Sometimes it’s ice. Sometimes hail or heavy rain. But it stands to reason that every year I’ve done the Winter 5k Series, I’m plagued with at least one obstacle at some point. This year, it was a nasty cold.
I didn’t get much sleep and my cough still hurt, but I couldn’t miss this annual tradition. I always rally for the Winter 5k Series, brought to us by Run with Paula. As the race moto reminds us, “never let winter win!”
For those not in the know, this is a series of three 5ks; one in December, one in January, and one in February. All take place from the Portland Running Company store in Beaverton, and all follow the same route. Runners and walkers take off from a road near the store and head down onto the Greenway Trail in Fanno Creek for a simple out and back. It’s quick and though not flat, the hills are small rollers and totally manageable.
There is sometimes a bit of frost or slippery patches in places on the paved trail, but it’s not at all hard to navigate. When you get finished, there’s always a nice party at the store, complete with coffee, food, and raffle prizes. You’ll also get 10% off anything you buy in the store that day.
Because my distance runner’s brain does weird “runner’s math,” I can’t seem to justify driving 20 minutes to get to a race that will take me less time to finish than a run around my own neighborhood, so this means I need to add on miles.
Since the Winter 5k Series races all start at 9AM, this gives me plenty of time to front-load some miles and enjoy the treats after the race. So even though I wasn’t feeling great, I arrived at PRC early and ran/walked an additional 6 miles. I felt better than I thought I would, and the weather was perfect.
After a few horrible rainy days earlier in the week, Portlanders were rewarded with a few dry and unseasonably “warmish” days for December, and Saturday, December 13th turned out to be a great day for the first race in the series. By the time I got back to my car to start the 5k, I had shed my gloves and I was ready to go again.
Check in, as always, was a breeze and the race shirts are pink this season, which is super tempting even though I don’t need any more! I still have two more races in the series to make my final decision on this, and since runners can earn a pressed-on badge for each month of the series even after it’s passed, this is plenty of time.
I run into friends every single year that I do this race, and there were plenty of smiling faces as always. Of course Paula was there, overseeing every aspect and lending help wherever needed. She still had time for a warm hug and a cheerful hello. She amazes me with her grace under pressure.
A perk for this series is that you can hang out in the store before the race to stay warm, so I didn’t head outside until about 10 minutes before we were to start. After the national anthem, we were off. The out and back route means you’ll see friends ahead of you and behind you, including Paula and her lovely daughter Josie and all the super fast PRC Runners.
Though I don’t consider myself competitive, I still honed in on a guy towards the end that I wanted to beat and I managed to pass him with less than a mile to go. I had a pretty fast finish all things considered, but nothing like the winner of the day who ran a blistering sub 16 minute race!
After the race, I headed into the store for the raffle and some treats. I found out I’d placed 4th in my age group, which made me wonder how I would have done if:
- I hadn’t been sick,
- I hadn’t run 6 miles beforehand, and
- I hadn’t stopped to take some pictures out on the course for this post
In the end, it doesn’t really matter, because I’m just out there to have a good time, and that’s what it was!!
The next race is on January 17 followed by the final one on Valentine’s Day, February 14th. I’ll be at both, so get laced up and let’s make it happen!
