Sixty-nine minutes and I didn't take a single picture.

Remember the old joke about walking uphill in both directions to go to school. That's what this race was. 70% uphill. There was one steep downhill that I almost ran, and another smaller one. There were a few semi flats. The rest was up. Some rolling, some step, one a climb. It rained. The green leaves were falling with the wind and were slick. The wind gusted at time, and at one point I was going up a hill side stepping so the wind wouldn't knock me over. I felt like the guys on the weather channel reporting during a hurricane.

The course was a square. We left the gym and went to Old Orchard Road, followed that past the Trexler Nature (Game) Preserve to Packinghouse Lane. We followed that to Rt 309. Well, not quite. We went out an alley right before it, and back to the college. Then up the hill to campus and thru the quad for the finish.

By the second large hill the other walkers had passed me. I never caught up. By the time I reached the alley the sweep van was asking me if I wanted a ride. I was pretty sure I was last. I couldn't see people in front or in back of me. But when I crossed the finish, I said to the race official, now you can pack up. He said, nope. There's one more behind you. I was shocked.

When I went inside I was drenched. I had a raincoat on, and didn't take dry clothes. I told them I wouldn't be staying for Zumba. I just wanted to go home, peel off my wet clothes and take a long, hot shower.

Miles/Steps:            5K
Weather:                 43, drizzle to hard rains, 20-30 MPH winds with gusts to 40MPH.

Wildlife:                  none

Bathrooms:             didn't use

Extra:                      I arrived about 10 minutes before the race. It looked like the no-show rate was about 50%.

Extra:                      I'm not a "medal" type of person. More and more races are giving finisher medals. I think it all stems from grade school where modern children got a reward or certificate for everything. It can stop. Once my box is full, they'll go to Medals for Mettle. The kids get a medal for making it to the other side of chemo and other ghastly treatments.